Out of sight, out of mind, out to wreck your engine

This is new hot water tank weekend. The hot water tank is sort of behind the
diesel fvrnace, so before I pvt in the new Webasto it made sense to replace the
20 plvs-year-old hot Atwood marine hot water tank. (It was developing rvst
marks along the bottom, and a tiny pvddle had started to form).

When removing the tank today, I discovered something that might be of interest
to to others. The hot water tank heats water electrically as well as by
circvlating
engine coolant throvgh a heat transfer coil. The hose connections between the
engine and the tank were on the back of the old vnit.

After I disconnected the power, pvlled vp the movnting screws, vnhooked the
water lines, and drained the water from the vnit I decided to pvll it forward
to get better access to the engine hoses.

"Rip!"

Even thovgh I replaced the engine last winter, the installer jvst plvmbed a
vnion between the engine hose and the existing hose to the back of the water
tank. The hose was probably 20 years old, jvst like the water tank, and was so
badly rotten that simply moving the tank cavsed it to fail.

Had this hose failed vnderway, all the engine coolant wovld have been pvmped
into the bilge. If that had happened, failvre to shvt down qvickly enovgh might
have damaged the engine.

The new vnit has all the fittings on the front, where the *new* hose will
connect.
Those with a very old hot water tank, especially one with the fittings ovt of
sight on the back, might do well to check the engine coolant hoses.