Water heater
Printed From: myHanse.com
Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 345/348
Forum Description: 345/348 Hints, Tips and News
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12089
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 03:41
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Topic: Water heater
Posted By: Magicol
Subject: Water heater
Date Posted: 23 July 2020 at 00:23
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We are again sailing and enjoying a belated start to our season. I hope others are too. I wonder if anyone can help. Our calorifier or water heater provides hot water after the engine has been running but when we use shore power to run the heater, the temperature is only just warm. I have adjusted the thermostat on the heater although it is difficult to see it. Any thoughts on what might be our problem? ------------- Hanse 345 #237 based on the Clyde |
Replies:
Posted By: Wayne's World
Date Posted: 23 July 2020 at 05:09
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Magicol, There is normally a "mixing valve" which mixes cold water with the hot as it comes out of the calorifier. Maybe this is completely open and mixing too much cold with the hot. ------------- Wayne W Cruising, currently in the Pacific until the end of 2026. |
Posted By: Fendant
Date Posted: 23 July 2020 at 07:26
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HiColin, If you are running the engine only a short time (< 30 mins ) it will not sufficiently heat up the water. it looks as if you have a problem with the heating rod inside the water boiler: a) check the 220 V connection plig close to the boiler b) check your 220 V shore panel with all the fuses ( hidden below the deck inside the port locker c) if these are ok you need to replace the heating element inside the boiler and then readjust your mixing valve Enjoy sailing like we do since 3 weeks Frank ------------- Frank |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 23 July 2020 at 11:46
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On my thermostat there is an overload button that cuts out if the water gets too hot when on shore power. Ie if water level is allowed to run down or shore power is on & there is no water in the tank. If you have run the engine & only used a small amount of hot water it will remain warm for some time & you will think that the shore power is on but not heating the water very much. In fact the shore power may not be on at all because the cut out has tripped. Typically, over winter, if you drain the system You must disconnect the heater if shore power is on. I can only talk for my boat so this may not apply to you. If not then apologies. To solve the problem DISCONNECT SHORE POWER FIRST (I did not & my eyes lit upwhen I touched both terminal at once. Needless to say I have not done that again. Remove the cover over the thermostat control. You may have already done that when trying to adjust the temperature. Turn the temp control to about half way to avoid boiling & endless tripping of the cutout. Then look for a small hole near the part that you rotate to adjust temp. You may confuse this with one of the rivets but a bit of prodding will find it. I now use an old small electric screw driver that I have ground to a point, but a stiff thin wire will do. Tell the wife & kids to shut up.( Difficult I know) Put your ear near the hole & insert the wire. Listen for a "click" this is the cutout going back in. If you do then success.  ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 23 July 2020 at 11:59
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Carrying on further from the post about the cutout. Mine played up & kept tripping. I think it was because I had the temp too high. I did order a new one from Italy because I was going on an extended cruise. Whilst i was waiting for the spare to arrive I took the unit out & had a look. There is a thermocouple on the inner face & I bent it a bit & put it back into the heater. That was 5-6 years ago. The spare arrived & I have never fitted it as my "adjustment" has worked. The point being that one should not just give up & pay money without investigating the problem, as , in my case, half an hour & the issue was solved. ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Posted By: Magicol
Date Posted: 23 July 2020 at 23:31
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Thanks you for these helpful replies. It reinforces the value of the Myhanse website. But it has also somewhat embarrassed me as I have learned more about the water heater from these replies than in all the time I have owned our boat. I am on board again this weekend and this will be my first job! Thanks again everyone. ------------- Hanse 345 #237 based on the Clyde |
Posted By: Captain Cook
Date Posted: 24 July 2020 at 13:07
