[C320-list] Hot water tank woes

[Larry Frank]

Chris,

If you haven't already replaced the pressure relief valve, I recommending
checking another possible leak source first.  

The Whale fittings used to connect the water tubing can fail.  On WindSwept
most have failed because they were screwed down too tight on the threaded
end causing the fitting to actually crack and open up.  It was an
installation problem at the factory.

When they first begin leaking they will leak a little bit causing the
pressure water pump to cycle just as you described.  At some point if not
replaced they will fail completely and the pump will run continuously until
the tank is dry.

If you think it was hot and steamy under the galley cabinet this probably
means the leak was from the hot water side.  

I'd try to positively identify where the leak was from before changing the
relief valve since it seems to be a difficult task.  Look for drips.

Larry
WindSwept C320 #246

-----Original Message-----
From: c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com
[mailto:c320-list-bounces at catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Chris Holt
Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2007 3:32 PM
To: c320
Subject: [C320-list] Hot water tank woes

I just came back from a 4 day vacation on the boat and we had a bit of
trouble with the hot water tank.  With 4 girls (wife and three kids) hot
water is a must.
There were a couple of strange things that happened but to save on typing
and you reading I'll talk about the main one.  On the third day we were on a
dock in Kennebunkport, ME and we turned on the AC water heater.  After
taking showers we forgot to shut it off and went for a walk in town.  When I
got back I could hear the water pump running and figured we must have run
out of water and I didn't hear it before leaving.  When I flipped the tank
over the system pressurized and then the pump would kick on about every 30
seconds for a short burst.  After thinking about this I remembered we didn't
shut off the water heater.  When I checked under the sink it was very hot
under there and sure enough there was water in there.

First question:  Isn't there a thermostat in there that should not allow the
water to get that hot?

In any case, I'm assuming the water was too hot and the pressure relief
valve keep shooting out water to let off steam.
So I ran the hot water for awhile to cool the water down in the tank and
sure enough the water pump stopped kicking on.
Now, when we left Kennebunkport and got to our destination I heard the water
pump doing the same thing.  The engine now caused the water to get too hot.

2nd question: If the answer to the first question is yes does the thermostat
work for engine heating and AC heating?
3rd question: Because of this incident do you think my pressure release
valve is no longer good?  It seemed I had to cool the water down quite a lot
in the tank before it stopped causing the pump to turn on.

Thanks,

Chris
#447