PDA

View Full Version : Heater Install in 2006 LSV



cab13367
04-19-2010, 12:43 AM
I am in the process of installing a Heater Craft three outlet heater in my boat so I thought I would post up some progress pics. I bought the complete kit including three extendable heater tubes from go2marine.com for $396 + shipping. Many thanks to csmsk (Chris) whose detailed install post inspired me to tackle this project.

Most installs I have seen that incorporate shutoff valves have a short length of hose between the engine and the shut off valve. The obvious issue here is if that hose leaks, the shut off valve won't do any good since the hose is before the valve. So I decided to install a series of brass fittings (all from Home Depot and Lowes) from the block to the shut off valve, both at the supply and the return. This way, if I get a leak anywhere in the hose, I just shut off both valves and I'm good. I can finish out the day and fix it when I get home. Below are the pics:

This is the supply line. There used to be just an allen head plug here. I used pipe joint compound at all the threaded joints.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6340.jpg

This is the return line. It's tight but it clears the recirc pump hose. There used to be just a square head plug here.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6339.jpg

This is the heater core mounted on the front of the footbox and electrical wiring wired to a spare switch on the dash. You can see the 2" hole on the left thru which the heater hose will be routed. I drilled the hole fairly high so that if I take a bunch of water over the bow, hopefully, it won't make it into the footbox. I can't come up thru the existing hole in the top of the footbox because when my sub enclosure is in place, there is no room for the two hoses. It was a royal pain to install this heater core because of the cramped space you have to work in.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6343.jpg

That's as far as I've gotten. Will be removing the floor next and run the heater hoses from the engine to the core. Then the fun part - drilling three 4" diameter holes in the gelcoat for the heat tubes :)

Razzman
04-19-2010, 01:13 AM
NICE start Al! I like your thinking on the valves!

mmandley
04-19-2010, 06:05 PM
If you need any help Al holler man. Whether its physically working or i can drink the beer for you and tell you how relaxed i am to help you relax while you drill holes in the boat haha

moombadaze
04-19-2010, 07:31 PM
Al, as always-awsum work and great attention to details.

btw, what is that gismo hoseclamped to the cooling hose in picture 1

jester
04-19-2010, 11:20 PM
Al that is a great start. Good to see you where able to the the engine plugs out and the valves in.

cab13367
04-20-2010, 02:34 AM
Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

Moombadaze, that is the PerfectPass servo unit in pic 1. Don't you love how they installed it? Just hose-clamped it to a hose? Oh well, I guess it works.

Tonight, I installed the heater hoses from the engine to the heater core.

Ever wonder what it looks like under the floor of your LSV? Well, here you go. There are two panels, and 4 screws per panel. Remove the screws and pull up the panels and this is what you see. I don't think it's necessary to pull it out but I did just to make it easy to run the hoses.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6349.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6348.jpg

Here's a pic of the shutoff valves at the block with the hoses attached.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6350.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6353.jpg

cab13367
04-20-2010, 02:43 AM
Pic of hose routing on the port side of the engine. I zip tied the heater hoses to the ballast hoses.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6354.jpg

Pic of the heater core with hoses attached. It doesn't matter which hose you attach to which fitting. The 2" hole in the footbox for the hoses was little tight. I should have drilled a little bigger hole.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6356.jpg

Ready for flex duct. Pic of the three heater core outlets from the front side.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6361.jpg

Tomorrow is the big day - break out the 4" hole saw and do some damage!

csmsk
04-20-2010, 09:49 PM
Looks like it's coming along just great, Al! I absolutly agree that mounting the main unit was a pain in the arse. I also like what you did with the valves. Hope you have as much fun as I did with the hole saw!

Did you notice that there's always water in the cyllindrical hole in the gas tank? What's up with that?

cab13367
04-22-2010, 03:05 AM
Wow, a 4" hole saw creates a lot of dust! Last night, I drilled three 4" holes and installed the pull out tubes.

