Heater install locations on a 550

[nyryan2001]

Team, thought I would share this as it isnt in the owner's manual.... the locations to tap in and return the heater lines on a 550 are as follows:

1. Ball valve at Numbers #15 & 16 above the green tank

2. Ball valve at Numbers #15 & 16 off to the right of the diagram.... at that U bended pipe #38 call out section

[NautiqueJeff]

That's great that you were able to get this info!

Now, let's see who can be the first to get the same info for the hot water side of a shower. I never did find the proper place to tap into the hot water supply. The heaters use anti-freeze, but that obviously won't work for the shower.

[nyryan2001]

Free shower for who cracks the code???????????

[Laketexoma]

Wouldn't 21 have heated water going into the headers for a shower?

[nyryan2001]

just got off the phone with the lead PCM service tech in reference to a raw hot water source-

They have NO recommended tap locations for a hot shower. He said it'd be way too hot and become a liability coming off the exhaust headers.

he did sound as though there would be a way to do it, but the water would be crazy hot and a risk to anyone using it.

[NautiqueJeff]

OK, so I wasn't crazy then! I guess the shower on the 2013 PN boat will likely stay cold-only.

[Laketexoma]

You know on my zr-6 on my 08 230. I had a shower that i put a heat exchanger in line with the hot water. It did a great job of heating the water. Something you might want to check into

[ers906]

There has to be a way. Otherwise this will be a cold winter. Wouldn't just opening the hot water valve on the shower flow regulator a touch, and the cold water valve at full be enough to cool the water down to tolerable temps? We pretty much use it to put hot water in our wetsuits before we get in the water, and warm hands and feet after

[s_kelley2000]

Wouldn't just opening the hot water valve on the shower flow regulator a touch, and the cold water valve at full be enough to cool the water down to tolerable temps?

In theory that should work. I am guessing the reason that PCM and Heatercraft would not recommend this is because they don't want to be held liable if those mixing valves got improperly adjusted and a person was scalded. Somebody that is more familiar with household plumbing than I can probably recommend an anti-scald mixing valve that would stop the hot water flow if a certain temperature threshold is passed. This exists for house hold showers so it could probably be retrofitted to be used in a boat setup.

[shawndoggy]

as a redneck fix, it'd seem like it wouldn't be too hard to put a ball valve inline to the heater so you could restrict the maximum amount of hot that could possibly get mixed in? And maybe just run that right to the cold, so that all you get is one level of warm?

[nyryan2001]

Ya they said the only location to get raw hot water off the 1/2 loop or 3/4 loop partials is off the exhaust headers/manifolds right before it exits the pipe. also not sure how stead of a flow you would get, depending on where you tapped in.

He said it was possible, just nothing they would recommend.

[ers906]

Looks like a cold winter for my crew. Or a 12V hotplate with bottle of water on top I guess :/

[shawndoggy]

Ya they said the only location to get raw hot water off the 1/2 loop or 3/4 loop partials is off the exhaust headers/manifolds right before it exits the pipe. also not sure how stead of a flow you would get, depending on where you tapped in.

He said it was possible, just nothing they would recommend.

Ah, I get it that makes sense.... no pressure.