Gas Water Heater Question in Home Repair & Improvement http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22643174 en Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:59:07 EDT Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:59:07 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22716559 Bobcat :
said by Zen6 :

I also will get a sizable tax credit for my new tank, so now is a good time to replace, and do not go with a cheap one as they are not eligible for tax credit.

I looked at the Energy Star site, and they say that only the tankless models qualify for the tax credit.

quote:
Gas, Oil, and Propane Water Heaters with an Energy Factor of at least .82 - OR - a thermal efficiency of at least 90%. There are several types of gas, oil, and propane water heaters (storage tank, tankless, gas condensing), but only tankless can currently meet the criteria...

There is no tax credit for electric storage tank or electric tankless water heaters.


»energystar.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/···qid=5703]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22716559 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:39:13 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22716081 jinjimbob : Our propane one is on its 16th year now, but we do have a water filter and softener which really helps.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22716081 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:23:01 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22711813 scooper : If mine DOES start leaking - no biggie - it's sitting outside in a gas water heater enclosure - I'll just be watering the yard...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22711813 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:32:32 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22710931 anon : Borrowed time is not a good place to be. My 13yr old tank went 2 weeks ago while I was out shopping, came home to ruined Christmas ornaments, and 1" of water covering the floor. It is best to change these things before they ruin everything on the basement floor. I also will get a sizable tax credit for my new tank, so now is a good time to replace, and do not go with a cheap one as they are not eligible for tax credit.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22710931 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:14:53 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22681854 scooper : I've got a '92 / '93 40 gallon electric heater that's been in continuous service...

Yes, I'm holding my breath on when I have to replace it...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22681854 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:58:59 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22679184 Boomerang86 :
said by CCat See Profile :

...As of this morning its still working. I probably will just try replacing the thermo couple and see if that fixes it, if not I'll probably just replace the WH seeing that its 14 yrs old.
Wow, fourteen years? You've been on borrowed time with that unit for a while now. Normal life span for a conventional HWH is 7-12 years. Time to go shopping.
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Don't pay ME back, pay it forward.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22679184 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:17:04 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22676856 CCat : That explains a lot...Thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22676856 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:02:14 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22676394 socalblitz : There are 100's of complaints about Whirlpool Gas Water Heaters purchased from Lowes on the sites below:

»www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowne···ers.html
»www.terrylove.com/forums/showthr···p?t=4362

There is also a class action lawsuit.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22676394 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:45:04 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650654 anon : There were many Whirlpool heaters that were a pain in the nether regions since the thermocouple had left hand threads so that a standard (cheap) thermocouple would not work. Other than that, the normal thermocouple is VERY economical ( $5) and usually easy to replace.
Many of the other answers were good, but I must say that on my own water heater that the valve assembly had a severe buildup of calcium deposits on the in-tank sensor. I replaced this valve assembly (after trying all else) and results are good.
I must say this job is quite difficult (Requires very large wrench to remove valve body). I removed thermocouple, pilot feed & main feed with 3/8, 7/16 & 3/4 End wrenches. Be very careful (or hire someone) this can be dangerous for neophytes!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650654 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:58:51 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650324 CCat : Best explaination Ive heard. But...time for a new one.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650324 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:30:18 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650248 jack b : What it sounds like is happening here is the tiny pilot burner orifice has microscopic debris lodged in it from impurities carried in the gas itself over the years, and that is causing the pilot flame to have become very soft. And now, it doesn't take very much turbulence to blow the pilot flame out such as when the main burner extinguishes itself.
It's almost impossible to clean (successfully), and if you ream out the opening while trying to clear it, that can make things even worse.
--
~Help Find a Cure for Cancer~
~Proud Member of Team Discovery ~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650248 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:10:03 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650066 CCat : No...There is no electrical run to the WH. It works strictly off the thermo couple and the temp sensor.
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22650066 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:28:07 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22649865 Langning :
said by bemis See Profile :

tp0d's picture looks exactly like my water heater--except that I also have a control on the gas line to activate a power vent.
Does your setup look like mines?
Click for full size
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22649865 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:36:48 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22648800 CCat : @EG, Nothing dripping on the pilot.
@ jack b, I agree...One more observation. I can light the pilot and fire the burner. Once the tank gets hot and the main burner turns off so does the pilot.
I did find the same WH at Lowes. Dimensions are all the same too.
This may be a straight swap without having to redo the piping (or very little).
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22648800 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:02:16 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22648654 jack b :
said by CCat See Profile :

Im sorry, I should have mentioned that the WH is an old Whirlpool installed in 95 .....I'll probably just replace the WH seeing that its 14 yrs old.
Good move. You're on borrowed time with that tank, anyway. :)
--
~Help Find a Cure for Cancer~
~Proud Member of Team Discovery ~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22648654 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:39:41 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22648008 EG : I once had such a tiny water leak at the bottom of the tank of an only 3 year old unit. The droplets were enough to quench the pilot.

I observed and confirmed this leak by watching the lowest measuring amount/fastest moving gauge on my water meter. If I turned off the feeder valve to the heater, the movement of the gauge would stop. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22648008 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:46:16 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22647221 CCat : Checked all connections nothing loose.
Im sure its just dying from old age.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22647221 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:37:43 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22647140 Bobcat : Could be a loose connection, too.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22647140 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:22:29 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22646796 CCat : Upon further inspection it looks like the unit has seen better days.
Ill probably be replacing it tomorrow.

