To solder the column with your own hands prepare:
- A soldering iron or a gas torch.
- Fine-grained sandpaper or a metal brush.
- Solder. For copper parts use wire PIC-61, which is an alloy of lead and tin.
- Rag.
What’s better. repair or replacement?
If you take into account. and you have to pay about 3000 for installation. In this case, you will have to pay from 8000 and more for a new column, and then still pay for its connection.
Eliminating other malfunctions of the speaker
Most often you can encounter a situation where the speaker initially does not ignite the flame. To begin with, it is necessary to determine what exactly led to this. The problem could be not in the heat exchanger, but for example in the dead batteries. Therefore you can’t do without diagnostics. over, some of the failures can be eliminated with your own hands, and in some cases you will have to call a specialist from the gas service.
External inspection of the water heater
Competent diagnostics will allow you to quickly perform repairs by your own forces.
It is not recommended to perform self-repair, if the gas boiler is under warranty. The service can remove the device from warranty service
There are a number of basic steps that should be performed before you go to examine the water heater from the inside:
- Replacing the battery and cleaning the power contacts.
- Checking the chimney draft and the presence of head in the cold water system.
- Checking the fuse (for turbocharged boilers). You can turn the plug in the switch to change the location of the phase. is relevant for imported models, as they are quite sensitive to this.
- Cleaning the mesh filter. It is a strainer that can be found on the cold water supply pipe. Often the grid is a structural component of the water unit.
- Observe the ignition electrodes. To do this, simply open the hot water tap, after which sparks should form. If the chamber is closed, you can listen to the housing. You should hear characteristic sounds like clicking charges.
The above actions may not always help. Then you have to look inside the speaker, for which you will need to remove the housing.
Each repair of the gas water heater should begin with a check of the batteries and cleaning the contacts, if they have oxidized. Also need to inspect and clean the igniter. There are models of speakers that have a small window to access the electrodes, which can be cleaned with a brush
Troubleshooting inside the heater
If the external inspection and replacement of batteries did not help, then you can proceed to the search for faults directly inside the device.
To do this, remove the heater casing and check the main components one by one. It is better to perform all actions with a helper. He should be asked to open the hot water, and himself must follow the movement of the rod. It is the duty of this element to act on the pressure plate to move it away from the microswitch button.
In the case when the pusher does not perform any movements, then with 100% probability the problem lies in the water unit. If this problem occurs, it is necessary to disassemble the unit to clean and replace the membrane in it.
Also the stem can press on the plate, but the button will remain pressed. In this case, it is necessary to check the water regulator for scale. It should be found and cleaned.
Top 10 Gas Water Heater Pilot Light Problems! Won’t Light, Won’t Stay Lit!
If, however, all of the above elements work normally, the button is pressed but no sparks are formed, then the microswitch itself may be the culprit in this situation. To be sure of this, you must disconnect its connectors and clamp the two terminals with a screwdriver. If sparks occur immediately in this case, then the switch is defective and should be replaced.
Check by shorting the connector that connects to the pulse unit. Do not touch the microswitch plug
The solenoid valve may also malfunction, which will result in no gas supply. To do so, check each of the sensors in the circuit by closing them in turn. You can also use a multimeter for a continuity test.
Burner selection
Tools should be chosen depending on the intended use (commercial or private), application (soldering products, cutting, heating, heat treatment, working in the wind), preferred firm (there are famous and not so famous manufacturers from many countries) and financial possibilities. Of course, the higher the price, the higher is usually the quality of the burner, but for private use it is enough and not very expensive tool.
The characteristics of the burner, which should be paid attention to when choosing:
- type of burner. with or without an injector;
- The power of the tool. the more, the better;
- Fuel the burner will work on. propane, acetylene, etc.д.; some burners can work with several types of gas mixtures, but they are less reliable;
- purpose. for soldering, cutting, etc.п.;
- materials, which can be worked with this torch.
Soldering the coil of the gas water heater with your own hands
First of all, you need to remove the cover from the speaker. This should be done carefully, first disconnecting the wires from the display. In some models of water heaters, such as Neva 4510, before this should remove the gas regulators and pressure. Then the water is turned on and the place of the leak is located. It is often at the bend of the heat exchanger tubes near the crate. If it is easily accessible, you can solder the fistula without removing the heater. If there is no direct access and the fistula is located inside the radiator you will need to disassemble the speaker and remove the heat exchanger.
After that, the gas is turned off and the water is drained from the column. To do this, open the hot water faucet and unscrew the cap nut from the cold water inlet. Under the action of gravity the water will pour out. In modern speakers there is a special plug for draining the water, after opening the plug the liquid is poured into the vessel. Moisture residue is blown out with a compressor or vacuum cleaner. This is important because during the soldering liquid will boil and evaporate, create pressure and blow solder through the leak.
The last stage of preparation. cleaning and degreasing the leak. This should be done with a fine sandpaper. Grind carefully so as not to make a through hole, because the pipes in the heat exchanger can be very thin. After that the cleaned pipe is wiped down with any solvent or white spirit to remove dirt and grease residues.
How to check the tightness
After completing the soldering of gas boilers you need to check the tightness of all pipes. To do this, they are carefully inspected to see even the smallest fistulas. their presence is indicated by small green spots. To avoid the repeated disassembly of the water heater in the near future, these defects are also cleaned and soldered. After that you need to connect the water to the gas water heater with the soldered heat exchanger and open the tap.
