Richmond Tankless Water Heater Troubleshooting

Richmond Tankless Water Heater Troubleshooting

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This guide on Richmond Tankless Water Heater Troubleshooting will introduce you with three common water heater problems: 

  • Water heater isn’t heating at all
  • Water temperature isn’t hot enough
  • Water temperature at the faucet is less or greater than the temperature setting

To learn how to troubleshoot those issues and resolve them, keep reading till the end.

Table of Contents

1. Water Heater Isn’t Heating At All

Your Richmond Tankless Water Heater will completely stop heating water due to one of the following reasons: 

  • No power or incorrect wiring
  • Flow rate or water pressure is too low

However, if you get no hot water from the unit but the digital display does light up, I bet there is an issue with the internal part. 

How To Fix: 

No power at the water heater means the breakers at the main electrical panel are On. If needed, flip up the breakers for the water heater to the On position. Don’t forget to replace the breaker if it’s at fault. 

Turns out, no power will flow to the unit if you wired the water heater incorrectly. In this case, you must wire the water heater correctly. If needed, take a look at the following wiring diagram: 

The best bait can be hiring a certified electrician to wire the unit professionally. 

For the second case, if the water heater is not heating but the display light comes on, I recommend you to call Richmond Tech Support for further technical assistance. 

2. Water Temperature Isn’t Hot Enough

Though the unit is heating but not getting enough or expected water temperature, the follow culprits are at fault: 

  • Flow rate is too high
  • Crossed wires
  • Voltage less than 120 or 240 volts
  • Mixing too much cold water

How To Fix: 

If the flow rate is too high or exceeds the physical heating capacity of the water heater, you will not get enough hot water. To resolve this issue, reduce the flow rate by installing an aerator. 

For the new installation, crossed wiring is a common headache. In this case, have your electrician double check the wiring for proper connections. Alternatively, you can follow the below wiring instructions to check the wiring (if you are electrically inclined): 

  • Take each wire pair and attach them to one breaker. Be sure that each breaker is connected with one black and one red wire. 
  • Ensure you use a suitable wire gauge and run the correct set of wire from the home’s main breaker panel to the tankless water heater.
  • A separate ground conductor is a must for each incoming circuit.
  • Ensure all electric connections are correct and they are secure & tight. 
  • Don’t forget to purge all the air from water lines before turning on the unit. In the ‘How To Purge Air From Water Lines On Richmond Tankless Water Heater’ below, I will show you that. 

Thirdly, heating elements on this water heater are designed for 120 or 240 volts. When used with lower voltage, they will produce less heating power. 

And lastly, you don’t need to mix as much cold water with your tankless unit like you do with your conversational water heater. Also, you may have an anti-scald feature on your faucet that’s mixing cold water. To resolve such issues, you can adjust those types of faucets to reduce the amount of cold water mixed. 

3. Water Temperature At The Faucet Is Less or Greater Than The Temperature Setting

It actually occurs when: 

  • The faucets you installed may have anti-scald feature or a tempering valve
  • Thermal loss due to long pipe run
  • Water temperature at the faucet is too hot 

How To Fix: 

A faucet with anti-scald feature automatically mixes cold water even when you turn your control lever or handle to full hot. Fortunately, you can adjust these devices to turn off the cold mix completely. You can compensate for this by increasing the setting on your water heater. 

Secondly, some heat will be lost as the water needs to travel a distance like from the piping system to the faucet. And this is normal. Fortunately, you can compensate for this by increasing the temperature on your water heater. 

And lastly, water temperatures at the faucet become too hot due to too low flow, wrong aerator size or internal part failure. Resolve those issues or call the Richmond Tech Support Team for technical assistance. 

How To Purge Air From Water Lines On Tankless Water Heater?

To purge the air from water lines, open several hot water faucets and let water run through the water heater for at least 2-3 minutes. This process will help you remove all the air from the water lines.

You must perform this task prior to turning on your water heater for the first time or after every maintenance workflow. Otherwise, it could bring permanent damage to the heating elements. 

End-Note

Richmond Tankless Water Heater is a reliable water heater. But it’s not beyond malfunction. For example, ‘water heater isn’t heating at all’ is a common issue that can wrench into work. 

Luckily, I described everything you need to know to resolve those common issues. What action you need to take is to follow the instructions I mentioned and bring the unit into working condition. 

Or, you can call a certified plumber if the problem seems a bit complex. 

Happy Plumbing.

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