A Rinnai Califont Gas Appliance Repair
Gas appliances, like most other appliances, sometimes need repair and maintenance. Luckily, many times it is possible to repair your gas appliance, not having to replace it with a new one. We recently had to do just that.
The customer contacted us with a problem with their Rinnai Califont water heater. They were not getting hot water and needed it working for the weekend. So they called us to the rescue.
Our technician went out to check it out and did some tests to see why the unit was playing up. As you can see, there is quite some corrosion on the inside of the unit, which can mess with the electrical connections and cause the unit to fail. Other problems that can occur with these water heaters include:
- Incorrect burner settings resulting in either too hot or too cold water
- Faulty controllers
- Issues with gas supply – this can cause both water pressure and heating issues
- Mineral build up in the unit if not flushed regularly
- Low water pressure (which can be because of the unit not heating up water in time – usually a gas pressure issue)
- Ignition failure
Those these are generally reliable units, sometimes a bit of repair or maintenance work is required. All the issues listed above are avoided if regular maintenance and servicing on the unit is done.
Once our technician tracked down the cause of the issue, which in this case was caused by corroded electrical connections. By cleaning the contact surface of the culprit connections and replacing the ones necessary, he was able to resolve the problem. Afterwards he tested all taps in the house to ensure that there was hot water in all of them, which there was. The client was advised and was happy to have their hot water going again.
What can you do if you find your gas appliances not working?
First and foremost, you need to ensure that you do not have a gas leak. While rare, they do happen and can be a dangerous situation. The most obvious way to tell is you will smell the gas. You will most likely also hear a hissing sound near gas appliances or pipes. This is a big tell-tale sign. If you do have a gas leak, the first thing to do is shut off the gas supply – shut off your LPG bottles or if you have natural gas, it can usually be turned off at the meter. If you do not know how to do this or you still have a leak, call us immediately on 0800 692 672.
If the unit is not working and you are not getting hot water, check to see if your appliance is showing an error code. Some appliances such as the Rinnais show an error code to help you identify the problem.
The best thing to do in these situations is to give us a call. Gas can be dangerous and if you think you have a fault with your system, calling a professional is t he best course of action. We can quickly diagnose the problem and let you know what options are.