Girard GSWH-2 Tankless Water Heater Issue

Jgnorton · 05-08-2019, 04:12 AM

Howdie folks!

I have a Girard GSWH-2 Tankless Water Heater with an odd issue. I've searched the internet with no success. Hopefully someone can help me here!

The water heater is a new install. Worked like a champ for a few weeks. Worked out the standard issues such as flow, pressure, etc. All of sudden the water is coming out Luke warm. Won't break 80 degrees. Nothing has changed. Trailer still parked in the same place with the same water flow etc. Please help.

Thanks in advance!

Jaison

Bob Denman · 05-08-2019, 11:00 AM

Have you tried a pressure regulator?
Try one that gets you up to 50-55 psi..You could also try re-setting the temperature control...

Judge · 05-08-2019, 03:38 PM

As Bob said..... a regulator is a good idea if you were not using one because pressure can fluctuate and the unit is sensitive to water pressure.

That being said...... I assume you are getting no error messages on the control pad. Is the little flame icon coming on the display when you are running the hot water?

I would also turn the hot water on and got outside and check that...

1) The blower motor is running
2) You feel warm air coming out the exhaust port

That will at least confirm the unit is firing up and trying to heat the water.

What about your propane? Any changes there? Did you fill up recently? Have you made sure the valve is wide open?

Jgnorton · 05-08-2019, 05:47 PM

I have a water regulator and propane hasn't changed. The flame turns on with the blower. No error messages on the panel either. I have reset the control panel too.

Bob Denman · 05-08-2019, 05:49 PM

What psi does it regulate the flow to?

Jgnorton · 05-08-2019, 06:12 PM

50psi. I am buying a new one later today to make sure. However the unit was working perfectly with the current regulator. That has not changed.

Bob Denman · 05-08-2019, 06:16 PM

So you've got good pressure, a flame, a blower, and no error messages...
Could you have moved a slide in and out, and maybe pinched a line?

Judge · 05-08-2019, 07:20 PM

I have one other thing to try to eliminate a PSI issue. If you have water in your fresh water tank, turn on your pump and then open the hot water to see what happens.

Bob Denman · 05-08-2019, 07:49 PM

Nice catch: I agree...

Jgnorton · 05-09-2019, 12:04 AM

I spoke with the company directly too. Another angle of attack is my gas regulator being faulty. I'll check on the above suggestion (water tank psi) and the gas pressure tonight/tomorrow and let you folks know. Thanks for the tips!

Mo_Mike · 05-09-2019, 01:00 AM

Another angle, have you checked your outside shower? If the shower knobs are turned on and the water flow is turned off AT the shower head, then water can mix and create luke warm water at other locations...

Don't ask me how I know this...

Jgnorton · 05-10-2019, 04:06 AM

The mystery was solved. My gas regulator was slowly dying and dropped the pressure enough that the water heater was only to heat up to 80 degrees. Thanks for all the help! Cheers!!

Judge · 05-10-2019, 09:48 AM

Thanks for reporting back and glad your back in business. Good to know in case any of us experience a similar problem.

Bob Denman · 05-10-2019, 11:02 AM

Glad to hear that you got it sorted out!

CyRE · 07-03-2019, 09:42 PM

I have a '17 Compass 23TR. The hot water supply has been a problem since I got it new last year. It sat on the lot a long time. Problem is it takes 10-15 seconds to get up to an acceptable temp, then shuts down after another 30 seconds. The display shows the temperature blinking but no fan or flame going. Turn it off, wait a few seconds, turn back on and the cycle repeats. It seems to be better on city water. Randy at RV service in Yreka CA suggested flushing the system with white vinegar (a gallon of distilled white vinegar costs about $3.50), and to do it 3 times. I basically followed the same procedure for winterizing by accessing the tube on the left side of the rear compartment and attaching a hose and sticking it in a gallon of vinegar. Then took the outside shower head off and put the end in an empty gallon jug. Ran it through, switched jugs, and repeated 2 more times. Then flushed with tank water until vinegar taste/smell gone. Randy said hard water (ours is very hard) can gum up a sensitive switch that has to work for the unit to function. Similar to having to clean the coffee maker. If it is gummy very likely the heater is also gummed up. I also decreased the pressure in a small accumulator tank I had put in the system to below 10psi (the factory setting). So now seems to work much better. I notice Amazon offers a different model Girard 2GHWAM. Anyone know if this is an improved model? Can't find it on their website. Could it be counterfit model?

Bob Denman · 07-03-2019, 10:18 PM

Why not upgrade to an on-demand system from Truma? It's worth the extra money!

CyRE · 07-04-2019, 12:16 AM

The measures I took in my first post didn't solve the problem. Heater worked fine on our house water supply, about 40-50 psi, but not on the RV pump. Flow was 1 gal per 1.5 minutes on the pump, which is rated 3.8 gal/min (SureFlo pump). I reasoned problem must be on the the intake side of the pump. Was able to remove intake filter on pump. It was packed with plastic shavings that appeared to be tank material. Replaced it and tried again and heater still wouldn't work (either wouldn't ignite or would shut off after a few seconds). I figured there must be more material blocking the outlet of the tank. Pulled the output tube off the tank, ran a few gallons out. Bingo, continuous hot water at > 1 gal/min. The might have come from city water somewhere that we used to fill the tank, but more likely during installation. It never really worked until today. From now on going to put a filter on the hose when I fill the tank. Saved myself a new unit and or pump. Do this before replacing your unit if you seem to have a similar problem.

Judge · 07-04-2019, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyRE

I notice Amazon offers a different model Girard 2GHWAM. Anyone know if this is an improved model? Can't find it on their website. Could it be counterfit model?

I have the 2GHWAM on my 2018 Outlaw 29H and love it. The key is the correct water pressure. When I’m using city water and have my regulator set at 40-50 psi it works great. It also works fine with the fresh water tank.

We set the temp at 105 and never turn on the cold water.

I do like the idea of some periodic maintenance since you don’t know the type of water you’ll get at a camp ground.

JGFairfax · 07-03-2020, 06:34 PM

Have a different water heater issue.
New Delano. Tankless works for less than a minute in shower and shuts off. No error codes. Seems to work ok in bath sink. Ideas?

OldWEB · 07-03-2020, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGFairfax

Have a different water heater issue.
New Delano. Tankless works for less than a minute in shower and shuts off. No error codes. Seems to work ok in bath sink. Ideas?

To me it sounds like the same issue. Do you have low flow in the shower compared to the sink? Check for a kinked line or clogged shower head.

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