Where do I start troubleshooting a gas water heater ?

Water heaters are something we all depend when they start causing problems we often frantically start looking for who can help locate the problem or replace the water heater if need be. Most water heater problems are caused from too much pressure in the system or lack of maintenance over time. You can identify your water heater problems by following the simple check list below to find out what is causing your water heater problems.

1. Check the thermocoupling

Thermocoupling- Works in conjunction with the gas valve generating a small current without this current present the gas valve will not stay activated

2. Check the piezo igniter

Piezo Igniter- A quartz crystal contained in a button that produces a spark when the button is depressed lighting the gas

3. Check the energy cut off (ECO)

Energy Cut Off- A device that is used to regulate the pressure and heat inside your water heater if the pressure or heat exceeds the manufacturers rating the gas valve is cut off with a small switch inside the ECO.

4. Check the gas valve

Gas Valve-Regulates the flow the temperature and the pressure on your water heater

5. Check the thermal release device

Thermal Release Device- A small glass bubble or vial that is designed to cut off the fresh air entering the combustion chamber as during an extreme overheat situation

Why so many parts on a gas water heater ?

Safety of course! Every water heater has many different fail safes in place to ensure that an explosion or fire do not occur. All of these devices work in conjunction with the gas valve and are controlled with a small amount of electrical energy to make sure they all perform their job without them you could easily burn your house down or even worse burn yourself or your family.

Are electrical water heaters safer than gas water heaters ?

Electrical water heaters and gas water heaters are both safe provided the safety devices are functioning properly and have not been bypassed or removed in order to make the heater function.

Thermal Expansion

The IPC (International Plumbing Code) requires a means to control thermal expansion. In section 607.3. It states that and for good reason.Now it’s very important to understand why that is and how to go about regulating it.

If hot water was not a requirement in a building then of course thermal expansion would not be a problem, however it is and you must address it and here is why. Water cannot be compressed and as it is heated it expands and must find a way out of a closed loop system. If you can imagine a tea kettle starting to boil it’s the same principle.

What happens in your house is quite simple. While no fixtures are being used or “no flow”  periods depending on the amount of pressure on the system and the temperature of the water being heated, the heated water will expand a given amount thus increasing your entire system pressure despite having a PRV or (pressure reducing valve) in place.

This increase in pressure and expanding water is going to find a way out and it almost always causes toilet fill valves to fail and leaking or dripping shower valves or cartridges too. It can cause extremely high pressure in the water heater tank as well. If the tank exceeds 150 psi the installed t&p relief valve (temperature and pressure) is designed to open and release the excessive pressure and hot water to prevent your water heater from becoming a water laden projectile that could easily go through your roof.

The reason your toilet valves and shower cartridges fail first is because they are not designed to operate under high pressure and extreme hot water conditions. Water heater tanks can take higher temperatures and higher pressures, however they must not be subjected to more than 150psi and they must have a functioning t&p valve in place. You should periodically open the t&p to make sure it is functioning properly and not clogged or blocked with mineral build up or scaling causing it to stay open or just not even work at all because of corrosion.

You can easily control thermal expansion with either a thermal expansion tank or a thermal expansion device such as a governor 80 installed in a toilet. A t&p is not considered an approved way to control thermal expansion because of the mineral build up and scaling they incur.

You can learn more about thermal expansion and pressure problems in our other articles.

You have probably come home from work before and experienced no hot water because of too many activities the wife may have planned for the kids.  You had to wait until your old fashioned tank type water heater could heat up the cold water inside it so you could take your shower.  One way to avoid this irritating wait is to install a tried and true modern tank-less water heater.

I have heard countless horror stories about tank-less water heaters.  However, invariably these horror stories are the product of improper installations or attempting to get by with one tank-less heater when you really need two or more.   If you are going to use a tank-less water heater, go ahead and do it right.   Make sure you are buying the right size to handle your needs.

One huge mistake I have seen is improper installation of the venting on a tank-less. You cannot use regular gas vent on a condensing water heating unit. This will ruin the heat exchanger because of the acid that is produced from the venting thus causing many different problems.