Things always seem to break over the holidays. :(
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22646796 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:59:47 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22646769 i1me2ao : i did the above and managed to get two more months before i finally had to replace control unit. after draining and removing the build up was so bad i could not remove it with sander.
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calling a illegal alien undocumented is like calling a drug dealer a undocumented pharmacist]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22646769 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:53:50 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645397 CCat : Thanks...That is a distinct possibility.
I'll clean the thermo couple and blow out the tank.
See if I can buy some more time.
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645397 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:13:31 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645285 Lyserjic : Years ago I had a gas water heater with a severe mineral deposit buildup in the bottom of the tank. The tank made awful banging and thumping sounds while it heated up, and then the burners and pilot would shut down due to overheating.

I was young and financially challenged at the time, so it took a few months before I could replace it.

said by CCat See Profile :

About 3 days ago I went to turn on the hot water and it was only warm. The pilot was out. I relit the pilot and turned on the burner.
It was good up until tonight, again no hot water. I relit it again and fired the main burner. The tank is heating now.
Does this sound like the thermo coupling is going bad?
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645285 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:49:52 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645084 CCat : Good tip...Thanks]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645084 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:13:39 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645022 8744675 : It sounds like the thermocouple. If the tip is very black and coated with carbon, scraping off the carbon with razor blade or lightly sanding it may give it a little more life. The carbon can prevent the pilot flame from heating up the metal tip hot enough to keep the gas valve open. Cleaning it off helps....for a while, long enough so you can get a new one and replace it on your own schedule.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22645022 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:04:02 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644461 CCat : @ nunya @ 3SGTE Thats the way Im going to go and see what happens.

@ mattmag...Totally agree.

Thanks all for the input, much appreciated.
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644461 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:15:48 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644427 mattmag :
said by Waterbug See Profile :

A bad thermocouple will not cause the pilot to go out.
Totally wrong. Obviously, you've never tried to light a pilot on a furnace or water heater with a bad one, have you?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644427 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:09:20 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644392 nunya : See 3SGTE post above. If the pilot TC is out, it may be a cheap fix.
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Looks like Reverend Wright got his wish - God Damn America.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644392 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:02:54 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644008 CCat : Im sorry, I should have mentioned that the WH is an old Whirlpool installed in 95 but other than this new issue it seems to be in good shape.
Theres no power vent... also prior to this if the power did go out the WH would still work.
As of this morning its still working. I probably will just try replacing the thermo couple and see if that fixes it, if not I'll probably just replace the WH seeing that its 14 yrs old.
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22644008 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:54:18 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643764 3SGTE :
said by Waterbug See Profile :

A bad thermocouple will not cause the pilot to go out.
Sure it will. The purpose of a thermocouple is to shut the gas off if the pilot goes out.
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Striving for Parfection.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643764 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:56:55 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643705 bemis :
said by tp0d See Profile :

If the tank is less than 2yrs old, you could have a defective control. There is a production run of controls that have exactly the problem you describe. It is made by robert shaw, with a red pilot button on the top left, and black or red larger control knobs.

if this is the case, call the manufacturer

-j
tp0d's picture looks exactly like my water heater--except that I also have a control on the gas line to activate a power vent.

If you have a power outage--even just 10-20 seconds--it can cause the gas supply to be cut and the pilot to go out.

We have a clock radio that we intentionally leave w/ no 9V battery so that it will flash 12:00 for even the smallest power interruption, that way I'll know I have to go manually re-light the pilot.

Do you have a similar power vented setup? If so, is it possible that don't typically have power failures, but in the last few days you've had two small ones?

Also--I should check to see if my control is one of the ones affected! We've had 1-2 occasions where the pilot was out w/o an apparent power failure :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643705 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:42:11 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643548 tp0d : If the tank is less than 2yrs old, you could have a defective control. There is a production run of controls that have exactly the problem you describe. It is made by robert shaw, with a red pilot button on the top left, and black or red larger control knobs.

if this is the case, call the manufacturer

-j
--
if it aint broke, tweak it!!
currently on FiOS (kick aZZ!)
Click for full size
control in question
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643548 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:25:13 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643535 Waterbug : A bad thermocouple will not cause the pilot to go out. There should be a small screw to adjust the pilot flame. If you can find nothing else wrong, try increasing it just a little.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643535 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:19:23 EDT Re: Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643249 Ken : How old is the heater? Let me give you another theory as to what could be wrong. Newer heaters have metal mesh screen that air has to pass through to get into the sealed combustion chamber. This screen can clog up easy with lint or other stuff. Once that happens, the flame can't get enough air to stay lit. So if it's a newer heater check how dirty things are.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643249 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:37:52 EDT Gas Water Heater Question http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643174 CCat : About 3 days ago I went to turn on the hot water and it was only warm. The pilot was out. I relit the pilot and turned on the burner.
It was good up until tonight, again no hot water. I relit it again and fired the main burner. The tank is heating now.
Does this sound like the thermo coupling is going bad?
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Sometimes My Mind Wanders.....Other Times It Leaves Completely!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22643174 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:03:20 EDT