Water Heater again!

What game? I said that I called the plumber. There are two of them here now. The tank is still under warranty but... I only have a one year warranty with Day and Nite.

Reply to
Julie Bove
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No other gas appliances and no AC.

Reply to
Julie Bove

We have been having really wacky weather. We did lose power late Tues. into Wed. morning. Plumber said a lot of people did have trouble during that time because of weird winds. And that makes sense. But it doesn't explain the pattern of it going out every three months, then two months, then monthly, weekly, daily, etc. And I had to relight it every day for at least a week. I didn't keep a record.

There is a bad part but... Is the part bad because the wrong venting made it go bad? That remains to be seen.

Reply to
Julie Bove

On Thursday, September 4, 2014 5:13:54 PM UTC-5, Julie Bove wrote: There

Thermopile...perhaps?

Reply to
BenDarrenBach

Plumber did think of that but my garage is very clean. It's an odd little garage. Not big enough for a car. Maybe a Smart Car. I mainly use it for a pantry and other storage.

He did replace the pilot assembly and will be checking to see how the venting should be. He said on these newer units, everything is much more finicky.

Reply to
Julie Bove

They do. It's a Bradford White. Not new but not old. This was installed 2 years ago.

Reply to
Julie Bove

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
Julie Bove

I had it set to the "hot" position. Well, prior to the plumber coming. I just got so fed up and frustrated that I turned it off. Water should be about 120 degrees at that setting. When he tested the water coming out of the tank, it was 105 which was odd. It had been running cold and had only been on for perhaps 10 minutes but he said that may have been enough, coupled with our unseasonably warm weather.

What wasn't right though was that 20 minutes after lighting the pilot, the water at that setting was 145. So that wasn't good. I did have two air fresheners sitting on the top of it. The kind in the plastic jars with the beads inside. One new, one opened. He said those could have caused a problem. Likely not but they could have.

Reply to
Julie Bove

They checked a variety of things. This particular guy was new to this company as of about a year ago. He fixed my sink prior. But I don't think he is new to the business. He did have a trainee with him. He put in a new pilot light assembly.

Reply to
Julie Bove

Some of these Bradford-White's have 2 thermo-piles and operate a vent dampe r motor that uses the voltage from one (or both) of the thermo-piles. There is a micro-switch in the vent damper...if this is out of position...the bu rner will not light. I've also had a bad connection (crimped spade) on a th ermo-pile that was replaced. Causing a loss of pilot flame.

Reply to
BenDarrenBach

But he apparently did not adjust it, so the guy must be very new..

probably you should call someone who knows how to do the job correctly

Reply to
philo 

Philo is talking about the pilot light size adjustment, not the water heater temperature adjustment, which you are talking about.

Apparently on some or all GWH, there is a screw that adjusts the size of the pilot flame. The screw is I read here covered by a cap. I'm thininking mayb a plastic cap that just pushes on over the screw and comes off by pulling, if you can get your fingers on it, or maybe by lifting the cap at the bottom in two places, perhaps one place at a time, if you can't get your fingers in there. Since the plumber just changed the pilot light assembly, it seems at least one would have had the pilot light adjustment correct, but maybe not if there is inadquate gas pressure in general. I don't know how long it will take the gas company to check the pressure and then fix it if is low. Maybe you can save yourself the wait by opening up the valve a little bit.

If you find the screw, keep track of many turns you make - by looking at the white label on the side of a screwdriver, or by using a Sharpie to make a line on the side of any tool you are using that doesn't have a label -- and write it down. and if you later find that wasn't the real problem. you can turn it back to where it was.

The honeycomb thing sounds like a lead to me. Do you have one? Did it get changed when the pilot light assembly got changed? Is it dirty? Was it dirty. I have to go now.

10 minutes is enough to heat the water more than 105? Maybe if the water that comes out is right where the heat is applied, but even then, does't water convection mix the just heated water with cold water?
Reply to
micky

You can't count on there being a couple these days. There might be three of them, or four, or two of the same kind. If there are two of the same kind, it won't bend when it gets hot, because they expand at the same rate.

Reply to
micky

Or there might be a pile of them.

Reply to
micky

That might be.

Reply to
Julie Bove

Interesting! Thanks! I don't think that I have that kind but I might.

Reply to
Julie Bove

I don't know. I would just as soon not poke around in there.

I don't know. Something didn't sound right to me. Water went to cold, then it was only on for 10 minutes and 15 hours later it was still hot?

Reply to
Julie Bove

I don't know if he adjusted it or not. I was trying to watch but seeing as how I don't know what they were doing unless they told me specifically, well...

Reply to
Julie Bove

Takes one to know one you wacky cracker.

Reply to
clare

Well, I live alone, and I've gone two days with hot water after turning off the wh. Just me, no laundry or dishwasher. Maybe I was going out of town so I turned it off early. Or maybe there was a power outage.

I have an electric wh. They may have better insulation than gas do, although I think it was just an inch and a half of the pink fiberglass. Is that a lot? . How much less could gas have?

(They talk about a glass tank and I was worried bringing it home and down to the basement that I'd break the glass. It's not glass. It's bendable "plastic:, somewhere between milky white and clear, with maybe glass in it for all I know There is no way it could break. Are others any different?)

Reply to
micky

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