Girard Tankless Hot Water Heater - Page 2

jimbo · 08-07-2017, 06:31 PM

Thanks. Does anyone have an image of where the water pump/screen are located on the 2017 Vegas

JamieGeek · 08-07-2017, 07:04 PM

Water pump on the 24.1 is usually under the passenger rear bed. There are two screws to remove and then you can remove the panel that is the base of the bed.

jimbo · 08-07-2017, 07:11 PM

thanks Jamie. Is the filter easy to locate also?

JamieGeek · 08-07-2017, 07:24 PM

The strainer is connected to the pump. Simply unscrew the top to get access.

All of this and more is covered in Ed's Axis/Vegas manual:
http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f10...nual-4961.html

jimbo · 08-07-2017, 07:39 PM

Great. Thanks Jamie. Much appreciated. Hope that is the culprit!

Whirnot · 08-18-2017, 02:19 AM

When boondocking this weekend we messed with this some more. and re read the owners manual. It said another way to regulate the temperature is to adjust the hot water heater to the temperature that you want the shower to be and just turn the hot water full on. DUH! We will try it soon but this is a no brainer you get full flow so the temp is constant, will just take a bit to figure out ideal temp. Think I will use a thermometer in the home shower.

jimbo · 08-21-2017, 07:19 PM

I have an instant hot water heater by Girard in my 2017 Thor Vegas that does not heat when using the coach water tank. It works great when attached to the city water so very puzzling to me, Thor tech support and Gerard support of which I have had many conversations.
Evidently not many people boondock so they never encounter this problem and all support people are not versed in addressing this.
I have tested the shower and sinks for water flow as Gerard suggested and the flow is not strong enough to "enable" the instant hot water.

I have also cleaned the water pump filter, checked for kinked plumbing lines and still cannot fix the problem. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Beau388 · 08-21-2017, 07:45 PM

My coach has a filter in the fresh water line from the tank. It is in the adapter from the tank outlet to the blue PEX. It gets partially clogged periodically with drill shavings from the tank's water level sensors.

jimbo · 08-21-2017, 08:17 PM

Thanks. Cleaned my filter and actually removed it to see if that would increase the flow but unfortunately did not.

Whirnot · 08-22-2017, 07:46 PM

Although this will not help jimbos problem we tested the other method of adjusting the water temp as per the manual, while boondocking at the eclipse over the last few days.
We set the temp on the heater at 108. Then when showering just turn on only the hot water.
Works perfectly.

Jimbo, you might need to replace the pump. Our seems to have a lot of flow compared to our last motor home.

jimbo · 08-22-2017, 08:05 PM

Will be checking the pump in a few weeks. Everything points to it.
Thanks

Laco · 08-22-2017, 10:15 PM

Water pressure is critical for the Girard heater to work properly. When using city water, if you use a non-adjustable pressure regulator, they are set to 45psi. We had some problems with intermittent hot water and varying temperatures. I read, somewhere, you need between 50 and 55psi for consistent hot water. I bought an adjustable pressure regulator, set it for about 53psi, hot water is now very consistent. Have no problem showering, turning hot water full on and mixing with cold for temp control.

sforl · 08-22-2017, 11:05 PM

Don't get me started on the Girard hot water heater! After 5 months of ownership the only way I can get the thing to kick on is to first turn on the hot water in the kitchen sink then the hot water in the bathroom sink or shower! It will not come on unless I use this method! I've been doing quite a bit of boondocking on this trip and the inefficiency of this units waste a lot of water. I collect the cold water in gallon jugs and it takes 1/2 to 3/4 gal before the water heater starts to work.
In the last campground I stayed in ( Morefield CG Mesa Verde NP Colorado) the water pressure was so low that the only way I could get hot water was to run the water pump at the same time I was hooked to the CG water.
In theory the tankless system should be perfect for rv'ing, but the reality is far different. I believe the Girard units are inferior products. I've read good things about the Truma tankless systems. If I continue to struggle with mine I may consider switching.

