Smell AROUND hot water heater

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

01-26-06, 02:04 PM

jwb007

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 10

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

Smell AROUND hot water heater

Had a professional plumber install a new GAS 40 GAL hot water heater LOCHINVAR brand 2 weeks ago after my 10 year old American tank died. The plumber connected the old venting to the new tank. Meaning the old tank had a 3" vent pipe going to my metal chimney. I have noticed ONLY when the tank is heating up some smells coming from the exhaust area. I would NOT describe these smells to be sulfur like natural gas...but rather more of a metal burning smell - exhaust. I had the plumber come back and he claims that the vent is ok a 3" even though the code has changed to 4" in my area for some reason. He also claims it is venting properly. Should I go ahead and try upgrading to 4" vent pipe?? -- I also notice one bead of condensation that forms on the top of the tank under the draft hood when it heats up...no larger than an eraser head but it forms everytime the tank heats up then when the tank cools it disappears slowly. I NEVER had any smells with my old tank with this exact set up...what has changed with the new tank? HELP!

Upvote

01-26-06, 06:53 PM

majakdragon

Member

Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: N.E. Arkansas

Posts: 7,475

Upvotes: 0

Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post

jwb007, Welcome to the DIY Forums.
I would check with your local code office about the vent. Your plumber may have assumed that since only the heater was being replaced, that the old vent was okay. Depending on where you are, if an existing unit is replaced, it must meet current codes. Good luck.

Upvote

01-27-06, 06:24 AM

jwb007

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jan 2006

Posts: 10

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

thanks!

I appreciate your response. I did check my codes and they now require all 3" vent pipes to be upgraded to 4". The plumber simply connected my old 3" to my new tank. I can have him come back and upgrade it. Do you think upgrading a vent pipe will reduce odors? I am still confused why my old tank that I replaced would be just fine with a 3" pipe and the new tank produces smells using this same set up? Are new tanks these days set up to produce more fumes?

Upvote

01-27-06, 07:46 AM

majakdragon

Member

Join Date: Jul 2003

Location: N.E. Arkansas

Posts: 7,475

Upvotes: 0

Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post

New units, new technology. The vent piping is designed to fit the requirements of the heater. I do not know all the technical data however testing must have shown a need for the larger piping.

Upvote

01-16-12, 10:13 AM

Fumed

Member

Join Date: Jan 2012

Location: USA

Posts: 1

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

I realize this is an old thread but I'm experiencing something similar. Did switching to the 4" vent pipe solve the problem?

Upvote

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Show Printable Version

Email this Page

Water Heaters
Water heater

G

gerrydecave on Jan 15, 2012

I have a bradford white water heater installed in 1994. I just noticed rust stains coming from the top though it isn't wet. Can it be just a repair or do I need a new one?
Water Heaters
Zone Heating Woes

D

dane4695 on Jan 19, 2012

A little background: I'm in rural Alaska using a Weil McLain hot water boiler that is powered by heating oil. I came home today and my house was warmer than usual. I went to the thermostat in the back of the house (zone 2) and noticed that the temp was higher than what the thermostat was reading. The same was true of themostat 1 (zone 1), but to a much lesser extent. I felt the pipes from zone 1 and zone 2. Zone 2 was hot, zone 1 was relatively normal... warm but not in a "heating state." Diagnosis procedure: Thinking it might be a thermostat, I increased and decreased the temp for zone 2 (the constantly heating zone), with no avail - the zone was still heating and the boiler still running. If I increased thermostat 1, it would heat normally. I then swapped the thermostat (same Honeywell model), and repeated the same test - no change. Zone 2 heated constantly, zone 1 heated only when indicated by the thermostat. So my next step was to look at the zone valves. Both valves for the zone were set to "Auto." I moved them both back and forth and they move easily. I removed their outer encasement (as pictured) and noticed they were wired similarly. I again repeated the themostat test. When I engaged the top zone valve for thermostat 2, there was minimal spring movement, while thermostat 1 had a good amount of movement (in the working zone). I read the current on both devices at a touch over 24V. So my question: Is this a motor issue or ... do I need to replace the zone head ... or do i need to diagnose more? Update: As I was writing this, I managed to turn zone 2 (hot zone) on and off until the spring moved just enough to shut off. However, I don't know if the zone is completely closed. I continued to play with it... and now I've managed to lock both zones in the open position I believe. I rechecked wiring and thermostat wiring to device and wall... appears normal... Furnace will come on, run for a while and hit 190 or so, shut off for a bit, then fire up again. Some what of a failure there... and I'd call a plumber if there was an "on call" in this town but there's not. I'm still thinking maybe it's the motor? This issue is important for me to address because I don't want to run out of oil and freeze the house. I'm just turning the boiler on and off manually at this point while I wait until the morning. Any help would be greatly appreciated. [IMG]http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t446/Dane_Lenaker/boiler-problems.png[/IMG] PS: Does the wiring suck on this job? As I've done more learning about houses, it seems like electrical and water don't mix well. Also - should I have my pippes heating to the zones covered in foam (or something) to insulate so I don't waste heat in the utility room?