Here's the two holes for the vents in the walk thru area which is the factory location. I put two layers of masking tape on the gelcoat and measured about ten times before finally drilling. I ran the 4" hole saw in reverse all the way thru. As you can see, it makes a perfectly clean hole - the chip in the bottom of the left 4" hole was caused by a protruding head screw in the pull out tube body which I caught on the edge of the hole after test fitting the tube then pulling it out. The chip in the rightmost screw hole was because I tried to put the screw in before chamfering the hole - doh!. It all gets covered up anyway.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6363.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6364.jpg

Here are the tubes installed. These are the new style vents - the nice thing about them is that you can twist the vents to open and close them.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6366.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6368.jpg

cab13367
04-22-2010, 03:10 AM
Next, I drilled the hole for the third hot tube which I put behind the driver's seat.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6372.jpg

Nice clean hole.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6373.jpg

Here you can see the hot tube in place with the flex duct connected and secured with mountable zip ties. I ran the flex duct in the gunwale, behind the trim panel and above the floor. One of my goals was to still be able to use and access the space under the seat base for storage and you can see that I can still do that.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6375.jpg

Here's a pic with my junk back under the seat base - I keep my collapsible oars, first aid kit, scuba knife and goggles, tools, etc. - stuff I don't use very often - under there.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6377.jpg

cab13367
04-22-2010, 03:16 AM
Here's pic of the installed vent. When pulled out, the vent will reach to the back seats and all the way to the opposite rear corner of the boat. So you can pretty much sit anywhere on the seats and one of the pull out vents will reach you.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6376.jpg

Here you can see that I can still store my towels in the area just to the right of the vent so I lost virtually no storage space.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6378.jpg

Tip: Attach the flex hose to the hot tube before mounting the hot tube. It's a lot easier that way.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6374.jpg

mmandley
04-22-2010, 09:21 AM
Very nice Al very nice. You do excellent work i must say. Also i have to say im a bit jealous of the vents you have as mine don't have the close feature. I know at the Evening with the Stars me and you looked at that 2010 LSV and we both mentioned those vents. I wonder what it would cost to get just the vents, and if they fit the same hole and bolt pattern.

Also when you ran the tube under your drivers seat for that vent, where dod you run the tube? Behind the panel by the drivers seat?

cab13367
04-22-2010, 09:40 AM
Thx Mike. Yes, I ran the hose behind the panel to starboard of the driver's seat. Funny that u like my vents because I like yours - want to trade??

moombadaze
04-22-2010, 09:52 AM
Al, if you dont mind, what kind of money was this project?

cab13367
04-22-2010, 10:37 AM
Al, if you dont mind, what kind of money was this project?

Not at all and in fact, I shared the cost of the kit in my first post. It was just shy of $400 + shipping from go2marine.com including the three pull out tubes. Plus I spent about $30 in valves and fittings, $35 for the 4" holesaw and holesaw/drill attachment, and about $15 in additional 5/8 heater hose as the kit did not come with enough. So I would say around $500 for everything.

Razzman
04-22-2010, 10:58 AM
Very nice install Al as usual. Get the hose you needed ok?

Hmmmm ... I could add a rear vent there by adding this to the hose under the helm.

cab13367
04-22-2010, 11:23 AM
Thanks Razz. Turns out I had plenty of hose so no need to get any more. Did you get the strainer fittings yet?

Yes, you can add that Y and add a 4th vent. I don't have a need for one under the dash so I ran it behind the seat instead.

Razzman
04-22-2010, 11:47 AM
Not yet on the fittings but thinking about they should be here today instead.

I need the helm heater as my wife drives sometimes and she needs it when chilly. I never use it so the fourth would be cool.

csmsk
04-22-2010, 01:41 PM
WOW, looks great Al!!! You're putting my "how-to" to shame.

I'm going to have to do some other kind of upgrade soon to post about!

Damn money hole....

cab13367
04-23-2010, 11:51 PM
WOW, looks great Al!!! You're putting my "how-to" to shame.

I'm going to have to do some other kind of upgrade soon to post about!

Damn money hole....

Well, I had an advantage in that I had your excellent post as a go-by. And you took 7 hours to install and I am taking like, 7 days. LOL!

jester
04-24-2010, 01:56 PM
Very nice install Al as usual. Get the hose you needed ok?

Hmmmm ... I could add a rear vent there by adding this to the hose under the helm.

Razz,

Where did you find that Y? I need to add a 4th vent and the Y's at homedepot are not the correct size.

Al, Very nice install. When are you going out to water test it?

cab13367
04-25-2010, 02:35 AM
Razz,

Where did you find that Y? I need to add a 4th vent and the Y's at homedepot are not the correct size.

Al, Very nice install. When are you going out to water test it?

Jester,

The Y is available at:

http://www.heatercraft.com/category.aspx?categoryid=19&startpage=0

Thanks for the compliment. We are going out tomorrow and will be field testing it then. I will take some pics of the finished product and post it here as well.

Al

DOCDRS
04-25-2010, 10:13 AM
Al, great job and instructions, a how to top 10

MI-LSV
04-25-2010, 01:03 PM
Razz,

I am installing the same heating system, and was wondering how the helm vent was installed. Can you snap a pic so I can see where your's was installed?


Also you can get the "Y" from Go2Marine.com http://www.go2marine.com/product.do?no=74730F

They seem to have all the parts for these heaters.


Thanks,
Scott

jester
04-25-2010, 06:17 PM
Al and MI-LSV. Thanks for the links. That will be very useful.

Al, Cannot wait to see how everything turned out today.

cab13367
04-26-2010, 02:48 AM
So my heater install is all done, got out to the lake today and everything works great. No leaks and the air blows nice and warm and there's plenty of cfm at all three vents. All in all, this was a fun and fairly straight forward project. There is a little bit of everything - electrical, plumbing, air ducts, and of course, drilling of big holes in the boat. None of it is very complicated so it's a good do it yourself project.

Thought I would post a few final pics of the install.

Here is the view under the dash. I had to relocate the PerfectPass module to make more room for the flex hose and I also zip tied a lot of the misc wires to get them out of the way of the tubes.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6385.jpg

Here's a pic of the hoses going to the heater core. You can see the hose on the right that goes to the rear hot tube.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6394.jpg

Instead of using the supplied switch, I used an existing three position switch on my dash. It was the ballast switch for the old Gravity I ballast system. When I had the dealer upgrade the ballast to the GIII system, they added three new switches under the throttle and left the original switch on the dash. So I ordered a heater faceplate from the dealer for $5 and replaced the ballast switch faceplate with it.

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6406.jpg

Here's a pic of the completed project.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6403.jpg

cab13367
04-26-2010, 02:51 AM
And here's a pic of my family enjoying the fruit of my labor today :) Air temp was in the mid-60's with water temp at 55 so the heaters definitely came in handy. The kids liked crawling under the bow cover with a heater vent while under way. Kept in nice and toasty in there.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg276/cab13367/IMG_6411.jpg

mmandley
04-26-2010, 11:44 AM
Looks real good Al. Was nice meeting the rest of your family and hanging out with you.

We had a great time yesterday and it was great seeing people on the water we knew lol.

Air temp would have felt a lot better if the sun was out but the water wasnt to bad. Al can attest i trunked it yesterday swimming and surfing. 56 is no thang but a chilly thang.

GeauxTigers
04-26-2010, 03:38 PM
Looks real good Al. Was nice meeting the rest of your family and hanging out with you.


Al can attest i trunked it yesterday swimming and surfing. 56 is no thang but a chilly thang.

Al:
The install looks awesome! I am jealous and I may have to follow suit! People like you on this forum always get me wanting to do things to my boat. Mike helped me through the jitters of installing a set of Wetsounds on my tower last summer. This year may be the time to put in the heater. At that total cost, sweat equity comes cheap!
Mike:
If you jumped in 54 degree water with just swim trunks, my hat's off to you. How was the shrinkage???? LOL!

mmandley
04-26-2010, 05:13 PM
Al:
The install looks awesome! I am jealous and I may have to follow suit! People like you on this forum always get me wanting to do things to my boat. Mike helped me through the jitters of installing a set of Wetsounds on my tower last summer. This year may be the time to put in the heater. At that total cost, sweat equity comes cheap!
Mike:
If you jumped in 54 degree water with just swim trunks, my hat's off to you. How was the shrinkage???? LOL!

Well as i told Claudia when she asked me the same thing, i said some thing shrink and some things pucker.

Surprisingly i got in at first because i needed to drain the coffee, and 2 bottles of water i drank, the water was so cold i couldn't though LOL. i normally don't wear a vest unless i board because ive been swimming my whole life but a vest in that cold of water does help you stay warmer.

jester
04-26-2010, 06:11 PM
Mike a vest also keeps you floating so they can find the body. j/k but a vest will keep you alive longer since at that cold of water you body will lockup and you will go under water. A vest will allow your body to float and not get water in the airway keeping you alive for that full hour before you do die from the cold.

Al, Very nice. That will keep you and the fam warm on the cold Oregon mornings and also extend the time you will be on the water. I might need your help to install another vent and cut into my boat when we do the Oregon Mini jam.

cab13367
04-26-2010, 10:49 PM
I might need your help to install another vent and cut into my boat when we do the Oregon Mini jam.

Jester,

I'll be happy to help you get set up and will even bring the 4" holesaw for you to use but you will have to drill the hole yourself. I will not drill 4" holes in anybody's boat but mine!

