Tankless water heater runs cold after 3-minutes with no error code
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- Опубліковано 20 жов 2024
- Repair your Rinnai tankless water heater by removing and cleaning the exhaust fan
This other video is a deeper dive in troubleshooting many issues by a Rinnai pro • Rinnai code 10, what c...
Great video. Here are a few tips that helped me Tip #1 I did not disconnect the fan. I didn't want to chance breaking the connector. I used a small metal pick and scraped off the dead honey bee that was stuck to the inside fins of my fan and then used a toothbrush to gently clean the fins of the fan. TIP #2 Use a Sharpie and write 1, 2 and 3 on the connectors. TIP #3 Use a Sharpie and draw an up arrow on the fan before removing it. There is only one way for the fan to go back on, but this makes it a little bit easier
Those are excellent well thought through tips. Not shown in the video is where I colored the three screws with yellow paint to make locating them a bit easier since there are two sets of three screws in close proximity.
Exactly what I needed. My unit would code 10 under a long shower or long bath without me noticing and go back normal hiding the issue. Finally heard the code 10 alarm while my wife was taking a long shower. Your video got me on the road to finally fixing the issue. Thanks !!!
I am certain your wife is grateful you were able to fix your water heater
This video was very interesting and informative. Thank you for your self control and choice of words. You are a great mechanic!@@BradSmithSC
I’ve had exactly the same problem, and the service tech couldn’t figure out what it was. But you description was exactly right. Gratitude for your post
Glad to hear this helped you fix your issue
Brad: cannot thank you enough! The fix worked perfectly, and your ability to clearly explain what needed to be done was nothing short of brilliant. THANK YOU!!!
Glad to hear this video helped solve your hot water issue
I wish I had a teacher like you! You have so much patience.
Thank you for your kind compliment
We had this same issue, but before visiting your site we paid to have our Rinnai serviced. For $450 they flush only, no fan cleaning. When I asked about the additional charge for cleaning the fan he said we don't do that. After finding your site I decided to give it a shot. My unit has a different fan setup, the intake tube comes in from the side. The fan was last cleaned about ten years ago so there were way more bugs to dig out of the blades. Also it stores error codes, error 10 was on the list which is associated with intake air restriction. Anyway thanks to you no more 3 min. showers.
I also apply long lasting bug spray on the wall around the perimeter of the unit and around the intake vent. Don't know if its effective but my perception is there's been longer spans between fan cleaning needs.
@@BradSmithSC I covered the entire vent pipe with a fine mesh copper screen. It worked for a couple years but eventually deteriorated from the exhaust heat. The most problematic bug here are stink bugs. Will look for a repellent that may help with this. Thanks again.
I did this the first time, worked like a charm. This year tried it again, and it did not work. So I had to take the cover off the heating element right above this wheel. It was full of miller moths. Got er all cleaned out, running like a champ. Thanks for the video
Consider spraying the fan assembly, the entrance, and exit air flow areas with long lasting bug spray to help prevent them from returning too quickly
Thanks dude! You saved me a thousand bucks! My burner had a tangled mess of wires going over it and would not allow me to remove the cover plate to clean after I had removed the screws. It was screwed on in many more places and I had given up on getting it open. I put my air nozzle in one of the screw holes I removed and blew air into it while vacuuming through the fan. (Which I was also not able to remove for the same reason.) A ton of debris came out and the water heater works better than ever! You are the man!
There are two sets of fan screws but only one set removes the fan from the unit. The other set is part of the fan assembly. Its so easy to loosen the wrong ones I've since painted the tabs of the screws for accurate identification. Thanks for your generous comment, you made my day.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this. You saved me hours of head scratching frustration. I followed your directions, and sure enough the squirrel cage had a variety of moths and other bugs packed into it. The sound I'd just associated with this water heater since I bought the house a few years ago is GONE. My heat was becoming intermittent, and that's what pushed me over the edge. Now it works perfectly.
Thank you Brad!
Thank you Craig for that wonderfully kind feedback. I'm grateful my video was able to help you resolve your water heater woes.
You saved me a service call. Last time the plumber put in a new fan and cleaning - $600. Got new fan online $79, installed in 30 minutes. I cleaned the old fan out- chock full of moths- save for next time. Thx, again! God bless!!!😊
I'm glad this video was helpful. Consider spraying long lasting bug repellent around the water heater to help keep 'em away. I spray around the water heater unit and then on the outside I spray around the vent pipe.
