DoItYourself.com Community Forums > Plumbing, Piping, Water Heating, Wells, Air & Water Filtration and Conditioning > Water Heaters

Hot water heater problem

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

01-09-17, 06:06 PM

Roger Acuavera

Member

Thread Starter

Join Date: Jul 2015

Posts: 4

Upvotes: 0

Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts

Hot water heater problem

When I moved into this house 1.5 yrs ago they installed a new water heater. All too often we run out of hot water and notice the hot water pipes are cold. The breaker is not tripped. Finally I discovered if I just reset the breaker it starts to heat again. Even when its not working there is a status light on. I was told maybe one side of the breaker is bad. Does that make sense? The heater has a 10 yr warranty with labor.

Upvote

01-09-17, 06:18 PM

PJmax

Group Moderator

Join Date: Oct 2012

Location: Jersey

Posts: 63,063

Upvotes: 447

Received 3,596 Upvotes on 3,225 Posts

The water heater will have a 10 year tank warranty but usually only a year on electric parts.

I'm not aware of an electric water heater that has a status light on it.
Is this possibly a gas water heater ? If yes....we need the make and model number for it.

Upvote

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Show Printable Version

Email this Page

Water Heaters
replacing anode rod info

S

sddiy on Jan 05, 2017

My water heater is about 7 years old and I didn't realize I should be performing maintenance on it. It works fine so I just need to perform some maintenance. I plan to replace the anode rod and have some questions. The manual for my water heater is [url]http://www.statewaterheaters.com/lit/im/res-gas/184165-003.pdf[/url] 1) What size replacement should I buy? I'd rather not take it out and the order it. I want to have everything ready to do this all in one shot. 2) Is there a secondary anode and should I replace that as well. 3) Should I buy the magnesium or aluminum? 4) should i buy the flexible? I believe I have clearance, but if the cost difference is a few dollars I don't mind. 5) I need to turn off the gas correct? 6) Do I need to turn off the water heater itself? How do I do that? Turning the knob to off or pilot? 6) I need to shutoff the incoming cold water correct? 7) I should drain a few galons of water first correct? I plan to attach a hose and drain enough so that the water is clear. But the water would be burning and I should be careful correct? OR should I wait some time for the water temp to go down? 8) any other advice?Read More
Water Heaters
Can't find small propane Leak

F

fitz70 on Jan 12, 2017

Hello everyone. As the title says, I've got a small propane leak somewhere around my water heater. Last night, after complaining to me for the last month that she could smell propane in the closet where our water heater is, my wife said it was worse than usual. I'd checked this before, but I could barely smell it. Due to other problems, I hadn't got back to this. But last night, I went into the closet, and sure enough, I could smell propane very distinctly. As it was late, I simply turned the propane line valve at the water heater OFF. As well as the regulator valve. By this morning, the smell had dissipated, so I began checking for leaks, using a spray bottle of soap and water. I sprayed the fittings at the main valve, and where the flex line connects to the regulator. Then I checked the three small lines going from the regulator to the combustion chamber. No leaks were detected. I then decided to re-light the water heater, so propane would flow in any of those three lines post lighting. Checked again. No leaks. It was then that I started to wonder if what we were really smelling was EXHAUST fumes? As we've had quite a bit of snow lately, I'm wondering if the exhaust pipe maybe partially blocked. As I'm 72, I can't afford to go climbing on the roof to check. That is why I'm asking. Although, I thought I read somewhere that when propane burns, it gives off Carbon Monoxide, which if I'm correct, you can't smell. However, a year ago, at this same time of year, both myself and my wife became very dizzy and disoriented one night, and had to go to the emergency room. After checking us both, they said we had elevated Carbon Monoxide levels, and were very concerned. I bought a Carbon Monoxide tester, but it detected nothing. So now, I'm a bit confused. So, can someone tell me if you can smell the exhaust fumes from burning propane? If not, then I'm at a loss of where these fumes are coming from. Anyone have any suggestions what to look for. I did do some research, and at one forum, a guy had a leaking problem on the INSIDE of his water heater in the pilot light line. But, it appears this is definitely not something to fix your self. Any suggestions would be appreciated. However, the water heater is lit now, and after an hour, I still don't detect any fumes, but that doesn't mean I DON"T have a leak. All I know is it was real bad last night. Hence turning off the valve at the water heater. I'll check the closet every half hour or so today, and get back to you. Thanks for any help.Read More

Ask a Question