# Bradford ICON valve....concerns me



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

I fought an ICON Bradford valve this week...

had 2 of them give me slight troubles and

heater #3 fought me to the death......:laughing::laughing:

it won , and I lost....

actually it got broken, due to my temper tantrum:laughing::laughing:

and I went and got
another water heater and changed it out 
just to rescue the rest of the day..

no parts for 18 miles around.... but a supply house 2 miles away had another 40 short 

now I got a beat up thermostat on a heater in my shop I need to fool with...:laughing:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

.I am not sure what to think of this valve...
and it worries me a little.

1. too much technology just to heat water

I think would just rather put in a simple Rheem unit 

...

2. the home owner cannot change a simple thermocoupling 
anymore... thats a manhood contest waiting to happen....

3. wondering what will happen to that processor 
if it gets extremely wet

4 i dont like the fact that now I got to carry along in my 
truck this special repair kit jUST for that brand...
$145.00 each


5. why do I want to be able to attach wires on it to
my alarm company or to my furnace thermostat???

So what if it can phone the white house when one goes out?? 



WHAT THE HELL WAS THE MATTER WITH WHAT THEY HAD???.


----------



## ChrisConnor (Dec 31, 2009)

I put one an Icon in a few hours ago. The SOB would not light to save my life. After some name calling I found the connector to the push button igniter not pushed together all the way. After fixing that, it worked like a charm.

$145.00?? I don't understand why a $262.00 heater can have a repair part that can cost more than half the price of a new unit.

Then again I don't like the way the Bradford White dealer will sell one to anybody on the street.

Why did the come up with this new LED that blinks trouble codes in the first place? I didn't need it before. Sounds like government bureaucracy. 

I'd like to think I can install the thing and forget about it until I come back in a year to flush it out.


----------



## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

I was told by my rep was it's all about the addons they plan to sell. the leak alarm etc. They did this so they can sell more bells and whistles to add to it.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*bells and whistles dont impress me much*



Plumber Jim said:


> I was told by my rep was it's all about the addons they plan to sell. the leak alarm etc. They did this so they can sell more bells and whistles to add to it.


Not worried about it too much

I was just a little peeved about the $145 repair kit
with all the special junk in it...



what bothers me is everything was so groovey
no problems with the old style valve at all
 nothing to read up on....


its probably got something to do with the a-holes
in califonria..... got to make it plastic :yes:


so I bought 6 ..40 gal rheems gas shorts
today and 2 ..50 gallon units...just in case,,

maybe I worry too much

or I am hard to impress:yes:



.


----------



## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

You mean you don't like that plastic well on the new gas valve? :laughing: I am sure that will start making us some money in the future.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*that plastic well*



Plumber Jim said:


> You mean you don't like that plastic well on the new gas valve? :laughing: I am sure that will start making us some money in the future.


yea that dont thrill me either...

I remember a bunch of Rheem heaters that had plastic bib faucets on the bottom and after years of heat they finally started to have stress cracks and become brittle...

as long as it is 10 years out or more before troubles start, then I am not worried too much about it..


----------



## user2090 (Sep 26, 2009)

Not a good move to add electronics. I gave our supply house rep a rash of crap about it. With the changing legislation who knows where it will end. Too many people have been told that water heaters are inefficient, and wan to make things green. No need for Bradford-White to change. They've been making a good product for to long, I guess its their time to have problems.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*another ICON had me on the ropes tonight.....*

everything was going great today.. we installed a power vent heate,
a clack water softener, had mexican for lunch then we arrived at our last late call
to change out a 50 gallon heater on the second floor at
3.30.... Brought a new Bradford White 50 gallon heater with us... 

got the heater drained, taken out, and the new one installed by 4.30...
it literally fell in and we were ready for miller time..........
 then the fight begins......

the god-da,, thing wont light no matter how long I wait ... the flame is lit ,, I have checked the leads, checked the thermal high limit fuse, but the unit still wont start clicking at the greenlight....

my helper is ready to drive off in his truck for home...
its hitting 5..00.... the home-owner is watching me like
 a hawk wondering what is wrong.....

