Community Forums

Mr_D · 03-08-2018, 01:23 PM

Haven't needed the AquaHot (600D) for several months while it was stored beside the house. Last fall I checked the coolant level and it was good. Started it up and came back an hour or so later and the surge tank is completly empty. I had 1/2 gallon of 50/50 and poured that in but that's not enough. Heat is working inside though. Now I have to run around and find some, then figure out where it went. Don't see any obvious leaks but never had to add fluid before. Not even last year after it ran for several weeks straight. Low coolant level light isn't on so maybe I caught it in time, but still need to figure out where it went.
Ugh.....

96 Wideglide · 03-08-2018, 01:31 PM

Oh no!

It's leaking somewhere! I live in the same climate as you, and you didn't lose it due to evaporation.

saddlesore · 03-08-2018, 02:05 PM

Hmmmmm....
Not familiar with that particular model.
I take it that the unit was stone cold and the surge tank at the normal cold fluid level when you first fired it up, so..
The boiler should only draw fluid out of the overflow/surge tank after it shuts down and cools off,, therefore the leak may not be the plastic tank.(you would see coolant under that tank if it was)
Next check under the coach for the "drain hose" and see if you have any sign of coolant drips.... If you do then the leak is somewhere around the boiler proper me thinks (being a given that you do not see any obvious leaks on the exposed plumbing or valves)
1st suspect would be the radiator cap or the soldered cap neck to the tank fill neck.
If you do not see any fluid at the thru the basement floor drain...It may have been an issue for a while and just now it got to the point where you would notice it.
I had the same thing happen last year .. ended up being the bad solder job on the fill neck.. fluid would evaporate (under the rubber grommet so out of sight and not show up as a leak until......
Pull the rubber grommet out of the way and see if there is any residue around the fill neck, the little tube for the hose to the Surge tank or could be just the cap....
Also you can join here and Roger is a wealth of information, and has the best price for parts...

RV Hydronic Heater Forum

Good luck

Mr_D · 03-08-2018, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

Oh no!

It's leaking somewhere! I live in the same climate as you, and you didn't lose it due to evaporation.

I had it serviced last year, Aug or so and fluid level was fine then. So yes, it's leaking. Just need to crawl around and find it.

Mr_D · 03-08-2018, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Hmmmmm....
Not familiar with that particular model.
I take it that the unit was stone cold and the surge tank at the normal cold fluid level when you first fired it up, so..
The boiler should only draw fluid out of the overflow/surge tank after it shuts down and cools off,, therefore the leak may not be the plastic tank.(you would see coolant under that tank if it was)
Next check under the coach for the "drain hose" and see if you have any sign of coolant drips.... If you do then the leak is somewhere around the boiler proper me thinks (being a given that you do not see any obvious leaks on the exposed plumbing or valves)
1st suspect would be the radiator cap or the soldered cap neck to the tank fill neck.
If you do not see any fluid at the thru the basement floor drain...It may have been an issue for a while and just now it got to the point where you would notice it.
I had the same thing happen last year .. ended up being the bad solder job on the fill neck.. fluid would evaporate (under the rubber grommet so out of sight and not show up as a leak until......
Pull the rubber grommet out of the way and see if there is any residue around the fill neck, the little tube for the hose to the Surge tank or could be just the cap....
Also you can join here and Roger is a wealth of information, and has the best price for parts...

RV Hydronic Heater Forum

Good luck

Didn't check the fluid level till after the unit had run for an hour or so, so I have no idea about the level when started. Looked around and I see a little residue right around the floor drain. Then it started raining. Will investigate more. No leaks inside the MH that are obvious. Already a member of that forum and have ordered parts (tune up kit) from him.

saddlesore · 03-08-2018, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

I had it serviced last year, Aug or so and fluid level was fine then. So yes, it's leaking. Just need to crawl around and find it.

Now granted I have an older model... but when I had the unit serviced all they did was pull the cover off the burner assembly, not the cover off the boiler side.. so anything on the boiler side was not normally exposed for an inspection..
good luck.

Mr_D · 03-08-2018, 02:55 PM

Some residue on the underside of the MH around the exhaust pipe. Need to pull a panel off and check the pump connections next..

saddlesore · 03-08-2018, 10:50 PM

OK.... one step at a time.

Mr_D · 03-08-2018, 11:16 PM

I put the 1/2 gallon of 50/50 mix I had, turned the unit off. Now the fluid level is at the full cold mark. Inspected the tube from the overflow to the tank and it's not leaking and no sign of it having leaked. Looked at some of the lined going in and out and there is a little residue there but not like it's really leaking. More to go. Still trying to clean up the mess from the 6 mice I've trapped in the last three days too and get it to OMC on Sunday evening for some other repairs.

saddlesore · 03-08-2018, 11:52 PM

OK.... You gotta have a serious talk about them critters with your fur babies tho....
I put a 100 watt light in the sewer/water/power bay, then a big wad of cotton soaked with mint oil at the trap door... so far so good, then got underneath and did the mint trick and got several spray cans of rodent repellent and let 'er rip everywhere I saw any kind of opening.... good luck.
just a thought..... if OMC puts your coach up on the lifts.... would be a great opportunity to attack all the rodent entry spots me thinks..

Mr_D · 03-19-2018, 02:31 PM

I remember finding a puddle of pinkish fluid under the front end when at the tire dealer. I thought it was from the engine through the chassis heater. Found that someone had wrapped a rag around a hose behind a panel to catch the drips. Since the MH was owned by a trucker with his own shop I'll bet that's where it was done.
Now I'm thinking the drip is from the AquaHot lines to the dash heat exchanger since my engine coolant level hasn't gone down at, all only the AquaHot has.
Both coolants are reddish in color. When I get it back from OMC I'll check it out more thoroughly.

Mr_D · 03-19-2018, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saddlesore

OK.... You gotta have a serious talk about them critters with your fur babies tho....
I put a 100 watt light in the sewer/water/power bay, then a big wad of cotton soaked with mint oil at the trap door... so far so good, then got underneath and did the mint trick and got several spray cans of rodent repellent and let 'er rip everywhere I saw any kind of opening.... good luck.
just a thought..... if OMC puts your coach up on the lifts.... would be a great opportunity to attack all the rodent entry spots me thinks..

Hah, my fur babies are all domestic, they'd probably run from the critters! I need a true barn cat.

trx430ex · 03-19-2018, 07:42 PM

May be a good idea to use red coolant in the rig & green coolant in the aqua hot. Also my S&B hot water pressure blow off is dripping again after another decade, spring getting weak again.

Mr_D · 03-19-2018, 07:50 PM

Camco coolant concentrate is $14.89 a gallon, Century coolant (if you can find it) is $55.95 a gallon and used straight, not miced with water. Not going to change either one as both the AquaHot coolant and engine coolant are the recommended ones.