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Hydro-Hot low coolant

Yahoo Message Number: 14247
I need some help. Yesterday after I pulled into an RV park, I noticed that the hydronic heating was not heating the coach nor was there hot water available. I went out and looked at the electronic controller in the Hydro-Hot bay and the "Low Tank-Level Cutoff" red light was on. Sure enough, the plastic expansion tank was empty. I filled the expansion tank to halfway between the "Cold full" and "Hot full" marks. I then took the "radiator" cap off the top of the Hydro-Hot boiler tank and suprisingly was only able to put about 4 ounces of water/coolant in the boiler tank itself. I then turned the diesel and electric element switches off over the entry door for forty-five minutes. I then switched both of them back on. The red light indicating "Low Tank-Level Cutoff" remained on throughout all of the above. As a result, the Hydro-Hot would not cycle and heat the coach or water.

Page 19 of the Hydro-Hot Owner's Manual says, "This indicator light will illuminate RED when either the 120 VAC Electric Heating Element and/or Diesel-Burner have automatically shutdown due to a low water and antifreeze solution level inside the Hydro-Hot's Boiler Tank.
THIS FAULT WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESET WHEN THE LOW CONDITION IS CORRECTED."(Emphasis added by me.)

Obviously, this fault DID NOT automatically reset and I can find no way to manually reset this fault? Does anybody have any ideas? I thought about removing the power to the electronic controller but found no way to do this. I tried turning off the house battery disconnect--didn't work. I tried turning off the chassis battery disconnect--didn't work.

If you can help, I would greatly appreciate it. Two days with no hot water other than immediately after stopping via Motoraid is no longer fun.
TIA,

Brian Davis
05 Intrigue LE
Coach #11901

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14248
Brian:

There is a reset button which will probably clear this up. There is a small hole in the upper center portion of the panel in the bay. You will need a paper clip to reach in there to press it.
If this does not work call Bob Turcek at Vehicle Systems. 303 659 8221.

Chuck

03 Intrigue 11673

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14251
Thanks for your reply Chuck. The Low Voltage Reset button works to manually reset the Controller when the Low Voltage Fault indicator light has been activated. My problem wasn't low voltage, but I tried the button anyway with a straightened big paperclip. Didn't help either. Sorry I didn't mention this in first post.

Thanks for the reference at Vehicle Systems. How do you pronounce Bob's last name? Turcek sounds like Tur-Sek? thanks again.

Brian Davis

05 Intrigue #11901

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14302
Brian and Others

We have a 2004 Intrigue we purhased in April the Hydro Hot system has not worked right since. The problem being providing hot water to shower. The system will go very hot but it will cool rapidly below 100 degrees. The diesel will fire off and soon the water will heat up over 100 degrees and the shower is comfortable we have had this system worked on more than ten times they have changed the mixing unit and three other parts last Friday the system worked fine Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday today we are back with coo showers and the are checking with Hydro Hot for the next step we are in Indio until the end of January has anyone had the sme problems and what was replaced

Thanks in advance for your answers

Lee & Jane Ramage
Intrigue 2004

Quote from: bondaddy5191
> > Thanks for your reply Chuck. The Low Voltage Reset button works to > manually reset the Controller when the Low Voltage Fault indicator > light has been activated. My problem wasn't low voltage, but I > tried the button anyway with a straightened big paperclip. Didn't > help either. Sorry I didn't mention this in first post.

Thanks for the reference at Vehicle Systems. How do you pronounce > Bob's last name? Turcek sounds like Tur-Sek? thanks again.

Brian Davis

05 Intrigue #11901

Quote from: cpenque@a...
> Brian:
>

> There is a reset button which will probably clear this up. There > is a small

> hole in the upper center portion of the panel in the bay. You

will

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14312
Hi Lee,

Haven't had this problem............YET!

My problem was at least easily temporarily fixed by putting a short jumper wire in a position to bypass the low coolant float sensor.
Am scheduled for a "permanent" fix on February 18th.

Brian Davis
'05 Intrigue LE
Coach #11901

Quote from: leecarmelitaramage
>

Brian and Others

We have a 2004 Intrigue we purhased in April the Hydro Hot system

has

Quote
not worked right since. The problem being providing hot water to > shower. The system will go very hot but it will cool rapidly below > 100 degrees. The diesel will fire off and soon the water will

heat up

Quote
over 100 degrees and the shower is comfortable we have had this

system

Quote
worked on more than ten times they have changed the mixing unit and > three other parts last Friday the system worked fine Friday,

Saturday,

Quote
Sunday and Monday today we are back with coo showers and the are > checking with Hydro Hot for the next step we are in Indio until the > end of January has anyone had the sme problems and what was

replaced

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14461
Temporary fix. Run the hot water until the boiler starts and then wait 30 seconds, set the temp you want and the boiler will hold that temp. TWI, 11731 2004 Intrigue.

