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Old 12-23-2020, 10:56 PM   #1
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THOR #20539
Tankless emergency!...help!

RV has been in storage for two weeks after repair attention...suppose to be on the road in 2 days and the tankless heater appears to be working great but the temp bounces around 58 to 61...any ideas?

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Old 12-23-2020, 11:00 PM   #2
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THOR #13932
Water pressure is too low.
55 is a good minimum to live by.
Increase the pressure and let us know what it does.
Also
Water temp means nothing to us without a guess at incoming temp vs outgoing temp.
Just a differential guess.
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:07 PM   #3
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THOR #20539
Tankless issue

Brilliant thanks...and yes, water is close to 35/40*F my guess as the ambient is down at 45'ish right now...
...now how do I increase the waters pressure?...I have a Citation 24SJ...any quick clues while you're there...I'll do some research...

Also, just appears to have spring a propane leak...the tank was empty, just filled it up and I can definitely smell it at the tank side of the coach...can't ear anything though…any clues?...
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:14 PM   #4
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Regarding the propane there is vent that is opened when filling make sure it is closed tight. I had a kid fill my tank last fall and didn't close it tightly.
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:35 PM   #5
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Thanks...I read of that issue...loosened it and retightened. Going to get me a propane gas tester to help my nose!...thanks again.
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:49 PM   #6
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Me again...hooked up to city water and the temp is now maxed out at 66...better than 61...water pressure and flow appear to be something here but how do I adjust water pressure and maybe flow?...I'm downloading the manual as I type...cheers all
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Old 12-24-2020, 11:27 AM   #7
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You have a lot going on here...... I assume you have the Girard Tankless Water Heater?

1) If you had propane in the tank and now you smell propane, you have a leak and it very likely could be the regulator. Thor uses a very cheap regulator where the diaphragm cover is crimped together and not bolted together. Last summer we started getting small whiffs of propane sitting outside near the tank. I poured soapy water over the regulator and sure enough it was leaking around the crimps. I replaced it with a better regulator from Tractor Supply.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...r?cm_vc=-10005

2) In cold weather you want a full supply of propane. In very cold conditions, there may not be enough vapor pressure in your tank to keep your system working properly. The colder it is outside, the lower the pressure will be in your tank.

3) In colder climates the water from incoming city water or from the fresh water tank can be cold enough that the water tank can heat it fast enough. There is an adjustment on the back of the Girard unit that will allow you to slow down the water flow so it has more time to heat.

4) Make sure you are not mixing any cold water when you use the hot water. Only open the hot water, especially in colder climates.

5) When you turn on your hot water, have you verified the burner is lighting? Just open the access door and you should see it burning. If it is not, you should be seeing an error code on the control panel.

6) Are you getting any error codes on the control panel?
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Old 12-24-2020, 11:44 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harmsy View Post
Thanks...I read of that issue...loosened it and retightened. Going to get me a propane gas tester to help my nose!...thanks again.
Soapy water is a good tester. Soap up every valve and connection, and rubber hose. You’ll find it when it blows bubbles.
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Old 12-24-2020, 01:52 PM   #9
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Hi Harmsy and welcome to the forum. The first thing to take care of is the leaking propane. It is too dangerous not to be addressed first. If you are unable to locate the source of the leak, take it to a professional and have it repaired.

Paul
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Old 12-24-2020, 04:38 PM   #10
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Thank you Judge, Jimbo and Paul...yes, lots going on and it has messed with our southern climes trip that should have started tomorrow...
1) I will locate the leak and get that fixed first...
2) I got the water temp to 70*f yesterday by 'messing' with the flow valve under the bed and at the back of the Gerard unit...from the outside, the burner looks very healthy and the thermocouple*is glowing very red...and yes the water is cold here and I've ensured there's*no mixing of cold anywhere...on the only other occasion at Thanksgiving we used the hot water it worked well...but it has been in for service since so I am wondering if they affected this outcome(?)...I had complained to them that IMO the water pressure was too low and the shower wasn't pushing enough water out...serves me right!
3) A previous correspondent suggested raising the house water pressure but when I called the emergency THOR customer service line they said there is no adjustment...but the water pressure seems good enough from the pump (IMO better than my home water supply) ...and when I turn both the bathroom and the kitchen taps on the temp goes down to the 50's...the pipes are very noisy in the shower area where the pipes are clattering at the ceiling...no pulsation it's just reverberation...annoying too...
4) Right, I'm going*out very soon to give it another best shot...if I fail I'll have to cancel many RV park reservations...dammit!...Any further observations would be welcome...thank you for what you have proffered*already...Merry Christmas!
5) I'm really struggling to 'love' this 2018 Citation 24SJ!
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Old 12-24-2020, 04:46 PM   #11
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THOR #13932
There's a valve on the Inside of the coach side of my tankless water heater.
Mine is in the lower left corner of the water heater enclosure, as you face the rv from the INSIDE of the coach.
It's not going to be easy to see or easy to get to. I have to remove a panel, you might have to remove a drawer and contort yourself a bit. You needn't SEE the valve, you'll know it when you FEEL it.
Find the valve, it's small. Turn it full left, then full right.
Now you know center.
Turn it to center.
Check your water temp and it should be an immediate difference.
Try to the right, check temp, try to the left, check temp.
This is a (I'm told and it seems logical) mix bypass valve which injects cold water into the hot water stream. The flame only knows on and off, it doesn't know the temp. This valve can be seen as an
Anti-scald thingie if it makes its purpose a bit clearer. Too open and it allows too much cold water to the outgoing hot stream.
Too closed and it doesn't send enough water at all, and you get no pressure and scalding hot water.

