Isn't it sparkly

[Bryce C]

I finally received my new heat exchanger from Blue Baron! I'm going to have to organize my hoses like Woody told me too. Deep down I really wanted to anyway, just been really busy thank goodness. I have no idea where I'll mount this beast...

 

[Bryce C]

I blocked a day off to go to a local supplier/service center soon. The owner is going to let me park in the back and replace many of my old hoses and fittings one by one. I suppose I should come up with a plan of where to mount this thing and bring the tools to do it while I'm there.

Have you guys insulated heat exchangers like this? Any recommendations for insulation?

 

[Dwain Ray]

I thought you were going to get this one it fits where your old one mounted??

 

[Dwain Ray]

I blocked a day off to go to a local supplier/service center soon. The owner is going to let me park in the back and replace many of my old hoses and fittings one by one. I suppose I should come up with a plan of where to mount this thing and bring the tools to do it while I'm there.

Have you guys insulated heat exchangers like this? Any recommendations for insulation?

I insulated mine with pipe wrap insulation and rice rocket tuner gold

 

[Dwain Ray]

I blocked a day off to go to a local supplier/service center soon. The owner is going to let me park in the back and replace many of my old hoses and fittings one by one. I suppose I should come up with a plan of where to mount this thing and bring the tools to do it while I'm there.

Have you guys insulated heat exchangers like this? Any recommendations for insulation?

My suggestion would be to premount it and have it ready to plumb. Then take the van to the store and pre cut/ fit whatever you need. Then take it all home to assemble. that way if you run into a problem like getting the air outa the cooling system or anything that would prevent you from driving the van you're not stuck in a parking lot somewhere

 

[Dwain Ray]

I finally received my new heat exchanger from Blue Baron! I'm going to have to organize my hoses like Woody told me too. Deep down I really wanted to anyway, just been really busy thank goodness. I have no idea where I'll mount this beast...

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View attachment 132161

If that heat exchanger doesn't already have one, you might wanna consider installing a bleed valve in the highest part of the coolant side in order to burp all the air out otherwise if air is trapped it can eventually migrate and case problems with the vans cooling system. Heres a picture of mine. Without these 2 valves 1-2" in the top of each of my heat exchangers would be air

 

[Bryce C]

Yea I thought I was getting the pto style heat exchanger too. It would be nice to plug it into the same location. I told him it was going into a Hydramaster CDS 4.8 from 2013. Not sure what to do. Pete has been difficult to deal with, difficult to communicate with, and took 8 weeks to get it to me after his initial 1.5 week eta.

I suppose if I send it back to him I would be looking at getting the one I ordered in late October or November. It would be nice to find a place to mount it and just keep the thing, but I imagine anywhere I mount it will obstruct access to some other area that needs to be accessible for service.

 

[Dwain Ray]

Yea I thought I was getting the pto style heat exchanger too. It would be nice to plug it into the same location. I told him it was going into a Hydramaster CDS 4.8 from 2013. Not sure what to do. Pete has been difficult to deal with, difficult to communicate with, and took 8 weeks to get it to me after his initial 1.5 week eta.

I suppose if I send it back to him I would be looking at getting the one I ordered in late October or November. It would be nice to find a place to mount it and just keep the thing, but I imagine anywhere I mount it will obstruct access to some other area that needs to be accessible for service.

Id get in touch with him before making any plans for install. If you install it and you're less than happy with it, you're going to be less than happy with it longer than the wait for the one you want. I would tell him you received the wrong part and see where that goes also check with your cc company (hopefully you paid with a cc) and see if you have any help or any recourse there. In situations such as this Im always always praying for the best result while planning for the worst

 

[BIG WOOD]

Yea I thought I was getting the pto style heat exchanger too. It would be nice to plug it into the same location. I told him it was going into a Hydramaster CDS 4.8 from 2013. Not sure what to do. Pete has been difficult to deal with, difficult to communicate with, and took 8 weeks to get it to me after his initial 1.5 week eta.

I suppose if I send it back to him I would be looking at getting the one I ordered in late October or November. It would be nice to find a place to mount it and just keep the thing, but I imagine anywhere I mount it will obstruct access to some other area that needs to be accessible for service.

That looks like an engine exhaust heat exchanger, not a PTO engine coolant heat exchanger.

I don't know how to handle that guy. It looks like you might have a problem with that dude. Is he located in Texas? He sure has Texas business ethics if not

 

[Bryce C]

That looks like an engine exhaust heat exchanger, not a PTO engine coolant heat exchanger.

