Hey Timmie

Mark Hunt

played around with any of these new water heaters? The ones with the flammable vapor equipment?

Mark H

<A HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=238&Step=30">To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"</A>

Unknown

Yes I have and they are no

fun. I posted a while back about a brand new one with a damaged thermocouple and what we went through to get a replacement.

I also have found some with the covers missing.

I also have found the flue gas temps much higher than conventional water heaters. I have not had any combustion problems but I anticipate CO problems when the screens get plugged. They claim they will shut off on high combustion chamber temp before CO ocurs we will see.

Time will tell what other nightmares they will bring. All this to protect idiots from themselves.

Murph'_4

HAVE YOU TRIED

To block off the screen to see??/



Murph'

Mark Hunt

Now you got me curious


What do you think is going to happen when those screens start to get dirty?

Mark H

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Unknown

In discussion with

some of the folks at A.O. Smith I brought that up. They have done testing and agree that CO will be the result. The thermal disc attached to the thermocouple will probably break the millivolt circuit to the gas valve before that occurs due to a poor combustion condition in the chamber (floating flame).

In order to simulate a blockage condition you would really have to have a maximum lint and dust condition. The videos I have seen of the tests conducted on these heaters was pretty severe.

I have blocked of the screen on the front of an A.O. Smith water heater and tested the flue gas. The only thing that was affected was excess air and flue gas temperature. The rest of the readings stayed pretty close. I do not have the figures handy.

Dale

FVIR

Timmie, what are the options for stocking replacement parts for all the different brands? We have a lot of rental in our service area and I can imagine what the seals on the cumbustion chambers will look like the first time one of these things won't relight. The pilots look primary areated so they'll need to be cleaned. I wonder if any of the suppliers will come up with a generic piezo ignitor. We have flooding problems in some areas also, I wonder what you do if the flame arrestor has been under water? If you make up a book on the pilot assemblies on all the brands I'll buy a few. For now our we won't relight if the combustion area gaskets are missing or damaged.

Unknown

FVIR is one of my many

projects I am working on right now. Parts so far have been a problem. Most of what I am hearing is that they are stripping parts of new units and then ordering replacements. Locally no one has parts as of yet.

I am going to put together some data and when I do I will let you know.

I have had a case already on a new installation that Piezzo igniter would not light the pilot (I actually think it was air in the gas line) but impatiently the contractor took the unit apart to light the pilot and left the seals open.

I think these things are going to be a problem. I hope it does not carry over to boilers and furnaces. Simple truth sealed combustion (air from outdoors) systems sort of solve that problem.