C-1013 Copyright© 2006
Plus Water Heaters Service Technician’s Troubleshooting Guide This guide is to be used in conjunction with all GOLD and ULTRA Plus 30/40/60/80 and PLUS 100/110/119/120 Indirect Fired Water Heater Technical Specification Manuals Maintenance Guide. Good Trouble Shooting Practices Before leaving for the job site: • Check your parts and tools.
INSUFFICIENT HOT WATER Yes EXCESSIVE DOMESTIC WATER TEMPERATURE Yes BOILER RELIEF VALVE LIFTING OR WEEPING Yes TEMPERATURE/ PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE LIFTING OR WEEPING Yes WATER FOUND ON THE FLOOR NEAR THE TANK Yes TOP OF TANK/ INSULATION WET Yes WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS Yes 2 Insufficient Hot Water - page 3 - Undersized water heater - Boiler system improperly sized - Check component parts - Boiler operating temperature - Location of flow control devices - Air in system - Clean boiler system Exce
Is the water heater undersized for the application? (Non-Warranty) - There are many methods of sizing various applications, i.e. ASHRAE sizing tables, or ASPE domestic water heating design manual, re-confirm the water demand required for the application. - Re-confirm the flow rates of the fixtures. Was the tank sized for shower heads at 2.0 gpm, when the actual heads are 5.0 gpm? Use a bucket and a stopwatch to determine fixture flow rates. - Evaluate the hot water usage pattern for a day.
- Is the circulator between the boiler and the water heater properly sized to provide adequate flow for maximum BTU transfer? PIPE SIZE FLOW RATE BTU'S TRANSFER 3/4" 1" 1 1/4" 1 1/2" 2" 3 to 7 gpm 4 to 11 gpm 6 to 16 gpm 9 to 23 gpm 15 to 40 gpm 50 to 100 MBH 100 to 180 MBH 160 to 300 MBH 200 to 450 MBH 300 to 650 MBH Check component parts - Is the domestic water thermostat functioning properly? With a electrical voltmeter check for continuity between terminals C and 1 on the snap-set connection.
- What is the location of the thermostat bulb? A bulb inserted completely at the bottom of the drywell will initiate a quicker response for a call for heat. This is typically the position of the bulb required for applications in which there are large draws of domestic water. - Remove and examine the dip tube located in the cold water inlet. Replace if damaged. A broken or melted dip tube will cause the cold water to discharge across the top of the tank, thus short cycling the water heater.
Excessive water temperature is usually the result of stacking within the water heater. Stacking is the occurrence of various water temperatures layering within the water heater with the hottest water in the uppermost layer. This layering or stacking effect typically occurs during small draws of hot water (typically less than 25% of the storage capacity) which are long enough to create a call for heat on the thermostat, but are short enough not to deplete the stored energy within the tank.
Is the expansion tank on the boiler side properly sized? - The additional quantity of boiler water contained in the outer tank must be considered when sizing the boiler side expansion tank. Weil-McLain Water Heater Model Boiler Side Capacity Gal. GOLD Plus 30 GOLD/Ultra Plus 40 GOLD/Ultra Plus 60 GOLD/Ultra Plus 80 Comm. PLUS 100 Series 2/Series 3 Comm. PLUS 110 Comm.
Is there a thermal expansion tank installed on the domestic supply piping and is it properly sized? (Non-Warranty) - A thermal expansion tank is required if the domestic supply piping includes a backflow preventer or pressure reducing valve. - Ensure the potable water expansion tank is properly sized according to the water heater volume and supply pressure. - During long periods when there are no draws from the tank (i.e.
Is the source of water from the tank? - Check for possible water seepage through foundation cracks. Did the water appear after a heavy rain? (Non-Warranty) Is the source of water from the T&P relief valve? - Place a bucket under the discharge piping of the T&P relief valve and monitor it for a day or two. This is a procedure that can be done by the homeowner. - If the T&P relief valve is the source, refer to the T&P Relief Valve section of this guide.
Is the source of water from the tank? - Check for possible overhead pipes leaking onto the tank. (Non-Warranty) Check all connections – boiler connections, air vent… - Check the connections to the water heater. Are they loose? A build-up of corrosion around joints is a sure sign of a leak. (Non-Warranty) - Check the seal around the air vent and drywell for leaks. Remove the drywell and check the O-ring gasket (if applicable) beneath it.
The hot water smells like “rotten eggs” (Non-Warranty) The most common cause of water to smell like “rotten eggs” is a non-toxic sulfate reducing bacteria. The bacteria usually enters into the water system through a break in the supply piping or during construction/maintenance of the supply piping. The bacteria survives in the water system by converting sulfate (SO4) in the water to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. It is this gas that creates the “rotten egg” smell.
Hot water from the faucet appears milky (Non-Warranty) When water is initially drawn from the faucet it appears to be milky or cloudy, but it becomes clear after the water is allow to stand for several minutes. This is usually an indication that the water contains high levels of soluble gases such as oxygen, chlorine, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide or others. As the water system pressure increases, the amount of gas that water can hold in a solution decreases.
Discolored water from the hot water faucet (Non-Warranty) The water from the hot water faucet appears discolored, either rusty, brown, black or yellow. Because the inner tank is stainless steel, which by its nature is resistant to corrosion, the problem is not tank related. The problem is usually a non-toxic iron reducing bacteria that is commonly found in soil, well water, water treatment plants and piping systems. The bacteria usually thrives in those systems in which the soluble iron exceeds 0.2 ppm.
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