The water supply is carried out slowly and gradually to displace the air from the water heater. Once the whole heating system is filled up the tap can be opened to the full power. Using this way you can check the strength of soldering points under maximum water pressure. In parallel, reinspect the soldered joints for water leaks.
At the very end of the boiler with a gas boiler turn on to check its performance in contact with hot water. At the same time, you can wipe the soldering areas with a dry cloth to detect the slightest sign of moisture.
How to solder the heat exchanger in a gas water heater
The water heater coil is subjected to constant thermal and hydraulic stress. The heat exchanger is directly affected by the open flame of the burner. The temperature of the heater at an open tap DHW quickly reaches 50-100 ° C. In addition to the thermal load on the radiator is most of the water hammer during disconnection of DHW.
Another problem is that cold water enters the heated heat exchanger. Temperature fluctuations also adversely affect the performance of the device.
After 6-8 years of intensive use of poor quality heat exchanger in a gas water heater burns out due to constant thermal load and completely fails.
The service life of expensive European models is up to 12 years. Unpleasant situations such as a pipe fistula or a heat exchanger leaking due to burning are minimized by the quality materials used in production.
The first sign that an immediate repair of the coil is needed. the condensation on the heater. Initially, microcracks appear on the pipes, which provokes evaporation. At this stage, the repair of the heat exchanger of the gas water heater can get by with little “sacrifice”. It is enough to perform soldering of the radiator with your own hands, or with the help of specialists from the service center, to prolong the life of the boiler for several years.
If the heat exchanger is burned out, the only effective maintenance method is to replace it. Sign of malfunction: water heater leakage. Fixing a leak with a soldering iron will not be effective. In the best case after repair, the boiler will work for a few months more.
You can braze the heat exchanger of a gas water heater at home. The work is carried out in several ways:
- Powerful soldering iron. flux and solder for soldering (copper-phosphorus) will be required. Service centers use ultrasonic treatment of surfaces, which explains the quality of the leak repair. At home, soldering with a soldering iron with a power of 110 watts is used. To solder a copper radiator at home, follow several steps in the process:
- Process the surface with flux, it is better to use a special paste with copper, but ordinary rosin will do;
- Heats up the damaged area;
- The solder is applied, it is important that the melting occurs due to the strongly heated surface, and not from the sting of the soldering iron.
When soldering copper tubes, it is necessary to put a 1-2 mm thickness on top of the fistula.
- Burner. the principle of performance of works and sequence is the same, as well as at use of a soldering iron. To solder the copper tube in the gas column you need to treat the surface with flux, heat it with medium intensity fire (so as not to spoil the radiator). Solder melts from the heated area.
- Cold welding. for repairs use a compound designed for use on heating surfaces. Take a small amount of the substance from the package and knead it in your hand, wearing gloves beforehand. As soon as the cold welding begins to solidify it is applied to the location of the fistula and held firmly until the complete solidification.
Only gas water heaters with copper heat exchanger can be restored. Stainless steel can only be welded with special welding equipment.
If an independent repair of the copper calorifier could not fix the leak on the gas water heater, it will be necessary to replace the radiator. After the installation of a new coil the life of the boiler will increase by 6-8 years.
The heat exchanger for a gas water heater: why do you need a radiator, how to solder and clean it
One of the main elements of the gas water heater along with the burner is a heat exchanger. Therefore, the problems with this part can worsen the quality of the work of the column or even make the apparatus out of operation.
Heat exchangers for gas heaters maintenance and troubleshooting
In order to solder a gas water heater will need:- solder PIC-61;- flux;- soldering iron with power of not less than 100W;- fine sandpaper;- solvent;- rags.
Start the soldering of the gas water heater with the preparatory work. Buy solder only PIC-61, as other solders are more difficult to solder copper tubes. They are less flowable, more refractory, and have a worse texture. Wire solder is excellent, sometimes it can be with rosin filling.
You’ll also need flux, but choose one that says “Does not require washing”, “Does not contain acid” or “Corrosion-passive”. This will save you the trouble of repairing gas boilers. Prepare a 100 watt soldering iron, clean the sting of his old burned flux.
First drain the water in the heat exchanger. Turn on the hot water tap at the sink, turn the union nut on the cold water inlet pipe. The difference in water level between the gas water heater and the kitchen faucet causes the water from the heater to run down. Blow out the remaining water with a compressor or vacuum cleaner, as it will complicate the heating in the soldering point of copper tubes, even a powerful soldering iron.
Clean the soldering point of the gas water heater with a fine emery cloth. Usually in the fistula copper is oxidized, there is a characteristic stain of green toxic color. After sanding, carefully wipe this surface with a cloth and solvent that removes grease stains and dust.Wrap rags around the pipe on both sides so that it cools down less and you can hold it with your hand without getting burnt.
Tape the solder joint well. Lubricate it with flux. Dip the soldering iron in the solder that is hot enough and bring it to the soldering point. The solder will flow off the soldering iron and form a tight joint with the copper pipe.If the solder does not flow but hardens, take the following steps. Use a torch to heat the soldering point of the copper tubes. Wrap the place with a thick rag, heat the soldering iron to 180 degrees and try to heat the solder again. Repeat the procedure several times. Sooner or later the pipe will heat up and the solder will definitely flow.
Plating the wire or patch in the same way. Put the patch on, use soldering iron to heat the pipe, add solder if needed. Once the solder fills the seam evenly, remove the soldering iron. Gas water heater repair completed. After everything has cooled down, you can apply water.
