I may have voided my AquaHot warranty

[gumpy]

Craig how long of a warranty does an AquaHot come with, 20 yrs?

Also I think the reason it broke on top is because the coil around the burner is subjected to some of the heat from the burner (as we all know heat rises) and since the top receives more of that heat it caused the old copper to be more brittle.

Shoot if I were you I'd send pics to the company and maybe they will give you an authorized repair franchise.
  BK 

There was never a warranty on this unit. It was a "B" model unit that was on the aftermarket. I replumbed it for my needs.

The heat from the burner is not in direct contact with the tank or coil. The burner is in the middle of the 15 gallon tank, so completely surrounded by coolant.

At this point, I think I probably qualify as an authorized repair franchise.

[gumpy]

What does that "O" ring look like, and why can't you use a new style "O" ring that is impervious to diesel?  My Webasto was leaking out the exhaust after I cleaned it and put a new nozzle on it, and it was leaking from three places that all just needed tightening. Now that it is fixed I probably won't need it until next winter!

--Geoff

I actually haven't been able to find one that will fit the groove and is impervious to diesel. Granted I haven't exhausted all my search options.

Mine has leaked out the exhaust a lot, too. That's typical from leaking from the banjo fittings and the O ring in the pump. It gets into the exhaust pipe and smokes like hell when you turn it on. I thought I'd be clever and drilled a 1/8" hole in the elbow where it collects to let it drain but when I turned it on, I looked under the bus and saw sparks shooting out that little hole! So I plugged it with a screw. One more good idea that failed! 

[arutkow]

I was just reading the AquaHot manual a few nights ago and it had a warning about over-pressurizing the system.  I can't remember the exact PSI limit, but I want to say it was 20.  If you used a higher PSI that might have caused the blow out.

Just a thought.

-Abram

[Geoff]

I was just reading the AquaHot manual a few nights ago and it had a warning about over-pressurizing the system.  I can't remember the exact PSI limit, but I want to say it was 20.  If you used a higher PSI that might have caused the blow out.

Just a thought.

-Abram

This is an old post, but we can still have fun with it!

The Webasto, the heart of an Aquahot, has its own fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator.  It is not unusual to have to tighten up fittings once in a while.  I would like to add that tightening up a couple of connections is probably the easiest AND cheapest repair I have ever had to make on my Webasto.

More news:. I bought the factory Webasto tester.  The one with the buttons and lights.  And I have a lot of spare parts from trying to figure out my flame sensor was bad.  The test unit I bought could have told me in a few seconds.  It plugs into the harness that the control box plugs into.

[buswarrior]

Yup, a test box is the way to go.

Throwing the wrong parts at a Webasto, almost as bad as doing the same with your new car.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[DoubleEagle]

So you're saying that the air trapped at the top of the coil compressed enough between two blocks of ice in the lower portion of the coil? Enough that it split the coil? Um I gotta say I don't think so. More likely that there was a highly diluted section of antifreeze or water in that portion of the coil that froze and cracked the tube.

I agree, air might be compressed somewhat, but not to the extent that it would blow out the tube. There had to be a sizable quantity of water or weak antifreeze at the top. I would not bother to try adding antifreeze if the lines have been blown out adequately. Let the air blow through for a while after the water stops flowing, and leave the connections open to let evaporation continue. There could be hard water scaling in the lines that is preventing the smooth flow of water. If it is safely possible, apply heat to the coils to see if some boiling occurs, and whether you see steam coming out. This is the kind of problem I have had with hot water pressure washers.

[buswarrior]

With all those small coils and coils and coils...

I would expect water to be left behind, with the air pushing past.

I would blow out what water I could, then flood with fresh antifreeze, long and hard, and keep pouring it in for awhile after seeing pink out the other end. Just leave it in there.

Dilution, and the ability for water to lurk...

Blow out and flush, flush, flush with fresh water in the spring.

Figuring out Mother Nature and Father Winter is still an emerging science for the engineers who study ice and its physical properties.

Busnuts can be smarter... straight pink juice by the gallons?

Freeze protect like a Canadian or Alaskan?
IT WILL FREEZE!
No gambling, no thinking, no shortcuts, no wondering about a 100 year weather event, do whatever is necessary to guarantee...

never freeze again in the lower 48?

happy coaching!
buswarrior