Installation Guide

Residen al Gas Water Heater Use and Care Guide for Manufactured Homes • 25
TROUBLESHOOTING
TROUBLESHOOTING
Plumbing Leak. Even a small leak
in the hot water side of the home’s
plumbing system can make it appear
that the water heater is producing
li le to no hot water. In this case, the
burner will be on all or almost all the
 me, yet you will have very li le hot
water. Locate and repair the leak.
Sediment or Lime in Tank. With an
exis ng water heater, if you have some
hot water but not as much as you’re
used to, there may be a build up of
sediment or lime on the bo om of the
tank. Sediment or lime build up can
reduce the effi ciency of your water
heater. Heavy deposits can damage
the water heater. See the Maintenance
sec on for steps on draining and
fl ushing the water heater.
Temperature Too High
Adjust the thermostat on the water
heater to a lower se ng. Install or
adjust Thermosta c Mixing Valves
for each point-of-use (see the valve
manufacturer’s instruc ons).
Low Water Pressure
Check both the cold and hot water
at a sink to determine if the lower
pressure is only on the hot water side.
If both hot and cold faucets have low
pressure, call your local water u lity.
If the low pressure is only on the hot
water side, the primary causes are:
• Melted heat traps or dip tube.
Soldering copper pipes while they
are connected to the water heater
can melt the heat traps inside the
hot and cold water connec ons
or the dip tube (cold water side).
Melted heat traps or a melted dip
tube can restrict the fl ow of hot
water. If that’s the case, replace the
heat traps or dip tube.
• Par ally closed supply valve. Open
the water heater’s supply valve fully.
Drips from T&P Relief
Valve Discharge Pipe
A small amount of water dripping from
the Temperature and Pressure (T&P)
Relief Valve usually means the home’s
water pressure is too high and/or you
need a Thermal Expansion Tank. See
Step 1 in the Installa on sec on of this
manual for more informa on.
A large amount of hot water coming
from the T&P discharge pipe may be
due to the tank overhea ng. If the
T&P relief valve is discharging large
amounts of very hot water, turn the
gas supply valve off and call a qualifi ed
person.
WARNING! Do not cap or plug the
T&P Relief Valve or discharge pipe,
and do not operate the water heater
without a func oning T&P Relief
Valve—this could cause an explosion.
Water Pressure too High. High
water pressure can cause the T&P
Relief Valve to drip. Install a Pressure
Reducing Valve (PRV) on the main cold
water supply line. Adjust the PRV to
between 50 and 60 psi.
Thermal Expansion Tank. Install a
Thermal Expansion Tank. If a Thermal
Expansion Tank is already installed and
the T&P Relief Valve discharge pipe
drips, the home’s water pressure may
be too high or the Thermal Expansion
Tank may be defec ve. Refer to
the instruc ons that came with the
Thermal Expansion Tank for more
informa on.
Debris. In rare cases, debris can s ck
inside the T&P Relief Valve preven ng
the valve from sealing fully. In that
case, the T&P Relief Valve discharge
pipe will drip. You may be able to clear
debris from the T&P Relief Valve by
manually opera ng the valve, allowing
small quan  es of water to fl ush out
the debris. See the label on the T&P
Relief Valve for instruc ons.
WARNING! When manually
opera ng the temperature-pressure
relief valve, make sure that no one is in
front of or around the discharge outlet.
The water may be extremely hot and
could cause severe burns. Also ensure
that the water discharge will not cause
property damage.
If the water pressure is between 50
and 60 psi, a Thermal Expansion Tank
is installed and properly pressurized,
and the valve has been cleared of any
debris, and it s ll drips, the valve may
be broken—have a qualifi ed person
replace the T&P Relief Valve.
Water Odor
Harmless bacteria normally present
in tap water can mul ply in water
heaters and give off a “ro en egg”
smell. Although elimina ng the
bacteria that causes “smelly water”
is the only sure treatment, in some
cases, the standard anode rod that
came with your water heater can be
replaced with a special zinc anode rod
which may help reduce or eliminate
the odor. Contact a qualifi ed person.
NOTICE: To protect the tank, an anode
rod must be installed in the water
heater at all  mes or the warranty is
void.
In cases where the “ro en egg” smell
is very strong, you could increase the
tank temperature to 140°F in order to
reduce bacterial growth in the tank.
WARNING! Because higher
temperatures increase the risk of
scalding, if you set the thermostat(s)
higher than 120°F, Thermosta c
Mixing Valves at each point-of-use are
par cularly important.