Al

csmsk
04-27-2010, 05:50 PM
Very nice install, Al. You're gonna love it!

Razzman
04-28-2010, 12:20 AM
Razz,

I am installing the same heating system, and was wondering how the helm vent was installed. Can you snap a pic so I can see where your's was installed?


Also you can get the "Y" from Go2Marine.com http://www.go2marine.com/product.do?no=74730F

They seem to have all the parts for these heaters.


Thanks,
Scott

I won't be able to get to it until this weekend but it's attached right in front and to the side of the wire/cable bundle coming out of the footrest/hump. It's screwed to the side wall support just above the hump.

996scott
05-31-2010, 01:03 AM
Guys I can really use you help/expertise. I have been reading several threads on how to install a heater craft heater on my boat. I have a 97 Sea Ray with a Mercruiser inboard/outboard. I wish I had a Moomba, but the Sea Ray will have to do for now. I'm not sure on hooking up the hoses to the engine and hope someone can help. I think I have two options for the supply hose. Either where the temperature wire is connected on possible the screw that is inbetween the large and small hoses that have been taken off. Things are REALLY tight to try and put is where the temperature hookup is, but I'm not sure if the other screw is ok. That is where it would be easier if it will work. Anyone know if this will work? Thanks in advance. Scott

ps. you guys have a great website here. Keep up the good work.

cab13367
06-01-2010, 03:01 PM
Guys I can really use you help/expertise. I have been reading several threads on how to install a heater craft heater on my boat. I have a 97 Sea Ray with a Mercruiser inboard/outboard. I wish I had a Moomba, but the Sea Ray will have to do for now. I'm not sure on hooking up the hoses to the engine and hope someone can help. I think I have two options for the supply hose. Either where the temperature wire is connected on possible the screw that is inbetween the large and small hoses that have been taken off. Things are REALLY tight to try and put is where the temperature hookup is, but I'm not sure if the other screw is ok. That is where it would be easier if it will work. Anyone know if this will work? Thanks in advance. Scott

ps. you guys have a great website here. Keep up the good work.

Scott,

Welcome to the forum. Have you tried to remove both the temp sending unit and the plug and then see if both holes are within the same chamber. If so, then it should work. Best thing would be to ask a local marina or boat shop who works on stern drives a lot to confirm. I asked my Moomba dealer when I bought my boat from them which plugs I should use if I decide to install a heater so that's how I knew.

Al

GeauxTigers
06-01-2010, 11:13 PM
Al:
I am taking this project on starting tomorrow. I already pulled the boat apart to scope out the locations of the plugs etc. Thanks for the excellent pictures!!

cab13367
06-02-2010, 12:17 AM
Al:
I am taking this project on starting tomorrow. I already pulled the boat apart to scope out the locations of the plugs etc. Thanks for the excellent pictures!!

You're welcome. Take your time and have fun with it. And let me know if you come across any issues or questions.

996scott
06-02-2010, 11:04 AM
Thanks Al. Yes, the 2 temperature units and the plug are all open together within the thermostat housing so i guess it should work fine. Thanks again for the help. Scott

GeauxTigers
06-02-2010, 12:43 PM
So far so good. I have to go to HD and buy the valves that you put in. As far as the pipe joint compound, what exactly did you buy?

cab13367
06-02-2010, 02:32 PM
So far so good. I have to go to HD and buy the valves that you put in. As far as the pipe joint compound, what exactly did you buy?

It's just called pipe joint compound. Comes in a little can with a brush built into the lid. Real nasty stuff so don't let it get everywhere :)

cab13367
06-04-2010, 02:24 AM
So far so good. I have to go to HD and buy the valves that you put in. As far as the pipe joint compound, what exactly did you buy?

How's the install going?

GeauxTigers
06-14-2010, 11:19 AM
How's the install going?

I have everything mounted EXCEPT for the hot tubes. Bought a 4" hole saw yesterday.
We have been running around trying to get soccer tryouts, gymnastics finals and year end school stuff done and I have not had time to work on it. I also bought a piece of pipe and a hose attachment to make a fake lake straight into the Vdrive intake like someone had shown on here. I will probably get it tested later this week. The part that kills me is that we are taking off to Hawaii for two weeks this Sunday so I will not be on the water until July 3rd after I get back.

cab13367
06-14-2010, 02:47 PM
The part that kills me is that we are taking off to Hawaii for two weeks this Sunday so I will not be on the water until July 3rd after I get back.