Gonna try screen around the intake/exhaust vent. Is that okay?
@ronnieleblanc3628 I've considered adding a screen barrier, but my concern is lessening the airflow that cools the water heater. It seems these units are more sensitive in the summer months when there's warmer ambient air and less sensitive during the winter months with cooler intake air. Perhaps adding screen material in a 'zigzag' orientation to increase the surface area might allow more air to flow through the material.
Thank you! We recently moved into a new house and the water heater water was very noisy and water would only stay hot for a couple of minutes. After watching this, I opened the fan and it was full of bugs and spray foam. Now it is super quiet and hot water is endless. Thank you for the help!
I appreciate your update and glad you fixed your water heater
Thanks Brad!! That is exactly what was wrong with mine. Took me about 10 mins and probably saved me 200 bucks to have a plumber fix it. Really appreciate it! 😃👍
Glad this helped you
By the way, I read Ryan’s message about a long unplug cycle. I tried that first (a few times) and it didnt work. My fan had a huge moth in it.
Many plumbers wouldn't even be able to troubleshoot and fix. Much easier and more profitable to tell you that it needs to be replaced. Good job fixing it yourself; and thanks again to Brad!
Great video, I had the same problem with the screw, yet I still couldn’t find it had to replace it with a new one. But same one I lost. I used my magnetic screw driver but still could find it. Thanks for the close up and clear instruction. Loved your assistant!
Glad this helped. Lost screws are either obviously visible or playing an advanced game of hide and seek. No middle area. I've since colored the screws and tabs yellow to make them more easily identifiable. My assistant is named Oliver because he's all over the yard, all-over the house, all-over the workshop.
You, sir, are a Godsend!!! You just saved me many dollars. I opened up my fan, and sure enough it was full of bugs and gunk. I just took the longest shower I've had in a few years!
Glad to hear this worked out for you. I've had additional luck keeping bugs out of the fan by routinely spraying around the perimeter of the machine and around the exhaust vent on the exterior.
@@BradSmithSC Well, so much for that. It stopped working completely. I took it apart again and found a couple of leaves. After removing them I put it back together, and I would get hot water one time after unplugging and plugging again. I ended up biting the bullet and got a new Navien unit installed on the exterior of the house along with a dedicated recirculating line. The difference between that old piece of crap Rinnai and the new Navien is night and day.
@@777triathlete Glad you got a unit that's working for you. Those recirculating lines are nice where you get instant hot water at any tap. If power consumption is a concern consider setting that up on a timer to only run during waking hours. Also consider wrapping your pipes in insulation. Thanks for the update.
My Rinnai was playing up. My fan was pretty clean, checked and sanded clean the spark electrodes and cleaned all the burners above the manifold with my air compressor. My system is working fine now without playing up. I checked the PCB board and all the components looked fine. I was worried that the gas or water sensors might be playing up. Gas & water pressure were fine. If it's an electrical problem, it would be difficult to diagnose. Rinnai does provide a troubleshooting method to diagnose electrical faults with components but it can be a long process. A normal plumber would just change the entire unit or PCB board. Great video, saved me a call out fee + labor, around $350-400.
I'm glad you're able to fix your water heater. Sometimes when mine is acting up and I remove the fan it looks clean. It turns out just a little bit of debris is enough to be a culprit.
You are a fantastic teacher! I followed your video step by step and fixed ours! Thanks Brad!
I am thankful you were able to fix your water heater and appreciate your kind comment
Been tempted to go the screen route but fear it would interfere with the airflow. The unit is dependent on air flow to cool itself. My current method has been to spray around the unit and around the exhaust part with bug spray a few times each year.
Very straight-forward and no nonsense WELL DONE video tutorial. Make some more!
Glad it helped
Thanks man your worth a million I have been dealing with this darn thing since the day it was installed guy came out three times said it was two many appliances. I watched your viedo cleaned grass out of fan and bugs works like a charm dude your great
Normally I have to clean this fan once or twice per year. I've since found applying long lasting bug spray around my unit helps keep them out of the fan assembly making cleaning needs less frequent.
My set up was a little different, but i cleaned out a lot of bug guts. Thank you.
Sometimes there's barely any dust on the fan other than spider webs and other times I find more physical mass
Very nice video. Short and to the point. Thanks!
This fixed the issue. I added screening around the intake/exhaust port to help with bugs.
I've been hesitant about using screen fearing it might reduce the airflow too much. How long have you had the screen in place? Are you using typical ordinary window screen?