I don't know how to handle that guy. It looks like you might have a problem with that dude. Is he located in Texas?

He's located in Florida. When I was first on the phone with him he said his heat exchangers could be used for exhaust or engine coolant style heating. I thought that was interesting but didn't know enough to question it. What would be the difference aside from varied inlet and outlet sizes? Is that why he has these hex bushings on it?

 

[Cleanworks]

I blocked a day off to go to a local supplier/service center soon. The owner is going to let me park in the back and replace many of my old hoses and fittings one by one. I suppose I should come up with a plan of where to mount this thing and bring the tools to do it while I'm there.

Have you guys insulated heat exchangers like this? Any recommendations for insulation?

Wrap it with hot water heater wrap available at most hardware stores.

 

[Bryce C]

If Pete isn't cooperative and ethical then all things considered, if this heat exchanger works well enough with engine coolant, then maybe it will be good to just mount this thing cleverly.

To the right of my water box and behind the drivers seat, if I mount it vertically it would be out of the way and easy to access for service. I think a wooden base about 1.25" thick mounted off of the available area on the waste tank, and raised about .5" proud of the vertical surface of the waste tank so the lid can close... might do it. But the actual 1.25" wooden base running the full length of the heat exchanger. Seems like there is enough room for the coolant return hose to loop down under the ceiling, and the rest of the fittings would be easily accessible to the right of the water box underneath the heat exchanger. What do you think?

 

[Bryce C]

I am curious. This 24" x 9" wide heat exchanger seems like it has way more volume than a 34" x 5" or so long tube heat exchanger that would be the equivalent stock replacement for my setup. Will this thing have way more of a heating capacity to it? Pete told me it has 80 feet of steel tubing for fresh water running through it. I imagine that would make it harder to deplete when moving large amounts of water through it quickly.

 

[Bryce C]

Vs

 

[Bryce C]

My rough math tells me this has more than double the cubic volume than the long tube style. Seems like never ending heat when wanding and a nice thermal mass to carry around in the winter.

 

[Bryce C]

Dwain-o, you've got 2 large engine coolant heat exchangers before your blower exhaust heat exchanger. That looks like a serious heating system!

 

[Dwain Ray]

If Pete isn't cooperative and ethical then all things considered, if this heat exchanger works well enough with engine coolant, then maybe it will be good to just mount this thing cleverly.

To the right of my water box and behind the drivers seat, if I mount it vertically it would be out of the way and easy to access for service. I think a wooden base about 1.25" thick mounted off of the available area on the waste tank, and raised about .5" proud of the vertical surface of the waste tank so the lid can close... might do it. But the actual 1.25" wooden base running the full length of the heat exchanger. Seems like there is enough room for the coolant return hose to loop down under the ceiling, and the rest of the fittings would be easily accessible to the right of the water box underneath the heat exchanger. What do you think?

View attachment 132172

Be careful. I don't believe that you can have the heat exchangers higher than the top of your radiator if is was mounted higher your expansion tank won't work properly and evey time you remove the radiator cap coolant will flood out ( gravity) and you wouldn't be able to completely fill the system (gravity again)your expansion tank is the the highest point in the entire cooling system

 

[Dwain Ray]

Dwain-o, you've got 2 large engine coolant heat exchangers before your blower exhaust heat exchanger. That looks like a serious heating system!

View attachment 132175

They're actually not that big they stand about as tall as the blower and are around 10" in diameter first one pre heats the soulition and the second one heats hotter. Both the coolant side and solution sides are in series so the hotter solution going out is heated by the hotest coolant coming in and the coolest soulition coming in is preheated by the coolant returning to the engine the original steamgeni heat exchangers was a bundle of 3 tube and shell (like the one youre replacing) their problem was they couldn't handle the pressures necessary for tile cleaning ill take a picture of the bundle tomorrow to show you what im talking about

 

[BIG WOOD]

He's located in Florida. When I was first on the phone with him he said his heat exchangers could be used for exhaust or engine coolant style heating. I thought that was interesting but didn't know enough to question it. What would be the difference aside from varied inlet and outlet sizes? Is that why he has these hex bushings on it?

View attachment 132170View attachment 132171

I guess you could size it down to fit the hoses needed to screw to that heat exchanger. But Dwain made a good point, you really need a bleeding port to bleed out all the air after you fill it with the antifreeze. If not, you'll get an air pocket and it could possibly overheat your engine.