I tell my helper looks like we are in for a fight..
and we are gonna have to change out the thermopile or valve...
so now he is pissed too...
. 
then the homeowner leaves the area , and in a final act of desperation after 15 minutes, I finaly get mad and smack the body of the plastic gas valve about 6 times with my channel locks....
.nice swift medium hits on all four corners....... . not hard hits........

then the piece of junk suddenly jumps to life !!!!! 
I check it out for a minute or two everything is OK 
and we ge the hell out of there......:thumbup::thumbup:

some times you got to let this stupid ICON valve know who is boss :yes::yes::yes:


----------



## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Master Mark said:


> then the homeowner leaves the area , and in a final act of desperation after 15 minutes, I finaly get mad and smack the body of the plastic gas valve about 6 times with my channel locks....
> .nice swift medium hits on all four corners....... . not hard hits........
> 
> then the piece of junk suddenly jumps to life !!!!!
> ...


 Careful with the channel locks.

I was redoing my front brakes (drums) about 25 years ago when one of the retainer clips broke and sent the spring bouncing across the street.

I got so pissed I threw my channel locks down -- They bounced off the tire (I'd shoved the tire/rim under the A-Arm in case the jack gave out) and caught me square in the eye.

Worst shiner ever, and I've had a bunch, I'm a Finn for fuques sake.


----------



## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Still haven't had any problems here...

Hope they keep sending the bad ones to you instead of me....:laughing:


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*Your day will come*



Redwood said:


> Still haven't had any problems here...
> 
> Hope they keep sending the bad ones to you instead of me....:laughing:


Just figure it will happen to you at the end of a long week late on a friday afternoon, 

remember my technique with the channel locks...:yes:


----------



## HOMER (Jun 5, 2011)

ChrisConnor said:


> I put one an Icon in a few hours ago. The SOB would not light to save my life. After some name calling I found the connector to the push button igniter not pushed together all the way. After fixing that, it worked like a charm.
> 
> $145.00?? I don't understand why a $262.00 heater can have a repair part that can cost more than half the price of a new unit.
> 
> ...


 

is ultra lo nox wtr htr a requirement in your area,(s) yet ?

here in SoCal,the land of idiots,ultra low nox water heater is required..

last one I bought a BW U1-5036FRN 40,000 BTU 50 GAL (5 weeks ago)
$ 479.35 + tax 10.25% (tax has changed since then back to a reasonable 9.25%)


----------



## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

Master Mark said:


> everything was going great today.. we installed a power vent heate,
> a clack water softener, had mexican for lunch then we arrived at our last late call
> to change out a 50 gallon heater on the second floor at
> 3.30.... Brought a new Bradford White 50 gallon heater with us...
> ...


The EXACT same thing happened to me last friday. Throw a heater in quick and call it a week. :no: mine was the thermopile. had to scramble to get one before the supply house closed- it's clear on the other side of town, of course. 

Shoulda beat it with my channelocks.:laughing:

In all fairness, that was the first icon heater I've put in that had a problem.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*ICON learning curve...*



Colgar said:


> The EXACT same thing happened to me last friday. Throw a heater in quick and call it a week. :no: mine was the thermopile. had to scramble to get one before the supply house closed- it's clear on the other side of town, of course.
> 
> Shoulda beat it with my channelocks.:laughing:
> 
> In all fairness, that was the first icon heater I've put in that had a problem.


This was my 7th one that has pulled this stunt on me..
the very first one I ran into , I just changed out the heater to save the day cause their were no parts near by

 and the rest of them just took acouple of smacks from my trusty red well pump pliers to get them to spring to life...

I bet if you had done the same thing and beat that Icon valve like a dog with your channel locks , the circuit inside the valve probably would have re-set itself..:thumbup::thumbup:


----------

