Gas flow heaters using natural gas for their work are the most common water heating appliances. Like any technique, they are prone to wear and often break. To the owner of the column was able to determine what kind of malfunction arose, he should know in advance both about the arrangement of the gas column, and about the most common problems with such equipment.
Speaker unit and their types
The standard column is a metal box to which pipes are connected - both plumbing and gas. Inside the box there is a tubular heat exchanger, through which water moves in the apparatus. Also, the main part of the column is the burner, which in this equipment are two - the main and ignition( it ignites the main one).
The igniter can be ignited in several ways, on the basis of which several types of columns are selected. In some devices, piezo ignition is used, in others - ignition with the creation of an electric spark( such columns work from batteries or from a hydro turbine).
When the user opens the tap, the gas begins to flow into the column. The flame from the main burner quickly heats the water flowing in the heat exchanger, as a result of which hot water begins to flow from the open valve. At the same time, all combustion products are discharged to the chimney located at the top of the appliance.
Typical problems of
Most often the owners of a gas water heater have to face the following situations.
heat exchanger is blocked. Due to high water hardness or too high a water heating temperature, scale forms in the heat exchanger over time. This causes the need for regular washing of this part with funds that remove scum( at home, most often a solution of lemon juice is used).If you notice that warm water comes with a low head, while the cold water pressure is high, it is a sign of blockage in the heat exchanger. Also, in excess of the scale, the column generally may not turn on or off after a short work.
Another way to clean the heat exchanger is in the short video below.
The water does not heat up to the required temperature
Having found out this problem, first of all it is necessary to make sure of the correct settings of the power of the device. If the settings are all right, the cause of insufficient heating of the water can be the contamination of the heat exchanger( both internal due to scale and from outside due to excess soot) or too low a temperature of incoming water( this is typical for the winter period).
The column does not light up.
The most frequent cause of this situation is insufficient ventilation, which can consist both in contamination of the ventilation well( in the chimney, soot accumulates over time, and foreign matter can get caught), and in the absence of sufficient airflow into the room( for example, after replacing the windows).For battery-operated devices, the situation when the device does not turn on at all, is usually associated with a complete discharge of the batteries. In addition, the equipment will not turn on if the water pressure is too low( this also applies to the head of the gas), the membrane is damaged or a gas leak has occurred. In these cases, the operation of the column will be hampered by the device's protection system.
The following video tutorial will help you to replace the membrane yourself in the water block of the column.
The burner of the unit goes out during operation.
A similar malfunction may be caused by a problem with the temperature sensor, membrane deterioration in the water assembly, poor draft or failure of the electric valve.
Leak from heat exchanger
This problem is typical for low quality parts, in which copper is combined with various impurities. In places of impurities, the surface of the heat exchanger oxidizes and eventually fistulas are formed there. With this problem, the replacement of the heat exchanger will be a radical solution, but in many cases the part can be soldered using a soldering iron( if the damage is small) or a gas burner. Information on how to do it yourself can be found in our article "How to Seal a Gas Column?".
Leak from connection points
It is associated with the wear of the gaskets, so replacing the seals will be the solution to this problem.
The
claps are heard when the column is operating. This can happen if the gas supply is not regulated correctly, and claps will appear both at excess pressure of the incoming gas and under insufficient pressure. In addition, this situation is associated with poor ventilation or discharged batteries. No less often the appearance of cotton during the switch on indicates a contamination of the ignitor jets. That they should be cleaned, the user will be told the changed color of the flame - instead of the blue-blue flame will become reddish-yellow-orange.
gas leak appeared. At that the device will not turn on at all, as the corresponding sensor will work, and the user will smell gas. The only correct decision of the owner in such a situation is to call the gas service.
