Whale Water Heater Fault Codes
If your Whale water heater stops working there are a number of fault codes/flash sequences that the boiler displays indicating what the issue is. This article should help you diagnose the reason for the code to be displayed and also how to remove a persistent or reoccurring code. There is a list of common codes further down the page but before that there are a few variants of the whale water heater to decipher.
Firstly, there are two types of controls that are commonly used, the manual switches and the newer Duo Control Panel which also controls the space heater.
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There are also two types of Whale water heaters, the blue internal fitted water heater and also the underslung one which is fitted underneath the floor of your van.
Both use the same fault codes to indicate the issue but display them in a different way depending on what control panel you have.
If you have the manual switches the red led will flash a number of times then pause then repeat the flashes again, you need to count the number of flashes.
If you have the Duo Control Panel it will display a red “!” on the left of the display. If you press and hold the water heater button it will illuminate a number of bars, the number of bars showing correspond to the fault code number.
Blue internal Whale water heater
To clear fault codes if you have the manual switches fitted you need to simply turn off the 12Volt at the master switch in the van then back on. This should reset the water heater (this only works for codes 3 and 5). If you have codes 1, 2 or a constant red light the heater needs a manual reset by pushing the red button situated next to the white 12V multi-pin connector at the front of the heater.
If you have the Duo Control Panel you can turn the main 12V supply off to the van then back on (as above) this should remove the red “!” displaying. If that doesn’t remove the fault press the “water heater” icon together with the ”+” for 3 seconds to remove the fault.
Under-slung Whale water heater
If you have the water heater under the van you will have the Duo Control Panel fitted and the fault code removal is the same as above. However, if the fault keeps reoccurring there is a red button reset on the section of the water heater that protrudes into the van, next to the yellow drain valve for it. Whale say that this button is not required and the panel reset is sufficient. I have pushed and held this for a few seconds and it removed a persistent fault, may have been coincidence, who knows!?
Other Whale water heater issues
Another known issue for the under-slung water heater is when they are installed, sometimes the flue/intake pipe dips down before it exits the side of the van. This can allow rain and condensation to gather in the dip of the pipe and eventually it will fail to light on gas, worth a quick look and reposition if it is (so that it has a downwards slope to the exit). This is more prevalent on Whale space heater as the flue pipes are more open without covers.
I hope this has helped and given you a better understanding of Whale water heater codes.
You may be interested in another article by us about Whale Space Heater fault codes as they too share similar codes. Click here.
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Disclaimer
Please note these are the words and opinion of the author only. Neither the author nor the website can be held responsible for any errors or omissions. You should seek professional assistance if in doubt.