GREAT VIDEO...ONE OF A KIND . VERY PROFESSIONALLY DONE!
Well you just saved my marriage. I’ve been dinking around trying to fix this issue for 6 years. It’s in a mountain home so it wasn’t life death to me. Cold shower at 10000 feet is amazing. Said my wife Never. Incredible how a Little mummified bumblebee can cause so much swearing at three minutes or so.
This is such a fun comment please tell me you are a writer
You are AWESOME.
Thank you for saving me $$$$$ big time.
More than appreciated.
Glad this helped out
I was intermittently having this issue. I took the Rinnai tankless water heater fan out and it was filled with several bugs, a spider and dirt. I cleaned it out. When disconnecting the connector of the fan, use a small screwdriver to release the tab to take apart the connector. When released it should come apart easily. Time will tell if this took care of the issue, I hope so.
I add bug spray around the openings and it seems to lessen the frequency for this cleaning chore
I found that the factory added some tiny clip-on balancing weights to a couple of the fins. So be careful when you're cleaning, because if they fall off, it will be hard to figure out where to put them. Luckily my fins were pretty dirty, so I could see where one had fallen off.
Don't recall seeing any fan balancing weights. Next time I have to do this maintenance I will look for markings where these may have been.
Great video extremely informative and could well be the solution I was looking for, plus you have a great Pup…nicely done Sir:)
Thanks so much! Mine was chock full of moths and wasps.
Curious if you noticed the unit growing noisier over the last few weeks?
@@BradSmithSC Yes, I’m ashamed to say it’s been noisy for a long time. I thought that was just the way it was 🤦♂️. The hot water running out would happen for a period of time and then stop happening for a while, seemingly randomly.
It's good to know others see, err hear, the same symptoms so this failure can be forecasted. I was uncertain if it was a reliable predictor.
My water heater gets moths in it every May, here in Colorado. The moths get in through the intake, then down into the blower. They also get in, through the exhaust, and restrict the vent, that's right on top of the heater.
I've cleaned the squirrel cage out several times. I would still get code 10's, though. I finally took the vent off the top and found dozens of toasted moths in that perforated, concentric area around the smaller diameter center vent extension, they came in through the exhaust vent, outside. Apparently, the blower couldn't overcome the restriction, causing more code 10's and it would still vibrate. The blower would come on and the vibes would start slowly as it built pressure from all the moths, restricting the air flow.
I vacuumed them out and it's working great, with no vibes. I had made a screen for the vent termination years ago, but it rusted through.
I see you can buy vent screens, but it looks like they're only for the exhaust? Do you know if they make a screen for the annular intake, to keep bugs out of the blower?
Was unaware screens were available. Would think the mfr would incorporate this into their design. Maybe if the screens have too tight of a pattern it blocks the airflow too much.
My Akagi tankless heater has been running for 22 years / Thank God.
Brad, great video!! I have a Rannia 65V and cannot get water over 97 degrees. I have reset the toggle switches and turned the thermostat to 140 and the temp sometimes gets up to 104 degrees out of different faucets. Ant ideas what the problem is? Thanks
I'm guessing you've already checked the temperature setting on the unit. If you have not, start with that.
The next thing might be a limitation of your unit. These units increase the incoming water temperature a certain number of degrees based on the water flow rate. If your incoming water is exceptionally cold and your flow rate is high, the unit will increase the temperature less than if either of these variables were lower. Larger units can handle colder incoming temps and higher flow rates.
I have an idea on something to check. There's a chart for your unit that'll show how much it can increase the incoming water temperature in relation to the flow rate. That means if your incoming water is exceptionally cold it can only increase the temperature a little bit and varies on the flow rate. It can increase the temp more with a reduced flow rate.
If there's not a mechanical problem where a professional is needed then one workaround might be to reduce the water flow in your shower and see if that increases the temperature. Try measuring the water temperature with your valve halfway open and fully open. If the temperature goes up with a reduced water flow then consider putting on some sort of a flow restrictor.
If reducing the water flow does not seem like the right fix I strongly recommend calling a professional. I'd hate it if you altered something which unexpectedly increased your energy consumption where it could have been prevented by calling a professional. You xan tell I find value in relying on others with valued experience. My local plumber is a master of his craft.
This water flow curve chart shows temp rise over flow rate on page 26 and varies by model media.rinnai.us/salsify_asset/s-43d60415-4de7-4ad8-aa59-1b39248bfe09/100000258-Value%20Series%20Installation%20and%20Operation%20Manual.pdf
@@BradSmithSC Thanks for the info. I will ty your recommendations.
