# Wolter Water Heater



## daytonasailor (Sep 26, 2000)

Anyone know anything about wolter LP fired water heaters?


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

Since there has been no response yet, I will say I know more about the product''s designer than the product itself. Gerry Wolter has sailed at my lake for about twenty + years. He designed it initially for use on small, outboard powered sailboats, so that they could have instant hot water, like the inboards. I don''t know how others use it, but I have often thought it would also be useful on a larger, inboard boat that has engine-heated water, because you don''t have to run the engine to have hot water. I have never used one, but have heard that they work well and provide instant hot water. The last time I saw one, it was very small in size and was unobtrusively mounted on the transom in the cockpit. They have a piezo electric igniter.


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## gershel (Feb 4, 2001)

www.wolterheaters.com 
Marc


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## daytonasailor (Sep 26, 2000)

found it at www.wolterwaterheater.com 
Thanks....


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## daytonasailor (Sep 26, 2000)

Thanks, found a repairman on the web. He wanted between $200 and $1,000 to fix the unit. I took it down to my local radiator shop and he brazed the two copper pipes which had burst this winter. So much for not draining out the water. He charged me $45.oo. I put the unit back together and this weekend I''ll install and see if she fires up. I contacted a company named Polomo (sp?). She stated the unit was not certified for marine use. Anyone try this type heater?


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## gershel (Feb 4, 2001)

Hi, Paloma was used on the Niagara and Nonsuch line of quality boats. They are reliable, but are not automatic. They must be lit manually. They also held up well in the marine environment.
Marc


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## daytonasailor (Sep 26, 2000)

Thanks for the info G.


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## efatzinger (Nov 30, 2000)

Sail-La-Vie, our Morgan 382 was outfitted with a Wolter 260 by the previous owner. It works well, and the auto ignition/auto shutoff make operation easy. My experiences are all positive, but I must pass along some words of caution. Ventilation is absolutely essential. According to my surveyor after seeing the heater, the manufacturer went out of business as a result of a couple of tragic incidents where it wasn''t directly the combustion, but rather oxygen depletion that caused problems. I''m going to continue using mine, but with lots of open hatches...


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## daytonasailor (Sep 26, 2000)

Larry, thanks for reply. I have a 300 model and it''s 12 years old now. After repair job, it''s working fine. Unit is in the forward hatch of my cat. It has a 3 inch stack exiting outside. See my personal page. Thanks for the info....Mike.


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## WindsOfChange (Jan 18, 2010)

Had one with the matching hot air system, on my live-aboard Irwin Citation 34 in the Keys for 11 ½ years. No problems. You will use up some water as it runs through the system to warm - I just used that to brush teeth until it got warm. Additional advantage was the gained stowage space from removing the original hot water tank. (can never have too much stowage  Overall I can only say we loved it.


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

I'm looking for help. I had one on my old boat for eight years and loved it. 

I just got a used Wolter that was never installed. I tested it and it is working fine. It has a flue hood with the 3" vent.

I'm looking for a manual and I found part of one online, but it was missing some pages. One thing in particular I'm trying to figure out is how the optional flue fan was connected and what type of fan it was. I had put the fan option into my Wolter on my last boat. I liked the power venting as it assure proper flueing. It looked like just a normal muffin fan and I remember hooking it up to the terminal strip, just not exactly where.

Would anyone have any information, like a manual or information on the fan connection or type, like CFM for the flue vent option?

Please e mail me - tcdunlap(at)gmail.com

Thanks,
Tim


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## ggray (Jun 18, 2011)

Can't help you, but got to say you are fortunate to have one if that's what you need. Shame they aren't made any more.
We had one on an outboard powered cat, and it was great. Hot shower anytime, even if you have been under sail for days, or just working on the boat at the dock.

But couldn't you just look for a terminal normally off, but when water flows, becomes "hot"? It would be connected to the circuit controlling the ignitor, I suppose.


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## ggray (Jun 18, 2011)

Whoops, email to follow.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Pictures! do you have the wiring diagram?

edit; Lookie lookie! 
http://intercat.phaup.net/images/Wolter%20Water%20Heater2.pdf

no mention of a fan. what are you trying to do with said fan? for combustion it's not al lthat easy. you need a pre purge then an after purge when ever there is a "call" for the burner to come on.

It fires max 38,000. which is right for a 3" flue, should be around 50-100 cfm I'd be more comfortable if you use the vent with natural draft.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

I had a Wolter heater in my boat and threw good money away trying to get it to work properly. It would work initially and then the automatic ignition would fail. I sent it back to Wolter for a new, improved ignition system somewhere around 1999. It worked better but after a few minutes of cycling (such as when doing dishes) it would fail to ignite. Apparently there was condensation from the cold water that dripped down and affected the high voltage in the igniter section. I wasted a lot of water when this happened, waiting for the hot water to come through.

