P a g e
5
NORMAL OPERATION
A tankless water heater, also referred to as an “on demand”water heater, rapidly heats water as
it
flows around and through the heat exchanger. The
output water temperature depends on the
temperature of the input water and the flow established at the faucet by the user; the faster the
flow, the cooler the water; the slower the flow, the hotter the water
.
The gas control valve of the GSWH-1 and the GSWHAF-1 features a dual BTU
solenoid that can
operate
in ‘High’
mode (34,000
BTUs) or ‘Low’
mode (27,000
BTUs)
depending on the
input
temperature of the cold water. Colder water (65°F or less) causes the burner to operate
in
‘High’. Warmer water (70°F or more) causes the burner to operate
in ‘Low’. NOTE: When
the
input water temperature is between 65°-70°F the unit may operate
in ‘High’or ‘Low’
depending
upon precise thermostat settings.
A
thermostat setting may vary
+/-
5°
F
.
Prior to normal operation the user must ensure that all air has been purged from the water lines,
the Water Heater Power Switch is in the ‘ON’position and the REMOTE
Mode Switch (see below)
is set in the desired position (AUTO or LO). The 12VDC power is normally left ON while the RV
is
in
use
with no
use
of LP
gas.
In many
cases
the switch may
be set
to ‘On’the entire
camping
season. This will not harm the unit in anywa
y
.
To start the water heater the user should fully open the hot water faucet, wait for hot water
to flow
and decrease the flow (which results in hotter water) to obtain the temperature desired.
Note:
although the Girard tankless water heater is instantaneous, the water in the system (pipes)
must
be purged before the user will feel hot water at the faucet. Thus,the further the water
heater is
located from the faucet/shower the longer
it will take for the user to feel hot water.
The
ideal
location for anywater heater is in the center of the coach.
During normal operation the hot water faucet behaves somewhat like a typical mixing valve:
it
(faucet) increases the water temperature when turned clockwise (reducing the water flow) and
decreases the water temperature when turned counterclockwise (opening and
increasing the
water flow).
The user may mix the hot water with cold water, but normally this is not recommended: The
increased total flow (Hot plus Cold) will reduce the inlet pressure; which in turn,
reducesthe flow
of water through the heat exchangerof the water heater: this will causethe hot water output
temperature to increase defeating the effect of the cold water. In some cases adding cold
water
may result in limiting. (See
last paragraph, this section)
When the Mode switch is set to AUTO, a
thermostat will cause the burner to switch automaticall
y
from High to Low when the inlet water temperature goes above 70 ºF and from Low to High
when it goes below
65
ºF. Note: A
thermostat setting may vary
+/-
5°
F
.
If the output temperature exceeds 123
ºF an Emergency Cut-Off (ECO)
thermostat will shut
down the unit to prevent scalding; this operation is both normal and desirable and is commonl
y
referred to as
“limiting”.