The American Water Heaters heat pump water heater uses a heat pump system that is very much like a refrigerator running in reverse to heat the water. The heat pump does not make heat, but instead takes heat from the ambient air in the room and pumps it into the water in the tank. The heat pump’s compressor uses only 850-watts to operate yet can transfer over three times the amount of heat into the water that the 850-watts of energy could make using resistance heating. The heat pump can also aid in cooling and dehumidification of the air in the room in addition to heating the water.

The American Water Heaters residential hybrid electric heat pump model HPE10280H045DV has an 80-gallon tank and has three standard modes of operation.

• The Efficiency Mode uses just the heat pump to heat the water yet if the ambient air temperature or, water temperatures are outside the optimum range for the heat pump will revert to using the resistance heating elements for water heating. In the Efficiency Mode the Energy Factor is 2.3 and a First Hour Delivery of 70-gallons is provided.
• The Hybrid Mode uses a combination of the heat pump and resistance elements heating the water to provide the most economical heating while meeting your needs. In the Hybrid Mode the Energy Factor is 2.3 and the First Hour Delivery is 84-gallons.
• The Standard Mode uses just the resistance elements to heat the water functioning as an ordinary electric water heater and is the least efficient mode of operation.  In the Standard Mode the Energy Factor is .85 and the First Hour Delivery is 76-gallons.

The American HPE10280H045DV has a 4500-watt upper and 2000-watt lower element made of corrosion resistant Incoloy to provide resistance heating when conditions are not optimum for the heat pump or, water usage is higher than the heat pump can meet or, when Standard Mode is selected. There is also a function where you can program a vacation on the control panel. The vacation setting will maintain a 60-degree temperature in the water heater to prevent freeze damage.

The American Water Heaters residential hybrid electric heat pump water heater is an 80-gallon tank that measures 24.5” wide and is 81.5” high, tipping the scales at 410 lbs. The water heater requires a minimum of 240-volts single phase, and a circuit breaker of 25-amps. to provide electrical power for operation. Also required is a minimum room size of 750 cu. ft. for operation of the heat pump, and a condensate drain. The residential hybrid electric heat pump model HPE10280H045DV comes with an electric powered anode to help prevent corrosion of the tank, T&P valve, 2” non-CFC foam insulation, and a brass drain valve. The water heater is also provided with a 10-Year Limited Tank and a 10-Year Limited Parts Warranty

The American Water Heaters Residential Hybrid Electric Heat Pump model HPE10280H045DV has a 3.1 Coefficient of Performance (COP) which makes the unit energy star compliant. This makes people who purchase and install the unit eligible for rebates under the appliance stimulus program, many state rebate programs, and utility rebate programs. A 30% Income Tax Credit up to $1500 is also available for people who purchase and install this water heater.

Clogged Flame Arrestor on the Bottom of the Water Heater

Burner Enhancement Kit

There are a lot of possible problems with water heaters many of them quite generic which will not be covered in this trouble shooting guide. The focus will be on problems specific to the Flame Guard and Flame Lock design water heaters.

Early models of the Flame Guard and Flame Lock Water Heaters had a specially designed thermocouple that included a one time use thermal fuse that was designed to trip when a taller than normal flame occurred. These thermocouples were unusual in that they had a thermal fuse in addition to the usual flame detection function and they had a left handed thread to prevent the substitution of a regular thermocouple. The availability of these unique thermocouples was limited to a limited supply at Lowes and through American Water Heaters. The poor supply of replacement thermocouples with a fee for shipping and handling from American Water Heaters resulted in a Class Action Suit and Settlement where owners were supplied with a “Enhanced Burner Assembly” which included a new combustion chamber door, pilot/thermocouple assembly, burner assembly, and a thermocouple adapter. The models included in this suit have a round sight glass in the burner door and have serial numbers beginning with “FG” and “FL” and were manufactured between 2000 and 2006. Water heaters manufactured after 2006 have the “Enhanced Burner Assembly” already installed and have a serial number starting with a “B” The Class Action Settlement Period ended June 28, 2008.

Thermocouple Adapter

The “Enhanced Burner Assembly” fixed the problem with the one time use thermocouple by using a resettable thermocouple which screwed into a thermocouple adapter. The thermocouple adapter screws into the left hand threads where the original thermally fused thermocouple screwed into the gas valve. Instead there is a reset button in the door of the burner assembly and 2 wires which connect to the thermocouple adapter.

FVIR Reset Button

The basic problem in most cases is a lack of combustion air caused by the screen of the air inlet on the bottom of the water heater. Frequent cleaning of this screen is required to avoid trouble. When the burner becomes starved for air the flame gets taller just like it would in an FVIR event and causes the sensor to trip. Some of the kits along the way also included a prefilter that wraps around the base of the water heater. If you have one of these keep it clean as well. Many people have luck making up a piece of pipe with an elbow on it to attach on the end of a vacuum cleaner hose to vacuum clean the screen under the water heater.

If cleaning the flame arrestor screen under the unit does not cure the problem there may be other problems relating to draft, insufficient combustion air, negative air pressure in the building or another problem in the unit that is best left to a licensed plumber.

If you have any questions or need additional help please leave a comment and I will reply.