Brad my heater was flashing 10. I did this cleaned fan and hot water without turning cold. But now my fan and tankless seems to not be cutting of at all. I did this days ago and its in my garage. It's running non stop even if no water is being used. When I cut on hot water it kicks up a notch
What would you suggest
Thank you for the video was excellent
That sounds like quite a problem, Jason. Fairly certain these need water to run through them to prevent them from overheating. Hopefully just the fan is what's running and the heating elements are idle. My guess is some relay that tells the machine to turn off has failed. This is sort of gremlin infestation is where a trusted professional is probably your best option.
Thanks a whole lot this really worked mines had a wasp in it plus dusty
Sometimes I'm surprised at what critters get caught up in that fan
Kudos. Exactly my issue. Thanks!
Hope you got hot water flowing again
Thank you for this great video. Do you have any suggestions for what to do if I have this same shut-off with no error code, but my fan is perfectly clean and cleaning it doesn't solve the problem? My unit was indeed FULL of mud dauber nests, but they were attached to the pipes and other stuff inside the unit, and not in my turbine fan.
What's really weird is sometimes the fan will only have a single ladybug in it and other times have lots of debris. I have taken my fan out and it has been perfectly clean but then when I use a brush and the air hose stuff comes off.
Also check to see if the fan rotates evenly. Look at it from the side and spin it around making certain the shaft is perfectly straight. I was able to put slight pressure to even mine out.
@@BradSmithSC Alright I'll pull it once more and give it the brush treatment. FYI, as another commenter mentioned, I have a single counterweight on one fan blade.
Thank you. Very helpful your video
Good tutorial! Thanks :)
Mine was shutting off daily with an error 10 code. After cleaning the debris, I wasn't sure about that black gunk stuck to the fan blades. I had some auto wheel cleaner and sprayed it although being careful to hold the fan angled to make sure no liquid got into the motor. I then used the slightest amount of water to rinse it and the fan came back sparkling clean as new. Ideally, I think brake parts cleaner would have been better. Luckily the screwdriver I got my hands on that day had a magnetic tip so putting the screws back was easier. When I went to reinstall the fan, I spun it and it was turning out of round. I grabbed it and was able to easily true it up with a little pressure.
Sounds like you got that fan back to factory clean
Mine is doing this and is brand new, I will check this but it’s hard to believe this would be my problem straight out of the box?
With a brand new unit the culprit might be the fan is not level. When you take out the fan, spin it to ensure the shaft is straight.
thanks so much it worked for me also
Glad to hear the good news, thanks for sharing
Great video, thank you for the walk through! I have similar problems with my unit, which appears to be identical to yours. Just out of curiosity, have you tested to see if simply unplugging the unit for a few minutes solves the problem? It could be that cleaning the fan isn't really doing anything... and just unplugging and allowing the unit to "reset" is what's actually "fixing" it. I have done this a few times, and just unplugging it for a while (a few minutes, not very scientific), seems to correct it most of the time. Thanks again!
You present an alternative worth exploring @ryan. I've not tried a long unplug cycle by itself.
Since the sound of the fan increases leading up to the issue, I suspect the fan is becoming more imbalanced over time from bug accumulation. For that reason I don't think an extended unplug cycle would resolve the issue but it is certainly worth a try.
I have a Bradford White and its fan is mounted sideways to the viewer. I wish there was a video on it - too many things to take apart - need guidance.
If you cannot find a helpful video on your brand of water heater, try contacting the manufacturer or take the easy route and hire a professional.
@@BradSmithSC I'm in a remote area and since I am a farm boy I am trying to be self-reliant.
I found this resource if you hadn't already come across it www.bradfordwhite.com/documentation/usa/residential/tank-type-gas
Adding, or excluding, filetype:PDF to your search query may help where you may find public docs on hosted services like this one
s3.amazonaws.com/bradfordwhitecorp/wp-content/uploads/residential_tankless_everhot_interior_igi_180r_discontinued_servicemanual_45095a.pdf
Of course you would want to add your model name or number to your query.
