Gas on beg - Ecotemp water heater

[dmbwest]

Happening on all faucets or only shower ? Just wondering.

If you turn 'off' or idle the water @ the shower head for example it might shut off the heater for a bit.

We have experienced this is with our Paloma.

aloha,
pog

[StillHope]

I think mostly on the shower ,but I am not totally sure.
It's working fine now.But for the whole week it was acting up for no apparent reason.

[lquade]

hey stillhope. i was gonna go the instant heater route, and my plumber who is a good guy told me i wouldnt be happy. he said people on catchment are always having problems with them. that certainly alot of folk know how to tinker with them. my friends that have them and love them, always have someone who knows "what to do when this happens" but for us women folk who just want hot water, i am going with a regular tank....

[Peter Epperson]

For those of you that don't mind getting a little more hands-on, consider a wood burning water heater. I use mine as a backup for my solar instead of Helco (now requesting a 6% increase!!). Wood is the other solar. We get lots of cloudy and rainy days in Puna and guava, wai'wi and dead ohias are like batteries out in the forest with lots of stored up energy in them. A 5 gallon bucket of split wood will get you 40 gallons of very hot water in about an hour and a half.

[StillHope]

quote:

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Originally posted by lquade

.. that certainly alot of folk know how to tinker with them. my friends that have them and love them, always have someone who knows "what to do when this happens" but for us women folk who just want hot water, i am going with a regular tank....

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I just tried 3-4 times -doesn't hold water more than 40 sec!
Yes,I am a woman who just wants hot water!!!

(That's men who need cold showers,right?)

[StillHope]

Peter,there's no free wood here -all cleared lots mostly..

[David M]

SH - if your shower control is the single handle, protect-an-idiot-from-burning-self type, that could be your problem. Have your plumber set the internals correctly.

lquade - "he said people on catchment are always having problems with them" - not if properly plumbed. A properly installed/maintained catchment system will deliver clear water at same/similar flow and pressure as a municipal supply and the water heater can't tell the difference. If there is a difference - hire a real plumber before you have other problems.

David

Ninole Resident

[StillHope]

quote:

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Originally posted by David M

Have your plumber set the internals correctly.

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David,thank you so much for your time.Can you,please,explain the"correct internals" part?
How big is the job?(Just trying to figure out how much it will cost me
since final inspection is done and I don't see the plumber coming back to redo the job).

[David M]

Not sure how much help I'll be as I'm not that familiar. I believe there is some sort of ring that is positioned according to temp and this affects the hot/cold combination. I wasn't aware of this until plumber told me. I prefer the old fashion type controls. We set out H/W at the 120 setting, that allows a higher ration of hot to cold reducing the chance of low demand for hot causing the heater to cut old. The paperwork that came with the faucet should describe how to set. Probably any handyman could do so reasonably. To me part of the house being "done" is the electricial makes sure all the fixtures and circuits he installed are functional. The plumber makes sure all the fixtures/appliances/lines/drains that he installed are functional and properly adjusted - just part of what he was paid to do. Sometimes one is dependent on the other, but that is no excuse. My electrician finished before the plumber so couldn't test the whirlpool tub, but when I notified him it didn't work, he fixed it without hassle (a neutral wire problem). When a plumbing leak developed that I felt was related to installation, I didn't fix it myself, my plumber returned and fixed and thanked me because it highlighted something he needed to address with his crew.

IMHO, final inspection has nothing to do with it. Your contractor should make sure the house passes YOUR final inspection before he gets final payment.

David

Ninole Resident

[StillHope]

Thank you,David.
Your wife and the boxers are lucky to have you!
As far as my approval before the final..
It was a turn-key project..
I didn't have an iron -clad contract.So I am trying to fix much more than that...
(I am not going to say any more,because all is my fault.The contract should be like my shower type-"idiot-proof-don't burn yourself..")