Question

All > Home & Garden

RebeccaElizabethTrehan: 3 months ago

Should i replace my water heater?

I have a AO Smith Promax, it is five years old. Just a week ago i stopped getting hot water, and I relit it. I worked for a day and so i relit it agian but it went out right away. Does it need to be replaced or just certian parts?

Answer This Question

Report as

Answer 1

ClaraListensprechen: 3 months ago | Last edited at 12:58PM on 2/23/2013

Try checking the thermosensor first. All too commonly, it's called a "thermocouple" but technically it is not a thermocouple. It's a thin copper tube that goes from the gas controller to the pilot, with the pilot end closed.

Check the position of the pilot end and ensure that it is properly positioned just above the base of the pilot flame, not too high at the tip. If it's at the tip it will overheat and possibly have a hole blown in it. Check the nut that fastens the thermosensor into the gas controller to ensure that it's snug. Should be hand-tight plus a quarter turn.

Light the pilot and check the pilot for size and color. It shouldn't be puny and it should be, by and large, a pure blue flame. If it burns yellow, you have a pilot carburetor problem--the pilot jet assembly needs cleaning.

If all of the above checks okay and if your pilot refuses to stay lit when you ease off the gas knob, it's likely your thermosensor either has a hole in it or you didn't hold the knob down long enough. If you have held the knob down more than 2 minutes and it still goes out, replace the thermosensor.

Helpful (3) Fun Thanks for voting Comments (5)

Report as

RebeccaElizabethTrehan: 3 months ago

the thing is, now I can't even light it to see the color of the flame, it doesn't light...?

Report as

ClaraListensprechen: 3 months ago

What I've recounted here is general maintenance of a "dumb" gas water heater. It seems that your AO Smith Promax might be "smart", that your gas controller has been electronically forced into "lockdown mode". Not sure what to do about that part, but here's a thread about that you can read while I still do some digging on this problem.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/water-heaters/221664-5-year-old-o-smith-50-gal-gas-water-heater-wont-heat-regularly.html

Report as

ClaraListensprechen: 3 months ago

From what I've read, to get out of lockdown mode, you unplug the electronics and plug it back in. But from what I've read, I underscore the part where it's important to clean the thermosensor of any oxidation coating. Apparently the "smart" AO Smith has a "flame sensor" (functionally the same thing) and an oxidation or other coating functions as a failsafe....something that is true of all modern gas burning utilities these days, alas.

When you have it unplugged, take some Scotchbrite or other mildly abrasive substance to bring a shine back to your flame sensor whether it's a common thermosensor tube or something else. It's that important.

Report as

ClaraListensprechen: 3 months ago

Oh dear. Reading the following website led me to believe that you should replace your water heater, but not with another AO Smith. Whoaaaaaah.

http://www.fixya.com/support/t2943418-pilot_light_going_out_randomly_ao_smith

Report as

RebeccaElizabethTrehan: 3 months ago

thank you!!!

Report as

Add a comment...

Answer 2

sheldon_cooper: 3 months ago via iPhone

It just needs a new ignightor"
Or ignition .
Far less then buying a whole new hot water heater '

Helpful (2) Fun Thanks for voting Comments (0)

Report as

Add a comment...