Pacific Seacraft 31 Owners Group: Fall / Winter Greetings!
I just wanted to provide an update on the first season usage and winterization of the ISOTMP SPA 15:
Installation was fairly straight forward, the ISOTEMP SPA 15 fits nicely in the space under the GALLEY SINK/CUTTING BOARD/DRAWERS.
I did need to make some spacers for under the feet of the tank mounts, as the drain line needed to have a bit more room under the tank:
The fittings to connect the cold and hot water lines to the tank, as well as the engine coolant lines, mount on the front of the tank, unlike the ATWOOD style water heaters.
This really made post installation? testing of the electric and? verification that the hot/cold distributions lines? were drip free!
As the connections to? the engine coolant lines to the water heater could be made after everything else was working.
If you install an ISOTEMP SPA 15, one thing I discovered is that the connections made at the factory to the MIXER were not sealed properly - and leaked rather profusely! Make certain you seal all mechanical joints with the proper sealantr rated for hot water heaters.
I also used SHARK, solderless connections for the HOT/COLD water line connections to the heater, which made it quite a bit easier to adapt to getting the connections figured out.
Here is the current installation, before wiring in the 110 V AC circuit box and connecting the engine coolant lines.
NOTE:? the clear tubing connecting the COLD water input from the COLD WATER BYPASS valve to the TANK.
Due to a failure of a reused BYPASS VALVE, it became necessary to use flexible line to couple the COLD WATER to the TANK.
This provided an unexpected benefit when filling the TANK with fresh water -? of actually being able to see the water flowing into the tank!
1.
I found the ISOTEMP SPA 15 provided excellent heating and storage of hot water, both at the dock and underway over the sailing season on Lake Superior.2.
Winterization of the ISOTEMP SPA 15 was a SNAP:!What I did not realize on the HOT WATER CIRCUIT - is that it seems to develop a bit of vapor lock, which affects winterizing efforts.3. I plumbed the HOT WATER CIRCUIT so that I could winterize the HOT WATER TANK without disconnecting hoses - using two BYPASS VALVES: one for the cold water inlet and one for the HOT water outlet.
Note: Winterization? process is as follows:
1. I shut off the hot water electric 110V AC circuit.
2. Then open the DRAIN on the ISOTEMP SPA 15 (Accomplished by rotating a black knob drain knob) - water should exit out of the drain line.
3. I found the drain to barely drip when open.
4. Fortunately, the ISOTEMP SPA 15 has a pressure release screw located at the top of the tank - once that screw is opened up, the tank drains quickly!
5. I have a hose that I connected to the drain line and collect the water in a pot, but could also be drained into the bilge (providing you haven't already winterized the bilge pump).
So far, very happy with the ISOTEMP SPA 15, the mixer works well - no longer have to worry about scalding hot water coming out of the tap... I have done a fair amount of electrical wiring in residential and boat environments. This was the first marine hot water heater install that I have attempted. I found some excellent YOUTUBE videos which provided some help in planning. But each installation is a tad different and I spent quite a bit of time planning the installation; reacting to unforeseen problems; as well as availability of plumbing parts locally. Love the SHARK solderless brass fittings; although they are a tad expensive compared to other methods, they rotate after installation around the tubing, which makes it easy to install in tight spaces. I like the color coding of PEX tubing. I may in the future invest in a PEX CRIMPING tool, so that I could use cheaper fittings, as I plan to replace the rest of the hot/cold water lines originally installed on Intuition.
Daryl
S/Y Intuition - PSC 31 # 054
Daryl Clark