The vent heater box is crumbling. Heater still works. What is the fix and how hard?

[trayson]

So, my heater works (which makes me think that my core is just fine), but this is what I see when I look in front of my feet...



It looks like the box that holds my vent heater core is crumbling away. I had it all clean and the rubble you see is from 1 trip across choppy water. I'm wondering why this is happening... Maybe the box isn't mounted securely as I think the bracket screws might have pulled through...

Do I need to buy a new box? Something like this?


What is the crumbly stuff? Will I need to replace it somehow if I get a new box?

Insight and advice greatly appreciated.

[beat taco]

Is it sitting on the floor? It should be mounted up on the back of the bow seat where it will stay dry. You can remove it and connect the water hoses together so your boat can still be used with no issues. Then you can pull heater core from the box and inspect it. Heater Craft sells new boxes, however you will want to confirm your core will fit the new box.

[trayson]

Is it sitting on the floor? It should be mounted up on the back of the bow seat where it will stay dry. You can remove it and connect the water hoses together so your boat can still be used with no issues. Then you can pull heater core from the box and inspect it. Heater Craft sells new boxes, however you will want to confirm your core will fit the new box.

Yes, it is mounted to the floor.

What is the white crumbly stuff? If I got a new box, is there some kind of insulation that I'd need to put in it? The pic of the box I saw online looked like just bare metal.

[beat taco]

Iirc a 1" wide piece of foam wraps around the perimeter of the core, then it slides in the box, lol.

[trayson]

Iirc a 1" wide piece of foam wraps around the perimeter of the core, then it slides in the box, lol.

That makes sense. I think I'll give Bakes a call sometime soon. They seem to be the "go to" place for buying the pieces for a vent heater system, so I'm sure they'll be able to give me some insight on what I'd need beyond a new box.

In the meantime I've wrapped the deteriorating part of the box in duct tape and re-mounted it more securely. Thanks for your insight.

[beat taco]

http://www.heatercraft.com/wrapper-complete-fits-200h/