vanishing Aquahot boiler fluid

[dredcin]

Noticed all my boiler fluid (green) was gone from reservoir after short weekend trip. Refilled to cold line and four days later without turning it on it's empty. No puddles or visible leaks.

[Gary.Jones]

I have had techs work on my Anthem 45B and they said that when they drained all the fluid, that they had to turn the heat on max and let it run for quite a while for the system to 'Burp out' some air pockets in the system. If you dont see puddles or run off or leaks, then I would add more fluid again and run it (does everything inside seem right also?) and see if you might still be burping out air and its taking more fluid.

Gary

[pallencollin]

This same issue occurred on our AH system three or four years ago. There was a lot of air in the system and took a lot of burping and close to two gallons of century fluid.

Within the last four months or so the yellow fluid has turned brown and pump #2 has ceased working. Not sure yet what I will do to resolve the brown fluid.

[Gary.Jones]

Peter

I don’t think the color change is a problem, until you notice that it is also thickening substantially. At that point, I think the system must be fully drained, flushed, and re-filled. I owned my Anthem around 3.5 years, and it was the same color when I traded it in as the day I bought the coach new.

Gary

[brobox]

Was the reservoirs full before you left on the trip? If the fluid had evaporated and you were sucking air while on the trip, could be why it is using fluid. Was the unit worked on before the trip? Also check the clear 5/8" hose from the reservoirs to the unit. They are cheap plastic and crack from heat, usually on the bottom side where you can't see it. The leak is so small the heat evaporates the fluid before it is seen.

If that hose is no longer clear, it is time to change it. I have found the braided clear hose at Lowe's sold by the foot is of much better quality.

[pallencollin]

When I do need to flush the AH system can the replacement fluid be the pink boiler fluid and how many gallons will be required?

[Gary.Jones]

Yes, you need to have the system completely flushed so it is clear/clean. Then you can move to Camco pink. It needs to be diluted 50% so it is cheaper, and the initial price of Camco is a good deal cheaper at its retail price.

The only thing you lose is the “unique color coding” which distinguishes boiler fluid from Angie antifreeze.

Gary

[brobox]

Originally Posted by pallencollin

When I do need to flush the AH system can the replacement fluid be the pink boiler fluid and how many gallons will be required?

Mine took 11 gallons of fluid and 34 gallons of distilled water to do the flush.

[David3811]

According to the service tech at AH, the brown stuff isn't an issue. He said they don't even worry about the brown sludge as that doesn't cause any problems.

[Mr_D]

I was in a tire shop getting new tires and noticed a coolant drip under the nose of my rig. Did some investigation and found a rag wrapped around a fitting up under the dash. Seems that, rather than repair the leak a previous owner or shop had just tied a rag around the fitting to absorb the liquid so it didn't show. Tried tightening the fitting but that doesn't seem to have worked as my AquaHot fluid is still needing refilling.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by David3811

According to the service tech at AH, the brown stuff isn't an issue. He said they don't even worry about the brown sludge as that doesn't cause any problems.

Not my experience. Mine got so thick it caused a blockage. Ask Darwin Hathaway AH service tech about that one.

[Hdmod]

Just added another half gallon to get the reservoir back to half full again.......so far have added 1 gallon since we brought it home off the lot.......a bit concerned since we have lived in it full time heating since Easter..............:(