HEATER LEAKING WATER

MY BROTHER IN LAWS BOAT IS POURING WATER OUT OF
HIS HEATER, IS THERE A GASKET IN THE UNIT
THAT MIGHT HAVE BROKE
ANYONE EVER HAVE THIS PROBLEM

The heater core has sprung a leak!

It happens a lot in raw water cooling systems, which most ski boats have. With a closed system the amount of corrosion is somewhat limited, but with an infinate supply of water the corrosion can just keep on eating away at things.

You can usually buy a new heater core and not have to replace the entire unit.

Rod

While you are waiting to get it fixed go to the Auto parts store and buy a rubber hose. Take the heater hoses off and put the rubber hose on. If you just shut of the valve it will still leak from the back side. You must put a jumper hose on it, intake and return.

A new unit will cost you $300. I couldn't find anyone that would seel just the core. I took my core out and had a radiator shop fix the leak for $40. You'll need to take it out of the casing and pop rivet or screw it back together when you're done. Faceplant is correct, I used a small piece of copper tube to bypass the heater unit so I could still run the boat while it was getting fixed.

I just had the same experience with my '01 CC yesterday. The vendor is HEATERCRAFT , and appearantly is quite trouble prone. Mine has only 12 hours on it!!!

I'm not sure how they can continue selling/installing these things. They are such junk and not the least of which is quite dangerous! BTW, it almost sunk the boat because when the engine warms up, it just starts pumping more water thru the heater core than the bilge can handle. Wow, what a nice option! Thank goodness my wife didn't have it out by herself!

I just did the bypass, which is easy. The heater core is another matter. It's a bear to get to.

If I decide to reinstall I would put valves on both inlet and outlet to reroute the bypass, so if it happens again, I can at least shut off the water flow.
}}

Waste of money. Had one in my first Sanger. They are prone to exploding in the cold and rotting in the heat.

OK, I stand corrected. Sorry Heatercraft. The heater core tested fine although the design and installation left something to be desired..

Problem was elsewhere. Good to know of the problems though as I will be putting shut-offs in the heater lines.

Stupid question:

Are you talking about the heater (for air only) or warm shower?

I've made the leap of faith of going with a heater instead of a shower in the new boat after oodles of trouble with the previous shower. Is a heater going to give me equal amounts of trouble? How exactly does the heater work?

(Message edited by talltigeguy on August 06, 2004)

Heater by Heatercraft as supplied by CC.

The design is archaic, but it puts out hot air.

The problem as I see it: There is no provision to shut off water flow to the core. Likewise, I think it's a little difficult to thouroughly winterize the core.
It wouldn't cost a lot to add valves (shut-off's) and a bypass. Sure would save a lot of headaches.

Most problems with the heater core are caused by freezing, or simply the heater hoses are not routed correctly allowing the hoses to bounce and cause the heater core to crack at the hose inlet. If the latter is the case it can be repaired with a torch and solder. I had one in my boat that lasted as long as I owned it. I believe they use a Ford heater core or something like that, and it can be purchased from most any auto parts store.

If anyone has an idea of how to plumb the heater so that 1) it can be shut off 2)can be easilly and effectively winterized 3) the bypass hose routed to the engine, let's hear from you!

That is pretty simple.
1: Use a heater control valve from a car. You would have to reach under the dash or in the engine compartmart to shut it off.

2: Put a drain valve in the heater hose with a petcock.

3: You could run two Y valves and a short section of hose at the rear.

4: WHY? If you are really worried carry a heater core bypass. Although in cold climates I could see having the drain.