Finally, I replaced it with an Isotemp water heater, which has served me well for the past 13 years.

Some thoughts: The Wolter heater was unreliable and you needed to assure venting. Mine was fired on CNG instead of propane, but I don't believe that was part of the problem. My understanding was that there was at least one fatal CO poisoning attributed to use of a Wolter heater (not that this was a fault in the heater itself). I still have a Jabsco ventilator fan (3") hose for positive ventilation of my engine compartment (where the heater was located). It was manually switched, so standard practice was to turn on the fan and leave it one whenever hot water was required.

After trying to get the Wolter heater to work--including a factory upgrade--I consider it to be an engineering failure. 

Bottom line: Try it out (with proper venting) while cycling it frequently as when rinsing dishes. If if doesn't hand in there, don't waste your time: get a conventional water heater (if you have an inboard that allows tapping of cooling water.) if you've got an outboard, you may have to live with it.


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## ggray (Jun 18, 2011)

Curious; mine never failed to work. I assume since it went back to Wolter for repairs, they put in the proper gas orifice for CNG. IIRC, there is a difference.

Since you evidently had an inboard engine, it's more difficult to justify a propane water heater, but if you don't, there's not much of an alternative.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

My Wolter was installed for CNG when the boat was built. The problem was condensation affecting the ignition systems--both the original and the factory replacement.

Switching to propane IMHO would not have fixed this problem. Besides, my boat--a Clearwater 35- is a semicustom design built with a CNG tank installed and there was no provision for a propane locker, as with some sister ships. Converting to propane would mean some serious fiberglas work if it were done properly.

BTW, my Isotemp heater has a eutectic salt solution in an internal compartment that acts like an ice block in reverse. This arrangement will keep water hot overnight--the exact opposite to a demand heater like the Wolter.

In any case, you might consider installing your heater as close to the point of use as possible--while allowing proper venting--to minimize heat loss in your plumbing.


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## ggray (Jun 18, 2011)

I wasn't suggesting you switch; just confirming it had the right orifice. Good reasons to have CNG, if you don't have trouble getting refills. Has that been difficult?

I no longer have the boat with the Wolter, so no issue.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

I've never seen a propane water heater installation that met ABYC standards. The Paloma manual states "do not install in boats".


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

ggray: CNG refills were a problem until I installed a second tank. When one runs out the second tank gives me plenty of time to obtain a refill--usually a tank exchange at one of Corp's affiliates, which are not always convenient. 

I used to get CNG at a Brewers yard about a mile and a half away, but they dropped it and now I usually go to a boatyard that is about 15 miles away by road or a mile and a half away by water from a local anchorage that we frequent. If I am further from home it takes some planning. It helps to call ahead to confirm that the CNG exchange is available. Definitely not as convenient as a propane refill.

Despite the limited suppliers for CNG, I like the notion of gas that is lighter than air in my boat.


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

Thanks deniseO30, you know a lot about gas systems. The Fenwal controller in the Wolter had these options -

No blower relay
Recycle on Flame Loss
Covered Module
Number of Ignition Trials, 1 try remote sense
Pre-Purge Time - none
Inter-Purge Time -none
Trial for Ignition Time - 5 Seconds

These make sense for the non-power vented flue. On the Wolter it could be installed without a flue, with a natural draft flue (3"), and with a power vented 3" flue. The one I had years ago, I bought with the natural draft venting flue. When I installed it, it was marginal on the test that is mentioned in the manual for the flue operation. So I bought the power flue option which put a muffin type fan in the transition hood, just before the 3" vent pipe. As I remember, I don't think it came with a new controller. That is what is so puzzling. I remember just hooking the two fan wires to the the terminal strip. Looking at how the controller works, I don't see any way it could know if the fan was working. That seems bad because if it was not, it would most likely get very hot, and that could be an issue. Maybe it was just tapped into the gas solenoid power. If the controller had the blower relay, and airflow sensor input, and there was an airflow sensor, well that would be cake. It does not. 

Anyway, thanks for the link to the manual. I had found this already. It is missing a page. It mentions the optional power vented flue as an option to buy, but has no details on installing it. 

Someone mentioned why do I want the power vent instead of the normal draft flue. I suppose I don't need it. It just worked very well on my old boat. This installation I'll have more length on the flue pipe, so it probably will vent fine.

I'll be installing it in a locker that is separate to the living space (watertight bulkhead). I may even build it into a locker with outside air supplied. 

To the guy that could not get his Wolter to work, well mine worked for eight years, every day, several times a day. Loved it. Was working when I sold the boat. I did have some installation issues, like having to add the power vent. I think that was because the flue pipe was a bit too short, and had a 90 right at the end. 

