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rinnai hot water help

rglas
rglas Member Posts: 10
in THE MAIN WALL
I have a rinnai water heater that was installed about 15 months ago and live in Cincinnati ohio.when it gets very cold around single digits the water heater throws a 12 error code and wont give me hot water??  what can I do, I hear its some sensor in the flu freezing up ? as soon as it warms up its fine.. thank you

Comments

  • gennady
    gennady Member Posts: 839
    water heater

    Water heaters are not boilers. They cannot be used as a boiler, Ask original installer to install real boiler.
    Gennady Tsakh
    Absolute Mechanical Co. Inc.
  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai hot water help

    not sure what that's supposed to mean ?? not looking for a boiler..
  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    error code 12

    Questions

    1 what is the gas pressure static and dynamic?

    2 what size is the water heater?

    3 Does the water heater match the load

    4 Has it been serviced?

    Start there…

    I find Rinnai to be a very reliable product,sized and installed correctly….

    I can only assume it was installed correctly,and not by jack of all trades….
  • gennady
    gennady Member Posts: 839
    Heater

    Sorry , I misread your question.
    Gennady Tsakh
    Absolute Mechanical Co. Inc.
  • kcopp
    kcopp Member Posts: 4,472
    makes me....

    wonder if you are getting ice build up in the venting. Can you post a few pix?
  • Aaron_in_Maine
    Aaron_in_Maine Member Posts: 315
    Gas pressure

    Is this on propane? Sounds like a bad regulator if it only happens when it is cold out.

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai

    im thinking that may be it im not sure how to post  a pic ill try though and yes it is propane I may call my gas supplier Monday and ask them to replace the regulator
  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai

    haven't had a plumber out yet it just seems odd that it only happens when its very cold out and its fairly new and was installed by a licensed rinnai dealer ,thank you for your feedback its supposed to get really cold again so im worried
  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai

    no biggie I appreciate your taking time to read the questions I have
  • VictoriaEnergy
    VictoriaEnergy Member Posts: 126
    Don't guess

    In general terms, it's best not to just guess and start throwing parts at a problem.



    Have a close look at the vent from the outside and look for a visible build up of ice inside it.  If it has a long run of vent from the heater to the termination, especially if it passes through an unheated area (like through a carport or under a deck).



    If there is ice building up, it is usually right at the terminal.  Do not try to break off the ice, you may break the plastic terminal.  Un plug the power to the heater (so it can't try to fire up while you're thawing it) and melt the ice with a hair dryer.  The last time I had to do it I had better luck when I partially covered the back air inlet of the hair dryer to get less but hotter air out the front.

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai help

    thanks for the info and im pretty sure that's right ,what can I do to stop this problem ??
  • Aaron_in_Maine
    Aaron_in_Maine Member Posts: 315
    Parts

    I wasn't guessing I speak from experience. Having set more than 1,000 propane tanks when I used to work for a energy company. If the regulator has a little moisture in it it will mess with the gas pressure when it is very cold out. A shot of methanol to the tank will solve the problem. I used to just swap out the reg and hang the old one in my truck to dry it out and use it over on a later install.

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai help

    im thinking the regulator is fine because my furnace is working ok ??
  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai

    question in your reference you mentioned the terminal what exactly did you mean ??
  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,611
    Answers

    You have been asked quite a few good questions. You really need to do your best to answer them. Are you on natural gas? Has anyone checked the gas pressure in the building? Does the problem go away if you turn off the furnace? Was there ice in the vent?

    Carl
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai

    hey thanks for the feedback Im not sure how to check the gas pressure but the water heater is propane as is my furnace the furnace is firing fine and the problem still exists while the furnace is off which I believe rules out the regulator ..I did notice icecycle hanging from the vent so in the morning if it gives me a #12 code im going outside with a hair dryer and going ti see if its frozen up inside the vent ??the problem is only when its single digits does it error out by the time I get home from work its usally ok .. thanks to all
  • Aaron_in_Maine
    Aaron_in_Maine Member Posts: 315
    Gas

    Sorry about the rant earlier. I did not know you also had a furnace. If it was the regulator both would have a issue. If you could post pics it would be helpful.

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

  • rglas
    rglas Member Posts: 10
    rinnai

    no biggie im the one asking for questions ill try to post some pics ,thanks

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