Aquahot overheating

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Aquahot overheating

December 13, 2020, 10:52:50 pm

I have had this problem for the last couple weeks. I have been using electric heaters in the mean time. Rudy will be getting a call soon as I have ran out of ideas..

Changed the thermostats.. didn't help.. I went and bought a new radiator cap and it seemed to help.

I can get it to cycle 1 time and doesn't turn off until unit is boiling.. light goes out and wont start up on its own but when it cools I can get it started..

The green light will stay on but the diesel side is not coming on at all.u. seems it thinks it's hot already.. strange ..

I have the new black box already (3 years ago approx). Can it be the box again?

One cycle is all I get .. just working me over on this one.. I am open to ideas..

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #1 – December 13, 2020, 11:24:03 pm

It is my understanding that the new built by AH brain box is pretty reliable compared to the old silver box and light years better than the Spiros box.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #2 – December 13, 2020, 11:53:23 pm

I am thinking it might be the box at this point.. nothing makes sense lol.. foretravel twilight zone!!

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #3 – December 14, 2020, 12:01:55 am

I think Aqua Hots are from the twilight zone. In my 5 years of ownership. Been rebuilt once and is on it's third control box. Yet I wouldn't want a coach without one.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #4 – December 14, 2020, 12:32:25 am

Quote from: bigdog – December 14, 2020, 12:01:55 am

I think Aqua Hots are from the twilight zone. In my 5 years of ownership. Been rebuilt once and is on it's third control box. Yet I wouldn't want a coach without one.

If they were propane powered, you would not have that problem. Diesel is always going to be problematic heating water. The Chinese models also require a little more maintenance but are very simple and inexpensive. I had a Webasto air heater in my 309D. It was also trouble. In 1992, I bought a new house in Santa Fe. It had a natural gas boiler with three zones (copper not the plastic that fails). Great to lie on the floor and watch TV, just perfect and in all the years, it never gave any kind of trouble and it never required maintenance. I got a free diesel boiler and radiators for our house in California. I liked the heat but it needed more maintenance.

If it's not too much trouble, a separate tank with #1 diesel or kerosene works better up at altitude and cold weather.

Pierce

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #5 – December 14, 2020, 12:54:59 am

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – December 14, 2020, 12:32:25 am

If they were propane powered, you would not have that problem. Diesel is always going to be problematic heating water. The Chinese models also require a little more maintenance but are very simple and inexpensive. I had a Webasto air heater in my 309D. It was also trouble. In 1992, I bought a new house in Santa Fe. It had a natural gas boiler with three zones (copper not the plastic that fails). Great to lie on the floor and watch TV, just perfect and in all the years, it never gave any kind of trouble and it never required maintenance. I got a free diesel boiler and radiators for our house in California. I liked the heat but it needed more maintenance.

If it's not too much trouble, a separate tank with #1 diesel or kerosene works better up at altitude and cold weather.

Pierce

Yet it was a botched winterizing that caused the rebuild to be needed. The other issues I have had have been with electronics not the diesel portion.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #6 – December 14, 2020, 01:10:21 am

Quote from: bigdog – December 14, 2020, 12:54:59 am

Yet it was a botched winterizing that caused the rebuild to be needed. The other issues I have had have been with electronics not the diesel portion.

How about adapting one of these? diesel water heaters china - Google Search I bought a couple of diesel air parking heater with a nice remote LED display/control. They were under $100 each and used the same parts as the Webasto in the 309D. Just a clone with more modern electronics. Not much noise compared to the OEM propane heater most of us have. Included an electric fuel pump. Delivered in less than two weeks from China. A point of use propane water heater could also be adapted.

Pierce

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #7 – December 14, 2020, 03:57:10 am

Black boxes are known to be problematic. Rudy can give you his opinion but I know he has told me they are not very reliable, I had a black one in my 2000 that went out. He has rebuilt and new silver boxes from aquahot ready to go.

Keith

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #8 – December 14, 2020, 10:14:14 am

David, I have sent you a PM

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #9 – December 14, 2020, 10:32:11 am

Quote from: hdff – December 14, 2020, 03:57:10 am

Black boxes are known to be problematic. Rudy can give you his opinion but I know he has told me they are not very reliable, I had a black one in my 2000 that went out. He has rebuilt and new silver boxes from aquahot ready to go.