One thing about the Wolter, it is pretty easy to fix. Most of the parts you can still get. The flow switch you may have to change to a different type and mount it externally if it fails. Most of the time it can be just cleaned. Mine never failed. Anyway, I know the thing and can deal with most any problem it might have. It works, uses little gas, and weighs less than two gallons of water. Size, well it is tiny, nothing comes close. Like I said, I love it. 

And please, no more stories from the "safety police" about people being killed by these things. I live where it happened. It was not the device. It was installed in the shower, without a vent, and used in the winter with the hatches shut. What do you think is going to happen? Like everything else on a boat, proper installation and maintenance make all the difference. No disrespect to the victim.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Fenwall? (backs slowly away from WH) LOL thanks for the compliment. I've been in and around the hvac biz all my life.

I remember these in people's basements.








Weingarten Collection water heater museum so, the concept is not new.

In my own house we installed a "combi unit" does the domestic hot water and heats the house through radiators plus 2 pex loops for the kitchen and batroom radiant floors.

Sold my "high efficiency oil fired boiler" the change over to nat gas nearly paid for itself in one year! LOL But they are not without headaches. The controls. 20 volt DC in the one we have. The piping can be confusing too. "Primary secondary"


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

tcdunlap said:


> And please, no more stories from the "safety police" about people being killed by these things. I live where it happened. It was not the device. It was installed in the shower, without a vent, and used in the winter with the hatches shut. What do you think is going to happen? Like everything else on a boat, proper installation and maintenance make all the difference. No disrespect to the victim.


There were also deaths on boats with factory installed Paloma's, which is what led to the current standards being what they are.... As long as you are comfortable with it then go for it..

I have had to physically remove non-conforming water heaters, mandated by the owners insurance company. This owner was purposely lied to by the manufacture about it meeting marine standards. He was none too happy. Course this one was not even vented let alone sealed combustion....


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Scary stuff out there MS!


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

OMG, that was a cool website. I love looking at yesterdays technology. I actually lived in Scotland for over three years in the 1970s. The house I rented had a Geyser water heater mounted next to the sink in the kitchen. I think it was from the 1950s. It worked great. I don't remember if it was vented. The house was hundreds of years old and had no central heat. The other source of hot water was from a back boiler in the coal fireplace. Had to get the coal fire going when I got home from work or freeze. Often washed up in the kitchen sink using the Geyser, since there was no hot water by morning. It was the time of my life. I loved living there. I have not seen, heard, or muttered the word in Geyser years, until I saw it on that web site. Well, that brought back some memories. 

One note, they said nobody makes copper hot water heater tanks anymore. Well, there is a guy that sells them for boats. 

Search for Solaris and you will find them. Pretty nice stuff for a conventional type hot water heated, heated by the auxiliary in your boat.


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## FJGuilfoyle (Jun 26, 2007)

Hi, 
I noted you were looking for information on how to install and maintain fan n on a Wolter heater. Did you get this information ? I would be interested in getting this as I am not sure how it is supposed to operate and to be maintained. 
Best wishes
John


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

John try this http://intercat.phaup.net/images/Wolter%20Water%20Heater2.pdf


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

Hi John,

The link to the above manual is useful, and it has been going around the net forever. I just wish I could get a copy that was not missing a page!

Anyway, if you e mail me at tcdunlap at gmail dot com. I'll send you all the information I have. I did manage to get details on the controller. I also found a fan (from Granger) that fits in the transition hood. I wired the fan to the gas solenoid power, so it goes on and off with the gas. I think that is how it was done when you ordered the option from Wolter. The controller Wolter used did not have a fan output. 

Mr. Wolter works at Precision Temp and may answer questions. Google the company to get an e mail address. If you learn anything, please share it.

The fan may not be necessary if you have the flue installed properly, at least a 12" section as mentioned in the manual, The fan adds a bit of safety in several ways. First it insures proper fluing, and second, if the burner fails to ignite, it will clear any gas in the burner before the next retry, thus avoiding the kaboom in the heater. Normally it will light on the fist try, so this should not be an issue. 

The problem with this older heater is that it lacks some of the newer protections. No O2 sensor, and even if you install the fan, there is no way for the heater to know if it stops working. Mine never did in eight years of use. My installation was in a locker close enough to the shower that I could hear the fan and knew it was working. 

You want to get a fan with the highest temperature rating. I had some metal stand offs I used to mount it in the transition hood. The fan will be operating at the high end of it's temperature range. It seems not to mind.

