No Hot Water in Birch Motels 2, 3, 4: Bradford White RG240S6X

Replacing the pilot assembly did not correct the issue. Camp had a complete new control valve assembly in stock, so I’m attempting to replace. While doing this, it was easier to remove the entire burner than leave it in place.

When doing this, I noticed the top disk of the burner was wet. Water is also dripping down the inside of the burner box and there is visibile rust from repeated dripping. There was no puddle on the floor, so this could indicate a long-term condensation issue. It’s also possible the tank is failing, but multiple slow drips seems unlikely. There was considerable condensation on the drain cock, indicating the cold water temp might be leading to condensation.

I had a problem installing the new control valve assembly: the nut on the burner tube compression wouldn’t thread into the outlet tap on the bottom. The nut threads fine on the old control valve, so it could be the tap is incorrect. Or it could be the but is damaged but fits within the tolerances of the older valve.

Optons moving forward:

1. get a new control valve and new burner assembly to repair the existing unit: ~$350.00

2. replace the unit with a high-efficiency on-demand unit: $1500.00

Option 1 would allow us to save money in the short term, but due to the rust on the unit (mentioned previously) and the unit’s age (install 2016 – 8 years; HWH lifespan is 8-12 years) it may not be worth the investment.

We opted for option 1. I ordered:

1. Bradford White 415-52909-02 2 inch Icon LP Liquid Propane Gas Valve
2. Bradford White 265-47440-11-50 LP Liquid Propane Burner Assembly

From https://www.bradfordwhiteparts.com. Due in early next week.

Before installing the B-W LP Control valve, we attempted to bench fit the new B-W burner tube and ran into the same issue as the burner tube and the Resideo WT8840A1500 we already had in stock: the burner tube wouldn’t thread to the inverse flare tap. We then did a bench-fit of the new burner tube and the Resideo WT8840A1500 and the tube fit. So that’s what we installed: the Resideo WT8840A1500 control valve and the Bradford White 265-47440-11-50 LP Liquid Propane Burner Assembly.

The unit is refit and up and running, though we initially had some trouble lighting it due to air in the gas line. This was resolved by running the boiler that shares the LP line to purge the air.

After the fact we bench fit the old burner tube and the new B-W control valve purchased and established they fit correctly — so these items were added to the Maintenance parts stock.