You have got to be kidding me :(

[vtxdude]

Guys just noticed this on my new Bradford White Water Heater...

look at the baffle collar...it looks like the flue pipe is not centered with the cover of the heater....when it ws fired up I noticed some condensation forming at the front of the collar...when I took a closer look I saw that the back half of the collar for the baffle was sitting down in the insulation! If you press down on the lid a bit it flexes at the front of the flue collar ring too


Am I being over paranoid here? This to me does not look right nor do I think I should be getting condensation on the lid right where the gap is that you can see in the front. So heat is leaking out the front there, I can feel it..quite a bit



Guys the last thing I want to do is be a pain in the ass, I just want something to go right on a water heater for once!


It looks like this is a lemon with the flue not lining up with the top cover as shouldn't that flue collar sit flush all the way around?


I also smell what smells like paint also but maybe just new smell cooking off....

Should I contact the plumber about the flue collar being cockeyed? I cant adjust it, I tried...the flue collar is up against the front of flue and can't go back any further


Damn it guys not trying to piss anyone off here but......you guys must either hate me or I amuse you..I am really not looking to cause issues

[vtxdude]

Well I found the source of the smell....it is this sealant or epoxy the put on to..well seal the seams I guess..

I imagine this smell goes away after awhile?





Ideas on the crooked flue? Am I over analyzing? Am I expecting too much? This guys seemed like a very knowledgeable plumber and didn't say anything about it...didn't even mention it.. when I saw some condensation the first time we fire it up he said yep, watch your hand because it gets hot under there....

Anyone?

[Doherty Plumbing]

am i over analyzing?

yes you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hj]

I don't see a thing wrong with that heater, and it seems even this heater has an odor problem. You should lock the door to your basement, and leave the heater alone for a few days. You are obsessing over it, and the last one also. I have installed MANY gas BW heaters, one just yesterday, and NO ONE has ever mentioned any "epoxy paint odor".

[Cass]

This is not a NASA Space Mission...the insulation will not fall off and cause a re-entry problem...all systems are go...

[vtxdude]

This is not a NASA Space Mission...the insulation will not fall off and cause a re-entry problem...all systems are go...

Lol cass. Yes I suppose not. I think the second picture shows things best. The others make it look ok I guess. But can you see what I am talking about? The flue is a bit cockeyed. You guys can see that right?

so let me understand. It is ok to have this crooked and the water vapor that forms on the top cover is normal?


Hj. There is no combustion or exhaust smell with this heater like there was with the Kenmore. Big difference. This water heater was built in December so it is pretty new. The sealant that I show is what I smell and is still a bit tacky to the touch. My guess is that after about a week it will cure and smell should dissipate. You are right. I am being obsessive but after what I have been through with Sears you would be too. I just would like things to be right when you drop a lot of cash

this is why I ask these questions here. This probably the best and most knowledgable forums around dealing with plumbing.

Let me ask this. You said you just installed a BW heater yesterday. Did the flue look like this one? Did the front sit up higher than the back with the back end sitting down in the insulation? Or was the flue collar sitting even like I would think it should be? Condensate on the top cover after you fired it up?


That's what I'm wondering. That's all


Thanks I really do appreciate the info.

[Cass]

Post back in a week or so...and let us know if all is well...

[vtxdude]

So I guess all that talk about the flue being centered under the draft hood is out the window? Because as we can see it is off here

I really don't think I am going out of my way to find things wrong here. Isn't this one sort of stand out? I'm just asking you guys because you install them all the time and was wanting to know if you havecome across this before. That's all

[Cass]

We're not going for a Norman Rockwell moment here...we want a water heater to draft up the flue...it will do that just fine the way it is right now as long and the flue has no problems...

Take a couple of X a n a x and post back in a week or 2...

[vtxdude]

We're not going for a Norman Rockwell moment here...we want a water heater to draft up the flue...it will do that just fine the way it is right now as long and the flue has no problems...

Take a couple of X a n a x and post back in a week or 2...

How about Paxil? I hear they work better


I understand your side Cass and others..you guys are the plumbers and I understand you can't swap out stuff on a whim....I just think that the flue being off that much instead of centered is a bit odd, I have not seen a water heater like that before...not only is it off it tilts down on the back side into the insulation...so flue is crooked......and water vapor on the cover every time it heats up sort of puzzles me also........just does not see normal and for 800 dollars I'd like it not to do that, that's all

[jadnashua]

Until the whole flue warms up, it will be condensing somewhere and drip. As long as the hood is over the opening in the WH, the fact it is slightly off-center is irrelevant. You get visible condensation and exhaust out of your car this time of year for at least a few minutes of running until it warms enough...same thing with the WH.

[vtxdude]

There is a thin line of rust forming on the top of the water heater already where the condensation usually forms....my guess is that it may be from the metal cap that sits on top of the flue.


One thing I noticed is that on the flue itself there is a hole at the top maybe used during the manufacturing process. This hole is also present on the Kenmore but they "sealed" it up with a metal "filler" piece. Not so on the Bradford White. Wondering if this is why they have the loose metal ring on the top of the flue to cover up that hole.

I'm wondering if the flue was more centered and the metal cap was allowed to sit square on the flue all the way around that no condensation would form because the lip of the metal ring would not be sitting on the top of the water heater tank.


Hmmmm

[vtxdude]

Bradford White sending out local rep to check things out. They seem like a great company to deal with. Rust around the top of the jacket where the metal ring is sitting above jacket. Have no issues with the plumber, he is a great guy who did a great installation. He agrees that things don't seem right with the way the ring is.