- 1). Put the water heater as low as possible in your boat. Marine water heaters come in a variety of sizes, including short, squatty heaters that can be placed in an engine room that has a very low overhead (ceiling). Water is heavy, and a hot water tank will change the trim (balance) of your boat.
- 2). Screw one end of a 1-1/2 inch hose onto the water heater's inlet port and connect the other end of the hose to the below-deck extension of the potable water inlet connection on your deck. Use Teflon thread tape on both connections. This is the "fill" hose. Make certain that the potable water inlet has a valve and O-ring seal so that sea water washing over your deck won't backfill into your water heater.
- 3). Wrap the threaded end of the water heater vent port with Teflon thread tape and screw one end of a 1/2-inch hose onto the port. Tighten the connection with a pipe wrench. Wrap the threaded portion of the water system vent (which extends up on your deck) with Teflon tape and connect the vent hose to it. Tighten all connections with a pipe wrench. If the deck vent is no higher than your inlet port, where you fill the tank, you'll know when your water tank is full because it will overflow.
- 4). Wrap the threaded end of the hose to your boat's "house" water system (the water system that serves the galley, the kitchen and bathroom) in Teflon thread tape and thread the water heater's outlet connection onto it. Tighten the connection with a pipe wrench.
- 5). Attach the power wire to the appropriate breaker in your boat's breaker box. If a ground wire is provided with the heater, attach it to the appropriate ground at or near the breaker box.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -