Calorifiers - how far can they be away from the engine?

My calorifier is right aft, so I reckon the pipes to it must be about 10 feet long allowing for slightly indirect routing.
They are however well lagged. Longer pipes might need to be bigger diameter so as to avoid restricting the water flow too much.
 
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I believe they must also not be fitted much higher than the height of the engine. If you do you need to move the header tank on the engine up as well.

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You,r right I think, not higher than the hdr tank.
 
Because the circulating water will go around many, many times in a typical heating period (motoring for a few hours), so long as you aren't exposing the hoses to really cold conditions, quite long runs can be quite acceptable. However, a quick boil up in neutral mightn't be as effective with long runs. Look at your house CH system. It will have FAR longer pipe runs than are possible on your boat yet radiators at the far extremities of the system still get sufficiently hot.

Steve Cronin
 
But wont a longer run put extra strain on the impellor or slow the flow of water, causing the engine to run hotter?
 
You'll be pushing your engine cooling water pump a great deal harder than intended. Unless your engine manufacturer OK's this, you run the risk of wearing it out prematurely.
 
My water gets very very hot. The calorifier is in the adjacent cockpit locker, and I have no header tank to the engine coolant. Recently I have had to top up about a cup full of coolant after several hours of running the engine. Should I be concerned? Any comments appreciated.
 
Mine is placed below top of engine, hoses are about 2 times 5 meters. No problem. One thing to consider though, is frequent spills of hot water from safety valve, when you start heating from cold, so make shure there is a suffiecent drain in the installation compartment

Michael
 
To prevent the overflow water from the calorifier filling up the bilges, I led my outlet pipe directly into an lod 4 pint plastic milk bottle. I usually empty it when it's about half full, which usually takes three or four weekends.
 
Interesting - before I re-engined the calorifier was certainly above the header tank in a locker in the saloon and the water got hot enough. However, when I re-engined I moved the calorifier to an adjacent cockpit locker(thus gaining a locker in the saloon and filling an empty space in the locker) with the top about level with the header tank and the water gets just as hot.
 
Yes that is odd, but I have just gone on the installation distructions for the unit. I assumed it was an airlock possibility, or putting an unacceptable head/presure on the engine water system?
 
I am ignorant regarding calorifiers. I have a small lever which can operate a safety valve. I assumed that this was to drain down the calorifier for the winter(which I have never done ). Is this the one that spills water on first start up ?? Why does it do this ?
 
NO. You mis-understand the system.

The rubber impellor pumps the seawater around the primary section of the heat exchanger. Your calorifier is fed from the enclosed system around the water jacket which is circulated by the cast iron impellor equipped, circulating pump situated behind the engine's top pulley, like on your car.

To put it simply, it the water doesn't want to flow through your calorifier, it will go through the cylinder block water jacket instead. You're not likely to do any damage to a cast iron impellor!

Steve Cronin
 
Re: NO. You mis-understand the system.

Could be worth asking the question on the MOA Information exchange, there must be more 333s with calorifiers out there. Plus lots of info on pressure relief valves!
 
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