We asked the dealer why a switch on the electrical control panel seemed not to have any impact. It was clearly marked as being the controller for the HWS. In fact, if the boat didn't have a HWS why even give it it's own dedicated switch AND inscription on the panel? The dealer insisted the only method of getting hot water was to run the motor, which you needed to do anyway to recharge the batteries. This was 'kind of' true. Running the engine did create hot water (tick) and the engine needed to be run to recharge batteries when away from shore power (tick) but what about about the hot water when you were in a Marina using shore power?
Ever since we acquired Zofia there has been an issue with the hot water system.
Our investigations and boat familiarisation efforts located the lovely 40L stainless steel HWS drum. Closer inspection revealed that it was not plugged in - Doh! A classic. We'd encountered this over 20 years as a cause for our computer software seeming not to not work - PC not plugged in or switched on -lol! It happened a lot on a Monday at one office. It was eventually realised that the cleaner used that socket for the vacuum cleaner every Friday night. The Bloke and I thought we'd nailed the solution for our HWS and it would be happy days from then on.
Neither the plug nor intended socket for the HWS were converted from the European type to the Aussie type. Axe Murderer epic fail #1 - failure to convert all plugs and failure check every connection and appliance. Do they have any kind of check list? Very questionable quality control surrounding the boat commissioning we thought. Being pragmatic, we connected the two European parts and 'presto' were rewarded with hot water when in the Marina. No engine running required. Our happiness was comparatively short lived when activation of the HWS began to trip the fuses. Enter Axe-Murderer #2. The marine electrician: unable to resolve this matter fully - something to do with 'moisture in the heating element', but he noted that he'd dried it out and it should be OK for a while and his bill is going to be less than the cost of replacements. Really? What did we know? We were boating numpties. Grateful and hopeful we paid the bill.
Are we being harsh to be calling these people Axe Murderers? You be the judge. Try these: Our electrical control panel also had another switch that was factory inscribed yet inactive. The deck light. Flick it and nothing was happening. No deck light. Dealer said there's no deck light. Yes that was clearly apparent, but where is it if there is a switch for it? It's actually a safety thing. If you need to go out on deck at night to check or repair some rigging you need that light? Who checked the parts list on arrival? Who checked all the systems were operational at commissioning? But the best bit was the masthead lights that wouldn't work. The Bloke solved this one while the Axe Murderers seemed incapable. Three phase wire had been run up the mast even though only two phase was required. Maybe it was all the electrician had in the van that day? The blue wire was connected at the masthead to the masthead light but faced with a choice of 3 colours at the mast step, the Axe Murderer connected the wrong one at the bottom of the mast at the junction box - epic fail. He did have a 1 in 3 chance of getting it right! AND he could also have checked all the connections. FAIL.
Time passed and once again the HWS had been tripping the fuses although strangely the HWS would work if using the generator. Why? More time passed and we could now only get hot water by running the motor. Sick of this, and unwilling to continue this exercise with new and unfamilair Axe Murderers, the Bloke took on the challenge.
The upshot: a new part arriving in the post. The supplier knew exactly what the problem was and had dealt with 20 in the last 6 months (evidence that Axe Murderers are hardly an endangered species). Partial cause of problem was declared to be lack of care when fitting the heating element causing a bending or breakage of the 'earthing' part. Axe Murderers are everywhere it seems!
The Bloke is on a roll and with a 100% success rate of solving problems either caused by Axe Murderers or only half fixed by them. The best part is that the Bloke gets a result for no fee!
Thermostat side view - a tad corroded due to failure of the Axe Murderers to install correctly
Thermostat top view but only visible when the HWS is dismantled
Thermostat and NEW element with BIG anode. The anode was completely gone on the old part
And do you reckon that you'd have the right ring spanner for this puppy?
Abandoned tools while the Bloke sourced ubersized ring spanners
The braces have already been removed from the drum to create SOME
space. This is like servicing your car through the exhaust pipe!
The Bloke seeking applause when all done. With the prospect of lots
of hot showers from now on, he might have earned one of those bottles of
wine too!
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