Your best bet to end all of that frustration is going to be the installation of a new tank-less water heater by a trained professional.    Right now there are huge tax credits available and the manufacturers are giving out pretty good rebates as well. The upfront costs that are associated with the installation are easily offset with these current rebates, and the money you will save from not having to heat that incoming cold water in the old fashioned tank type water heaters makes a tank-less water heater a wise investment.

Tank-less water heaters are a good investment for a large family and they offer a good change of lifestyle that you will welcome with open arms. Your wife can use that garden tub she can’t fill up with the that old tank you have down there and you can take an endless shower.  If you ever worry about your tank water heater bursting while your away or you need some extra space in your basement or garage you will be doing yourself a favor as well. The footprint of a tank-less is extremely small compared to a conventional tank type water heater.

Because the technology has been present for over 40 yrs in Japan you know its rock solid and will last a long time. You should avoid a couple of brands out there though(I will not mention them) and stick to the best systems available on the market. Noritz makes the best on the market by far. Out of 100 units my company installed in five years we never had one call back on a Noritz tank-less water heater. They have the best customer service both for the homeowner and the plumber installing them than any other manufacturer on the market.

When you do have your plumber come out and install one, ask him to install a recirculating pump also because it will make the system operate more efficiently by getting hot water to every fixture faster and save you on your water bill too.

Tank-less water heating is the wave of the future in the United States for heating hot water and it is about time. Your family will enjoy the benefits of an endless flow of hot water.  You will no longer have to worry about that old tank type water heater bursting and flooding your home while you are at work or on vacation.

Anybody who has small children running around the house always worries about them either getting burned by a stove or by hot water.Your water heater is the source of the heat and most people assume that turning down the water heater to a tepid temperature will solve that.

Your just adding another risk to your entirely family by doing that. Because of the risk of Legionnaires’ disease (LEE-juh-nares)  caused by a type of bacteria called Legionella. This was named back in the 70′s when a group of people  went to a Philadelphia convention meeting for the  American Legion suffered  an outbreak from this bacteria, It’s a form of pneumonia. of course it has been around for who knows how long before then, modern medicine seems to be able to identify it better now though.

Your water heater is actually not even designed to operate below 140°. The main reason is this bacterial danger and the only sure fire way to control your water heaters temperature  is with the use of a thermostatic mixing valve. American water heater manufacturers are allowed a variance of plus or minus 15° on their control valves making it impossible to be used to regulate the water heaters temperature any way.

In Atlanta I have not seen one water heater in a residential house that has a thermostatic valve installed. Commercial buildings require one and residential dwellings should as well. Not only to prevent the bacteria ,but also to prevent the scalding hazard in your home too. You can purchase several retro fit devices for older homes to equip your dated three handle and single handle shower valves and  lavatory and kitchen faucets too. Any new valve you  purchase and have installed in your house will have anti scald built in,however this does not address the water heater bacteria issue. Watts and Honeywell produce reasonably priced thermostatic valves for residential applications at a reasonable price. Ask your plumber to check pricing you cannot purchase this at Home Depot or Lowes.

Because of the seriousness associated with this it is advisable for you to protect your family by having a plumbing service come out and add these components to your plumbing system. Modern plumbing design and the technological advances in tempering control devices provide no excuse for a responsible parent to ensure the health and welfare of their children by being aware of these things. Many people have fell ill from the Legionella and still do to this day from the negligence of slumlords and the ignorance of the average person not to mention the thousands of small children that are burned everyday.

If you live in Atlanta you have no excuse because some of the best trained and experienced service plumbers are right under your nose. So take advantage of the resources you have available and get it fixed before somebody gets sick or burned.

Just because your water heater looks shiny and new does not mean it is in good working order.Too much pressure in the system causes many systems to fail prematurely. And you need to drain the tank every once in a while to remove sediment. It’s good practice to keep an eye on your water pressure every so often to make sure you are not stressing your old water heater.

Inadequate maintenance on your heater will cause it to fail too. You must keep the anode rod replaced every year or two depending on the hardness of your water and you have to watch your dip tubes too. They break and get caught up in the piping and can cause intermittent hot and cold water that will drive you crazy.

Go down to Home Depot or Lowes or Ace and buy a small pressure gauge in the sprinkler section for around ten bucks and you can determine the operating pressure on your water heater.

If you look down at the bottom of the heater you will see a valve that is similar to an outside spigot.

Some water heaters have plastic valves and some have brass. Simply screw the gauge on it snug so the washer seats against the spigot and look at your pressure reading. Be careful though because the plastic valves have a tendency to break and often times will not shutoff after not being used.

If your pressure is more than 80 psi you need to most likely have your pressure reducing valve replaced. If you ignore it you will be replacing not only the prv but soon you will be replacing the heater as well.

What happens is, over time, you have sediment build up from scaling and hard water deposits. Tese collect in the bottom of the tank causing excessive weight on that glass liner.

When you add pressure into the equation something has to give and usually it is the tank.

Sometimes it will not burst the water heater , instead it will leak from the relief valve to release the pressure. If that happens then you definitely have a pressure problem.

I have told people time and time again that the underlying pressure problem will need to be addressed prior to repairing the relief valve. Some people just don’t listen and it costs them twice as much. Water heaters are kind of like a car that gets driven until the wheels fall off in far too many situations.

If you have to progressively turn the temperature up on your water heater to get everybody bathed in the house. It is a good sign that you have either a broken dip tube or a large build up of sediment in the tank.

It very well could be both. Turning the heat up as opposed to calling a plumber is going to cost you more in the long run.

The best thing to do if you are experiencing this problem is to replace the heater.Repairs on a water heater that old are not worth sinking the money into anyway.

Most heaters installed in a new house are only six year heaters anyway and there is a reason it says 6yr water heater on the tank.If you have a six year heater that has never been maintained then why spend money on repairs?

Water heaters are not designed to just set there and make hot water. They are a functional part to your plumbing system that rely on other factors not even related to the actual heater itself.

A good maintenance plan can prevent most premature water heater failure and proper installation from the beginning will ensure a longer lasting heater. Call a professional before you experience problems and it will save you tons of money.

I cannot count the phone calls where somebody had a family member that thought he could do it and should have just left it alone because he was clueless.

Do you think the guys at Home Depot or Lowes know about water heaters?

Guess what? They don’t,if they did they wouldn’t be working there.

They don’t even know where or what the parts are half the time much less how to install or maintain a water heater. Call a professional plumber.

The most common problem for  a conventional tanks failure is usually the result of high pressure in combination with sediment build up in the tank. The tank is designed to withstand 150psi (pounds per square inch) before the relief valve expels water so the tank does not go through the roof of your house like a rocket. Without that relief valve you have a potential nightmare on your hands. If you plan on installing a water heater by yourself do not cap the relief line.

The IPC (International Plumbing Code) requires pressure not to exceed 80psi in a closed loop plumbing system. Ideally you want your operating pressure around 65 psi. Another factor that must be taken into consideration is thermal expansion,when water is heated it expands and needs space to accommodate it. After the September eleventh incident local municipalities have mandated the installation of check valves at the meter to ensure that no one can pump chemical or biological contaminants into the water supply. With these check valves installed the thermal expansion needs a buffer or a way out so it does not damage one of the components in your plumbing system i.e. toilets,shower valves and of course your water heater.

You have several different options available of which the thermal expansion tank is the most commonly used. Another device that releases thermal expansion is installed in a toilet it is called a Governor 80. Also Watts produces smaller thermal expansion devices that may be installed in the line to do the same thing,whichever device you may choose it is imperative that you perform this necessary and important step in order to maintain a good functioning tank type water heater. Proper venting and a clean combustion inlet are also vital to your water heaters health.

For some reason people think that water heater installation is nothing more than two pipes connected,but as you can see there is whole lot involved and I still did not cover it all. So when you think about self hot water heater installation remember that codes are in place for a reason and it’s probably best that you call a professional plumber to do it for you.