Ok, so, we had the gas reconnected, about a week ago, yet no hot water at all. what are some things I can do to get it working again? IE not calling anyone, or doing that much work.
If the gas has been reconnected, then the water heater must be relit. Not knowing what was done, there may be air pockets in the line, but you still need to relight the unit. If it fails to maintain a standing pilot after the 60 second hold, then the thermocouple is most likely faulty.
If the gas supply was disturbed by the supplying utility, they usually ensure all fueled appliances are operating properly.
When the gas was reconnected, who lit the pilot light? Is the pilot supposed to be electronic/self-starting? (Did the gas employee turn off the circuit breaker (or fuse) and forget to set it back on?) Or do you need to get down there with a long match?
The Employee got down there… and lit the pilot. Could it have gone out already? How long should it take to heat up the water? He did not ‘mess’ with the fuses at all.
What should I look for to make sure everything is working right?
The pilot light can get snuffed out for a number of reasons. You can check if the pilot is lit by taking the cover off and looking. It’s pretty obvious - either there is a flame or there isn’t. If the pilot is out follow the directions on/near the pilot.
Where to start…
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What kind of water heater is this? Tank resevoir, or point-of-delivery? If it is a large cylinder in the basement, it is a resevoir. Those should re-heat within 5-15 minutes (depending, depending).
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If it is a resevoir type, is it gas or electric? You sure?
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If it is gas, does the gas from a pipe or a tank? Does it use a pilot light, or is it pilotless? How do you know?
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If it is a tank, is there still gas in it, or did it leak somewhere?
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If it is natural gas from a utility pipeline: why do you say the pilot was lit? Do you know how to light a pilot? If you don’t, STOP! Call the utility company, have them dispatch someone to:
a. light the pilot (after discerning why it went out)
b. teach you how to light the pilot.
There could be any number of reasons why the “hot” water isn’t. First thing to do is to determine if there is a gas leak, water leak, electrical short circuit - look at the heater and see if there are any obvoius problems.
Its possible your gas line wasn’t purged properly and the pilot just went out. As noted above there is an access door at the bottom of the tank to check if the pilot is lit. If it is lit it is possible that the gas to the burner wasn’t turned on. There is a red knob on the control valve that has three positions, off, pilot, on. make sure it is turned on. If the pilot is out there are instructions near the controll valve on re-lighting it. Basically-- Turn the control valve to the off position for a few minutes, turn the valve to pilot and pushdown on it and hold it down while placing a lit match up into the burner area, the pilot should light, you will need a long match or a holder, hold the valve down for about a minute and then turn the valve to on position, set the temperature to the desired water temperature
If the water heater has been off for some time, there could be condensation/rust in the flue and the burner would be in bad shape too. Most utility workers know what to look for before turning the gas back on.
Gas is nothing to take for granted. don’t touch if you don’t know what you are doing.