Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Plumbing => Topic started by: newmod on March 07, 2013, 04:38:49 PM

Title: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: newmod on March 07, 2013, 04:38:49 PM
As stated,  OWB IS UP TO TEMP.  Water heater is heated by plate exchanger.  I do have hot water out the water heater drain and also jot water out the pressure relief valve when manually opened.  I have valves at mixer valve so I bypassed  mixer valve but still only luke warm to slightly hot water at faucet.  Water at  my faucet now should be 190.  The same temp as the OWB.  But not the case.  Help.  I really don't want a cold shower in the morning.  5his is the second year for this OWB,  it is homemade and have not had any problems at all.  HELP

NEWTON
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: Scott7m on March 07, 2013, 04:59:00 PM
Plate exchanger either has air in it or plugged up by something

If the plate exchanger is installed properly there is no way your water should be 190, I take it you put it in the middle from top nd bottom though??

Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: johnybcold on March 07, 2013, 05:49:40 PM
Do you mean 190 at you sink faucet? That is too hot if you have a newer home there might be a valve stopping the hot water to prevent burns, I know my shower has one.
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: Scott7m on March 07, 2013, 05:54:48 PM
He done bypassed it to see if that was the issue

We'll see what he finds next
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: newmod on March 07, 2013, 07:15:23 PM
Well I have no idea what the problem was.  I tapped on the  mixer valve for a while,  went out and had a couple drinks and thankfully we have hot water now.  I guess I will just have to keep an eye on it. I have no idea what happened.  And yahoo I would have 190 at the faucet because I have a bypass on the mixer.   Just glad everything is working now. Thanks
Newmod
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: Drivebymashing on March 08, 2013, 07:42:19 PM
190?? 125 about melted my fingernails off .
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: newmod on March 09, 2013, 07:02:38 AM
Well the problem still hasn't resolved itself.  I still have the mixing valve bypassed to get at least warm enough water to shower with.  The only thing that has been done recently was a week ago.  I drained the water heater so I could put a copper union on the plate exchanger which had a small leak.  It worked fine for about a week now I am having this problem.  Which shouldn't have anything to do with what was done lately.  OWB is still up to temp.  Pump is still moving hot water through the lines into the house and back out.  Furnace heat exchanger still works fine.  UGH.  I am at work today so I will try to diagnose it better tomorrow.   Thinking something may be wrong with my water heater.  Granted it is just a tank, but, where the cold water comes in , it goes thru a tube which puts it to the bottom of the tank.  So the HOT/COLD water circulates and mixes.  HECK I don't know, just trying to brainstorm.   

Newmod
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: Scott7m on March 09, 2013, 08:51:23 AM
Air
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: newmod on March 09, 2013, 08:54:57 AM
Air
Where at?  The tank is full of hot water.  Why in the heck isn't is coming out of the faucets
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: RSI on March 09, 2013, 08:56:09 AM
Is this just one faucet that doesn't have hot water or all of them?
Do you have the plate setup as a preheater or some other way?
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: Scott7m on March 09, 2013, 09:41:35 AM
If water is only flowing through part of the plate exchanger it won't get hot

Having the plate loose at the same time u started having issues makes me believe you have air in it

But I also don't understand if its installed the way there normally done how you could have ever needed a mixing valve
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: newmod on March 09, 2013, 11:19:03 AM
If water is only flowing through part of the plate exchanger it won't get hot

Having the plate loose at the same time u started having issues makes me believe you have air in it

But I also don't understand if its installed the way there normally done how you could have ever needed a mixing valve
Scott.  How are they supposed to be installed.  My mixing valve ties in between my hot and cold on top of the heater, then has the mixed water come out top to the house.  But I also have a bypass built in for the summer months when I run the same water heater on electric, so it doesn't run thru the mixer.  If I could figure out how to post a drawing I would,  but don't hold your breath on that.
Title: Re: HELP!! NO HOT WATER AT FAUCET
Post by: Scott7m on March 09, 2013, 11:39:55 AM
Heck with all that stuff bypasses and stuff.  I keep it simple, the only thing I do is splice into the cold supply line going into the tank, so I cut supply line, go into the plate, come back out of the plate right back to the line I just cut.  There is no need for a mixing valve with this setup as the water simply doesn't spend enough time in the plate to become dangerous and the tank acts as a buffer.  My water is always within 1-2 degrees.  Not dangerously hot either, set up this way it's endless hot water.  And in the summer the water is simply not preheated anymore, so no valves need to be bothered


Your plate ain't mounted with the ports facing down by any chance are they?