Keith

As I understand it. The 2nd gen box that replaced the 1st gen silver box was made by a sub-contractor (Spiros). I recall Mr. Rudy saying those are problematic. The new made by AH 3rd gen black box that replaced the Spiros unit seems to be doing fine although it was installed just last October. So it still has the new car smell.

My experience in 5 yrs of 320 ownership is that the silver box failed. Replaced that with the remaned silver box. That failed within 18 months. That was replaced by the in house black box.

I don't count the full rebuild that had to be done as a strike against my AH. That was an issue with two people. Me as a first time coach owner with zilch AH knowledge and a less than honest RV shop that 'said' they were versed in AH winterizing.

The fellow that does our annual AH maintenance in Tucson said this. There has been an uptick of burner issues (heavy soot) caused by Bio-Diesel. It is very hard to find anything less than B-15 anywhere in Cali and Oregon.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #10 – December 14, 2020, 10:35:58 am

Quote from: bigdog – December 14, 2020, 10:32:11 am

The fellow that does our annual AH maintenance in Tucson said this. There has been an uptick of burner issues (heavy soot) caused by Bio-Diesel. It is very hard to find anything less than B-15 anywhere in Cali and Oregon.

That could be true but also the way rumors get started. I would want a lot more information before I started blaming bio-diesel.

Pierce

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #11 – December 14, 2020, 11:05:00 am

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – December 14, 2020, 10:35:58 am

That could be true but also the way rumors get started. I would want a lot more information before I started blaming bio-diesel.

Pierce

Pierce, That's what the guy told me and he works on bunches of them. When he pulled the burner out of my AH that had been rebuilt two seasons prior and was running problem free. He asked if I was using Bio-Diesel. The soot in that burner extended out about 1.5" from the holes. He said he has seen a trend in much more soot in the burner in recent times.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #12 – December 14, 2020, 11:19:28 am

Rudy, how about chiming in on this one? What would be the basis of any failures? Possible loosening of deposits and clogging filters? How about an official statement from the maker of AquaHot? They would be the authority on the subject and have the resources to identify and test for fuel problems.

With other diesel fired heaters, many problems stem from low settings rather than letting the burner operate at full heat, Check YouTube for solutions others have had for deposit buildup.

Problems and solutions here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=diesel+air+heater+problems

Pierce

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #13 – December 14, 2020, 11:29:11 am

http://www.aquahot.com/faqs.aspx covers the use of biodiesel.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #14 – December 14, 2020, 11:36:13 am

And from the horse's mouth: "Can I use biofuels in my diesel Aqua-Hot system?
Diesel fuel containing a maximum of 20% Biofuel, commonly known as B20, may be used in diesel Aqua-Hot systems. However, please note that it may be necessary to change the fuel filter more frequently as B20 slightly cleans the fuel system. "

Thanks Racedad!

Pierce

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #15 – December 14, 2020, 11:38:21 am

Can anyone provide pictures of these "black and silver" boxes so I can locate and compare to see if I have the most current one? Do they have specific serial numbers or idenifiing numbers to compare. I wouldlike to be sure I have the most current "problem free" model.
Regards

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #16 – December 14, 2020, 11:42:13 am

Pierce, I have had no indication of change regarding use of Bio-Diesel. You might call Aqua Hot to see if they have an official statement.

Running the diesel burner once per month or more will keep the diesel on the nozzle from congealing. Persons that do that can find the burner going 2 or 3 years before needing service.

Sitting turned off for extended periods allows the congealing and ruins the fine mist 60 degree fan spray leading to smoking and sooting. Use it or loose it applies here.

What do you think of the propane fueled Aqua Hots? Entegra used them on the Aspire 45 foot 4 slide diesel motorhome for a while.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #17 – December 14, 2020, 11:57:32 am

Rudy,
So my coach sits during the Canadian winters (average 0 degrees F temp) for about 4 months. I exercise my generator but do not start my engine or aquahot during those storage months. I have anti gel andbiocide in the fuel. Are you saying I should fire up the aqua hot to prevent fuel problems? It has been winterized and fuses pulled to prevent bay heat.
The unit was FULLY serviced prior to winter storage in October.
Peter

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #18 – December 14, 2020, 12:14:07 pm

The fuel on the unused nozzle has started to congeal with 4 months of sitting. Running once per month will prevent this.

