As I move forward from wiring to plumbing, I'm getting set to install my new Seaward water heater. One of the POs had installed the bypass pipes & valve as shown in pic. I read in one thread, Tom advised getting rid of it. My question: [U]What was the reason to install this mod in the first place?[/U] Was it a hot weather mod to keep heat from radiating into the cabin?
So... here's a quick story about the wiring: Last week, the [U]very day that I finished the wiring[/U]... everything was online, the new panel, new batteries, new DC distribution etc... I get a call from a boater friend who is also a vol. firefighter. The call had just gone out over the radio of a boat fire at our marina. My heart leaped to my throat as I immediately assumed it was my boat and my wiring that caused it :eek:
But I DO need to replace my ancient scored/corroded/partly melted shore power cord and inlet. The boat used to have an airconditioner on it. THAT must have drawn some current.
here's the bypass valve similar to mine... Why do this?
[IMG]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N4tJzWyMskE/UxCpepLslUI/AAAAAAAAKYQ/P...
Paul & Ann -
"Freestyle" -
1985 C36 #454 -
North Puget Sound, WA
I think this was not a prior owner's doing, but the factory original - our boat is of the same year vintage and has precisely the same set-up. In four years of ownership I've never seen a reason to use it, or its purpose, and other owners reportedly have removed the bypass (frankly, I suspect that after years of non-activation that gate valve is probably frozen anyway).
Matthew Chachère
s/v ¡Que Chévere!
(Formerly 1985 C36 MKI #466 tall rig fin keel M25)
2006 Catalina Morgan 440 #30.
Homeported in eastern Long Island, NY
Thanks Matthew. Yes, that was the same link that I had found. I was quoting Tom from it. But it didn't explain the reason for the bypass valve. Looking at mine, it certainly looks like an owner add-on. But maybe you're right, they all came with it originally.
Paul & Ann -
"Freestyle" -
1985 C36 #454 -
North Puget Sound, WA
Paul,
If memory serves, the purpose of the gate valve was to bypass the water heater, but I could never figure out why anyone might want to do that. Maybe, as you suggest, if you were in a warm climate and didn't want the water heater to heat up the cabin even more? The M25's had a marginal cooling system to begin with (2" H/E compared to a 3" H/E on the M25XP and later models), and maybe the bypass valve gave full flow of the cooling water thru the engine and then out the transom? I agree with Matthew. Can't think of a good reason to keep it.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
My boat has it - pretty sure its original. You want to be able to isolate the water heater in case it fails - you can still run the engine. Also on some other boats, you need to adjust the bypass valve slightly in order to get appropriate flows to both the cooling heat exchanger and the water or buss heaters. The coolant will take the path of least resistance, which is not always what you want!
Jason V
Vancouver, BC, Canada
OK, Just came from the boat. Mine was not in circuit anyway. The P.O.s had left in laying on the floor/bilge, still connected to the water heater, but disconnected from the heat exchange, which just had a short hose between the coolant tank/manifold and the HX.
I'll remove it and just use the bits to help me adapt the 2 size hoses.
But now I have to drain coolant to work on it. Yuck. I make a mess doing that in my own garage... can't imagine the mess I'll make in the boat! :(
Thanks guys.
Paul & Ann -
"Freestyle" -
1985 C36 #454 -
North Puget Sound, WA
Hi
I don't know if Tom mentioned but I just removed all that plumbing so that there a straight flow of the coolant thru the system. MAde a much easier to plumb and follow
Regards
Mike Hogan
s/v Ciscocat #226
Mark I XP25, std rig
Love this forum. Prior to our 36, I saw the same plumbing on our 1986 C 30 and was stumped by it all those years. I agree-it makes sense that if there's a break of the antifreeze line inside the hot water heater- you need a way to isolate it and be able to run the engine.
Paul & Wendy Keyser
"First Light"
Rye NH
2005 C36 MKII #2257
Wing, M35B
I had one of those on mine when I bought her. It is not a true by pass system though, you need 3 valves for that. After some research I was able to find out it was used to regulate the flow of the coolant to the exchanger or heater. What I disvovered the hard way..... if it gets blocked, your engine over heats..... old gate valves are a bad thing. The clog and sieze up at the wrong time.
I replaced it with a 3 ball valve system to truely isolate the HWH from the engine. Redundancy is a good thing at sea. My next step is to take a small heater core and put that in a loop off of the HWH so I can keep the cabin warm by running the engine. I have a radiator off a toyota that is in good shape that I will try.
Ross & Joanne
Wavelength
Saint John NB
RKYC
C36 #658 TR 1987
[QUOTE=pkeyser;21502]Love this forum. Prior to our 36, I saw the same plumbing on our 1986 C 30 and was stumped by it all those years. I agree-it makes sense that if there's a break of the antifreeze line inside the hot water heater- you need a way to isolate it and be able to run the engine.[/QUOTE]
1. The C34s never had this, made by the same company for many of the same decades! Go figger...
2. The easiest way to do this is to simply install a 3/8" hose at the engine, connecting the two places where the lines to the heater come off the engine. Until they installed heaters on boats that's the way the M25 series and M35 engines came from the engine manufacturer to Catalina Yachts.
Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)