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Insuffcent Hot H2O

R Stone
R Stone Member Posts: 12
in THE MAIN WALL
Larry there is a re-circ loop. Not a new item in the system.

Comments

  • R Stone
    R Stone Member Posts: 12
    Insufficient Hot water

    I'm having trouble with a customers oil fired water heater not keeping up. I have checked the dip tube, drained tank, firing rate hasn't changed and nothing new in the house. Any one have any ideas?
  • don_103
    don_103 Member Posts: 1
    Could it be

    a possible leak down stream from the heater?Clock the water
    meter when nothing is running.
  • Bob Forand
    Bob Forand Member Posts: 305


    A great website to check is HotWater.com. It will more than likely answer this as well as many other H2O questions. Very imformative..Good Luck, Bob
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,599
    You might check for...

    ...cross connections too. Shut off the cold supply to the tank and open a hot tap. If it doesn't stop running, either the shut off at the heater is bad, or cold water is leaking into the hot side, watering it down... ;~)

    Yours, Larry
  • Guy_5
    Guy_5 Member Posts: 159
    cross

    I agree with Larry- Check the laundry shut off. More than once I have had them mixing the water.
  • Steve_35
    Steve_35 Member Posts: 546
    Have you verified the flow rate

    out of the water heater? What do you/they mean by not keeping up?
  • Mark Eatherton1
    Mark Eatherton1 Member Posts: 2,542
    Could also be..

    a sluggish acting aqua stat. Had a rash of bad ones lately from Horneywell...

    ME

    To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"
  • BillW@honeywell
    BillW@honeywell Member Posts: 1,099
    Which ones, Mark?

    Date codes, model #'s, OEM or trade, what's happening with them?
  • Mark Eatherton1
    Mark Eatherton1 Member Posts: 2,542
    OEM's

    the ones that come on the HTP tanks. seem to forget what their function in life is, turning on late and running the end users out of hotwater. It's the small box one, not the longer box one.

    As a contractor, I'd rather pay $30.00 more for a tank and get a good reliable aquastat. It's going to cost me much more than $30 to go out and replace them.

    ME
  • Joe Mattiello
    Joe Mattiello Member Posts: 720
    Is it an indirect heater?

    If not it should be. That has the quickest recovery rate, as long as the circulator is size properly. Check the pressure drop, and size a pump accordingly. Consider using a Taco 00 series with an integral check valve eliminating the pressure drop through an external type flow check, giving you better performance.

    Taco, Inc.
    Joe Mattiello
    Technical Service Technician
    joemat@taco-hvac.com
    401-942-8000 X 484
    www.taco-hvac.com
    Joe Mattiello
    N. E. Regional Manger, Commercial Products
    Taco Comfort Solutions
  • R Stone
    R Stone Member Posts: 12


    I checked the washing machine shut off and it is fine. I turned off the cold supply to the tank and there is no cross connections happening. Combustion is fine. The aquastat turns the burner on after about three minutes of water being drawn from the tank. The aquastat seems as it is working fine. The tank will satisfy. It seems as there isn't good transfer. I think scale has build up in the tank. Has anyone had this problem? It is a Locknivar tank. Very unfimilar with this brand.
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,599
    Scale buildup...

    ...in the tank will not have a big impact on heating as transfer will happen in the flue if it's reduced at the bottom. Should the heater be half full of sediment it would be a different story, but you can feel certain that you won't lose more than 10% even with heavy buildup. The problem is elsewhere!

    Is there a recirc pump or convection moving water around in the plumbing, cooling it off? If the "not keeping up" is at the shower, have you checked the GPMs of the shower?

    Yours, Larry
  • bryan_14
    bryan_14 Member Posts: 8
    cheap, i mean inexpensive

    I still don't know why upgrading a temperature controller isn't an option on a lot of items. Water heaters, electric heaters, etc. that have the hotter/colder controls instead of actual degrees and something a bit more precise. I understand you get what you pay for, but i'm willing to pay more but no one seems to want to take my money.
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,599
    Recirc loops..

    ..can be an effective source of trouble ;~] If it's pumped, is there a check valve in the loop? Does the check valve really work? Swing checks often get stuck open. Spring checks seem to perform better. If there is no check valve, understand that water will be drawn backwards through the loop even through a running pump during water use. Try closing a valve on the recirc line, (and shut off the pump) to see if this gives you more hot water. If so, you know there is backflow through the loop during draws.

    Yours, Larry
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