Aquahot not lighting in cold weather

[Dwight Wilson]

Hi Folks, I am a newbie to the Beaver fold, having recently upgraded to an 05 Beaver Patriot Thunder. My wife and I just love the coach and can't wait to start our travels in the "new ride". Of course it has an Aquahot heating system that I unfamiliar with and think we will grow to love but are having problems getting it to light (on diesel) duing the cooler weather on our side of the border (Calgary, Alberta). I am being told by the dealer it is because the fuel is gelling but it occured when the temp was about + 20 Farenheight. Yes this is not exactly balmy but not extremely cold in this part of the world and I have added antigel in the fuel tank. My concern is that there is no block heater in the C13 Cat's and they don't appear to have a glow plug so am having a hard time believing this is common to the Aquahot systems as that appears to be the only way to preheat the engine when it is cold.
Most recently after moving the coach an unrelated "low tank level" indicator has appeared on the Aquahot control panel. Apparently nothing with work on the Aquahot in this condition. There is a full boiler and the overflow tank shows fluid so am thinking there may also be a defective float? The situation is not critical right now as I am parking the coach for the winter in storage but I would like to resolve this before we hit the road in the spring. Any comments/suggestions are appreciated. We are looking forward to meeting some of you in the future.
Dwight Wilson

[Joel Ashley]

Dwight, I assume you are carrying a full tank of fuel, since this is the optimal way to store your rig.  If not, keep in mind the generator and AquaHot fuel pickups are set well above the tank bottom so they can't run you dry and prevent engine starting;  always stay at least above a quarter tank.

That area covered, did the dealer provide information as to how recently the AquaHot received routine maintenance, such as filter change, nozzle changeout, and carbon cleaning?

And I assume you've reset the unit by switching off the diesel burner switch for a minute or two, then back on.

There are a couple of BAC members that are AquaHot-trained, contribute here on the Forum, and may have some thoughts for you.

And finally, a hearty welcome to the BAC.  You will enjoy it!

Joel

[Louis Williams]

I have an '06 Monterey with the Hydro Hot sydtem which works in the same manner as the Aqua Hot. My folat switch went "bad" a couple of years ago and I had the same symtoms as you described. I had liquid in the boiler and in the overflow, but no diesel heat. In fact, I don't think the electric side worked either. If you replace the float be sure to specify one made of brass rather than plastic. In an emergency , one can by-pass the float switch. If this is done one must check the fluid really often.

[Dwight Wilson]

Thanks for your thoughts guys, I think this is a fabulous resource and hope to be able to contribute in the future. The fuel tank is nearly full, I have reset the aquahot and have even have switched off the mains disconnects at the batteries to do a hard reset. I will certainly be looking at the brass float suggestion if the float seems to be the concern.  Makes some sense but I would think others would have experienced the same problem. I can`t seem to find anything referring to àny diesel gelling problem on the internet but the tech at the dealership suggests the very fine oriface on the burner can have an issue in colder weather. It was working well when I first took delivery ( in early Nov) and was told it had been serviced recently.

[Don and Kathy DuCharme]

Welcome Dwight,  Had this problem a couple of years ago, and as suggested, it is very simple to jump the float switch with a single wire.  If the float switch is defective, the low level light will go out with the jump and the burner will ignite.   Good luck and look forward to meeting you down the road.

[Dwight Wilson]

Excellent suggestion Don and Louis. Will give the jumper a try on the weekend. Should be a good test as it is going to be about 0 degress F here. Just need to figure out which wire to bypass. This should isolate the float suspicion if successful so I will know what needs to be done in the spring.
Have a great Christmas all of you, I am rather envious of those that are in the sun and sand and plan to be one of you before too long.

[Edward Buker]

Dwight,

You can use the electric element to warm the boiler which will warm the burner and fuel in the proximity to the boiler some and then fire the unit. If it is a fuel flow issue due to cold that may help get you started. You would need to be able to have a power outlet available and the element pulls 12 amps. If you are able to open an overhead door you could use the generator to do this. If the float switch bypass does not cure your problem temporarily, and it still will not reliably fire, I would recommend that you get hold of  a new burner nozzle and check the cleanliness of the burner assembly, the electrode gap and placement in relation to the nozzle, and replace the current nozzle. The spray pattern of the nozzle is not an exact science and I have run into nozzles that fire well due to a proper spray pattern and those that do not. New nozzle and recent service does not guarantee the nozzle performance here.

You should be able to check the float switch with an ohm meter once it is disconnected. It should read near zero ohms with the proper fluid level. It has a fuse in series with it that would need to be checked if the level sensor reads zero ohms but the fluid level problem indicator remains on. This safety system also controls the electric element so it needs to be functioning or bypassed to get any heat at all. There is a difference between a dead burner (no start sequence) which this level sensor would cause and a burner that spins up, fuel solenoid opens, but it does not fire and its safety system shuts it down. The burner cleaning and nozzle checks are for a burner that spins up and fails to fire while the dead burner would be symptomatic of a level sensor issue.

Later Ed

[Bill Sprague]

...... it is going to be about 0 degress F here. ....

Please be sure you are doing something to keep the AquaHot from freezing while you sort this out.  A frozen AquaHot cracks things inside it and it is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE to repair.

[Harvey Ziegler]

Welcome to BAC Dwight. I have not had this issue but have had to reset a low voltage lockout after turning the batteries off at the battery switches.
I had my Hydro-Hot operating this past week with no issues and I have summer fuel in the tank. I live in the same climate as you as I am only 30 or
so miles to the north west of you in Cochrane. I need to fire mine back up as we need to pack the coach so that we can head south in a week from today.
Give me a call if you need some assistance getting your unit going.

[Orman Claxton]

Hello Dwight and welcome to the forum
I am a Beaver owner and Forum  member
I am also an Aqua-Hot Factory trained Authorized Service center
Please feel free to call me @ 206 660 9893, EMail Ocroadhouse@yahoo.com
Maybe we can get you going on the telephone
Thanks
Orman

[Dwight Wilson]

Thanks everyone for the advice, Wired in a bypass on the float switch today and Bingo, all is working as it should, including  the fluid moving into the overflow tank confirming the boiler is full. I will arrange to have the float replaced with one of the suggested brass replacement units at my earliest opp, but at least I can get some heat to the coach and the engine in the meantime.
I hope to be able to contribute to the forum in the future!
Dwight