water heater sidearm

trapper · June 01, 2024, 09:21:27 PM

Outdoor furnace about 17 years old. sidearm water heater quit working. Until now have used it year around. Heats water a bit but not enough to be useful. In the past had all the hot water we could use. Talked to dealer who had no idea what happened. Anyone else have this happen?

Southside · June 01, 2024, 09:29:06 PM

Do you have hard water? Is the stove water conditioned? My guess is mineral build up between the plates has restricted flow.

rusticretreater · June 02, 2024, 01:11:59 AM

Simple test. Just feel the surface from top to bottom and you will probably find where the internal clog is. Sounds like you need a new one.

Mountaynman · June 02, 2024, 06:03:04 AM

ditto on that had hard water and a softener changed ours every 4 years even with yearly cleaning just replace and should be back in business had mine set up with shutoffs and pulled it twice a year for cleaning

trapper · June 02, 2024, 09:52:17 PM

soft water and stove water conditioned. Sounds like time for a new one. Thanks for the replys

chet · June 02, 2024, 11:07:44 PM

@trapper if it's possible, check the lower connection of the sidearm to the waterheater. It may just have crude at the bottom of the heater blocking it.

hedgerow · June 03, 2024, 11:58:40 AM

Quote from: chet on June 02, 2024, 11:07:44 PM@trapper if it's possible, check the lower connection of the sidearm to the waterheater. It may just have crude at the bottom of the heater blocking it.

I would check my 90's at the bottom to make sure its not plugged up. I run a flat plate heat exchanger with a pump and thermostat for my domestic. My well water isn't good but it's conditioned and filtered and in fifteen years of running year around I haven't had to clean the flat plate yet.

trapper · June 03, 2024, 06:42:29 PM

chet the water comes out ofthe heater good. there is a valve there that I use to fill the furnace when needed and full flow there

chet · June 03, 2024, 08:16:11 PM

Yup, I set mine up that way too. Works great to drian out da gunk also. The inner pipe of your exchanger is just probably closed off from mineral deposits. I got just over 20 years out of my last exchanger before it closed off. When I cut it apart the furnace water portion of the piping was totally clean. The hot water portion looked like it had been filled with cement.