Losing fresh water through hot water tank pressure release?

[charles_reed]

So it looks like they're not that uncommon an item. Unfortunately, local chandlery is a bit naff. We also happen to be out in the sticks of Greece, so Amazon isn't of much help, sadly.

I've tried cleaning up and replacing it, but I only seem to have made things worse! Doh! I'll try cleaning it up again. If all else fails, I'll have to isolate the hot water side of the system until I can get a replacement part.

What's the deal with stopping the calorifier on the engine?

Appreciate your problem - if you can't find a local builder merchant (unlikely even on islands) try immersing in a sulphamic acid solution or, failing that, the strongest vinegar you can get.

When I fitted my calorifier I put taps on engine feed and on water lines. They've proved invaluable more than once. Usually, the calorifier feed is a bypass from the engine coolant pump. Cutting that off just increases the speed of collant flow around the engine.

 

[FullCircle]

Or just immerse it in Coca Cola for a day.....

 

[Cardo]

Appreciate your problem - if you can't find a local builder merchant (unlikely even on islands) try immersing in a sulphamic acid solution or, failing that, the strongest vinegar you can get.

When I fitted my calorifier I put taps on engine feed and on water lines. They've proved invaluable more than once. Usually, the calorifier feed is a bypass from the engine coolant pump. Cutting that off just increases the speed of collant flow around the engine.

Or just immerse it in Coca Cola for a day.....

Thanks for the tips, but I must draw your attention to post #20. I was able to find replacement parts.

Though, it now appears there may also be a slight leak from the area where the immersion heater is fitted. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

 

[Cardo]

So now that I have the new PRV, and a pipe to see what's coming out, I can see there's a steady drip coming from this whilst the engine is running (At least whilst the engine's been on for the last hour). This may be part (or all? Maybe? Hopefully?) of the "leak" problem I'm having.

So I'm contemplating emptying this back out into the water system, so I'm not losing any precious water, either.

Query is this: Do I have to pipe this back into the top of the water tank? Or can I connect it up to non-pressurised side of the pipework? The latter would be far easier for me to do, as 1) It won't be easy to route a pipe to the top of the tank and 2) Where would I connect it?
Whilst teeing it off into the pipe before the fresh water pump would be relatively straight forward. My concern is the pressure of the pump sucking against the PRV could cause issues?

Thoughts?

 

[macnorton]

plus one
Stu

And me, I have also found that not fully closing the hot tap (slight drip) before turning the pump off stops the problem.

 

[NormanS]

So now that I have the new PRV, and a pipe to see what's coming out, I can see there's a steady drip coming from this whilst the engine is running (At least whilst the engine's been on for the last hour). This may be part (or all? Maybe? Hopefully?) of the "leak" problem I'm having.

So I'm contemplating emptying this back out into the water system, so I'm not losing any precious water, either.

Query is this: Do I have to pipe this back into the top of the water tank? Or can I connect it up to non-pressurised side of the pipework? The latter would be far easier for me to do, as 1) It won't be easy to route a pipe to the top of the tank and 2) Where would I connect it?
Whilst teeing it off into the pipe before the fresh water pump would be relatively straight forward. My concern is the pressure of the pump sucking against the PRV could cause issues?

Thoughts?

You have already been advised in post No 13, that connecting it back into the cold tank is not a good idea. It's actually not a good idea for several reasons. It is not good to introduce hot water into your storage tank for possible contamination and bacterial growth. It also means that you have no visible means of checking the operation of the valve. Remember that you are recommended to operate the valve manually, maybe monthly or so. It helps if you can confirm that it is working.

 

[Cardo]

You have already been advised in post No 13, that connecting it back into the cold tank is not a good idea. It's actually not a good idea for several reasons. It is not good to introduce hot water into your storage tank for possible contamination and bacterial growth. It also means that you have no visible means of checking the operation of the valve. Remember that you are recommended to operate the valve manually, maybe monthly or so. It helps if you can confirm that it is working.

Ah, missed that. I guess I'll leave it as it is, then! After last night's test, I don't think the water in our bilges is coming only from the hot water tank, so this isn't really a major issue.
Thanks for the answer.