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DRAINING CALORIFIER


RUBY 2345

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Welcome.

 

Belts & braces, isolate the source of heating to the calorifier if you can. If its engine heated, turn off the engine feed to it. I wouldn't worry too much if you're not going to be running the engine, but even if you are, I doubt you'd do any damage to the heating coil.

 

BTW, why do you want to drain it down? Are you winterising the boat? You only really need to drain down if your pipework is copper, you'll be leaving the boat for a long time or the weather is forecast to be severely cold. If you have plastic piping, the fact it will usually be below the waterline means its reasonably insulated, but if you're not sure, drain down anyway. Better safe than sorry. I have plastic piping & use my boat throughout the winter so I've never drained down & never had a problem - so far!.

 

Just do what suits you is the best advice.

Edited by Spuds
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If you can truly drain your calorifier you are very clever or very lucky!I recently had to replace ours when the original developed a split and leaked. Even after I had completely disconnected it and taken it out of the boat I could not get the thing completely empty so I could more easily carry it away for disposal. This, bear in mind, being one with a significant leak!I estimated from the weight that even after being left on the bank overnight the beast was still nearly half full. I guess if I'd removed the non-return valve(s) from its connections I'd have had more success, but decided it was easier to put up with carrying the bit of extra weight.If it's that hard to empty a leaky, fully disconnected one, I don't fancy trying to empty one that's still in-situ and leak free! There may be variations between different makes of course, perhaps other types than mine would have been a different matter?

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Provided air can enter the calorifier then it will drain down to the level of the bottom inlet/outlet.

Not if it is a type like the SureCal that actually incorporates an integral non-return valve on the bottom inlet, and which you are not able to "disable".

 

Nowt will run out there, even if you disconnect the feed to that inlet, and allow air to enter the calorifier freely.

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Not if it is a type like the SureCal that actually incorporates an integral non-return valve on the bottom inlet, and which you are not able to "disable".

 

Nowt will run out there, even if you disconnect the feed to that inlet, and allow air to enter the calorifier freely.

 

Sounds like a right pain in the arse. Plain simple cal for me that lets you plumb in your own arrangement.

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The couple we bought our boat off left very detailed instructions for draining ours. It is situated vertically in the bottom of the electrical cupboard at the back of a semitrad.

 

Disconnect plastic speed fit connection on top of tank, place clear flexible pipe into tank, connect to drill powered pump, connect hose to pump, pump overboard.

 

When empty re-connect speed fit connection.

 

Worked for us over winter last year, even doing it for the first time it didn't take long at all.

 

Kevin

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Many thanks for all your replies, this is my first time on a forum and I am sorry for shouting!

I have already drained the freshwater system as best I can and run through Freeze Ban. The water coming out of the hot taps is not very coloured and I am worried that the calorifier will not be fully protected. The idea is I want to winterise the boat but still need to move it back towards home as and when I get chance stoppages permitting.

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Mine, referred to in my earlier post, was a Surecal. Alan is quite right about the non return valve stopping it draining. I hadn't appreciated the valve was integrated as he says. Glad I didn't waste time trying to find & remove it!

 

Anyone with one of these therefore needs to be aware that it can't be totally drained and act accordingly.

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