12V element for Isotherm Basic water heater?

[Beausoleil]

It seems no one makes a 12V heating element for an Isotherm Basic water heater. Any ideas?

I'm getting ready to install three 240W solar panels (Hyundai HiS-S240MG mono crystal line) with two Blue Sky 3024iL MPPT controllers, and was thinking of using the diversion circuitry to heat water in our Isotherm tank, but none of the available aftermarket elements fit it. Would it be feasible to use nichrome or some other metal, fabricating a 0.5 ohm element?

Or should I just move the water heater to be downstream of the 2800W inverter ?

[Vasco]

Is the Isotherm element much different from most heater elements?

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by Beausoleil

It seems no one makes a 12V heating element for an Isotherm Basic water heater. Any ideas?

I'm getting ready to install three 240W solar panels (Hyundai HiS-S240MG mono crystal line) with two Blue Sky 3024iL MPPT controllers, and was thinking of using the diversion circuitry to heat water in our Isotherm tank, but none of the available aftermarket elements fit it. Would it be feasible to use nichrome or some other metal, fabricating a 0.5 ohm element?

Or should I just move the water heater to be downstream of the 2800W inverter ?

Here you go: Water Heating Element for 12V or 24V DC


Cheers!

[belizesailor]

I suspect they are hard to find for reason: any kind of resistive device like a water heater element is way inefficient and draws lots of juice.

I have an Isotherm water heater. Like most marine water heaters it works off of 120V and/or heat exchange from the engine. These units are very well insulated and the mixing valve helps further reduce use of hot water -- I can warm mine up with a normal (for me) 1 hour engine run and it is still warm (not hot) the next day (in the tropics off course).

I can run mine via the Inverter (2500W), but "HOLY AMP HOURS BATMAN!" -- it sucks the juice.