How do I shut off water supply to the water heater tank

J

just1time

Active Member
Jun 13, 2021
217
tOrOnTo, oN
Boat Info
2003 SeaRay 280 Sundancer
Engines
Twin Mercruiser Alpha Drives 4.3
Have a leak from the water heater tank that drains my fresh water if I turn on the fresh water pump. I added a video below.
It only drains the FW tank when the fresh water pump is left running stops when I turn FW pump off. Any takes on where the leak could be coming from based on this?

Regardless, I don’t use hot water while on the boat so I don’t care to get into the daunting task of replacing the water heater.

Can anyone advise on how to simply shut off water supply to the water heater tank so my FW tank is not drained whenever I turn on the FW pump.

Below is a video of the leak. I also added a pic of what I figured is the main supply of fresh water to the tank but I don’t see any way to shut it off.


IMG_7776.jpeg
 
Your video only shows the leak and your pic shows the pump. But there isn't a way to bypass the the HW tank unless you installed a bypass kit.

But to bypass the tank you need to simply connect the red and blue pex lines together. The are HW bypass kits available as well. You can also get a shark bite connector and connect the two lines that way.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-P23...rv+hot+water+bypass+kit&qid=1690373671&sr=8-5
 
There should be a shutoff on the manifold that feeds the water supply to everything, at least there is on my 320
 
Cut PEX and put shark bit end cap on both inlet and outlet of lines to the tank or put in shark bite valves. Some day you may want to use the hot water tank
 
Bypass the tank.
I wouldn't just plug the lines. I think that would leave water in that that will get stagnant and may cause freshness or odor issues at a later date
 
If your water lines are 15mm (as opposed to 1/2") like mine, the sharkbite fittings may leak. It would be better to use the standard marine 15mm fittings which are available at many marina chandleries or even on Amazon. Its a simple bypass to do. This is what I do to bypass the HW tank when I winterize my boat. That is a 1/2 garden hose section. I would not recommend it as a fix because it can leak and is only when I blow things out. But you can see where I disconnected the in and out lines on the tank and then joined them with the hose. A "permanent" bypass would be to use a short section of 15mm pex tubing and two of the 15mm plastic couplings. Easy to buy at a good marine store like Fogh.
HW tank.jpeg
 
Thanks guys. I think I understand the assignment.
I just need to connect the red and blue pipes (hot and cold respectively) and that bypasses the heater.
Will any of this suffice?

I know for a fact I will never use the water heater or replace it to be honest. So can I I just leave the existing openings on the heater open or do I plug them with any fittings?


Screenshot 2023-07-26 at 12.39.12 PM.png
 

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No, they will not work. You do not have 3/4" garden hose connections on the HWH. You can disconnect the incoming blue hose on the HWH and likely plug it with a 1/2" plug from HD. Either that or connect the incoming blue hose to the outgoing red hose.

Bennett
 
bbwhitejr said:
No, they will not work. You do not have 3/4" garden hose connections on the HWH. You can disconnect the incoming blue hose on the HWH and likely plug it with a 1/2" plug from HD. Either that or connect the incoming blue hose to the outgoing red hose.

Bennett
Click to expand...

Got it. Thanks
 
You may never use the heater, but the next potential owner will expect it to work. I wouldn't do anything that cannot be easily reversed.

For the water heater, I would drain it as best you can, and plug it.
 
bbwhitejr said:
No, they will not work. You do not have 3/4" garden hose connections on the HWH. You can disconnect the incoming blue hose on the HWH and likely plug it with a 1/2" plug from HD. Either that or connect the incoming blue hose to the outgoing red hose.

Bennett
Click to expand...
Connecting the red to blue would be my choice. If the lines can connect end-to-end, use a straight AquaLock coupling. If not, use 2 AquaLock elbows joined with a piece of PEX in between.

Important note: check the size of your PEX tubing. Sea Ray used both 15mm and 1/2 PEX. The sizes are not interchangeable. It should be stamped on the tubing. I would not use Sharkbite fittings. Too many boaters have reported that they leak.
 
bobeast said:
You may never use the heater, but the next potential owner will expect it to work. I wouldn't do anything that cannot be easily reversed.

For the water heater, I would drain it as best you can, and plug it.
Click to expand...
Im with bob. Easy replace, about 1/2 hour work and $358. Will be worth it at sale time.
Fredwarner.net has cheapest prices by far on replacements. I just did mine in 2022. Real easy swap. You will probably spend same time rigging a bypass as installing a new one.
IMG_2277.png
 
If it's that cheap you should just go ahead and replace it for resale and if you ever need it and then you know you're doing it right
 
Not if you have easy access. Pull 4 hoses, unscrew from bilge floor, remove 2 wires from behind a panel. Pull it, insert new, screw down, attach 2 wires, 4 hoses tighten clamps, done. Helps to have a buddy up above while you in bilge, or swap if he more mechanical. But its really no big deal. just make sure you have enough clearnce to pull / insert into bilge.
some boats (twins) may require removing manifolds to get enough clearance to remove the old, then that will be a lot more work.
 
I have twin engines. No way in hell access is easy. This will be daunting. I rather bypass it and if I ever sell, deal with it then. Or maybe I ll tackle it over winter.
 
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