This valve was the cure for us and hundreds of other people on this forum..
Pressure is always the first thing to check but you think you have adequate pressure, so this is the second cure. 45psi is not enough to make the heater work. If needed, buy a $7 hose bib attached water pressure Guage and make sure you have the right pressure.

I hadn't mentioned it because the water was fine in the past but you saying they jacked with the heater... This is probably what they jacked with.

Those here on this forum who never can live with this heater, they never bothered to check that valve. Some went as far as to replace it with a 6gallon Wait, shower, wait system.


Mine is a 2018 axis.
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Old 12-24-2020, 05:22 PM   #12
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It sounds like you adjusted the valve Duck spoke about but it only controls flow of the cold water in and it does not mix cold water with the hot. The unit has cold water in and hot water out design.

Here is the section of the service manual that talks about setting flow for maximum temperature.
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Old 12-24-2020, 05:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judge View Post
It sounds like you adjusted the valve Duck spoke about but it only controls flow and it does not mix cold water. The unit has cold water in and hot water out.

Here is the section of the service manual that talks about setting flow for maximum temperature.
My valve was very touchy.
A fifteen degree turn{from one o'clock to one thrity oclock) one way or the other foils the whole system in mine. It goes from perfect to cold at almost the slightest turn....

I can't begin to reach mine from the flame/outside of the heater.
Maybe different heaters.
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Old 12-24-2020, 05:28 PM   #14
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If you are not getting an error message on the control panel I have to think it is operating properly and it is either pressure, flow or incoming water temperature.

There was someone else posting about a similar problems a few weeks ago. I suggested they use a heated water hose like this for the city water and that fixed their problem.


https://www.amazon.com/Camco-22912-H...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
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Old 12-24-2020, 05:33 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ducksface View Post
My valve was very touchy.
A fifteen degree turn{from one o'clock to two oclock) one way or the other foils the whole system in mine. It goes from perfect to cold at almost the slightest turn....
Just an FYI... this may be impacting your unit.... or not.


When I was at the Thor Service Center this week, the Girard Tankless Heater came up when they showed me how they sealed my unit up to prevent water intrusion. They showed me a small metal strainer / filter that Girard installs on the water inlet of the unit that can negatively impact flow; especially if it catches some debris.

Thor is now removing this screen because the water system already has a filter system that should catch anything larger.

Now most of us know that construction debris can be in the plumbing. I could see where some of that could get caught by the metal strainer and impact flow through the unit.

Here is the picture of the strainer in the Girard schematics.
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Old 12-24-2020, 05:39 PM   #16
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I think I checked that on my initial resettings(info I got from this forum) but I forgot to put it on my
'so youre under the fridge Jacking around, check this while you're there' list.

I have the same type list for under the hood and under the rv and under the beds
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Old 12-24-2020, 07:05 PM   #17
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Thanks Duckface and the Judge!!!...just mixing some soapy water to check on the propane leak...then I will get back into being a little more sensitive with that flow valve...already Camping World has gone home for the holidays...ACE has the regulator if that is the leak!...fingers crossed...
Forgot to press send...so, regulator is not leaking...leak smell is more on passenger side and more from the house heater...that has a regulator also but having soaped that it is not leaking either...smell does not appear to be below the fridge when I take the bottom hatch off either...
So, off to Home Depot to get myself a leak detecor...it should be better than my big but ineffective nose...and a neighbor just walked by and said "I smell gas..."...HELP!!!
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Old 12-24-2020, 08:41 PM   #18
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I had a propane leak that was located after the regulator in the propane line itself. The entire line had to be replaced.


Paul
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Old 12-24-2020, 10:31 PM   #19
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Christmas miracle!

You guys have been great!...we are going to set off tomorrow for the warmer climes of Arizona thanks to you guys...
I purchased a leak detector from Home Depot for $25 and I found the chunk out of the hose by the rear passenger wheel...rodents sitting on the tire maybe or just unlucky enough to have had something thrown up by the tire?...I have used broad electrical tape to patch it and checked it with soap and the leak detector...all good until I can get a professional fix.
The water heater responded to some warmth...we had the RV heater going, the sun on the van (yep, it's Portland OR) and now we see 110*f...and the pipes are not so noisy either...
All round, we are relieved to be going...but all the while this was going on we were not getting very prepared as we were fearing the worst!...
THANK YOU ALL, you have been fabulous...Merry Christmas to all my readers!...HoHoHo!...:Ian
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Old 12-24-2020, 10:35 PM   #20
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THOR #13932
Arizona is a big place.
9°f this morning here.
It didn't hit 32° yesterday.

Choose wisely.
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