DIY Heater Kit

PeterAK

Looking for feedback on piecing together a heater kit, below are the parts I plan to use. $20 in the budget for wiring and hose clamps puts the cost a hair over $400 plus tax, and it covers everything in the Heatercraft 300 pro kit which is $650.

What am I missing? Maybe more blower hose? Add shutoff valves? This is going in a '92 PS190.


40K BTU Heater from Jegs $184

50' of Gates heater hose from AMAZON $37

Heater Craft Y fitting from Bakes $55

Brass block fitting from Amazon $7

Two Heater Craft pull out Hot Tubes from Bakes $100


Tagging a few of you who commented on another heater thread that I didn't want to hijack. @cougfan @MISkier @ReallyGottaSki @DW @rockdog @thager

chrislandy

a small electric booster pump seems to be a highly recommended addition too

MISkier

Get a couple of these (and hose clamps). Place them inline in your hoses that run from the engine and that run to the wye. Put them inline in the hose at a point where the hoses will lay low in the bilge. You will use these and an inflator (low psi, high volume) to drain and blow out the water before winterizing the heater.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/dorman-help-5-8-radiator-flush-tee-with-cap-47121/22147144-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=22147144-P&adtype=pla&product_channel=online&store_code=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlZuw46yS7wIVh8DACh2waAFQEAQYBCABEgKb-PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

You may not need the electric pump with the wye in place, but you will want to assess how much heat you are getting at idle to see if you want/need it. The wye typically improves that circulation for you.

ski6jones

Here's a better price on that Wye. No first hand experience with this part, but it's half the price. https://www.universalpartsinc.com/shopping/productdetails.aspx?i=1106082&c=10556

PeterAK

On the Wye fitting and pump--it would be less expensive to add a pump and T fitting (22 total, may need a couple brass fittings though) than it is to buy the Wye fitting...

Pump at Amazon
T fitting at Amazon

But it's one more thing to wire in. Simplicity with the Wye, or just put the pump in from the get go?

Also--want to confirm that the fan on the heater is safe for marine use. I can't find anything regarding the heater linked at Jegs above, but Summit carries Maradyne heaters, and while their site doesn't state they are marine, others do.

I fear I've now spent enough time researching this that going with the Heatercraft kit may have been a better decision... But, I'm a DIY'er at heart so this is what I do, for better or worse.

DW

I used the UPI wye, works fine but needs the orifice added.

ski6jones

@DW so there is an orifice inside the wye to reduce flow? What size?

MISkier

@ski6jones, the aperture inside the wye looks like it is about 3/16" in diameter. So, it seems to draw a lesser volume of water back through the raw water intake to avoid cycling it too fast while still moving the heated water through continuously.

Edit: That diameter may even be 1/8".

vtjc

I use 3" RV Sewer Drain Hose to connect to from heaters to vents and heat tubes. I find it lasts longer than the standard thin vent tube.

braindamage

Definitely use a pump. I have installed two heaters and being able to have heat while idle is definitely worth it. Waaaaay better than the wye.

Adapter:
EDGE INDUSTRIAL 5/8" Hose ID to... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CV4WCJB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Pump:
bayite BYT-7A006 DC 12V Solar Hot... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0196WL55G?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

UWSkier

I have that pump on my boat too. Awesome unit for 20 bucks. Having heat with the engine off between skiers is the best. It has enough head pressure to keep the hot water flowing until your battery dies or the engine block cools off, whichever happens first.

You might be able to find those hose barbs pretty cheap but they're not super common. I bought mine here but see they're out of stock at present.

https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/hosebarb12fx58.htm

Mine's on its third season so far and no issues.

PeterAK

Thanks for the insight on the pump @braindamage and @UWSkier. Question on plumbing--isn't the return from the heater before the raw water pump? Meaning, if you try to use the pump for the heater with the engine off, the raw water pump would not allow flow through the engine block? Or do you plumb the return after between the raw water pump and the block when installing a system with a pump?

MISkier

With the auxiliary electric pump setup, I think you might connect the heater return hose to the circulating pump (not the raw water) on the engine. Others can confirm.

UWSkier

@PeterAK with the aux pump, you don't need the Y fitting. In fact, the Y fitting makes heat with the engine off unlikely. My return is to the normal location on the circulating pump and my supply is off the manifold.

PeterAK

This pic isn't of my boat but it is the same engine. Is that return what is circled in the pic? I'm making an educated guess here.

braindamage

@uwskier and I are Malibu dudes. I’m not sure about MC. Sorry man.

UWSkier

Probably, but one of the Ford guys would be able to tell you for sure. On the GMs, the return to the recirc pump is around the 7 o'clock position. That one's more like 11.

BraceMaker

@PeterAK yes that's one way to do it and would be typical to how you would do it if you are using an electric pump to feed the heater (that's where a car would do it but antifreeze is HOT)

You can pull hot from the block behind that near the carb or through a block drain.

You can return either as pictured into the recirculation pump - or a better option is a Y venturi fitting before the raw water pump. (regardless the Y fitting will give flow w/o electric and can be used with a pump too.

BraceMaker

PeterAK

Heater parts, including electric pump, have all been ordered and the boat comes out of storage this week. Perfect Pass is here waiting for install too.

For those of you who have the pump as part of your heater, did you power it off of the fan for the heater, so the pump speed correlates to the fan, or did you put it on a separate switch? The listing on Amazon says the pump is .7 amps. Listing for the heater from Jegs shows three speeds, at Low 5.5 Amps, Med 7.1 Amps, and High. I'm no electrical engineer, just looking for the best install method.

@braindamage @UWSkier

UWSkier

I used a spare acc switch adjacent to the heater switch.

DW

@PeterAK - as noted when you use the pump, plumb the return to the inlet side of the engine circulation pump. If you try to use the Y, it won't circulate the heater output water back to the engine as it can't push it through a stationary raw water pump when the engine is off. There is a heater hose port on the Chevy water pump, will probably simply be a plug if no heater is there now.