Pullstart 59,758 #1 Posted February 20, 2019 Hey Jim @WHX22 how da’ya like this power venter? We’ve replaced the pilot trying to get enough millivolts to run the valve, but the draft is too weak to sustain even a pilot. Today’s fix... a Bradford White light duty commercial electric water heater. I’ll wire it to run non-simultaneous and we’ll never have a draft issue again. 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 51,803 #2 Posted February 20, 2019 The unsecured 2X4 brace under the fan fits Murphy's Law perfectly! 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,076 #3 Posted February 20, 2019 adapt and conquer, old school ,pete 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,758 #4 Posted February 20, 2019 Surefire KISS. Keep it simple stupid. It’s slow to recover, but reliable. Kinda like me lately! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ericj 1,576 #5 Posted February 20, 2019 it never stops to amaze me at some of the things people do, was this another contractor or the home owner jerry rig I probably would have put in a real power vented water heater, but they are expensive, the electric water heater is definitely cheaper eric j 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 51,803 #6 Posted February 20, 2019 You may want to consider a tankless demand water heater in the future. I installed a Navien Tankless gas water heater and it saves a lot of money on gas by only running when there is a demand. The up front cost is higher, but you will never run out of hot water and the gas cost savings will pay for it during it's useful life. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,758 #7 Posted February 20, 2019 I was helping out a friend in need. They bought the house this way, the previous owner installed this to close the deal. A joke if you ask me! Power vent would have been a viable option, but this was the cheapest option available and still much more reliable than the previous unit. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peter lena 8,076 #8 Posted February 21, 2019 little grey box, installed one on my w/h to minimize the time its on. my w/h is off 16 hrs.' a day, with this separate timer unit. once you wire it in at the main box you can set it to go on /off as needed. found it to be very economical compared to always on. just look up LITTLE GREY BOX , there was to much on the site or I would have added it to this info. I also have Bradford white heater, wrapped in foil bubble wrap, and sitting on a leak tray just in case. pete 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 59,758 #9 Posted February 21, 2019 10 hours ago, peter lena said: little grey box, installed one on my w/h to minimize the time its on. my w/h is off 16 hrs.' a day, with this separate timer unit. once you wire it in at the main box you can set it to go on /off as needed. found it to be very economical compared to always on. just look up LITTLE GREY BOX , there was to much on the site or I would have added it to this info. I also have Bradford white heater, wrapped in foil bubble wrap, and sitting on a leak tray just in case. pete Essentially a pool control box When I worked in the R&D lab at Bradford White, setback control testing was one ommy projects. Ultimately, maintaining a lower Delta T is more efficient. If your desired temperature is 130, room temperature is 68, you are heating 62 degrees. If you lower your Delta T during off peak hours, it requires less btu’s to maintain that temperature. This little grey box is a manual way to “lower your Delta T,” therefore increasing efficiency. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
