Eureka! The source of the occasional wet spot on the cabin sole has been discovered. Mystery solved…and a problem to resolve.
The old Paloma instant hot water heater does heat up water. When I tested it yesterday, I was surprised by how quickly the water got hot.
It appears that one of the valves has had a leak for quite some time, judging by the amount of rust built up in the bottom of the enclosure. The water tank appears to be in good condition. Since the unit does work, but it would require some work to return it to good overall condition, the question arises: is it worth trying to save this Paloma water heater?
The water heater appears to be a Paloma ph6 Legacy Series point-of-use water heater. One of the photos shows the area that is leaking, highlighted by a red oval drawn on the image.
The leak appears to be a failed gasket. I don’t find a crack in the metal fitting. The rust appears to be largely limited to the sheet metal enclosure; the heater components do not appear to be deteriorated.
Based on this information, I wonder (a) if I can get parts and (b) is it worth resurrecting this unit? The alternatives are a replacement (and I haven’t found much that is similar to the Paloma unit) or removal of the unit.
I note that the installation instructions for the Paloma water heater call for an inline valve in the water line but no such valve was installed on the boat.
The selfie of me was almost accidental. When I went to capture images, I saw myself so I snapped that shot. Fortunately, I look more determined than upset!
After getting plenty of great advice from other Nonsuch owners, and after conferring with the company in Denver that still services these old units, I conclude that this water heater has served its time. The next step is to remove it. To do that I’ll need to pick up a couple of valves for the water lines as they have no valves installed.
The propane line has a tee fitting inside the boat. That’s not safe so the old propane lines are going to have to come out, too. I think the simplest way forward is to have new lines fabricated and run one directly from the propane locker to the galley stove and one from the locker to a new instant hot water heater.
For the replacement water heater, I am leaning toward an Excel unit, this one: https://excelonlinestore.com/product/excel-16-gpm-tankless-gas-water-heater-low-pressure-startup-ventfree-lpg/