Last week we installed an electric tankless hot water system.
Everything worked as expected for several days, so we know things were
hooked up right. For the last couple of days there has been a strange
hot water problem that no one can figure out. Here's what's
happening:
Hot water will only come out of the kitchen sink, but only if the
bathtub is running full blast. Hot water will not come out of the
kitchen sink if the tub is not running. The hot water to the kitchen
sink does not cut out as long as the bath is running.
Hot water will not come out of the tub valve or the valve in the bath
sink at all now.
Hot water will go into the clothes washer for a few seconds and then
goes cold.
IOW, the only hot water in the house goes to the kitchen sink, and
then only when the tub is running.
Other info: the bath valve is a single-control type. we tried
replacing the mixing valve in the tub twice; no effect. we looked
under the house to see if there is a hot water line leak, but there
isn't. the tankless co. is sending out a new unit in case that's the
problem.
Does this make sense to any of you? Any theories?

cyd ropp, homeowner

cyd wrote:

Last week we installed an electric tankless hot water system.
Everything worked as expected for several days, so we know things were
hooked up right. For the last couple of days there has been a strange
hot water problem that no one can figure out. Here's what's
happening:
Hot water will only come out of the kitchen sink, but only if the
bathtub is running full blast. Hot water will not come out of the
kitchen sink if the tub is not running. The hot water to the kitchen
sink does not cut out as long as the bath is running.
Hot water will not come out of the tub valve or the valve in the bath
sink at all now.
Hot water will go into the clothes washer for a few seconds and then
goes cold.
IOW, the only hot water in the house goes to the kitchen sink, and
then only when the tub is running.
Other info: the bath valve is a single-control type. we tried
replacing the mixing valve in the tub twice; no effect. we looked
under the house to see if there is a hot water line leak, but there
isn't. the tankless co. is sending out a new unit in case that's the
problem.
Does this make sense to any of you? Any theories?

cyd ropp, homeowner

I don't have one personally but I have heard these things switch on at a
certain flow rate. So there is probably a flow rate detector thingy in the
heater that is broken. So its not properly detecting flow rate. So its
not heating fast enough to match the flow rate. I think the heater is
broken. Still could be a hookup problem.


CL