@@BradSmithSC Thanks. Looks like my model has no info - it's an Everhot TG-1801-X and was installed about 13 years ago now. I have the installation manual but the diagrams are NOT great and there is no clear info on how to remove the fan squirrel cage. It is on its side to me after a long air-drop cowl thing that should sift out any moths before they get into the fan housing... but I keep getting Code 10 just as the shampoo is in my eyes...! And it konks out when filling the washing machine. The fan housing must be on some sort of a slide rack so I can pull it out... The Renai brand looks so simple in comparison. I'll do some more searching, but thanks for these sites. I may call the 1-800 number and see if someone at corporate would give some guidance as to how to remove and clean it without wrecking the unit! Again, thanks for your kindness. Christopher
Pg 50 of the second site link - AHA!!!
Our shower is the only part of the house where water goes cold in about 3 minutes everywhere else stays warm. Any thoughts?
Perhaps the water flow rate at this location is below the minimum flow threshold to keep your unit running. I'm presuming you have a single heater unit that feeds all your shower locations.
@@BradSmithSC we have a single rinai tankless. This shower is the closest to the heater
Check your manual for the minimum flow rate that will sustain continuous heating. Then measure the water flow from your shower head. Use a 1 gallon bucket and time how long it takes to fill it up. Verify if that flow rate is high enough. Sometimes shower heads can be cleaned by soaking them in vinegar, or another solution which might depend on your water hardness, that makes them restore their original flow rate.
@@BradSmithSC I will check it out and report back. Thanks for your help.
So my flow rate out of the shower head is about a gallon per minute which seems on the lower end but not the minimum according to internet sources. Any easy suggestions to fix?
What does it mean if it's leaking water through there with error code 79?
Oof! That sounds serious. Sounds like professional plumber territory.
Thanks
I just got a new problem,whenever cold water pulses like washer shooting some cold water during wash cycle,or toilet stops after filling,heater chirps & water leaks out of high temp valve. Im in process if swapping out valve now to see if that fixes it,just dont understand chirp!
Yikes, that sounds like quite the issue
Hi I have a problem with my with code 13 I tried many things and nothing is work
I'm uncertain what a code 13 means, but do know that cleaning my fan seems to be a common repair need.
It didn’t fixed mine now I just get 5 minutes hot water instead of 3 minutes. Does anyone know what should I do ?
Thanks for the video.
Recently I tried this exhaust fan cleaning technique and it did not restore my hot water service. The water would only come on hot for a few minutes and then promptly go cold.
I called my local plumber who quickly determined the problem. Debris had accumulated in the heat exchanger (bugs & leaves). He showed me what was involved and it is intimidating enough where I'll definitely call a professional again for that task.
While doing that service he also demineralized the unit which is something that has to be done every few years depending on water hardness.
Sometimes it just makes sense to call a professional. They do this work every day and have an accumulated wealth of knowledge and skill that is worth paying for. Every time I've called a professional I've been rewarded with excellent results.
@@BradSmithSC any idea what could be the problem ?
If cleaning the exhaust fan did not work then I suggest calling a professional plumber
NET: For any of you who are thinking about getting a tankless water heater and stumbled across this video...Take Heed! Tankless water heaters can be a maintenance nightmare when compared to the good old fashion, time proven 40-50 gallon tank water heater. Tankless heaters may be more eco friendly but over time cost more to operate, need constant attention as shown in this video, modifications to your plumbing so your washing machine and dish washer can get hot water, not to mention the hold and cold cycling of the water temperature when you are taking a shower. My wife absolutely HATED having to step out of the shower stream every time the water cold cycled. In the end we removed it and went back to a tank system. If you already have a tankless heater then watch this video and learn. Some good information here!
Elton,for the issues you cite,I can fill my 300 gal hot tub without stopping to wait for my 40 gal water tank to reheat,so theres that!
I agree totally. My first one was a Bosch, and it was hell on earth. One of the biggest things was the minimum water flow required to turn on. I had to modify my shower and faucet heads to allow more flow (basically removed the part that slows the flow to save water). Also the gas pipe size for that model was 3/4 or 1 inch (I forget now) which cost $900 to get from the meter with that size. Also the stainless steel ducting was mega-expensive. Lastly, finding a good (and honest) repair service was almost impossible. That said, when I installed the Rinnai, it was easy and reliable. I wish I hadn't built my laundry room to just fit a tankless. You don't know how many times over 16 years and 3 water heaters, I wish I had the space for a good old tank.
Sounds like you've had quite the tankless water heater experience
Change the fan but still having the issue of it turning off. 😩
When I've failed to clean the fan thoroughly it'll still shut down due to imbalance so double-check that.
Your description sounds like something might instead be the problem. Maybe check the exhaust screen for debris too.
You are 👍
Junk...thats the problem 😂