Don't expect any sympathy from us :)

GeauxTigers
06-15-2010, 09:10 AM
Don't expect any sympathy from us :)

LOL! None expected....

kaneboats
06-15-2010, 09:34 AM
Hawaii? Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

162cat
09-07-2010, 03:16 PM
Now how do you winterize your heater system?

cab13367
09-07-2010, 03:34 PM
Now how do you winterize your heater system?

Well, this will be my first time winterizing it but I plan to disconnect the supply and return lines at the engine and then using either my air compressor or my 120V tube pump, blow the water out of the line.

viking
09-07-2010, 03:51 PM
Now how do you winterize your heater system?

I beleive you can just run a mixture of antifreeze through your engine as well and it will circulate through your heater :) Depends on which way you want to winterize? Some do both!!

deerfield
09-07-2010, 09:08 PM
Now how do you winterize your heater system?

162 - Get your engine temp into the operating range, allowing thermostat to open and water to circulate through cooling system - including the heater core. Then run antifreeze through the cooling system. Disconnect heater supply and return lines at the engine block. - Deerfield

deerfield
09-07-2010, 09:44 PM
162 - Here is how I circulate antifreeze. - Deerfield

walb0244
09-08-2010, 06:54 AM
162 - Here is how I circulate antifreeze. - Deerfield

I will have to say that is a neat way to circulate antifreeze. May have to give that a try.

Does the drivers feet get any heat or no? Was just curious.

deerfield
09-08-2010, 07:53 AM
Does the drivers feet get any heat or no? Was just curious.

Yup. In addition to two all-purpose outlets for heating in the cabin area, there is an outlet under the helm to warm the driver's feet. Nice.

mnpracing
09-08-2010, 06:01 PM
between Cab, csmsk, and jester, I've seen the heater hoses connected to the engine at different points. Csmsk has the temp sensor connected to the supply hose in this thread https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=9940, and jester has one hose connected right by the oil dipstick in this thread https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=9877&page=2.

What is the key deciding factor for deciding where to install the supply and return hoses for the heater?

cab13367
09-09-2010, 09:36 AM
between Cab, csmsk, and jester, I've seen the heater hoses connected to the engine at different points. Csmsk has the temp sensor connected to the supply hose in this thread https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=9940, and jester has one hose connected right by the oil dipstick in this thread https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=9877&page=2.

What is the key deciding factor for deciding where to install the supply and return hoses for the heater?

I don't have the exact answer to ur question but when I first picked up my boat, I asked the service tech which ports I should use if I was to install a heater so that's what I went by.

mnpracing
09-09-2010, 09:49 AM
Cab - another dumb question - I'm guessing that I would order the 12V unit and not the 24V unit, is that right?

mcdye
09-09-2010, 12:46 PM
between Cab, csmsk, and jester, I've seen the heater hoses connected to the engine at different points. Csmsk has the temp sensor connected to the supply hose in this thread https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=9940, and jester has one hose connected right by the oil dipstick in this thread https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=9877&page=2.

What is the key deciding factor for deciding where to install the supply and return hoses for the heater?

On my 02 it was a factory install that used a plug on the engine block above the starter near the dipstick and the plug on the water pump. On newer there is label for the heater on the intake manifold plug and on the water pump..

cab13367
09-09-2010, 03:21 PM
Cab - another dumb question - I'm guessing that I would order the 12V unit and not the 24V unit, is that right?

Yes, you want the 12V unit.

mustangairchair
10-03-2010, 04:45 PM
what about the driver heat vent, or is he heater with the thrill of driving

cab13367
10-04-2010, 07:39 PM
what about the driver heat vent, or is he heater with the thrill of driving

I opted not to install a vent under the dash. I could get a "Y", some heater hose, and a vent and add it easily enough though.

jamie_abb
10-14-2010, 04:02 PM
I'm trying to get a group buy going. Please see the attached link

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=13020

lsvboombox
10-20-2010, 01:08 PM
Does anyone know off hand if the hole on the thermostat housing is
3/8" or 1/2" ? I got a 2010 lsv. indmar 325 thx

cab13367
10-20-2010, 03:01 PM
Does anyone know off hand if the hole on the thermostat housing is
3/8" or 1/2" ? I got a 2010 lsv. indmar 325 thx

Pretty sure they are 1/2". If you look at the pics, I see "1/2" on one of the 90 degree brass fittings.

lsvboombox
11-10-2010, 06:49 PM
Is there any reason I shouldnt install the "Y" fitting on the return line of the heater. instead of hooking the return line back to the engine block? They say the y fitting helps increase teh circulation at idle.. any input?