If your HOTTAP won't stay on, turns on but then turns off, and keeps turning off randomly, please follow this guide to resolve the issue.
How to use this guide:
- Read through the common issues to confirm that your HOTTAP is displaying the same symptoms.
- Complete all of the troubleshooting suggestions (should take 5-10 minutes).
How this issue looks
Your HOTTAP turns on and ignites the flame (and actually heats up water) but then it turns off, randomly. Sometimes it runs for one minute, sometimes it runs for five minutes, and sometimes it works fine and doesn't turn off at all.
If your HOTTAP is not turning on at all, please click here.
If your HOTTAP turns off when you adjust your Water Dial, please click here.
The two most common reasons why your HOTTAP will keep randomly turning off:
- Wind 💨: HOTTAP needs access to fresh air so that it can fuel the flame. Sometimes strong gusts of wind will blow the flame out, and the HOTTAP will turn off.
- Max Temperature Cut-off 🥵: To prevent scalding (and to make it safer for kids) we installed a temperature cut-off at 50°C (122°F).
Read through the next three sections (common reasons) to find your issue and associated troubleshooting suggestions. If none of these sound like your issue, scroll to the bottom of this page for a list of uncommon issues.
Here's a video on how to resolve the issue:
Wind
The HOTTAP needs access to fresh air so that it can fuel the flame. Because of this, gusts of wind can agitate the flame inside the HOTTAP, and cause the HOTTAP to turn off.
How to tell if I have this issue
Wind will cause your HOTTAP to turn off at random times. When it is calm, your HOTTAP will stay on. When it is windy, your HOTTAP will keep turning off.
Be mindful of where you mount or place your HOTTAP - as you could be putting it in a direct draft spot (e.g., wind is being funnelled into your HOTTAP). This means that even a relatively calm breeze can cause your HOTTAP to turn off. This commonly occurs when you have many walls around your HOTTAP (e.g., you put your HOTTAP inside an enclosure or box, or you placed your HOTTAP in a corner between two walls).
After your HOTTAP turns off, your display monitor will display the "flame not lit" icon:
What can I do
- Move your HOTTAP away from corners and walls and into more open space. Drop some grass from shoulder height to gauge areas of low wind. Gusts of wind enter into the HOTTAP through the side baffles (holes along the side of the HOTTAP) or the top grill. The side baffles and top grill have been designed to reduce the impact of wind, but struggle against a direct flow of wind.
- If you can't move your HOTTAP, or need another solution, you can use a piece of sheet metal (or similar), bent in a "V" or "L" shape, to divert airflow away from the side vents and/or top grill of your HOTTAP. You can also use aluminium tape to cover some of the side air vents (do not cover the top grill), but this is less ideal as the HOTTAP still needs fresh air for combustion.
Max Temperature Cut-off
The HOTTAP will automatically turn off when it reaches 50°C (122°F).
How to tell if I have this issue
To confirm that your HOTTAP has this issue, look at the temperature on the display monitor when your HOTTAP turns off - if it reaches 50°C (122°F) and then turns off, this is your issue.
After your HOTTAP turns off, your display monitor will display the "overheating safety cutout" icon:
What can I do
This means that the water that is being supplied into your HOTTAP is around 20°C (68°F) or higher.
- You'll want to adjust your Water & Gas dials so that you have the lowest amount of heat increase on the water. To do this, adjust your Water Dial to HIGH, and your Gas Dial to LOW.
- If your HOTTAP still overheats after you have adjusted your Water & Gas Dials, this means that the water coming into your HOTTAP is around 30°C (86°F) or higher. In this case, remove the batteries and disconnect the gas. Your HOTTAP will still operate like a shower (turn the shower head on and off when using) - the only difference is that your water won't heat up.
Other uncommon reasons
- If you have built an enclosure for your HOTTAP, be mindful of how much ventilation you have. The HOTTAP needs a supply of fresh air to keep the flame alive. If the HOTTAP does not get adequate air flow, it will turn off. To resolve this, remove some of the enclosure so that the HOTTAP has more air.
To confirm this is your issue, you should see the "flame not lit" icon light up when your HOTTAP has turned off. - If you are using a non-Joolca shower head or have plumbed your HOTTAP into a tap, you will impact how much water flows through the HOTTAP. If there is not enough water flow/pressure, the HOTTAP will turn off. To diagnose this, re-connect your Joolca shower hose and shower head and run the HOTTAP. If it works fine, then the issue is with your other shower head or tap. Make sure that you are using a shower head or tap with a flow rate between 2.5-6 LPM (0.6-1.6 GPM).
To confirm this is your issue, press and hold the blue "Joolca" button on your display monitor. You should see the "no water flow" icon light up while water is running through your HOTTAP and your HOTTAP has turned off. - If you are using a header tank: As the water level inside your water tank drops, so does the water flow and pressure being supplied into your HOTTAP. The HOTTAP will turn off if it does not have enough water flow/pressure. It is a good idea to get a dedicated pump to supply water to the HOTTAP to avoid this issue. You can either use a Joolca pump, or a pressure pump that has 6-12 (1.6-3.2 GPM) LPM and 40-60 PSI.
If you are using a bilge pump or other high flow pump: These types of pumps will typically be difficult to use with the HOTTAP, as the HOTTAP uses small diameter piping. Even though they will supply enough water flow/pressure (on paper) they actually lose a lot of flow/pressure as water enters the HOTTAP. The small opening means that there is a massive pressure drop, which then causes the HOTTAP to turn off. It is a good idea to get a dedicated pump to supply water to the HOTTAP to avoid this issue. You can either use a Joolca pump, or a pressure pump that has 6-12 (1.6-3.2 GPM) LPM and 40-60 PSI.
To confirm that either of these are your issue, press and hold the blue "Joolca" button on your display monitor. You should see the "no water flow" icon light up while water is running through your HOTTAP and your HOTTAP has turned off. - If your HOTTAP is getting water from a pump that is also supplying water to other appliances, be mindful of how much demand there is on the pump. As you run additional appliances off of one pump, the total flow/pressure supplied to each appliance will drop. And at some stage, the supply to the HOTTAP will not be enough to keep it running. You will either need to run one appliance at a time, or get a dedicated pump for the HOTTAP. You can either use a Joolca pump, or a pressure pump that has 6-12 (1.6-3.2 GPM) LPM and 40-60 PSI.
To confirm this is your issue, press and hold the blue "Joolca" button on your display monitor. You should see the "no water flow" icon light up while water is running through your HOTTAP and your HOTTAP has turned off. - The HOTTAP has a tilt sensor (safety feature) that turns the HOTTAP off when the HOTTAP falls over (or is at an angle of 45° or more from vertical). If you are on a boat, your HOTTAP may move in and out of this 45° range (due to the waves). You might need to move your HOTTAP on to land or wait for the waves to subside.
To confirm this is your issue, you should see the "flame not lit" icon light up when your HOTTAP has turned off.
Still won't work
If your HOTTAP does not work after completing the above steps, please follow this guide and record a video of your HOTTAP and upload it here.