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Natural Gas water heater Pilot won't stay lite

cameraman's picture

Natural Gas water heater Pilot won't stay lite (post #184556)

cameraman on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 11:08
in

Natural Gas water heater, 2 yr old, pilot lite won't stay lite. Every thing has been working fine, lite goes out, I relite it, no problem. Next day goes out and relite 4 more times.
Then when lite won't stay lite.
I assume its the thermo coupling, replaced and pilot lites and stay lite, all's well, untill pilot goes out again. 1 hr later.
Pilot flames burns clean and blue. Pretty good size flame. Sensor tip is up in the flame in same position as the old one.
What else can I check out??????
Could I have installed a bad , new thermocoupling?????

-A +A

New gas water heaters are (post #184556, reply #1 of 7)

by DanH in reply to cameraman [original] on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 19:39

New gas water heaters are fussy. First make sure that the screens on the air intakes aren't clogged with dust/lint/cobwebs.


We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources of energy -- sun, wind and tide. ... I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. --Thomas Edison

I have checked air in take (post #184556, reply #2 of 7)

by cameraman in reply to DanH [original] on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 05:59

I have checked air in take and block flue, I broke down and called Whirlpool. Surprise to find a 6 year parts/labor warrenty.

Tec said that it's a bad gas valve.

Whirlpool contracts with Sears in our area for warrenetty work.

Repair tec will be here in the AM.

Bradford White has some good (post #184556, reply #3 of 7)

by rjw in reply to cameraman [original] on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 08:43

Bradford White has some good diagnosis info, much of it general...

http://www.bradfordwhite.com/troubleshooting.asp

======================================== "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." Reinhold Niebuhr: 'The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness' http://rjw-progressive.blogspot.com/ ========================================

Sears repair has just lrft (post #184556, reply #5 of 7)

by cameraman in reply to rjw [original] on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 09:48

Sears repair has just lrft the building.....my in laws are in hot water!!!

I (and others on this forum, (post #184556, reply #4 of 7)

by rdesigns in reply to cameraman [original] on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 09:46

I (and others on this forum, I think) will be surprsed it turns out to be a bad gas valve.

Please post back when the tech finishes, and let us know if it really was a bad valve or what.

Recently I went through the (post #184556, reply #6 of 7)

by cynwyd in reply to rdesigns [original] on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 11:36

Recently I went through the same sequence with a propane system and the regulator proved to be at fault. Propane supplier took the hit as it was part of the delivery system.

My thoughts also......I spoke (post #184556, reply #7 of 7)

by cameraman in reply to cynwyd [original] on Thu, 02/11/2010 - 12:50

My thoughts also......I spoke with the service tec., (Sears) that does the warrenty work for Whirlpool. He said they have been having a problem with this gas valve, they keep them stocked on the truck.

I don't know who makes the heater for Whirlpool, (Lowes), 40 gal. nat gas. 6 yr parts/labor. Changed out the gas valve and they were in business.

But my in laws are happy now, thats all that matters