Your gas water heater will turn off if it isn't getting the fuel it needs. There are a few different problems that can prevent your heater from getting enough gas. Although these problems are most often caused by a faulty gas valve or a leak. A leak is an emergency that needs professional attention immediately.
In modern gas-fueled type water heaters feature valves that automatically close the supply of gas when the pilot light goes out. This involves a thermocouple device to detect if the pilot light is on via temperature and if it is not, then the voltage drops which in turn causes the gas valve to close.
In the average home, the water heater will run for about three hours each day. Total run time can range from one to two hours for new tankless water heaters to five or more hours for older tank style water heaters.
Cycling occurs when the demand load on the heater is less than the minimum firing rate of the water heater. In other words, if the BTUH required to bring the water temperature up to the set point is less than the minimum BTUH that the water heater can operate at, the heater will keep turning on and off.
The pilot light on most water heaters can be found at the base of the unit just under the gas control valve. Open the access door or panel to the burner chamber and take a look inside. You should be able to see the pilot light tube. If there's a steady blue flame, your pilot light is operational.
A basic water heater will run three to five hours a day to keep its tank heated 24/7. That's going to cost you.
If you need to turn your water off for any reason, it's always safer to turn your water heater off, too. While many water heaters will be fine for a while without a water supply, reduced water pressure or a low water level inside the tank could cause the heater's components to overheat and burn.
The thermostat switches on and off to keep the water at the set temperature. However, if the thermostat malfunctions, and fails to turn off when the set temperature has been reached, it will automatically shut down the power to the water heater when the water temperature reaches 180°F.
Is your gas water heater not hot enough? If you find yourself in this situation, there are usually three common culprits: a broken dip tube, a buildup of sediment in your tank or a malfunctioning heating system.
This can be caused by the gas supply being interrupted, the gas valve being turned off, or a gust of wind blowing out the pilot flame. Look for a very small flame—the pilot light—through the viewing window at the bottom of the water heater. If you don't see a pilot light, try relighting the pilot.
All furnaces made within the last 20 years or so are equipped with a fail safe electrical shut-off valve. This valve operates automatically and shuts off gas flow as soon as the standing pilot light goes out, preventing any risk of gas buildup.
If the pilot light goes out on a storage or instantaneous hot water heater, space heater or a ducted heater, you will not have a gas leak. This is because all modern gas appliances with pilot lights have a fail-safe device that closes off the gas to the appliance in the case when the pilot may go out.
Although this is an area of concern for many people, the reality is that boilers are built so that the gas supply to the pilot light is shut off if the flame goes out. Whilst the cause of pilot light failure needs to be investigated, extinguished pilot lights aren't going to cause a gas leak.
If your furnace keeps shutting off, check your air vents to see if any of them are closed or blocked in any way. You should keep all your vents open, even in the rooms you don't use. If your heat exchanger doesn't get enough air, it can't transfer enough heat.
If your hot water heater temperature switches between hot and cold, there may be a problem with the control thermostat. Your water heater has two thermostats, an upper and lower. Fluctuations between hot and cold temperatures indicate that only the upper water heater circuit is working.
A properly and professionally installed gas hot water heater will provide hot water most quickly. An average 40-gallon heater will only take about 30 to 40 minutes to provide heat water, while you can expect hot water from a larger tank (80-gallons) in approximately 60 to 70 minutes.
There's a safety valve in every water heater, called the Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve, or a T&P relief valve. In short, when the temperature or pressure of the water heater gets too high, the valve opens, and releases water that's causing the increase in pressure.
Your unit's pilot light is always burning when the unit is on. If the pilot light goes out, the gas will stop flowing and your unit will shut off. When heating is required, the gas control valve releases the gas into the main burner where the pilot light ignites the gas.
Many homeowners ask us if they should turn off their water heater between uses to save money. Our professional answer after crunching the numbers? No, unless you're going on vacation for a month or longer, you shouldn't turn off your water heater.
Absolutely! We can send a gas service technician to light your pilot, and conduct a gas safety check of your gas fireplace or any other gas appliance to ensure your safety. You can schedule an appointment by logging into Your Account and selecting the Service Requests tab.
Unfortunately, natural gas won't always emit a smell when it escapes. That means you can have a leak in your home and not even know it!
But if the pilot light (which ignites the flame) goes out, when you go to turn on your gas appliance, it will emit toxic amounts of carbon monoxide that can be poisonous if ingested. If you have an issue with your pilot tube or gas line, it could be blowing the pilot light out.
When the water heater pilot light goes out, first try relighting it, following the directions on the water heater label. If the pilot doesn't relight, if it goes out right after lighting or if it goes out repeatedly, by far the most common cause is a bad thermocouple.