Maybe put a Y connector with a valve on one of the ends, on the top side if you mount it vertically to help bleed out the air.

 

[Dwain Ray]

I guess you could size it down to fit the hoses needed to screw to that heat exchanger. But Dwain made a good point, you really need a bleeding port to bleed out all the air after you fill it with the antifreeze. If not, you'll get an air pocket and it could possibly overheat your engine.

Maybe put a Y connector with a valve on one of the ends, on the top side if you mount it vertically to help bleed out the air.

Dwain-o, you've got 2 large engine coolant heat exchangers before your blower exhaust heat exchanger. That looks like a serious heating system!

View attachment 132175

Each on of the heat exchangers has 25' of ⅜ high pressure copper tubing

 

[Mikey P]

I'll be sending that thing back ASAP.

 

[Bryce C]

I'll be sending that thing back ASAP.

So far he has been unresponsive since I messaged him yesterday. I'll call him Monday morning.

 

[scotty747]

Your just going to be frustrated wherever you mount that thing. The two normal heat exchangers with salsa will be more than enough heat.

 

[Dwain Ray]

I have at least 4 good tube and shell heat exchangers laying around. There a little shorter than the hydramaster versions and dont have mounting brackets. I can loan you a couple to use while you're figuring out what to do. Youll have to pay the shipping and I WANT THEM BACK!!! when you get the one you want/need but in the mean time you'll be up and running with heat, and take the pressure off so you can make your discussions more thought out and calulated than rash and outa urgent need. Ill take a picture in and hour or so and show you what i have

 

[Dwain Ray]

I have at least 4 good tube and shell heat exchangers laying around. There a little shorter than the hydramaster versions and dont have mounting brackets. I can loan you a couple to use while you're figuring out what to do. Youll have to pay the shipping and I WANT THEM BACK!!! when you get the one you want/need but in the mean time you'll be up and running with heat, and take the pressure off so you can make your discussions more thought out and calulated than rash and outa urgent need. Ill take a picture in and hour or so and show you what i have

I have 3 bundles each one has at least 2 good heat exchangers this particular bundle has 2 newer and 1 old(insulated 1) they are 1- 1.5 " diameter and 28" long if you're interested let me know and ill break um down and test and i can send you everything necessary to connect 2 in series or just 1( ill actually ship um connected in series plumbed ready to install) i don't know what shipping would cost. What i would do is drop um off at our local FedEx pack n ship with your# and you could deal with them directly for packaging and shipping. Let me know it'll take me 1 or 2 days to test and be sure there in good shape

 

[Bryce C]

Wow that's very kind of ya Dwain! Thanks a million man. I don't know what Pete is going to do. He just began communicating with me late yesterday afternoon. Let me just see where chatting with him leads to today and tomorrow before you test and ship anything out for me bud.

 

[Bryce C]

In my setup what would you do to mount those tube styles of yours? Use metal strapping to mount it to my waste tank? Rest them on the floor? Sorry about the disaster of hoses, I have been waiting to organize it when I go and have a bunch of new lines made and I install them...

In our brief chat yestetday Pete told me that he's sold these larger exchangers to guys with the same CDS setup as mine and they love them for the larger volume I asked him to please contact a customer with a CDS 4.8 and send some pics of their install because I have no clue where this thing can be installed and maintain serviceable access to everything.

 

[Dwain Ray]

What i think i would do is try first just lay um somewhere if that works plumb um with some longer hoses if necessary and be done with it. To mount um maybe use a strip of plywood .drill and bolt it to the tank with the holes already there for heat exchangers next get some pipe straps and mark where they would mount on the plywood. Remove the plywood strips and drill holes and install bolts an fender washers &nuts to make mounting studs for the heat exchangers. Remount the plywood strips and mount the heat exchangers.

 

[Bryce C]

That's a great idea, thanks Dwain.

 

[Bryce C]

So Pete is willing to take it back, the way he's talking I'll definitely be waiting until November to get the PTO long tube style heat exchanger from him. Dwain I would happily and gratefully loan your tube style heat exchangers and pay for shipping and throw in a box of chocolates

BUT! What if I slap that thing on the floor behind my waste tank? I'd only have to relocate the transfer pump closer to the drivers seat on the other side of the blower exhaust. Seems like this may work really easily. Then I'd have a massive volume of hot water and no need to deal with Pete. What do you think?