Water isn't hot / Gas goes out / Not staying hot?

Created by Smarttek Support, Modified on Wed, 14 Dec 2022 at 11:43 AM by Smarttek Support

There are only 4 STEPS to follow to ensure you have a nice hot shower from your Smarttek Hot Water System.

1. Set-up

2. Water

3. Power

4. Gas

It is important to check in this exact order.

Set Up - For a Smarttek Hot Water Unit to operate correctly. The unit MUST BE set up as per the Instruction Manual.

This includes ensuring the minimum clearances are met as it states on the 'Warning' Label on the right hand side of every Smarttek Hot Water System.

SMA-BLK minimum clearance requirements:

Rear: 20mm (however residual heat reflecting from metal surfaces can be a concern in triggering the temperature sensor - if hard mounted against a metal surface, it is best to space the unit out off the metal wall around an inch to allow for adequate airflow).

Sides: 50mm

Top: 500mm

SMA-LTE minimum clearance requirements:

Sides: 600mm

Top: 1000mm

The Smarttek Hot Water System will need to be set up meeting the minimum clearance requirements before proceeding with use.

Water - All Smarttek Hot Water Units are designed as a low flow water heater.

What does this mean? - It means that your Smarttek Hot Water Unit will achieve high temperature rises and produce a nice steady flow of hot water with minimal water flow.

Setting the water dial to Min which is around 2LPM, you will achieve the maximum temperature rises with your Smarttek Hot Water Unit.

Running your Smarttek Hot Water Unit on MAX water flow at around 6LPM will allow your water to flow through at a faster rate and come out of the shower rose at cooler temperature.

Water will need to flow through your Smarttek Hot Water Unit and out of the shower rose at the correct water pressure to allow your unit to turn on and produce hot water. Water pressure is correct when you have the water flowing through your unit and the Info Display panel is on and showing you a temperature reading.

It is also handy to know your starting water temperature which will assist in achieving the desired water temperature for your shower.

Power - The 2 x D Cell batteries used in your Smarttek Hot Water Unit are very important to allow your unit to operate correctly. Power from the 2 x D Cell batteries must hold voltage at 3.1v (or higher) when under load. (See How to Test Your Batteries for further details)

The 2 x D Cell batteries are responsible for providing power throughout the electrical circuit of your Smartek Hot Water Unit. This includes supplying power to the Dual Piezo Ignition System, Info Display panel and also a consistent 3v of power to the Gas Safety Solenoid Valve to allow it to open and let gas through to the gas burners.

Gas - Your Smarttek Hot Water Unit is fitted with 6 rows of stainless steel gas burners that are able to be controlled in 2 settings - WINTER or SUMMER. The Gas Manifold contains 6 x 0.62mm gas injectors.

Winter or Summer Setting - What Does This Mean?

Summer - selecting the SUMMER setting for your gas burners means that you are only selecting to use the front 2 burners to heat your water. SUMMER setting will allow your Smarttek Hot Water Unit to achieve a maximum temperature rise of no more than up to 10°C above the starting water temperature. Perfect for use in warmer climates or the hotter months of the year.

Winter - selecting the WINTER setting for your gas burners means that you are selecting to use all 6 of the gas burners inside your unit to heat your water. WINTER setting will allow your Smarttek Hot Water Unit to achieve a maximum temperature rise of up to 42°C above the incoming starting water temperature.

Your Smarttek Hot Water Unit is fitted with a Temperature Safety Cut Off Sensor which will shut down the gas supply to the gas burners when the temperature of the water output reaches 52°C.

Gas Dial - This dial allows you to control the flow of the gas into the Gas Manifold then into the gas burners. Restricting the gas flow to MIN will allow a smaller flow rate of gas into the burners.

Opening the gas flow up to MAX flow rate will let the full flow of gas come through to the gas burners, achieving a higher temperature rise.

Water Dial - This dial allows you to control the flow rate of the water flowing into the copper heat exchange (where the water is heated inside your unit) and out of your shower rose. With the water dial set to MIN you will achieve a higher temperature rise as the water is flowing through at a slower rate, therefore staying inside your unit in the Copper Heat Exchange for a longer period of time allowing it to heat up to a higher temperature.

The Water Dial can be set to MAX (if using at least a 6LPM pump) and water will flow though at around 6LPM, coming out of your shower rose at a cooler temperature as the water is travelling at a faster speed throughout the Copper Heat Exchange and not getting the chance to warm up as much.

How to Set and Adjust the Temperature

Setting and adjusting your temperature is the simple principle of water flow over the gas burners.

1. Select your gas burner setting - You can select the number of gas burners you would like to use, depending on the temperature rise you are wanting to achieve - Summer (2 burners) or Winter (6 burners).

2. Select the flow rate of gas through your gas injectors - depending on the temperature rise you are wanting to achieve - MIN, MAX or in-between. The more gas you allow to come through the injectors will result in a higher temperature rise.

3. Select the flow rate of the water - depending on the temperature rise you are wanting to achieve - MIN, MAX or in-between, keeping in mind that the slower the water flows through your unit the warmer it will be. If selecting the MAX water flow setting to achieve a cooler water temperature output you will need to be using at least a 6LPM pump.

You can adjust the gas flow and water flow to alter your water output temperature whilst your Smarttek Hot Water Unit is on and running if required.

A Quick Test - How Do I know My Ambient Water Temperature and Use This Information to Set My Desired Shower Temperature

Step 1:

- Have your Smarttek Hot Water Unit set up and ready to use with the on/off switch underneath your unit in the ON position.

- Turn OFF your gas bottle

- Turn your water source on and run water through your shower rose. Once you have a steady temperature on your LED Screen this will give you the ‘starting temperature’ - lets say it is 20°C

Now you have the starting temperature;

- Turn your shower head OFF

- Turn the gas bottle ON (check and ensure there are no gas leaks before proceeding) and lets change to the following settings:

Step 2:

- Turn the Gas dial to MIN and Water dial to MIN.

- Set your gas burner selector to the Summer setting (this will ignite 2 gas burners)

In Summer Mode you will get a maximum of up to 10°C temperature rise which means if our starting temperature was 20°C then it will reach no more than 30°C in this setting.

Step 3:

- While the system is on and running you can switch it to Winter setting
(this will ignite the remaining 4 burners of gas - having 6 burners in total on and operating)
- Keep your Gas dial to MIN and Water dial to MIN.
- In the Winter setting on these same settings you will get around a 16-20°C temperature rise which means if our starting water temperature is 20°C this will make it 35-38°C coming out of the shower rose.

Making Your Water Warmer or Cooler

If you are in the Winter setting and you want the water to come out of the shower rose a little bit cooler you can adjust the water dial up a fraction (closer toward MAX) to a faster flow rate. If you would like the water hotter in the Winter setting you will need to turn the gas dial up a little but keep in mind your Smarttek Hot Water Unit does have a temperature cut off sensor at around 52°C which means your Smarttek Hot Water Unit will shut down if it gets too hot.

If this happens simply turn your on/off switch OFF and allow around 60 seconds for your system to reset, then turn on again. (You may also want to run some cool water though your unit to cool down the internal copper pipes and re-set the sensor).

You can adjust the water and gas dial accordingly to achieve your desired water temperature. The more water flow, the lesser the temperature rise as more water is moving across the burners. The lower the water flow the higher the temperature rise will be due to the low flow of water moving across the gas burners.

To increase your water flow rate all the way to MAX you will require a 6LPM pump or a water source that is feeding into your Smarttek Hot Water Unit at 6LPM or higher