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14466
Thanks for the Temporay fix. We are using that now do you know what the fix was??? They have changed the circuit board maybe four times and some other parts seems like the problem is the resovoir circulation pump does not work when the electric or deisel burners are working. Again Thankd Lee R 2004 Intrigue

Quote from: C\. Marshall
> Temporary fix. Run the hot water until the boiler starts and then

wait 30

Quote
seconds, set the temp you want and the boiler will hold that temp.

TWI,

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14480
Lee & Jane,

Both Hurricane and Hydro Hot have problems heating water with electric current. I found long ago that it's best to shut off the electricity to the unit and use deisel exclusively to provide adequate hot water. My wife and I hosted a Hydro Hot seminar at a FMCA rally shorlty before CC got rid of Hurricane furnaces, and when I asked the lecturer if his unit would provide adequate hot water for a long shower he answered negatively. My Hurricane does an excellent job on deisel.

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14482
Please correct my message to read " when I asked the lecturer if his unit would provide adequate hot water for a long shower ELECTRICALLY he answered negatively. "

Sorry about that.

Wal;t Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14495
Walt;

I leave the electrical on during the night. When we take our showers I turn the diesel on thus both systems are working during showers.
The problem is the water temperature drops to less than 100 degrees before the diesel comes on I have know idea what the electrical is doing. Without asking too much could you measure the water temperature in the sink with the handle turned all hot. What is the temperature when the diesel fires off and what is the temperature when it stablizes. I can't get this information from Country Coach or Hydro Hot. Where are you located??? We are in Indio. Thanks for the help. Lee 2004 Intrige 11784

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14496
Lee:

On the HydroHot web site, you can download the Installation Manual, Shop Manual, and of course the Owners Manual.
I have found some interesting information in the Installation and Shop Manuals. For example, there is a graph showing the effect of input water temperature and what you can expect from the output.

You may find these additional manuals helpful.

Chuck Penque

03 Intrigue 11673

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14498
chuck;

Thank you for the thought I have down loaded the shop manual. It seems to me that the circulation pump is not coming on soon enough and thus the water temperature drops below 100 degrees before the diesel comes on. This results in low shower temperatures until the diesel catchs up and heats the water to a comfortable level. Again thanks for your thoughts. Lee 2004 Intrigue 11874.

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14499
Lee:

One more comment. I had a similar problem last year and fortunately I was in the Denver area. I went to Vehicle Systems at Fort Lupton. They replaced the temperature sensing device with one that responds at a different temperature. It seemed to fix the problem.
Here in Oregon the weather has been a bit on the cold side which affected the hot water, even with the new sensor. I switched to using the water from the tank for showers and there was plenty of hot water.

Chuck

03 Intrigue 11673

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #13 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14508
Lee, I can't get to the coach right now. I'm at home in Texarkana, Ar. I can say, though, that the water when heated with deisel gets very hot and requires blending with cold to shower. It will stay that hot for a long shower. No way it'll do that on electricity, though.
You ought to check on your electrical schematic. With the Hurricane the electric elements are on all the time even if you turn off the hot water switch. It's for this reason I turn it off at the breaker panel and leave it off. I discovered this because my generator was kicking off with two a/c's on and should carry them. There's no way it will carry them plus the hot water elements. CC's top service people were not aware of this configuration and were to find a way around it, but they never got back to me.

Good Luck

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14513
This is one design change in the newer coaches that concerns me. I have Hurricane, Electric and LP. For fast warm up and more hot water the Electric and LP can be used together.

 When no electicity is available LP is quieter and quick.

 I will miss this feature if we can't get it on a newer coach!
 

Re: Hydro-Hot low coolant

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14515
D&K,

I had a 2000 Intrigue with the hot water arrangement you have. Believe me it is much more energy efficient than the Hurricane on my 03 Allure. It galls me to plug into and pay for 50amps at an RV park and then use diesel to heat water. The 10 gal tank you have never runs out of hot water, even on electricity---at least mine didn't. I've always suspicioned that they did away with the tank for space considerations when they changed slide mechanisms---a tradeoff. Thus the price of progress.

Walt Rothermel
03Allure30811