With technology becoming smarter than ever, the humans handling these technologies also need to be smarter.
The technology pieces can now communicate what is exactly wrong with them through different error codes.
This is both great and not too great because you need to understand what these error codes exactly mean in order to solve the error with the technology piece that you are handling.
The Internet of Things has made every piece of technology compatible with the Internet. This has made it easy to handle the pieces of technology with the mobile phones that you use. You can handle the technology without even being nearby.
If you are already on this page, this means that you’re well versed with the technology that the Noritz water heaters use.
You are probably not seeking a solution to the problem with your Noritz water heater. We have dedicated this article to understanding how to fix Noritz error code 29.
We will discuss what this error code is trying to communicate to you and what are the reasons behind this error showing up in the first place.
So let’s warm up and get into it.
What does the Noritz Water Heater error code 29?
To understand what the error code 29 means on a Noritz water heater, we need to understand the basic working and functioning of the Noritz water heater.
The device uses a hot exhaust to heat up the water. When the water is heated then it creates condensation and the liquid produced is called the condensate. The condensate created is acidic and it needs to be processed with a neutralizer before it can be drained into the end drain.
The error 29 on this brand of the heater means that the condensate is not able to pass to the end drain. There can be a variety of reasons why this could happen and we will discuss them in detail in the next sections of this article.
Reasons For Noritz Water Heater error code 29
As we have already discussed that error 29 on the water heater occurs when the condensate is not able to pass to the end drain, we will now discuss the possible reasons that this could be happening.
Here is the list of reasons that could explain why the condensate is having a problem draining into the end drain.
- The pipe placement is wrong.
- The diameter of the pipe is not wide enough.
- The pipe is not made of plastic and metal instead.
- The drain line is clogged.
- The drain has been frozen.
- The drain line to the end is too long.
These are the exact reasons that can explain why the condensate is not reaching the destination that it is supposed to.
How To Fix Noritz Water Heater error code 29?
It is very important for the health of your water heater that the condensate is neutralized and drains properly into the end brain because if the condensate remains clogged and backs up into the system then it will cause problems for your water heater.
In this section, we will discuss all the fixes that you can apply to make sure that the condensates start draining back into the end drain.
Fix 1: The pipe placement is wrong
The condensate drains into the end drain with the help of gravity. The pipe that you are placing needs to be on a slope so that the condensate can easily move and go to the end drain.
If the pipe that you have placed is horizontal, Then the condensate will not be able to go to the endpoint and it will reach back into the water heater. This is exactly what we are afraid of and we want to prevent this at all costs.
Make sure that when you are installing the water heater, the pipes that you have installed for the condensate draining are in the right position. That is, they must be vertical or on a slope so that the gravity can help the condensate to pass into the end drain.
Fix 2: The diameter of the pipe is not wide enough
The diameter of the pipe should be more than one or two inches. If the diameter of the pipe is smaller than one inch, then the condensate will have problems passing into the end rain. It will become even a bigger problem if there is even a small clog in the pipe.
It is quite common that some solid materials get stuck into the pipe, but this is usually not a problem when the diameter of the pipe is enough for the condensate to pass, even after small clogs are present. But when the diameter is too small, then even the small solid materials will cause a lot of problems for the condensate to pass.
The solution to this problem also lies in the fact that when you are installing the water heater, you should pick a pipe whose diameter is wide enough so that the condensate can pass rapidly.
Fix 3: The pipe is not plastic
The pipe that you install to drain the condensate from the water heater should be made of plastic so that it does not react with the acidic condensate.
If the pipe that you have installed is made of metal, then it will react with the acidic condensate. This is a problem because when the metal pipes react with the condensate they will create many solid materials that can clog the pipe and hence the condensate will not be able to pass into the end drain.
The acidic condensate will also eat the metal and after some time you will experience leaks in the metal pipe. Hence it is highly recommended to use a plastic pipe instead.
Fix 4: The drain line is too long
The drain pipe that you are connecting to the end rain for the condensate to pass should not be too long because if it is far enough you will not be able to have any control over the dynamics of the pipe.
You will not be able to keep an eye on the pipe if the pipe is sloped enough for the condensate to pass comfortably. This will also ruin the placement of the pipe that is necessary for the gravity to help the condensate to pass into the end rain.
Make sure that the end rain is not too far and the drain pipe is not too long. This is the exact solution that you can apply to this problem.
Fix 5: The drain pipe is clogged
As we have discussed in the previous points also, it is very common for the drain pipe to encounter a solid object that clogs the drain.
When this happens, the condensate is not able to pass and hence it goes back into the water heater.
To solve this problem, whenever you see the error code 29 on your water heater, you should check the drain pipes that are connected for the condensate to flow.
If you see that there is any solid object in the drain pipe, then you should wash the drain pipe completely and put it back.
You also make sure that this does not happen in the future, we have also discussed that you should not be using metal pipes, but using plastic pipes instead. The probability of a clog forming in a plastic pipe is much lesser as compared to a metal pipe.
Fix 6: The drain pipe is frozen
In the colder months, if the drain pipe is lying in an area that is not inside the house and the temperature is not regulated, then the drain pipe can freeze with the contents inside.
Is a no-brainer to figure out that with a frozen drain pipe you will not be able to get the condensate out to the end drain.
To make sure that this problem does not occur with you, place the pipe in an area that is temperature regulated in your house, and if it is not possible then cover the pipe with an insulating material during the colder months so that the drain pipe does not freeze.
Fix 7: Contact the customer support team
I have taken care of all the issues that could cause this problem and if you are still facing error 29 on your water heater, then you should contact the customer support team on the Noritz water heaters.
This is because there could be a different hardware problem with your water heater than what is shown by error 29.
Contacting the customer support team is also beneficial in the case you have a warranty which can help you provide a replacement to the damaged unit if there is severe damage to your unit.
Even if there is no considerable damage to replace the unit, they will still send in a technician who will help you get rid of the error on the water heater and tell you what precautions you can take to avoid this error in the future.Â
Conclusion
The Noritz water heaters are a great piece of technology, especially when they can tell you what is wrong with them with the help of error codes.
But this does not mean that they do not have any problems, and when they encounter any problem, you will be rushing to the Internet to find out what this error code exactly means. We have tried to be a savior to you at the same moment by gathering all the information that is available on the error Code 29 on the Noritz water heaters.
We hope that this article provided you with what advice you needed. Follow us for more technical advice.
Like This Post? Checkout More
