I called my home warranty people (actually, I’m on hold) but I want to know about what it can be or maybe if I can fix it myself easily and safely.
It’s a gas water heater, outside. I don’t know how many gallons. I’ve never had to relight the pilot before a few months ago, but since then I’ve had to relight it three times. This is the fourth. Today it would light when I held down the red button, but when I released the button it went off. I held it down for the minute required by the side of the heater, but no dice.
So what is it? What am I looking at in expense? The home warranty will cover, you know, a crappy replacement, maybe. (The deductable goes up every year, too - used to be 45, I was surprised to find that it’ll be 75 for this, which I could pay my regular plumber I bet. And he’d show up TODAY. Oh well - the thing is, it WOULD pay for a replacement of some sort.)
Probably the sensor is going bad, it’s a safety interlock to keep the main burner from receiving gas when there’s no ignition (no pilot). How old it the heater? I think most new ones use and electronic ignition device, no pilot light that burns all the time. You might consider replacing it if it’s more that 10 years old. Newer models are safer, require less maintenace and are more efficient.
Sounds like a bad thermocouple.
Gas flow to the pilot is controlled by a thermocouple, which is heated by the pilot light.
If the thermocouple is busted, not delivering a signal, gas to the pilot is turned off when you release the start button.
Thermocouples do go bad from sitting in a gas flame for years and years.
Replacement is easy on some water heaters, hard on others.
I am not sure how old the water heater is - I think it was only a few years old when I bought the house, which was two years ago. I don’t think it’s as old as ten years.
Also, what are the chances the whole thing will have to be replaced? Because I’m considering cancelling my service call and calling Larry, the filthy but reliable plumber. I’ll do it if we’re talking about a $20 part, but not if there’s a chance I might need the further protection of the home warranty.
If you get the model number of the heater you should be able to price the part over the phone. You can also get the cost of a service call by a repairperson. You say you have a $75 deductable? I’d guess that’s on the low end of the cost to repairing it, but that’s only a WAG.
I’d try lighting it again, but hold the red button longer, maybe 2-3 minutes. You might also clean in there if it’s accessable, dirt, soot, etc. can affect the operation.
From your description, it’s unlikely that the whole water heater needs replacing.
From your description, it is the thermocouple. Part, with markup is no more than $15. Can’t speak for labor, as I’ve no idea what average rate per hour is your area, nor the PITA factor of replacement. Around here, flat rate first hour plus part will run between $80 and $100.
A blocked vent will only shut off a FVIR style water heater, or a safety equipped power venter. Standard draft non FVIR will just spill CO out of the vent hood if it is blocked.
Whew! I held it down for three minutes and it stayed lit. Which is a good thing because, if you obsessively follow my SDMB career, I’d been making a ton of chocolate truffles when it went down and there’s a HUGE pile of dishes to be done. And a bowl of chocolate ganache that can’t be coated until I get some clean bowls!
So, I assume that when the plumbers FINALLY CALL ME, I should still schedule them to replace the thermocouple? That this will happen again?
Not necessarily. If it goes out again you might try cleaning the bits in there. You should do it gingerly, perhaps w/ an old toothbrush, you don’t want to bend or dislodge anthing. You could also vacuum the space. Thermocouple are usually good, or bad. They don’t go bad slowly. So there’s probably something else going on, dirt, misalignment between the capillary tube (the little sensor probe) and the pilot light, pilot light not large enough to adequately heat the sensor (blockage in the pilot burner).
If it does go out again, you can simply try holding the red button longer, like you did this time.
Here’s an article, w/ a pic, that may help: http://www.rd.com/19531/article.html
We get it maybe once every five years, and everything stops. It’s like a huge holiday, everybody takes pictures. It’s only not cool if you’re stuck at work and then it’s really hard to get home.
Reminds me if my first week in Virginia Beach-- I’d moved from northern Ohio. Exited the front door in the morning, light dusting of snow on the ground. “Hmm. Snow on the ground. Guess I’d better dust off the windshield and drive extra carefully.”
At 8:30, the office is still dead. I got a call from the receptionist: “There’s snow on the ground. Should I drive in today?”
Anyway, back to the OP. You can pull the thermocouple yourself, if it amuses you-- it’s the small metal cylinder that sticks directly into the pilot light. It’ll be attached via a wire (white woven cover) to the valve. Clean off the business end with some extremely fine sandpaper if it’s got corrosion or icky stuff on it.
Minor observation-if it has wires with a woven cover, it’s probably a thermopile, which is a functionally similar, but still different beast than a thermocouple. Thermocouples have a thin copper or aluminum colored lead which terminates at a male threaded hex fitting where it screws into the gas valve.
GODDAMN IT! After I finally got it lit, the next day it was out again. So the home warranty contracted plumber came today, replaced the thermocouple and that thing with the dial and the button. Tell me half an hour, an hour, hot water.
NO HOT WATER. FREEZING COLD WATER.
Is there any disappointment more richly felt than standing in your shower naked waiting for the water to warm up and it never does?
So I call them and they say they’ll come back. (Recall, I have taken time off from work for this.) I go out there to have a look at it and there is no fucking dial on the new dial thing! There’s a place where the dial goes, and in the middle there’s this gross putty stuff. Watch me present these fuckers with a bill for the time I’m not spending at work! Aaaargh!