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Recommended Calorifiers?

Posset

By Posset
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Posset Engager

Posset

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It now looks like I need to fit a new calorifier, since we purchased the boat a few months ago we have found it takes almost 5hrs cruising to heat the water to a decent temperature. I have checked the pipework is connected the correct way round on the calorifier and that the engine is providing plenty of flow through the heating coil without any air locks but its still rubbish.

 

I now assume that the 12yr old 55ltr calorifier is not very efficient as I have been told that it should only take 60-90mins to heat it up to a good temperature.

 

What make of tank is considered to be the best or which ones would you guys recommend? I am looking for a vertical mounted 55ltr with twin coils so I can add a diesel heater in future if required.

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

Posted
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It now looks like I need to fit a new calorifier, since we purchased the boat a few months ago we have found it takes almost 5hrs cruising to heat the water to a decent temperature. I have checked the pipework is connected the correct way round on the calorifier and that the engine is providing plenty of flow through the heating coil without any air locks but its still rubbish.

 

I now assume that the 12yr old 55ltr calorifier is not very efficient as I have been told that it should only take 60-90mins to heat it up to a good temperature.

 

What make of tank is considered to be the best or which ones would you guys recommend? I am looking for a vertical mounted 55ltr with twin coils so I can add a diesel heater in future if required.

Have you felt the temperature of the actual brass fitting where the hot water from the engine actually enters the calorifier and where it also leaves. If you can hold them both the water from your engine is NOT hot enough. The inlet should be about 75-80°C and the return only a few degrees colder.

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CygnusV Collaborator

CygnusV

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I needed to replace our calorifier about 18month ago.

I bought one online from Surejust (http://www.surecal.co.uk/), very pleased with the product and extremely pleased with the service & support from the company.

 

I fitted it myself and it functions very well.

 

Steve

 

This is exactly what I did,and with exactly the tank the OP wants, 55 litre twin coil . Very happy with the product, but we did have a problem that has probably been sorted, or may not apply to you. Our water pump is a 42PSI Johnson. 42psi is almost 3BAR. When we bought our tank the standard pressure relief valve on the Surecal was only 2BAR, or just over 30PSI. I contacted Matt at Surejust and they sorted it for me. We have not had any problem since. Take a look at my website link below for more about calorifiers and my own experience. Hope this help.

Edited by CygnusV
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Posset Engager

Posset

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60 litres I think and about an hour,less in summer.Do you know what temp your engine coolant is running at?

 

Ian.

The engines thermostat is an 82c and the boats temperature gauge stays steady at just below 80c.

 

Have you felt the temperature of the actual brass fitting where the hot water from the engine actually enters the calorifier and where it also leaves. If you can hold them both the water from your engine is NOT hot enough. The inlet should be about 75-80°C and the return only a few degrees colder.

Yes they are both really hot.

 

This is exactly what I did,and with exactly the tank the OP wants, 55 litre twin coil . Very happy with the product, but we did have a problem that has probably been sorted, or may not apply to you. Our water pump is a 42PSI Johnson. 42psi is almost 3BAR. When we bought our tank the standard pressure relief valve on the Surecal was only 2BAR, or just over 30PSI. I contacted Matt at Surejust and they sorted it for me. We have not had any problem since. Take a look at my website link below for more about calorifiers and my own experience. Hope this help.

Thanks, my pump is only 20psi, there tanks now come with a 4bar relief valve. How long does yours take to heat from just the engine?

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David Mack Veteran II

David MackDonate to Canal World

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The engines thermostat is an 82c and the boats temperature gauge stays steady at just below 80c.

 

Yes they are both really hot.

 

Thanks, my pump is only 20psi, there tanks now come with a 4bar relief valve. How long does yours take to heat from just the engine?

 

I can't imagine there is anything so wrong with your calorifier that would make it take that long to heat up. Something else is amiss. If you just replace it with a new one there is a high chance that exactly the same will happen.

 

Possible causes of the problem:

  • insufficeint coolant
  • an air lock
  • a blockage - crud in the pipes
  • the engine water pump is not circulating the coolant

Do the pipes both rise up to the calorifier connections? If so is there a bleed point? If there is open it, if not loosen the upper connection, until coolant is flowing out freely (and then top up).

 

Check the pump is working.

