Aqua hot, losing coolant

[jeffnjen]

I have about 2 weeks use on my aquahot unit, split between electric and diesel..., I noticed the coolant was low, after a week on electric,I added 1 qt, and now after another week on diesel, it is another qt low...all levels were checked and filled in the cold and unit off..Is this normal...or do I have a leak...I have poked around the basement,and checked the floor...found nothing

[dave&ginny]

Once all the air pockets are eliminated, you shouldn’t use too much. I think I add about a quart a year. Check some of the fittings for small leaks and don’t forget to check the engine loop

You have a larger system than I do but I had the pump go out that’s on the passenger side above the fresh water tank. In that area it would be pretty easy to overlook a small leak

[Rollin101]

Originally Posted by jeffnjen

I have about 2 weeks use on my aquahot unit, split between electric and diesel..., I noticed the coolant was low, after a week on electric,I added 1 qt, and now after another week on diesel, it is another qt low...all levels were checked and filled in the cold and unit off..Is this normal...or do I have a leak...I have poked around the basement,and checked the floor...found nothing

They replaced my aquahot unit doing about the same as yours. It was leak checked a few times, but Entegra finally found it last fall. Smaii leak on back side, in a weld, that would evaporate on the hot tubing before dripping.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by jeffnjen

I have about 2 weeks use on my aquahot unit, split between electric and diesel..., I noticed the coolant was low, after a week on electric,I added 1 qt, and now after another week on diesel, it is another qt low...all levels were checked and filled in the cold and unit off..Is this normal...or do I have a leak...I have poked around the basement,and checked the floor...found nothing

Are You checking the unit hot or cold?
The level will fluctuate ,ie: be fuller in the overflow tank when hot and much lower when the unit is stone old.
Also IF you are checking when stone cold, only add until the fluid reaches the "cold line" and same if end of heat cycle, only to the "Hot" line on the overflow tank..
Next..
look under the coach and you should find a drain line, see if you spot any fluid dripping out of it...if so, pull the cover on the unit and see where it is coming from...may be at the boiler tank fill neck (radiator cap) or bad/cracked clear plastic overfill tank, or bad overflow hose..If it continues to loose fluid, then find a tech.

[jeffnjen]

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Are You checking the unit hot or cold?
The level will fluctuate ,ie: be fuller in the overflow tank when hot and much lower when the unit is stone old.
Also IF you are checking when stone cold, only add until the fluid reaches the "cold line" and same if end of heat cycle, only to the "Hot" line on the overflow tank..
Next..
look under the coach and you should find a drain line, see if you spot any fluid dripping out of it...if so, pull the cover on the unit and see where it is coming from...may be at the boiler tank fill neck (radiator cap) or bad/cracked clear plastic overfill tank, or bad overflow hose..If it continues to loose fluid, then find a tech.

I have only checked and filled when stone cold..to the cold level line

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by jeffnjen

I have only checked and filled when stone cold..to the cold level line

Hmmm.. better git it looked at....sumpin aint perzactly right..

[roadrunning]

I had the same problem used the same fill when cold procedure, when I was at NIRV I mentioned it to them. They started it up waited for it to get hot and filled to the hot line. After that I only had to add a little bit a year. Maybe a couple quarts. Didn't make sense but it worked.

[hawgguy]

When mine was new I went through a period of having to add fluid frequently. Once all the air was burped out it was stable. I have since done a couple of drain-flush-fill cycles. I have found that filling from below, using the drain port retrograde, results in little air entrapment.

[voltdoc]

If you only have a couple of weeks of use on the AH, I wouldn't worry about it just yet. Took mine several months to work out all the air. Overall I think I added close to a gallon of fluid in the first year, but now it is stable.

If you continue to lose a quart per week for every week of use that is more cause for concern, but for now I would suggest just keeping an eye on it and checking the obvious places for leaks.

FYI, at Quartzsite we had LLoyd DeGerald (BTW very impressed with him) do our annual AH service and he instructed us to set the fluid level to the full line on the expansion tank immediately after the burner has finished running a cycle. Besides providing a consistent means of filling and checking, it also prevents overfilling. Note also the level in the expansion tank will not reach the full line if running on electric only.

[BigSkyBob]

I had the same issue not long ago. I added boiler fluid several times but could never find where the leak was. I finally discovered the radiator cap was leaking but the fluid would evaporate while sitting atop the hot unit. Replaced the cap and it hasn't dropped one bit since.

[EVsCoach]

You may have a leak...but, before you drive yourself batty I would crank all my thermostats up to 80 degrees on gas heat and let that system run for about two hours while checking your AquaHot circuit board and reservoir. Circuit lights should be illuminated and the reservoir should be near full. Give that AquaHot a work out under a load. Thought for the longest time I had a leak until I put a long running demand on it.

[LSBEH]

Maybe check inside the coach....there are pipes and hoses going to all of your heating rads. Just like you I added to the reservoir a few times, and then found a leak under our J lounger. Unfortunately that boiler anti freeze stained our carpet, and even professional carpet cleaning people couldn’t get the stains out.
Good Luck
LSBEH

[brobox]

My AH tech, Darwin Hathaway also said to fill to the hot mark when the unit is hot. The cold mark is for minimum fluid amount reading. I was also doing it the wrong way and filling when cold to the cold mark.

[jeffnjen]

Originally Posted by brobox

My AH tech, Darwin Hathaway also said to fill to the hot mark when the unit is hot. The cold mark is for minimum fluid amount reading. I was also doing it the wrong way and filling when cold to the cold mark.

I will try that..thx