DRAIN PAN UPDATE:  If you’ve read the Tankless 101 article, you know that I am a proponent of drain pans being installed below them if they are installed in or above finished areas. EVERY major brand recommends them, calls for them in their instruction manual, or denies responsibility of water damage if you install them in such a place.  Why?  Because like any other kind of water heating device when they get old and worn out they can and many do LEAK!  So where is the water going to go?

 

Unlike a tank rupturing a tankless leak is easily contained IF you have it above a drain pan!   If not they can still do considerable water damage and water damage from leaking water heaters is one of the leading causes of water damage in a home. (Ask your insurance agent!)

 

 A company called CAMCO now has both metal and plastic drain pans for tankless water heaters.  These are required by code and almost ALL major brands of tankless call for them for when a tankless water heater is installed in an area where a leak can cause damage.  You don not need them in a garage or unfinished basement but in an attic, interior space, etc you SHOULD have one!  They will get old and they can leak.  Good news is there is no big tank to bust and flood the place and a pan gives you all the protection you need!

 

If you are having one of these great machines installed in or above a finished space of your home, or maybe you are designing a high-rise with one in every apartment, you NEED to install this pan!  No doing so now is asking for high repair bills and insurance claims later.

HOMEOWNERS: We have got many calls in the last two days regarding tankless water heaters not working. People, look outside…IT’S COLD! Way colder than normal and this kind of cold breaks things. Here is what we are seeing here in VA and MD in hopes that it will save you some money, time and trouble. I’m sure many other parts of the country are seeing similar problems. Some of you will need help.

Call: We are getting no water out of our hot water taps in the house, something is wrong with our tankless water heater.
Answer: Your hot water pipes are frozen. Place a heater in your crawl space and wait for them to thaw***. Keep an eye on it and locate your main water shutoff valve in case your pipes are burst! In that case, turn the water off the house and call your plumber!

Call: My heater is not working and giving a code 12.
Question from us: Are you on Propane?
Caller: Yes.
Answer: Your regulator has frozen up. Call your gas company or wait for it to thaw.   The Gas company (for propane) can come out and add a methanol additive and clear up the problem.

These are not issues with the tankless water heater in most cases (assuming everything else is right and you have a good model) these are just what happen to some plumbing systems when it gets this cold. You may be having these same problems in a home with any kind of water heater or boiler.

Things you can do:
1. If you have a crawl Space, make sure your brick vents are closed! If you have a history of freezing pipes, consider placing a small electric space heater in the crawl space at night. ***(Make sure you maintain all clearances to combustible materials and don’t burn your house down!)
2. Open cabinets below sinks located on outside walls.
3. Leave a faucet or two open in your home at night (Dripping steadily) to keep water moving a bit. Moving water does not freeze as easy.
4. Know who your preferred plumber is! The time to choose a plumber is NOT during and emergency.

If you have a tankless water heater and have specific quastions about that madel, post them on www.plbg.com or call the 800 number located on the data sticker on your unit. Keep warm!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Too many people have commented or contacted me around the country that have had problems with their tankless water heaters and not had good service from their contractor.  This video was put up to help instruct HO’s how to handle a service issue and get good results.  Also, I tell them AGAIN how to avoid problems in the first place.  Regular followers probably can guess what that is.  Check out my You Tube Channel and feel free to contact me or leave comments.  Think about subscribing while you there.  I will be doing a Rinnai Maintenance video soon as I perform a basic service on my own 7 year old+ heaters!    

 

Here’s the link to this one: http://youtu.be/3pQodGwfNow