Troubleshooting
FEN Replacement
Replacement of the heating element in water heaters Ariston, Electrolux, Termex and others. similar, despite the design differences and the different appearance of the devices. The work will require:
- Close the water in the riser, drain the water available inside the boiler.
- Disconnect the power supply to the appliance from the mains.
- Remove the decorative cover that opens access to the electronic components, and check the absence of voltage with a screwdriver indicator.
- Remove the terminals and disconnect the wires (be sure to remember the wiring diagram). It is not superfluous to take a picture of the connection diagram.
Do not allow moisture to get on the terminals, contacts and electronic board of the device to avoid short circuit and its failure.
Install the new element in reverse order, but be aware of your own safety to avoid electric shock.
In response to the question of why there is no hot water pressure in the boiler, we can say that the pressure can be absent for various reasons, ranging from a factory defect, ending with improper operation.
Clogged filter
As you know, the boiler is filtered from various impurities with a strainer that retains debris with rust particles. The lattice top gasket becomes clogged and a lump of debris prevents the liquid from flowing freely. So it can run out at a moment’s notice.
To resume normal boiler fill, remove the plug, wash the grid and put everything back. There are replaceable types of filters that are filled with helium or air. Bad material leaks out and clogs the water pipes. Buying a normal water filter or cleaning the water intake pipes with a pipe cleaner will help save the situation.
Limescale with deposits
Limescale is the salts that form on heating devices. It appears on the tank of the water heater due to hard water. To fix everything will help to remove scale by opening the lid of the water heater and the heater and washing salt from the walls of the tank and spirals.
Lemon with oxalic acid or antiscales can help dissolve the hard crust. If the tank is completely broken, you will need to replace it or buy a new boiler. Sometimes repairs are more expensive than new equipment, then it makes sense to replace the boiler.
Faucet contamination
Often the liquid from the faucet begins to go bad. It means that rust has appeared in the faucet. It is necessary to do disconnection of water supply and cleaning of disassembled faucets. Sometimes the problem is in the gaskets.
How to use the water heater. Eliminating frequent failures
Despite the rapid development of technology in the modern world, we are often confronted with various interruptions in utility services. Seasonal vagaries, scheduled disconnection of the hot water supply and especially unscheduled causes a lot of trouble for the residents of the most modern apartment buildings. To keep comfort at the proper level help home water heaters (boilers). If you use a water heater (boiler) you can forget about the energy-consuming process of heating water with pots and basins. In case the hot water supply is shut off the heater will help save electricity and your time. In this article we will tell you how to use the water heater correctly and more economically, and answer the basic questions that arise when using a boiler for heating water in an apartment with a central water supply.
Water doesn’t flow through the water heater or flows poorly. what are the causes?
If one of the components fails, it often leads not only to a poor supply of hot liquid, but also the flow of water can stop altogether. Vulnerable spots abound, especially if the boiler has not been serviced for a long time. Here are the most popular points:
Water is “stuck” near the filters
Inlet filters are installed in every water heater in order to clean the water of debris and rust. The basis. a grid of stainless steel. Over time, any filter that has collected a lot of debris will cease to function. And if the water has a lot of metal in its composition. you will have to often clean the valves.
How to check the filter? There is a special nut on the side of the boiler, which opens access to the grid.
The check valve is broken
A faulty pressure reducer also prevents fluid flow. Each valve has a moving part on the stem, which moves back and forth under the work of the coolant under the tension of a spring.
Vulnerable place. the rod inlet opening. Salts build up on it, settling on the rod and blocking its full operation. The result. no water at all entering the boiler.
What to do if You Have No Hot Water?. British Gas
Clogging inside the tank
Filters can leak small particles, causing deposits of limescale and scale to form inside the unit. Such a problem “suffer” budget electric boilers: all pipe connections get clogged with limescale, and the water stops flowing.
You know that the water is too hard. install a more expensive heater, because it is better than the constant change of cheap options.
The tubes are clogged
The problem may not be in the boiler itself, but in the hoses that bring in water. They have a small diameter and therefore there is more potential for debris to enter before it reaches the appliance. This is common in hot water supply. lime layers build up much faster.
Faults of the water heater, causes and ways to fix it with your own hands
Regardless of the brand of water heater and its cost, breakdowns occur sooner or later. Most of them have nothing to do with the peculiarities of operation, but it would be foolish to exclude the possibility of faults through the fault of the user.
Each water heater by virtue of its design features has those or other failures, but most of them can be prevented or corrected independently. The main thing. to follow the clear instructions and to observe the maximum safety.
Causes of water heater malfunctions and how to fix them
During the operation of storage water heaters can cause various malfunctions, breakdowns that either interfere with the normal operation of the equipment, or make it quite impossible.
The problem can be solved independently. Let’s consider the most common malfunctions of water heaters.
Malfunctions and their possible causes
During the operation of the water heater, you can encounter various problems.
If the device is functioning intermittently, it needs repair
Those who constantly face a burnout of the heaters are supposed to consider the only possible cause of equipment malfunction. the deposition of a large amount of lime in the heating tube.
If the equipment boiler “does not see” the boiler, that is, does not respond to the flame, it can mean only one thing. the faulty electrode.
