Water heater

[Juan]

Hi everyone:

Last year I noticed that the water heater was leaking. As soon as I filled the water tanks with fresh water, the fresh water leaked through the bottom of the water heater. I supposed this was because the water heater got rusty at the bottom. Since I never use hot water and to avoid this leaking of fresh water I put a shut off valve on the incoming hose. There is no more leaking of fresh water. Recently I noticed, however, that the relief valve is warm (not necessarily hot but pretty much warm). Frankly, since a year ago, I never check this valve so I don't know if it has been warm all this time. The question is, is this normal? Is there any way to shut off the electricity to the water heater...I don't see an obvious on-off switch for this..

Thanks

Juan

[sselinger]

My Mk I has a circut breaker on the power panel for the water heater. You can turn this off.

[Jim Hardesty]

Juan,
Was it warm after running the engine?  You also have engine coolant going through the water heater.  I think that may be the source of the heat.
Jim

[Stu Jackson]

...in my boat there is no obvious way to shut off the electricity to the heater.

Juan,

That would be very odd.  There should be a water heater breaker on the A.C. side of your electrical panel.  It's also in the boat manual.

Like this picture, it's a push button on my boat.

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2620.msg13781.html#msg13781

[KWKloeber]

Hi everyone:

Last year I noticed that the water heater was leaking. As soon as I filled the water tanks with fresh water, the fresh water leaked through the bottom of the water heater. I supposed this was because the water heater got rusty at the bottom. Since I never use hot water and to avoid this leaking of fresh water I put a shut off valve on the incoming hose. There is no more leaking of fresh water. Recently I noticed, however, that the relief valve is warm (not necessarily hot but pretty much warm). Frankly, since a year ago, I never check this valve so I don't know if it has been warm all this time. The question is, is this normal? Is there any way to shut off the electricity to the water heater...I don't see an obvious on-off switch for this..

Thanks

Juan

If you have no potable water in the tank (not speaking of the engine coolant loops) and have no breaker to 'break,' it's odd that the element is still functioning -- running it dry will burn it up.

kk

[Stu Jackson]

I know water coolant also go through the water heater. Fortunately, this is not leaking (yet). I am planning to bypass the water coolant that goes through the water heater.

Juan,

Don't know if you've seen this:

Heater Hose from Engine to Heater

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3769.msg21253.html#msg21253

[Ron Hill]

Juan : There should be a breaker, as Stu said , on your main electrical panel that will shut off the AC power to the hot water heater.  

Also you can turn off AC shore power, take the panel off the side of the water heater (side door) and disconnect the black & ground AC wires on the water heater and cap those wire with a wire nut(for protection).  This should break the AC electrical circuit.

A thought

[KWKloeber]

Juan : There should be a breaker, as Stu said , on your main electrical panel that will shut off the AC power to the hot water heater. 

disconnect the black ground AC wire

Juan, Ron meant the black HOT A/C wire.  Don't grab an AC black wire thinking it's the neutral or ground and is harmless  -- bad things will happen.   

I would also disconnect and wire nut off both the black and white (just in case someone reversed the polarity of the conductor colors.)

kk