Laco · 08-22-2017, 11:45 PM

sfori, your Girard IMO is not working the way it should. Ours comes on almost instantly, no matter where the hot water is turned on. It virtually takes no longer to get hot water than it would if it was coming from a tank with pre-heated water, basically pipe purge time. If you are five months into ownership, you are still under warrantee. I would go after your dealer, Thor and Girard, get their specs for timing, and if yours is different you are in a strong position to force, repair or replacement.

karwask · 12-08-2017, 10:49 PM

Jimbo, that's really funny as my on demand hot water heater had the exact opposite problem! I had no trouble getting hot water when using the water pump, not hooked up to city water. It's taken a bunch of messing around to get hot water when I am hooked up to city water having to do with regulating the PSI but I finally bought a regulator and got it to work.

karwask · 12-08-2017, 10:57 PM

Hi All,

With the newness of all of this motor home ownership and me really being overwhelmed with figuring out and making choices about the winterization thing, I totally forgot about the hot water heater! Unlike folks with the tank version, I'm just not used to doing anything with it as it's so automatic so didn't even consider it in my winterization plans. Anyway, I just recently blew out the lines in my rig with air compressor and prior to that had drained fresh water tank and at home here, not hooked up to water. I also thought I had turned off the propane but just realized not so it was on.

Anyway, walking past rig, experienced hot water heater on and blowing hot air outside while weather was freezing here. Only then realized that I should turn it off.

So, have I done damage? Was there anything I needed to do to winterize it, given lack of tank? Would it be harmed by being on but having no water to heat? Lastly, how difficult will it be to restart? Do I have to light a flame?

Any insight, greatly appreciated.

thanks

Dbadger777 · 12-09-2017, 09:04 PM

We spent a little over 130 days in our Axis last year. There is a difference in operation when there is a difference in water pressure. We pretty much follow the manuals guidelines. When we are hooked up to some good city water pressure, we can fudge a bit. Overall we like it. I can take a shower right after my wife which was impossible with a 6 gallon tank heater.
I am careful when filling the fresh water tank and have cleaned the filter numerous times. Still, there is always stuff in there.

Dbadger777 · 12-09-2017, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karwask

Hi All,

With the newness of all of this motor home ownership and me really being overwhelmed with figuring out and making choices about the winterization thing, I totally forgot about the hot water heater! Unlike folks with the tank version, I'm just not used to doing anything with it as it's so automatic so didn't even consider it in my winterization plans. Anyway, I just recently blew out the lines in my rig with air compressor and prior to that had drained fresh water tank and at home here, not hooked up to water. I also thought I had turned off the propane but just realized not so it was on.

Anyway, walking past rig, experienced hot water heater on and blowing hot air outside while weather was freezing here. Only then realized that I should turn it off.

So, have I done damage? Was there anything I needed to do to winterize it, given lack of tank? Would it be harmed by being on but having no water to heat? Lastly, how difficult will it be to restart? Do I have to light a flame?

Any insight, greatly appreciated.

thanks

Not sure my input will help on this but, I did the same thing. I walked by and herd it kicked on. The difference is I fill the lines with RV antifreeze.

Breckenridge · 10-19-2021, 11:05 AM

I winterized my water system by using compressed air while traveling up north. My red light is staying on the control panel… I assume it’s because there’s no water in the system. Am I correct. Will it come back on when water comes into the system

Robb

Judge · 10-19-2021, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Breckenridge

I winterized my water system by using compressed air while traveling up north. My red light is staying on the control panel… I assume it’s because there’s no water in the system. Am I correct. Will it come back on when water comes into the system

Robb

Are you talking about the red light on the Thermostat?

If you are not using the system and it is "winterized", I would turn the main power off using the switch outside on the unit itself.

When I turn off the propane while traveling, I press the power button on the thermostat so as not to accidentially have it try to fire up and get air in the lines if we turn on the water while traveling.

You may also like: