On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 8:26 PM, <scott.hall@comcast.net> wrote:
> any help on the water heater troubleshooting?
>
> the pilot light lights and seems to stay lit, but the main burner won't fire,
>as if the thermostat is bad.
>
> this is our first gas heater after about ten years of electric, and I've
>forgotten the simple fixes. I seem to remember the thermocouple was the first
>try, but I thought that was when the pilot wouldn't stay lit either.
>
> I thought I'd check before I crack open the box and have at it. any common
>items to try first?
>
Right. The thermocouple is a flame proving device. It's heated by
the pilot, and produces some current when hot. That allows the gas
valve to stay open. Lack of hot water is caused by the burner not
heating the water. it can fail to do that because the thermostat is
set low, broken, or set to the pilot only setting. It can also happen
because the burner doesn't work -- clogged, blocked orifice, etc.
There are other causes of no hot water. I've seen the dip tube that
supplies cold water to the bottom of the heater fall off. That means
the replacement water is supplied at the top of the tank, and
immediately drawn off. The burner never fires, because the water at
the t'stat is hot.
--
David Scheidt
dmscheidt@gmail.com
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