water heater exhaust

ctevenson

Member
Is it normal to have alot of black exhaust when running water heater on propane. Getting alot of smoke residue on side of unit.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi ctevenson,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

No, it is not normal to see smoke from the water heater. I would think the burner needs to be adjusted or the air flow is restricted in some way. Spider web, wasp or something. You might take a look yourself, but if your not sure or feel safe, have a tech look at it.

Enjoy the forum and let us know what you find.

Jim M
 

santafesoul

Member
I second the welcome and agree that it is not normal nor is it safe. Black smoke indicates incomplete combustion, party to that black smoke is CO. Get it fixed.

Hi ctevenson,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

No, it is not normal to see smoke from the water heater. I would think the burner needs to be adjusted or the air flow is restricted in some way. Spider web, wasp or something. You might take a look yourself, but if your not sure or feel safe, have a tech look at it.

Enjoy the forum and let us know what you find.

Jim M
 

FlyerChief

Active Member
Happened to me once. As Jim suggested, my problem was a hive that ignited and burned. Left a black mark on the side of my TT that stayed for a long time.
 

Peteandsharon

Well-known member
Yep, critters love the little nooks and crannies. You can get spiders trying to make a home for themselves or one of the flying critters making a nest. Restricted airflow can very easily lead to your symptoms.
 
Yep, critters love the little nooks and crannies. You can get spiders trying to make a home for themselves or one of the flying critters making a nest. Restricted airflow can very easily lead to your symptoms.

What if I smell burning plastic in addition to having black soot above the exhaust?
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
What if I smell burning plastic in addition to having black soot above the exhaust?
That doesn't sound good. I would remove the cover and look for the source or the smoke/soot. Turn off the LP water heater switch in the trailer. CHeck the burner tube and the large cylinder that the flame shoots into for obstructions.
 
That doesn't sound good. I would remove the cover and look for the source or the smoke/soot. Turn off the LP water heater switch in the trailer. CHeck the burner tube and the large cylinder that the flame shoots into for obstructions.

Thanks for the reply Ray.
When you refer to removing the cover, is it the insulation that is inside the RV that covers the unit or the vented door on the outside of the RV?
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Ray is refering to the vented door on the outside. That is where the burner tube is located.

Peace
Dave
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Thanks Dave. That's the first thing (actually the only thing) I did and saw nothing in the tube.

So let me ask. Where exactly is the smoke/soot coming from?
The water heater is encased in styrofoam on the rear of the unit. You will have to remove a wall panel in the basement to actually see it. Under normal circumstances, the heater will ignite and operate with no smoke or smell except for maybe a little dusty burning smell if it's been a while since operating on LP. If there was a blockage by critters or spider webs, it might ignite but the burn would be a little uneven with sputtering noise coming from the exhaust. It may not even ignite. We'd like to help but a little more specific info may be needed. Thanks!
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Try swabbing the inner surface of the burner tube with a white rag. My guess is that it will come out black with soot. Have you tried observing the flame while it was on? If it's orange, your burner needs to be adjusted.
 
So let me ask. Where exactly is the smoke/soot coming from?....
It appears to originate from the exhaust pipe as the soot mark is confined to an area directly above the exhaust on the outside of the RV and is approximately four inches wide by 12 inches tall. I haven't actually seen smoke (which maybe due to there being a pretty constant breeze at the campsite) but when the unit is running (heating the water) I can smell burning plastic.I have inspected the unit as viewed from inside the RV also and nothing appeared out of order or burnt. I didn't remove the insulation but would assume there would be a burn mark or melting of some sort on the insulation if something was burnt beneath it.The water heater is a Atwood 6 gal, bought 2 years ago. I noticed the soot mark about four trips ago but didn't smell the burning plastic until two trips ago.I've never smelled burned bugs but wouldn't expect them to smell like burning plastic. Do they?
 
Try swabbing the inner surface of the burner tube with a white rag. My guess is that it will come out black with soot. Have you tried observing the flame while it was on? If it's orange, your burner needs to be adjusted.

Yes, I do believe the flame is orange and not blue. Would the burner being out of adjustment cause the smell?
Next time I will check the inside of the exhaust as you suggest but due to the soot's location, I'm sure the rag will come out black.

It makes sense that an out of adjustment burner would cause the soot. Thanks!
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Yes, I do believe the flame is orange and not blue. Would the burner being out of adjustment cause the smell?
Next time I will check the inside of the exhaust as you suggest but due to the soot's location, I'm sure the rag will come out black.

It makes sense that an out of adjustment burner would cause the soot. Thanks!

It's difficult to discuss the smell, since different noses may react differently. Normally, a gas leak should smell like rotten eggs, but with an incorrect combustion mix, the smell may differ some. There is no plastic anywhere near that combustion tube, since it's embedded into the tank cavity and surrounded by water. I would think it highly unlikely that you're melting the insulation that surrounds the outside of the tank unless you managed to fire up the burner for an extended period on an empty tank.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
General description of Water Heater flame:
The main burner should be a crisp, blue flame with an inner blue cone
configuration. There could be traces of orange in the tips of the flame, but a yellow flame
causes sooting. This usually means that there is a good probability of a clogged orifice, bad
propane pressure or valve, bad air/fuel mixture, or a spider in the burner assembly
 
I guess the first step would be to adjust the burner and see if the soot and smell disappear.

Thank you everyone for all of your assistance with this.

Nice to see a forum that has so many quality people in it! They're very rare these days.
 
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