 

Disconnect the calorifier pipes at the engine and put a hose pipe to one and check that water freeley flows out of the other.

Edited by David Mack
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Posset Engager

Posset

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I can't imagine there is anything so wrong with your calorifier that would make it take that long to heat up. Something else is amiss. If you just replace it with a new one there is a high chance that exactly the same will happen.

 

Possible causes of the problem:

  • insufficeint coolant
  • an air lock
  • a blockage - crud in the pipes
  • the engine water pump is not circulating the coolant

Do the pipes both rise up to the calorifier connections? If so is there a bleed point? If there is open it, if not loosen the upper connection, until coolant is flowing out freely (and then top up).

 

Check the pump is working.

 

Disconnect the calorifier pipes at the engine and put a hose pipe to one and check that water freeley flows out of the other.

Both hoses rise up from the engine through the bulkhead and down to the connections on the tank. There are no bleed valves anywhere, I disconnected the return pipe/hose at the engine end at the weekend started it up and there was a decent flow of hot water coming from the hose, I also topped the coolant level back up with antifreeze afterwards but it still took forever to get hot water.

 

I was thinking it may just be that tanks built 12+yrs ago may not be as efficient at heat transfer as modern ones, I assume its just a coiled pipe with no exchanger fins like a surecal type???

Edited by Posset
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Posset Engager

Posset

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I wonder if the coil's all furred up with 12 years use (hard water district?)

I was wondering the same, it has had a total of 2200hrs use. The boat has pretty much always been filled in Bradford on Avon but I don't know if its a hard water area. A friend said it is probably soft as all the buildings are made of sandstone, I will have to find out.

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Posset Engager

Posset

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If I bought a twin coil could I pipe up both the coils to the engine or would that cause more risk of an air lock or would the engine not be able to supply enough hot water fast enough etc?

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Phil Ambrose Veteran II

Phil Ambrose

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I wonder if the coil's all furred up with 12 years use (hard water district?)

That was what I was thinking, I replaced my calorifier on my last boat as it started leaking fitted a 55 litre Surecal and when I launched the old one out it turned out to be full of lime scale, in fact I had this with a tank in one of my houses, about a third full of lime scale.

Having said this my old calorifier did not take excessive time to heat up, but limescale could be a problem.

 

Phil

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Posset Engager

Posset

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I had one in my first house that was about half full of limescale, it looked like cornflakes and like you say it still heated ok. Unfortunately the boat's cylinder does not have an immersion heater that I could of remove it have a look. If there is a large build up on the coil i would expect that would affect heating time.

 

Its looking like I will have to bite the bullet and get a new one. If I get a Surecal unit at least I will have two more options to make it heat up quicker if required (ie diesel heater or Immersion).

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Posset Engager

Posset

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Ok, having just spent 2 weeks on the cut I have discovered that the amount of water being circulated by the engine at normal cruising speed may not be enough to heat the calorifier. The pipe from the engine is hot but the return pipe stays pretty cool until you get the engines revs a bit higher. I was moored up one day and revved the engine about 2500rpm in neutral and it heated the tank up a fair amount in an hour.

 

It it possible to fit a 12v circulating pump in the system to improve flow?

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Phil Ambrose Veteran II

Phil Ambrose

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Ok, having just spent 2 weeks on the cut I have discovered that the amount of water being circulated by the engine at normal cruising speed may not be enough to heat the calorifier. The pipe from the engine is hot but the return pipe stays pretty cool until you get the engines revs a bit higher. I was moored up one day and revved the engine about 2500rpm in neutral and it heated the tank up a fair amount in an hour.

 

It it possible to fit a 12v circulating pump in the system to improve flow?

No reason why you could not fit a 12v circulating pump that I can think of.

 

Phil

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smileypete Veteran II

smileypete

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Hard to say without more details but it may be the way the pipes are laid out or due to an airlock. Seems to work fine for most people.

 

If it does need a pump there's Bosch/Mercedes recirculation pumps that should work, probably from £15 second hand from a scrappie/Ebay:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=mercedes+recirculation+pump&_sop=15

 

Or there's a seller on Ebay that does small recirculation pumps:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-Volt-Hot-Water-Pump-6W-12v-Solar-Panel-Brewing-Aquarium-Boat-/130897343178

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited by smileypete
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