Community Forums

Smed · 02-05-2010, 08:59 AM

Anyone having trouble with their Hydro Hot leaking anti-freeze? Or you might have parts for this unit?

Wayne R · 02-05-2010, 10:26 AM

Smed, What year is your Alpine? I ask because Vehicle systems who makes the HH (aqua hot) used a pex (plastic) drain valves for years. They fatigue after time and start leaking. That is the area that usually leaks first. The stir pumps are easily damage also and not cheap. I have also heard of the mixing valve leaking and the boiler.

EngineerMike · 02-05-2010, 10:44 AM

AquaHot (formerly Vehicle Systems that sold diesel heaters under HydroHot & AquaHot brand names) is still in business. And there are independent service vendors who do service and sell parts as well as the AHot mothership.

Wayne R · 02-05-2010, 11:14 AM

Emike, I did not realize they changed their name. I'm bad.

Smed · 02-05-2010, 02:26 PM

My Alpine is a 2005 model

Dr4Film · 02-05-2010, 02:36 PM

Back in December 2005, my Aqua-Hot developed a diesel leak. When I had the service people finally look at it, they started to fix the obvious problems, then discovered an internal coolant leak. The entire unit had to be replaced with a rebuilt one. Wasn't cheap but had to be done.

Dr4Film ----- Richard.

Smed · 02-05-2010, 02:43 PM

Thanks. Yes the re-built cost is $6,700.00 plus labor. Guess I'll pull it out myself and see if I can repaire it myself. Extended Service Plan by Good Sam advises it leak is caused by rust or freeze not covered. Only way to be sure is to send it back to company to see why it's leaking.

Wayne R · 02-05-2010, 03:38 PM

Smed, Check this site out. Roger usually has better prices than Aqua Hot. RV Hydronic Heater Repair - Home .

Dr4Film · 02-05-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smed

Thanks. Yes the re-built cost is $6,700.00 plus labor. Guess I'll pull it out myself and see if I can repaire it myself. Extended Service Plan by Good Sam advises it leak is caused by rust or freeze not covered. Only way to be sure is to send it back to company to see why it's leaking.

Smed,

I had Roger do my yearly maintenance this past January. He's one of the "Best" in the industry. You won't go wrong by him.

Dr4Film ----- Richard.

Langord · 02-28-2010, 07:22 PM

From the time we took delivery of our 2006 Alpine coach in the spring of 2007 we had a leak in our HydraHot system that turned out to be a defective heat exchanger. Your symptoms seem very similar to ours.

We didn’t realize we had a problem until that fall when we couldn’t generate hot water. I immediately replenished the heat exchange fluid and took it to Guaranty RV in October for what should have been a simple warranty problem. The Guaranty technician apparently tightened all the connections he could reach and said it was “good to go”.

As you can guess, the system continued to leak. At the FMCA rally at Pomona HydroHot sent a technician out to examine our coach. Unfortunately, we cannot remember his name, but he is from Colorado and is well known to all HydroHot personnel. He quickly determined we had a defective heat exchanger, and wrote up his findings on his invoice.

When we asked the HydroHot show booth personnel who should fix the problem. They sent a technician from our area out to verify the problem. You guessed it! He said we did not have a bad part, only leaky connections and proceeded to tighten them. And, of course, that did nothing to fix the problem. After the show, we contacted this person and told him we still had a defective heat exchanger. He stuck to his original position and refused to order the required part unless we paid for it upfront.

Ultimately, we took the rig back to Guaranty and ordered them to replace the heat exchanger. Reluctantly, they finally did and found that it indeed was leaking. A new part was installed and the system has worked flawlessly since.

Guaranty then submitted the warranty bill to HydroHot along with sending the part back to the company. HydroHot refused to pay for any of the warranty parts and labor because they said it was more that two years since they shipped the original unit. Even though we had a paper trail that conclusively proved that we identified the problem long before the two-year warranty period, HydroHot has never paid our claim.

Wayne R · 03-02-2010, 12:42 PM

Joel, was it th mixing valve that was leaking? Changing the heat exchanger is a big deal and to my knowledge requires replacing the whole unit. I have read where some have cut open the bigger Aqua hot and replaced the hot water heat exchanger but I did not know it was possible on the HH. I guess anything is possible but maybe not cost effective.

Renipladlo · 03-02-2010, 06:46 PM

All, Aqua Hot is having two day certification classes every month Starting in April, and the cost is 300. You have to go to them, some limited RV spaces at the main facility. Check the website for the training. I am signed up for the May Class, so then I can work on yours for you. AH (rumored) is recommending there certified techs charge 120.00 hour for work.

Orman · 03-04-2010, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renipladlo

All, Aqua Hot is having two day certification classes every month Starting in April, and the cost is 300. You have to go to them, some limited RV spaces at the main facility. Check the website for the training. I am signed up for the May Class, so then I can work on yours for you. AH (rumored) is recommending there certified techs charge 120.00 hour for work.

You are right A/H is holding Classes, But...
I have been trained and certified for several years, The only ones(that I am aware of charging $120.00 ph is the dealers, or someone who is a ripoff artist, The rate I know of and charge along with other Mobile Repair Techs is a heck of a lot less than that. Shop around, Look in the Aqua-Hot web site. Ask them who they recommend, they won't recommend anyone special but they will give you a telephone # to call.
Orman Claxton

EngineerMike · 03-05-2010, 12:19 AM

Orman serviced mine @ Quartzite and knows his way around the AHot/HHot pretty well. Cost was $165 including new filter and burner nozzle, and it takes over 90 minutes to take the metal cabinet apart, burner out, clean the burn chamber, blah, blah, blah, and check everything as it goes back together. Its a good workman rate, but, as he says, way below $120/hr. And then there's the time it takes to scare up work, talk your way out of conversations w/retired engineers, and so forth that you never get paid for. Thanks Claxton, you do good work.