So, for all you safety police, before you lay into me with all the stories about how I'm going to die using this technology, you can save yourself the effort. Mine is installed meeting all the ABYC standards, such as -
It is in a fiberglass airtight locker, with outside air supplied. It is vented overboard. It uses no combustion air from inside the boat. There are all the standard protection devices, and I have totally separate gas lines to it, with gas leak detection that will close the solenoid if a leak is detected. If you don't like these heaters, fine, you can run your engine, heat a pot of water on the stove, or use a sunshower. Suit yourself, but let me enjoy my endless hot water! 

John, if you'd like some photos and all the documents I've collected, e mail me.

Cheers


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

tcdunlap said:


> The fan may not be necessary if you have the flue installed properly, at least a 12" section as mentioned in the manual, The fan adds a bit of safety in several ways. First it insures proper fluing, and second, if the burner fails to ignite, it will clear any gas in the burner before the next retry, thus avoiding the kaboom in the heater. Normally it will light on the fist try, so this should not be an issue.


is the fan motor ignition protected ?


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

Seriously, I'm not even going to answer that question.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

tcdunlap said:


> Seriously, I'm not even going to answer that question.


think you just did


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

Mr Poker, 
Nice try, not taking the bait. Besides, as I understand it, these devices are not legal in Canada, so no worries for you! :laugher


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

No bait, just rattling your chain. I do think it's important that issues like ignition protection and all other safety measures are discussed in a thread like this because although it sounds like you know what you are doing ..... the vast majority of people with these systems do not.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

redundant gas valve? Flame sensor? pre and post purge lock out? draft spillage switch, flame roll out switch/s water flow on off of gas? just a few of my fav things... but what do I know...


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

Yes, indeed, but we covered these things before. So, Denise, how's the sailing on the Delaware? It's been a nice spring!


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

It can be good in early spring and late summer but almost like like clock work the doldrums are setting in. I missed spring launch because I was re-wiring my boat's battery system and the engine panel. She's in the water now but needs an alternator.


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## mwolter (Feb 15, 2021)

Home | Woltersystems







ptoth1.wixsite.com




Here's a website with owners manuals, instructions and a list of parts for Wolter Water Heaters.


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## tcdunlap (Sep 1, 2013)

Wow! Very cool. Thanks. I have three of the water heaters, two 300s and a 260 that was never installed and is still in the original box. I love these heaters. Are you the "Mr Wolter"? The one bit of information missing is the optional flue fan. I had purchased one and installed it on the 300 I had on my boat. It worked perfectly. You wouldn't remember the fan used and how it was wired?


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## mwolter (Feb 15, 2021)

tcdunlap said:


> Wow! Very cool. Thanks. I have three of the water heaters, two 300s and a 260 that was never installed and is still in the original box. I love these heaters. Are you the "Mr Wolter"? The one bit of information missing is the optional flue fan. I had purchased one and installed it on the 300 I had on my boat. It worked perfectly. You wouldn't remember the fan used and how it was wired?


I'm his nephew. My father (who used to build and sell heaters for my uncle) and my cousin got this website together since there are still a lot of Wolter heaters out there. Every so often, my dad or uncle gets a call asking about parts or for help with assembly, repair or installation. If you know anyone else in need of information about Wolter heaters, please link the website. Regarding the flue fan, I'll get back to you. My dad or uncle should have the answer.


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## mwolter (Feb 15, 2021)

tcdunlap said:


> Wow! Very cool. Thanks. I have three of the water heaters, two 300s and a 260 that was never installed and is still in the original box. I love these heaters. Are you the "Mr Wolter"? The one bit of information missing is the optional flue fan. I had purchased one and installed it on the 300 I had on my boat. It worked perfectly. You wouldn't remember the fan used and how it was wired?


Just so you know, my uncle is looking into this. He thought he found a fan that would work but it's no longer in production. I'll post again when he finds a suitable fan.


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## ggray (Jun 18, 2011)

Wonderful product, it's a shame they are no longer available.

I sold my boat with one installed on it 22 years ago to a Norwegian for use in the Bahamas. Years later I learned that it had been sailed to Norway, and after some time the Wolter stopped working so they junked it. I was surprised they didn't try to fix it. I'd say it would really be nice to have one in Norway! I had mounted it in an outside locker conveniently located near the head, too small for any other water heater to fit.


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## mwolter (Feb 15, 2021)

tcdunlap said:


> Wow! Very cool. Thanks. I have three of the water heaters, two 300s and a 260 that was never installed and is still in the original box. I love these heaters. Are you the "Mr Wolter"? The one bit of information missing is the optional flue fan. I had purchased one and installed it on the 300 I had on my boat. It worked perfectly. You wouldn't remember the fan used and how it was wired?


I don't currently have an answer for you regarding the flue fan but you might try inquiring about it at Welcome - Sure Marine Service Inc 
Hope this helps. They were a Wolter dealer and serviced Wolter heaters. Their contact info is at the bottom of the page. If I get any more information, I'll let you know.


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