Hot water heater issue! Help?

[Cajungaltx]

It's not working!!

Brad checked - the pilot light went out a week and a half ago or so... Got it working again...

Then tonight I noticed the water wasn't heating up again... So out he went... he could get it to light but when he let go of the reset button, the flame would go out.

Neither of us know anything about hot water heaters... So does anyone know a good plumber to refer me to?

We are located in Katy.

Thanks guys!




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[t00mies]

there is a thermal sensor that has to be heated long enough for the pilot light to stay lit by itself (without pushing and holding the button)

you may have to push and hold that button to keep the pilot light on for a while (maybe 5 min?) and see if the pilot light will stay on afterwards.



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[ldelacruz]

Sounds like a thermocouple. Call someone be safe. About a $20 part plus 1hr labor. Give them the make and model info to save trip.

[KJ Smith]

Originally Posted by Cajungaltx

It's not working!!

Brad checked - the pilot light went out a week and a half ago or so... Got it working again...

Then tonight I noticed the water wasn't heating up again... So out he went... he could get it to light but when he let go of the reset button, the flame would go out.

Neither of us know anything about hot water heaters... So does anyone know a good plumber to refer me to?

We are located in Katy.

Thanks guys!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Go buy a thermocouple and put it on yourself.

HD or Lowes should have one.

When you see it, you can figure out how to put it on.

It is the copper "wire" that goes from the gas valve into the flame of the pilot.

Guesstimate the length and get that size. Longer will not hurt.

IE: 18", 24".

From here I say get a 24", but take a look before you go.

[picman]

Make sure the air intake screens are not clogged with dust. Heaters that are newer than about 2003 have flame arrestor screens that are prone to dust accumulation.

May not apply to you, but Whirlpool water heaters have a left-hand thread thermocouple. The only ones that do.

[janikphoto]

Make sure the heater is worth repairing, too. Isn't Katy water heavy in minerals? If the unit is really, really old, it may be rusting out and time for a new one. I'd hate to spend $20 on a unit today, only to find out a couple months from now that I needed a brand new one, anyway.

[Cajungaltx]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

Make sure the heater is worth repairing, too. Isn't Katy water heavy in minerals? If the unit is really, really old, it may be rusting out and time for a new one. I'd hate to spend $20 on a unit today, only to find out a couple months from now that I needed a brand new one, anyway.

No clue about the water heavy minerals stuff... but the house is only 7 years old... life expectancy of a hot water heater is 10+ years...

*lol* If $20 gets me through 2 months...I'll spend the $20 and take the deep breath... ;)

[LEO III]

PM sent.

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by Cajungaltx

No clue about the water heavy minerals stuff... but the house is only 7 years old... life expectancy of a hot water heater is 10+ years...

*lol* If $20 gets me through 2 months...I'll spend the $20 and take the deep breath... ;)

Yeah, you can get 10+ years out of a well-maintained unit. However, places like Austin have more minerals in its water than Dallas (from what I've experienced), so heaters down there may not last as long. Katy may have a similar water supply. Most houses up north around all the natural lakes have water softeners on their pipes to reduce the amount of minerals coming in and eating through or clogging up all the waterworks. These water supplies with a lot of minerals can destroy a water heater in up to half the time, compared to a normal water source.

[KJ Smith]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

Make sure the heater is worth repairing, too. Isn't Katy water heavy in minerals? If the unit is really, really old, it may be rusting out and time for a new one. I'd hate to spend $20 on a unit today, only to find out a couple months from now that I needed a brand new one, anyway.

How do you suggest one do that?

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by KJ Smith

How do you suggest one do that?

when you open the valve at the bottom - the one you want to use once every year or two for draining out all the crud at the bottom of tank - you'll get a better idea of the condition. A normal unit will have some sediment and junk come out. A unit on its last legs will have nasty, rusty water full of junk come out. Excessive rusty water is a sign that the sacrificial rod is all used up and the unit itself is being eaten away.

[KJ Smith]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

when you open the valve at the bottom - the one you want to use once every year or two for draining out all the crud at the bottom of tank - you'll get a better idea of the condition. A normal unit will have some sediment and junk come out. A unit on its last legs will have nasty, rusty water full of junk come out. Excessive rusty water is a sign that the sacrificial rod is all used up and the unit itself is being eaten away.

Even if there is "excessive rusty water", how can you know if it has a month or a year left?

Aren't most water heaters designed so the water filler tube stirs up the bottom crud?

What I am looking for is something a little definitive.

What if I have dielectric unions or nipples ?

[janikphoto]

Originally Posted by KJ Smith

Even if there is "excessive rusty water", how can you know if it has a month or a year left?

Aren't most water heaters designed so the water filler tube stirs up the bottom crud?

What I am looking for is something a little definitive.

What if I have dielectric unions or nipples ?

Gosh, I couldn't give you a "month or year left" type of answer. I'm just saying these are signs that you are near the end, as opposed to the beginning of the unit's life. I've replaced maybe half a dozen units in my lifetime, some were very obvious, as they were spewing out rust-colored water through the house faucets. Some could've probably gone another year without issue, but I changed them while I was doing other work that required me to move or remove the unit. In that case, I figured why not just put back in a new unit, since the manufacture date was eight or nine years old already.

The only definitive clue is a leak in the unit that isn't caused by a loose fitting somewhere. Otherwise, you are speculating that you are replacing it close to the end of it's life. With a water heater, I prefer to do that, rather than waiting for a leak that might happen while I'm away from the house for a weekend. It's not like an A/C unit that will go bad and I'll just come back to a hot house during the summer. I'd come back to the possibility of a ruined floor!

My last repair on the water heater was just a fitting on the outlet side. My unit was only about four years old, so I'm hoping to go another four years before doing any other minor repairs, and another three or four years before replacing it. I just open up the door every month, look for anything wrong, blow out any dust and cobwebs and leave it alone until the next inspection.

And remember, my comments and suggestions are just from a homeowner that's replaced several units... not a plumber. They may have much better info than I would.

[KJ Smith]

Originally Posted by janikphoto

Gosh, I couldn't give you a "month or year left" type of answer.

That is what I am getting at.

You told Donna you would hate to spend $20.00 on something that may need to be replaced in a month or two.

But, there is no way for a normal homeowner to determine that.


In my case, my water heater was new when I bought the house.

It had a small leak around the filler tube that was rusting. I cleaned it up and put dielectric nipples on it.

Then 4 or 5 years ago the plastic blow down valve melted enough to leak. That is the only time it has been drained.

Replaced the valve with a brass one.

It is going on 13 years old now.

I have been leaning toward replacing it.

But as far as I know, there is no way to tell it needs to be done.

My buddy that is a plumbing contractor says 12 years is about right.

I was hoping you knew something more.

[revjvegas]

While we're on the subject of water heaters and replacements...anyone any experience/opinions on the tankless water heater?

Just curious as that's what I'm considering when ours decides to give out.