Installation Guide
26 • Residen al Standard Gas Water Heater Use and Care Guide
TROUBLESHOOTING
26 • Residen al Standard Gas Water Heater Use and Care Guide
TROUBLESHOOTING
gas build up. See cau on on page 6.
No Hot Water
Use the following step-by-step plan
as a guide to help determine why you
have no hot water:
1
Check the Status Light
The Status Light on the gas
control valve fl ashes once every three
seconds if the pilot is lit and the gas
control valve has not detected any
problems.
Figure 37 - Status light.
If the Status Light is fl ashing once
every three seconds and you have no
hot water, make sure the gas control
knob is set to HOT.
If the Status Light fl ashes more than
once every three seconds, refer to
the Status Light Code Troubleshoo ng
Chart on page 27.
If the Status Light is not fl ashing, go to
step 2.
2
Status Light is Not
Flashing
If the Status Light isn’t fl ashing, try
ligh ng the pilot using the ligh ng
instruc ons on page 23.
If you have tried ligh ng the pilot and the
Status Light does not fl ash, go to step 3.
If the Status Light fl ashes, go to Step
1.
3
Checking the Pilot Light
Check the spark igniter. Dim
the room lights and look through the
viewport while clicking the igniter
bu on.
If you don’t see a spark through the
viewport, check to make sure the
igniter wire is fi rmly inserted into the
white connector.
If you see a spark, make sure the gas
supply valve is turned on, and try
ligh ng the pilot using the ligh ng
instruc ons on page 23.
If the pilot s ll does not light, call a
qualifi ed person.
Insuffi cient Hot Water
or Slow Hot Water
Recovery
WARNING! Because of the in-
creased risk from scalding, if you set
the water heater’s gas control knob
higher than 120°F, install Thermosta c
Mixing Valves at each point-of-use.
Due to the increased risk of scalding,
do not set the temperature of the
Thermosta c Mixing Valves above
120°F.
If the hot water is simply not warm
enough, there are several possible
causes:
• Faulty Thermosta c Mixing Valve
in a faucet or shower control
(check other faucets in the house
for hot water).
• Water heater’s capacity too small
(or usage too high).
• Reversed plumbing connec ons
or melted dip tube (usually found
soon a er new installa on).
• Plumbing leak.
• Sediment or lime build up in the
bo om of the tank.
Thermosta c Mixing Valves. If the
hot water is simply not warm enough,
make sure the faucet you are checking
doesn’t have a defec ve Thermosta c
Mixing Valve. Many shower controls
now have built-in mixing valves. If
these devices fail, they can reduce the
amount of hot water the shower or
faucet delivers even though there is
plenty of hot water in the tank. Always
check the water temperature at several
faucets to make sure the problem is
not in a faucet or shower control.
Undersized Water Heater. If your
water heater runs out of hot water
quickly, it may be too small for your
needs. If the water heater is old, con-
sider replacing it with a larger model. If
the water heater is in good condi on,
you may be able to meet your fam-
ily’s hot water needs with the exis ng
water heater by installing Thermosta c
Mixing Valves at each point-of-use and
then turning the gas control knob to a
higher se ng.
You can also reduce your home’s hot
water needs by washing clothes in cold
water, installing fl ow restrictors on
shower heads, repairing leaky faucets,
and taking other conserva on steps.
Reversed Connec ons or Melted Dip
Tube. Check the hot and cold water
connec ons and make sure your
home’s hot water pipe is connected
to the hot water outlet on the water
heater. Usually, reversed connec ons
are found soon a er the installa on
of a new unit. If copper pipes were
soldered while they were a ached to
the water heater, the dip tube may
have melted. The dip tube is a long,
plas c tube inside the tank a ached
to the cold water inlet. If the dip tube
has melted, it can be replaced by
removing the cold water inlet connec-
on, removing the old dip tube and
installing a new one.
Plumbing Leak. Even a small leak
in the hot water side of the home’s