When the owner of the boiler is concerned about the flashing of the display, he should check whether everything is okay with the thermostat, RCD and electrical cord of the equipment.
Table: The most common causes of boiler malfunction
- closed gas valve;
- air penetration into the gas pipe and fittings of the heater;
- Flame detachment, provoked by installation of an unsuitable nozzle;
- Clogging of the gas supply path with a foreign object;
- failure of integrity of supply wires or heating elements (in case of electric water heater).
- unreliable gas pressure;
- Scaling of the heat exchanger or other internal components;
- very low temperature of water entering the equipment.
- emergency operation of the flue gas sensor;
- contamination of the chimney;
- incomplete gas removal from the equipment;
- Installation of a hood next to the gas boiler, which causes gas to be drawn into the room instead of the chimney.
- formation of a hole in the tank;
- corrosion of equipment parts.
- Discharge of excessive volume resulting from heating of the liquid and decreasing during water drainage;
- Breakage of any component part;
- clogging of the equipment with pieces of scale, which prevents the spring from closing the valve;
- high pressure in the water mains, which can be detected by a measuring device.
- Installation of the boiler without grounding;
- damage of the protective cover of the heating element protecting it from contact with water;
- incorrect connection to the mains.
- malfunction of the faucet, which leaks oxygen into the equipment through the gasket
- check valve breakage.
- clogging of the coarse water filter located at the water inlet to the boiler;
- jamming of check valve due to debris ingress;
- scale accumulation in the tank;
- Improper adjustment of the pressure regulator;
- Disconnection of the cold water in the apartment;
- Breakage of the valve of the appliance;
- clogging in the pipes.
- Incorrect connection of inlet and outlet pipes;
- high consumption of hot water.
- Scale has formed on the heating element and the body pipe, preventing heat removal;
- temperature sensor not fully inserted into the equipment tube.
- Insufficient draught due to contamination of the chimney;
- clogging of the ignition burner wick;
- Failure of water supply sensor.
- Failure of the tube heater;
- Large amount of limescale on the internal walls of the body.
- failure of the temperature sensor in response to heating to a water temperature higher than the nominal;
- Installation of superfluous taps or valves;
- Safety valve damage.
- A lot of air has accumulated in the gas line;
- Feeding cable or piezo element is defective.
- A fouled heating element;
- Exceeding the permissible load of the mains, i.e. switching on other powerful equipment together with the boiler;
- faulty RCD;
- Destruction of the insulation layer of the water heater body.
In an extremely dangerous situation, when the water heater pipe is torn off, you should blame a low-quality emergency pressure relief valve or thermostat breakage. In some cases, the pipe from the boiler comes off because both metal and plastic pipes were not used when installing the equipment.
What to do if the water heater does not draw water
Nothing in the world is perfect, and even the highest quality water heater can fail.
If you notice that the boiler does not draw water, then you should immediately contact the service center
What problems can be encountered during operation:
- When instead of hot water comes in icy water, this is an indication of a faulty heater.
- If the water comes too high temperature, then the thermostat is out of order.
- It is worthwhile to pay attention to the on and off cycle of the device from time to time during operation. If they change too often, it indicates that the heating element has a scale.
If the latter phenomenon began to occur immediately after the equipment was purchased, then you need to contact the service center. As a rule, the cause of such a problem is the installation of a heater that does not match the size of the tank.
Can it be repaired??
In some cases, it is possible to repair the water heater yourself. However, the process is not as easy as it may initially seem.
The first step is to understand the cause of the malfunction. To do this, it is worth preparing and taking the tools that can come in handy during the inspection:
After sure to disconnect the device from the mains, drain the liquid. The tank of the device should be empty. Only after the mentioned manipulations proceed to the inspection, identifying the causes of breakage or leakage.
In some cases the problem can be solved by small repairs. In others complete replacement of the water heater for a new one will be required. It is desirable to do it before the warranty expires.
Here’s what to look out for when inspecting:
- Water leaks appear in the joint areas of the spigots. The cause of the malfunction is leakage of the water heater tank. No repair possible. The boiler will have to be replaced.
- Leakage is observed in the upper part. If the device was regularly well looked after, in time replaced the magnesium rod, and still there is a leak, repair will not help. You have to buy a new boiler. Also the entire water heater must be replaced if it has an old magnesium rod which has not been replaced in the course of long-term operation. This causes the tank to rot (in the case of a non-enamelled interior).
- The lid of the tank leaks. In these circumstances a new heater is installed.
- Leaking directly in the tank. The most unpleasant situation. the leak comes from the bottom of the tank. The most likely scenario is a buildup of sediment corroding the bottom of the tank. There is no way to repair it. The fact is that the water heater is an integral device with a single body and enameled inner walls. When the enameled surface is disturbed, it cannot be repaired.
The first place that the plumber will check is the drain valve. It is located at the bottom of the tank. Responsible for draining sediment from the water heater. The valve is easy to replace, so this situation is the easiest.
It is important to remember that not every little puddle of water found at the base of the water heater is the result of a leak. On the pipes and appliances that surround the water heater, condensation can form. As it accumulates condensation, the liquid will become dripping, accumulating on the floor. Especially true in basements or in wet weather.
Boiler design and operation system is more complex than you might think. For this reason the best way is to have the device repaired by specialists or to buy a new device.