Or, just replace the nozzle each spring when you put the heater back in sevice. That way the burner will run fine all season long. The fully serviced part in the spring instead if the fall.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #19 – December 14, 2020, 12:26:00 pm

Thanks Rudy,
I will replace the nozzle in the spring. The rest of the service (fuel filter, cleaning etc should be good in the spring though right?)

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #20 – December 14, 2020, 01:20:37 pm

Quote from: Rudy – December 14, 2020, 11:42:13 am

Pierce, I have had no indication of change regarding use of Bio-Diesel. You might call Aqua Hot to see if they have an official statement.

What do you think of the propane fueled Aqua Hots? Entegra used them on the Aspire 45 foot 4 slide diesel motorhome for a while.

Rudy,

My quote was from Aqua Hot with the link supplied by Raceday. The factory page goes into all facets of operation with the mention of bio-diesel at the bottom. The future of diesel vehicles is tied to lower emissions with bio-diesel a big help in combating polution.

I love the idea of the Aqua Hot with either floor heating or hidden radiators. I looked at several installation on my first trip to Europe in 1971. I was amazed at the basement boiler rooms and the organization of all the pipes and controls. Rather than a conventional construction, the floors above were poured cement with internal pipes for heating the floor. Other older construction had radiators in each room. A very efficient way of heating a house.

Our East Coast has done this for a long time and has businesses trained to keep these systems in good operating order. Newer construction out west has seen the propane boiler with pipes included in the foundation pour. Problems arose on some installations a few years down the road with some plastics developing leaks. Leaks inside a foundation are never good and made some homes difficult to sell if they had the wrong plastic. Ours was copper piping so was not a problem.

With a motorhome, seasonal use, altitude combined with low temperatures have made diesel heating more difficult. A limited number of owners have the interest or confidence to be able to maintain their system, either by operating it once a month or changing nozzles. Just looking at all the components can be intimidating.

A poor spray pattern will make initial start up harder and poor combustion especially at altitude and cold weather. This difficulty may not show itself until it's needed most in winter. With Detroit Diesel generators, pistons of different compression ratios were fitted dependent on the altitude of the installation so quick start up was assured.

So, I love the idea of the heated floor and hot water with almost no noise compared to our OEM space and water heaters with their roar. Propane has the advantage that it lights off at all altitudes and temperatures and does not have a diesel type nozzle to get contaminated so will provide years of service with minimum problems. When it does have a problem, companies like Dinosaur could be there to provide new and easily replaced boards at a low cost. And a new board is only a day away as Annie says by overnight mail.

Really the biggest worry I have is the limited DIY retiree on a very limited income today or say 2025, buying a Aqua Hot coach and then having a failure where he or she can't really afford to have a specialist come and fix their heater. I think anyone is this situation should have at least one backup heater to keep warm until they can drive to a service location. Sort of like an airliner with backup systems.

Diesel has a big advantage in energy per gallon compared to propane but it's characteristics need to be known. For instance, many diesel cars and trucks have an electric heater or route the diesel supply through a heat source so it can be heated before it's put into use.

In closing, we have a diesel fired air parking heater along with one OEM furnace and an non-vented catalytic heater. Propane, diesel and electricity make great partners and take at least some of the stress away from the RV experience. I have noted the experiences of the diesel air parking heater owners and use the supplied fuel tank with switchover valve for kerosene in case we are at 8,000 feet or above in cold weather. Like you said, monthly operation or nozzle replacing will eliminate most of the problems...unless it's forgotten until it's needed.

Pierce

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #21 – March 17, 2021, 05:28:44 pm

Just realized I never updated...

It was the brain box.. Swapped it out and the problem was fixed .. so if you have an overheating issue and checked everything else.. it can be caused by the controller

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #22 – March 17, 2021, 07:36:16 pm

where did you purchase the new black box? and the name of the manufacturer? Oh, forgat..what was the price?
Peter

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #23 – March 17, 2021, 07:40:00 pm

Locally I had a guy come by that is certified to work on them. I ended up with the black box. I have the New aquahot controller.. the 900 model and not the 901.. it did not work. When we plugged in the 901 controller he had it did not do anything.. No lights or anything so I took the black box and called it good.

$1,000 for the service and the box. Worth it when he is able to get me up and running again.

Re: Aquahot overheating

Reply #24 – March 17, 2021, 10:07:30 pm

Painful but true full coach buck.
Scott

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