jimmyt
New Member
How specifically would hot/cold crossover damage a tankless water heater? I'm trying to understand what component on my tankless water heater has probably failed so I can fix it (hopefully).
Back story: I'm a handy DIYer with a techy job in IT. I understand complex systems and fix them for a living, so I can be a little overly confident in my abilities. A few years ago I installed an off-the-shelf Rheem from HomeDepot and it worked great for almost 2 years. Then we remodeled our shower, and in the process I failed to install the shower valve properly. There was significant crossover (water would not get very warm anywhere in the house, but especially in the bathroom with the improperly installed shower valve). After about two days, the water just went cold and I couldn't hear the heater fire up anymore. No error codes. At first, I thought the water heater had coincidentally failed. Being the dead of winter and not having two weeks to wait on a warranty repair, I just swapped in a new heater thinking I'd get the other fixed later. But then I still had lukewarm water with the new heater! During troubleshooting, I traced the issue back to the shower valve (we hadn't been using the shower yet, so there were no directly observable clues there). I fixed the shower valve and I've had perfectly hot water since.
Go ahead and bring the mockery and insults.
I fully admit that I screwed up, and likely voided my warranty due to improper installation. I'd rather not throw it in the trash though. Any thoughts?
Back story: I'm a handy DIYer with a techy job in IT. I understand complex systems and fix them for a living, so I can be a little overly confident in my abilities. A few years ago I installed an off-the-shelf Rheem from HomeDepot and it worked great for almost 2 years. Then we remodeled our shower, and in the process I failed to install the shower valve properly. There was significant crossover (water would not get very warm anywhere in the house, but especially in the bathroom with the improperly installed shower valve). After about two days, the water just went cold and I couldn't hear the heater fire up anymore. No error codes. At first, I thought the water heater had coincidentally failed. Being the dead of winter and not having two weeks to wait on a warranty repair, I just swapped in a new heater thinking I'd get the other fixed later. But then I still had lukewarm water with the new heater! During troubleshooting, I traced the issue back to the shower valve (we hadn't been using the shower yet, so there were no directly observable clues there). I fixed the shower valve and I've had perfectly hot water since.
Go ahead and bring the mockery and insults.
I fully admit that I screwed up, and likely voided my warranty due to improper installation. I'd rather not throw it in the trash though. Any thoughts?
