Fitting a hot water system
Practical Boat Owner|September 2020
Today most new yachts come with pressurised hot water, but that wasn’t the case 20 or 30 years ago. Rupert Holmes looks at how to retrofit a system to your boat
Rupert Holmes
Fitting a hot water system

Many boat owners are happy to rough it with a kettle as their only source of hot water. Others value the convenience of harnessing ‘free’ excess heat from the engine to warm a tank of water.

Typical systems have a calorifier tank in which the water is heated by the fresh water side of the engine’s cooling system. This circulates through a coil of pipework within the body of the calorifier. In addition a 240V immersion heater, typically of around 1kW, can be fitted for use with shore power when in a marina.

“The best calorifiers are made of copper,” says Ashley Bradley of ASAP Supplies, who offer a wide range of products for water systems. “They retain heat for up to 24 hours and have better antibacterial properties.”

Sizing a calorifier tank is not an exact science and Bradley says it’s often determined by the available space, but where possible he advises always opting for a larger unit. As a rule of thumb, a 30lt model is likely to be fine for 3-5 minute showers for a couple of people.

The calorifier needs a pressurized supply from the main water tanks. A mixer valve is also fitted to regulate water temperature and prevent it from coming out of the taps scalding hot.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2020 من Practical Boat Owner.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2020 من Practical Boat Owner.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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