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To deliver an useful answer to your questions about the water heater, there first have to be answered a few questions. 1) Is this problem new, or has it always been there? 2) Did you adjust anything on the heater before the problem occurred? 3) How old is the water heater? The heating element is working or not working, there is no possibility in between. A defect cable may be the culprit, by cutting the current, but then there should be a hot spot, where the cable is defect. Also the spade contacts at the heater should be checked. Corrosion here can cause a bad connection. If the mixing valve is turned to cold, the water will also be cold when the engine is warming the water. If your heater is more than 5 years old and often used, there may be a deposit of calcium on the element, but this will not give you lukewarm water, it will just slow down the heating process. If there were calcium deposits in the tubes, you would also experience the problem when the engine were running. I changed my old water heater after 10 years, because there were quite a bit of rust on it, and the fastening straps were corroded away. I now have a model in stainless steel. :Kjeld ------------- Freya H400 #27 (2006),2-cabin, 40HP 3JH4E, 3-blade Flexofold, Aries LiftUp Windvane, Exturn 300, Jefa DD1,Simrad NX40,Icom M603(VHF)+M802(SSB) |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 10 August 2020 at 20:00
Just out of interest-- Did you find a solution? ------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Magicol wrote:Posted By: Magicol
Date Posted: 10 August 2020 at 23:14
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Apologies Samuel and others. I should have come back to explain how I resolved the problem. I think there may have been an airlock in my boiler; I drained the system first then refilled it. I ran all the hot water outlets under pressure for a few minutes. I filled the freshwater system again then experimented with the thermostat and found that the water temperature improved significantly. Nevertheless, I now have a better understanding of the electrics around the boiler for future reference. Just one final question, however. The water inlet and outlet hoses from the engine appear to restrict access to the heating element. If I ever need to remove the element, am I correct in thinking that it is necessary to dismantle these hoses first? And of course most importantly, we have our shower back working. The only problem, if there’s more than two of us on board, hot water becomes a rationed commodity! Thanks again everyone for your help. ------------- Hanse 345 #237 based on the Clyde |
Posted By: samuel
Date Posted: 12 August 2020 at 07:04
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I really cannot recall if I had to drain the tank or not. I rather think that I did not, but do not quote me. Better to do it when water level is low & if there is a leak you can easily run the tanks dry before proceeding further. Re the cut out trip. I had to press mine at the weekend & it is right next to the thermal adjustment lever & when pressed makes a significantly loud "click"
------------- Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex |
Posted By: Martin&Rene
Date Posted: 20 August 2020 at 17:28
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Magicol Re your amount of shower water supply problem. We solved this by switching the shower head to this one; http://www.penguineng.com/TapsShowers/Showers-ElbowShowerHeads/D91PenguinTap.php" rel="nofollow - http://www.penguineng.com/TapsShowers/Showers-ElbowShowerHeads/D91PenguinTap.php As well as giving you full stream and shower head modes, there is a slide button to switch the flow from full flow to a low flow setting, but keeping the same temperature of the water. So you can set the taps to give you the correct temperature, pour water all over yourself, switch to the low flow setting, putting the shower head in the basin with the plug in. You can then wash all over with soap etc, then switch the flow back to full flow to rinse off, also using the small amount of warm water that has accumulated in the basin. We will then put it back on to the low flow setting whilst one person hops out of the shower and the other hops in, so the second person does not have to waste water with the bother of adjusting the temperature. Thus you considerably decrease the amount of water used for a shower. It seems such an obvious solution, that I wonder why this head is not a common fitting. ------------- Martin&Rene Hanse 341 Dipper Wheel steering, 3 cabin layout, normally based in Scotland |
Posted By: Magicol
Date Posted: 21 August 2020 at 23:26
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Thanks for this. This season we have been experimenting with a shower head designed for caravaners which reduces the amount of water through the head but still provides a comfortable shower. However, I like the idea of being able to reduce the amount of water whilst taking a shower without risking changing the temperature. It’s not until you shower on a boat that you appreciate just how much water is used and can be wasted. I will certainly investigate this particular shower head. Colin ------------- Hanse 345 #237 based on the Clyde |
Posted By: Turandot
Date Posted: 02 April 2024 at 03:02
| Hey, thanks for sharing your experience with water heaters! It's always a good idea to stay on top of maintenance. If anyone's looking for more tips or advice on water heater care, they might want to check out https://thermaright.co.uk/boiler-hire-in-bristol/" rel="nofollow - thermaright.co.uk —they could provide some helpful insights to keep things running smoothly! |