Tankless Water Heater - Condensation/Leaking at Flue Vent?
Had a service tech over to track down a leak on our tankless WH (Rheem). They replaced the internal recirc pump. It appeared to be fine for a couple of days, checked again a few minutes ago and I am noticing water still on the floor. Checked the recirc pump and it's dry, no leak there. Kept tracking the leak down and I followed it to the top of the unit, it appears it's been leaking/condensing at the flue vent. Is this something that can happen with these? I have not noticed it, but it appears to have been happening for awhile now looking at the build up in the area. Does a drain hose need to be attached to the white nipple/barb on the side of the flue vent?
Last edited by msu50000; 02-02-23 at 01:33 PM.
Reason: clarification
Took another look this morning after drying the top of the unit off. There were some drops up there, the band clamp had a few drops around it. I was able to get maybe 2 full turns tighter with the screw but did not want to go further for fear of cracking or deforming the vent itself.
Is that a drain port on the side that should be connected to a drip loop? I have not been able to find any details but did find an image that shows a drip loop. Many others do not.
Does a drain hose need to be attached to the white nipple/barb on the side of the flue vent?
Probably would not hurt to try. The Tech should have known that.
Thanks, I'll look into it. It's attached to that gray collar which is attached directly to the top of the unit, so even with a line there, I don't know how it will fill a loop and then have enough pressure to drain...
As long as the top of the loop is below the attachment it will drain unless the loop gets clogged up with gunk. You may not need a loop, a straight drain could also work. I'm guessing the loop would prevent exhaust gas from going though the drain into the room. That wouldn't be good.
If you post a model number there may be installation instructions that can be found online.
That gasket may be bad. The flue is purposely installed pitched back towards the heater so the water drains out thru the heater. That fitting on the top doesn't look a drain. More likely that's for checking the flue pressure.
As mentioned.... can't comment much more without a model number.
If you paid for service... you should call them back.
I have a Bradford White Model URG240T6N water heater with a Honeywell heat controller pictured below. Can I put a timer on this thing? Does the pilot go out with a timer, or how does that work? What is the "com" on the bottom half of the controller? Can I connect a timer to that?
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AO Smith conventional natural gas 50 gal water heater, installed 1/2018. Has been great up until I went down to the basement and noticed a very strong chemical smell. Smells exactly like plastic cement (the kind you would build a plastic model with). Also present are white flakes coming out of the exhaust/vent. I removed the vent baffles and didn't see anything. Checked underneath and didn't see anything, there is also the mesh belt screen in place. Removed the vent and inspected for debris, it was clear.
Something is getting burned up inside the burn tube and/or base, I think. I turned it off and used my whole house fan to pump in fresh air. Called AO Smith techline and they've never heard of anything like that. What could burn to cause such a noxious odor?
The odor is not sulfur/natural gas.
Hot water is hot and smells totally normal. No debris in water appliance filters/aerators.
What the heck is going on? Any ideas before I contemplate replacing a very new water heater?
[color=#1a1a1b]EDIT: just checked inside the water heater and now I see lots of this white stuff coating the inside of the flue and collected at the bottom.[/color]
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02-02-23, 01:31 PM
