Water Heater again!

Oh so annoying! I had called the plumber because it was getting to where our replacement water heater had to be lit once a day. Initially we had a new one installed on New Year's Eve, 2009. It worked for a while but then I had to keep relighting it. At first it was perhaps every three months, then every week then like every half an hour.

They never could find out what was wrong with it. They replaced every part they could and finally just gave us a new one. And it was fine at first. But the same problems started happening up until now! I just relight it perhaps 2 hours ago when daughter took a shower and ran out of hot water. I had gotten to the point of being OCD in checking it to make sure it was still lit. And it had been the last time I looked. And even though it is a

50 gallon tank, apparently when it goes out, the water cools very quickly.

So I relit it, called the plumber because it was getting to where I had to light it daily. Plumber asked me some questions about it and I had to go out there to look at it. And it it wasn't lit! So it went out less than 20 minutes after I lit it. And now it won't light at all. Grrr... Grrr... Grrr...

I am sick of this. And they can't do anything about it tonight. Guy said he could come out here but I would have to pay $150 just to get him out as it would be after hours charges. But he had no clue whether or not he could do anything about it tonight. So... We wait.

Only thing I can figure is that it might be the venting. That is the only thing they didn't check. They did say that the last one wasn't drafting properly or something like that.

I thought maybe that it had something to do with humidity. We had a few humid days lately and it seemed to go out when it was humid. Then the torrential downpour throughout the night last night that knocked the power out. Amazingly enough the thing stayed lit through all that.

Reply to
Julie Bove
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(Snip> if it was not drafting properly, then it was senseless to attempt a repair or replacement...the venting must be fixed!

The venting was either done wrong or your chimney may be plugged.

Reply to
philo 

I have no clue and apparently neither do they. It did work for a while. Now it simply will not light at all. I did try again twice.

Reply to
Julie Bove

I agree that venting may be the problem (bird nest?) but usually, it would light and then go out once the burner was on. Could be the overheating burned out the thermocouple or something though.

Be sure they check the vent at both ends and run something through it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Maybe have a chimney expert look at it.

Reply to
philo 

Any evidence of condensation dripping on pilot light? If in the end you can't get it to work and have to replace the water heater, get one with a pilot-less ignition.

Reply to
Retirednoguilt

a realtive of mine had this problem, turned out to be low gas pressure in her neighborhood, it was a intermittenly bad regulat owned by the gas company.....

this occured many states away so i am sorry but lack details.

OP should call their gas supplier to get the homes gad pressure checked.

simple stuff can screw stuff up.

my step sons van broke down. he called me in the middle of the night saying it just quit. The gas gauge was flakey in that van, but he assured me it wasnt out of gas.

van got towed to garage I told the garage check to make sure it has gas..

880 bucks later with a new battery and new fuel pump, the garage gave up and said we dont know whats wrong.

hadvan towed to dealer, they were very busy. van sat for 5 days..

dealer noted gas gauge showed empty, put in one gallon of gas, van started right up....

conclusions.....

van ran out of gas, stepson and garage didnt catch that van was out of gas.

dealer was nice only charged for gasoline..

Reply to
bob haller

We went through this same situation with Julie months ago. Suggestions were made about checking the venting, how it's vented, any wind blowing into garage where the WH is located, possible bad thermocouples, ie all the obvious things. As I recall, the TC had been replaced at least once and the gas control valve had also been replaced. And I think it happened with the garage door open or shut, ruling out some sudden gusts blowing into the garage. I don't recall hearing how or if it was resolved then. But it's kind of surprising that she would pay for a plumber to come out, again, and still no one has checked the venting? How about some pics at least of the venting?

IDK exactly how venting could cause this either. Even if the vent were blocked, the pilot light wouldn't go out. It doesn't even need the vent for the pilot light to remain lit. For it to go out, I would think it would need the venting to be arranged so that somehow it results in a sudden gust hitting the pilot light. I presume the pilot orifice, tube between the valve and orifice have been carefully checked?

If she can't find someone competent, then the other option is to just bite the bullet and get a new WH, one that doesn't use a pilot light.

Reply to
trader_4

I had two similar moments. One time I took apart a carb on a friend's car, looking for the clog. Finally noticed the absence of gasoline.

Second was when I stopped to help a guy with the hood up, in a parking lot. Truck was only a couple days old. Didn't want to start. Asked him to check the gas gauge.... add gal of gas. There was a gas station a couple hundred yards away.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I'm very sorry to hear. Must be annoying. Did you want to ask the folks on this list for ideas? Maybe someone will have ideas what to check.

I can think of one or two, but you didn't ask.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Back when I was a young 'un, I drove an old beater with an unreliable gas gauge. I got in the habit of setting the trip odometer every time I filled up and noting the miles I'd used on that tankful. I knew when I'd put about 250 miles on, it was getting close to time to fill the tank. It's now a habit. I never look at the gas gauge, I check my trip odometer.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

Ha, Stormy, you nailed it - and her. Julie is into playing games. The game she plays is the classic "Yeah, but". That's the one where a person complains about something in order to get another person to reply with a suggested solution. But the complainer will shoot down every single suggestion with a "yeah, but", until the other person gives up in frustration. The longer the complainer can keep the game running, the more points she scores.

Julie's not here for solutions. She's here to play her game.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

YD/YB, as noted in Dr. Eric Berne's classic book, you think? Thanks for the head up, my friend.

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I figure when the trip gets to over

100, it's time to look for gas station. Of course, if I know I'm going past the cheap gas next day, I'll let it go.
Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I would watch the pilot light flame with all the windows and doors in the house closed and the dryer and bathroom ceiling fan running.

I'm thinking that if the dryer is blowing air out of the house, make up air needs to get into the house somewhere, and we may have a situation where the downdraft through the water heater flue gas ducting may be causing a down draft through the water heater. The water heater may be fitted with a safety device which detects that "roll out" and shuts off the water heater, including gas to the pilot light.

I'm thinking that with the warm weather lately, people have their A/C running and would close their windows and doors to prevent the loss of that cooling to the outside, thereby preventing make-up air coming in anywhere except the water heater flue duct.

Reply to
nestork

Modern gas water heaters use a sealed flame arrestor chamber for the burner. This was mandated for those who put the WH in a garage where there may be flamable vapors.

The flame arrestor is usually implemented as a honeycomb like vent panel under the burner. Unfortunately, the very reason that this was implemented (garage location) makes the solution a PITA as garages tend to be dusty and dirty. The dirt quickly blocks the honeycomb vent and the oxygen sensor for the burner shuts the flame down.

Clean the honeycomb vent and see if your problem goes away.

Reply to
Arthur Conan Doyle

Perhaps have the gas company check? If it won't light at all it's probably not a chimney/draft issue. Are there other gas appliances that are working properly?

Reply to
Pete C.

She said the water heater is new, so it should not be dirty yet.

OTOH, I just realized there is something fishy about this story... I don't think they even make water heaters with pilot lights any more.

Reply to
philo 

Julie went through this whole thing months ago. WH is in the garage. And back then she said it made no difference if the garage door is open or closed. I wonder if there is a chance the garage is so airtight that shutting the garage door to the house could blow it out? I've never seen a garage that tight, but who knows.

Reply to
trader_4

They make and sell lots of water heaters with pilot lights, they are the common, entry level models. I agree the story may be fishy, mainly because we went through this whole thing with Julie months ago, yet she's starting it up as if it's new.

Reply to
trader_4

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