Hot Water Heater Won't Stay Lit
I recently purchased a house that had been empty for a while, among the many other problems the Kenmore hot water heater will not stay lit. Service men from sears have replaced the entire heating element twice and the gas valvue. The piolit will light and you can get the flame to come on but it will only stay on for 10 to 15 mins and then the whole thing goes out and the pilot must be relit. Service man said next step is replacement of the whole unit. Does anyone have any other suggestions before I go buy a new one? Thanks! I will work on getting a video posted soon. I can send email of a clip of when flame goes out What is the model # of the heater? So heaters have a FVIR sensor that when tripped shut a internal door that cuts off air to the unit. This is not a re settable item and if your has it it needs to be replaced. When the burner lights does it start strong then start turning yellow and dancing around before it goes out? Mike NJ I will check on the model number when I get home from work tonight. Here is a video of the flame going out. It don't think it really dances it just goes out. Hot Water Heater - YouTube It is a kenmore power miser 12. Is the theremal switch tripping when this happens, and do you have to reset it? Also, is it still under warranty? I would not touch it if it is and call a tech to come out again.They should replace it for free right? Good luck with that though. I have seen all the horror stories with Sears but I believe they are better then the others. ( GE) Here is the Kenmore PDF. Sounds FVIR sensor related to me and the flame sensor just needs to be vacuumed. This happens when the unit is near a dryer or HVAC system. http://c.kenmore.com/assets/own/33147e.pdf This water heater is designed to automatically shut-off in the event of the following: 1. The pilot flame is extinguished for any reason. 2. The water temperature exceeds 195°F (91°C). 3. Excessive build up of dust on the base ring filter or flame arrestor. See Maintenance of your Water Heater Section. 4. The ignition of flammable vapors. A thermocouple is used to determine if a pilot flame is present, and will shut off the gas supply to the main burner and the pilot if the flame is absent. This unit is also equipped with a thermal switch, designed to shut off the gas supply in the event the water heater has been exposed to flammable vapors (e.g., spilled gasoline), poor combustion caused by a blocked vent or insufficient combustion air. If the thermal switch opens: 1. Check the fl ame-arrestor for signs of high temperature (blue or black discoloration). See Figure 38. 2. If there are signs of high temperature or that the thermal switch has opened, inspect your installation for problems with venting, combustion air supply, or a possible fl ammable vapor event. (See “Pilot Light Troubleshooting Flowchart” section.) Correct any issues prior to resetting the thermal switch. If you suspect a fl ammable vapor incident has occurred, do not use this appliance. Immediately call a qualifi ed technician to inspect the appliance. Water heaters subjected to a fl ammable vapors ignition will require replacement of the entire water heater. 3. Reset the thermal switch by depressing the small button in the center of the thermal switch. Follow the Lighting Instructions found on the front of your water heater. A high temperature limit switch or ECO (Energy Cut Off) in the tank is used to shut off the unit if the water temperature exceeds 195°F (91°C). The ECO is a single-use switch, which, if activated, requires complete replacement of the entire gas control valve/ thermostat. If the ECO should activate, the water heater cannot be used until the gas control valve/thermostat is replaced by a qualifi ed technician. Contact Sears at 1-800-4-MY-HOME (1-800-469-4663) to request service. Hope this helps Mike I'm not sure if a thermal switch is being flipped. All I do is relight the pilot and turn the heat back on. It is under warranty but that is only the actual tank and so as the tank isn't failing or leaking nothing being done is covered. The space has been clean by myself and two technicians. I just don't want to miss another day of work and pay for another part that won't fix it. You should not be paying for anything if its under warranty. Not sure what your warranty is but most are 6 yr tank and parts. You just need to pay labor after 1 yr. And you can argue the labor part because it seems they are just part changers and not diagnosing the issue properly. Why should you continue to pay when they cant fix the issue. I would probably demand a refund of what I paid, and depending what year it is cut my losses and install a AO smith, or bradford white heater. Yeah if that little button by the window is not tripping where you need to reset it then I would think thats not the issue. You did say they changed the whole pilot assembly and burner, correct? And gas valve? Did they check the gas pressure ( Water column static and dynamic?) This is gas right? Not propane? And when the unit goes out, the pilot goes out also, correct? ( Could be an issue with the thermal switch even though its not tripping. Did they change that?) Mike NJ It has a 12 year warranty and is 5 years old. They haven't charged me for the follow up visits, only the initial cost (which was still about $270) but I do have to miss work for them to come look at it because they will not give me a better time then between 8am and 5 pm for their technician to show up. Yes they have changed the whole pilot assembly and burner twice now and the gas valve. I'm not sure if they checked the gas pressure, the last technician said that he could find no reason for it not to work. It is gas and not propane. Yes when the unit goes out the pilot also goes out. Is there a way to check to see if it is the thermal switch? I'm not sure if they have replaced that or not. If it is part of the burner assembly I would assume it has been but I have not been directly told so. I need the exact model # and any pertaining info. Should be on a tag and a bunch of #'s. S/N would help also. Mike NJ Model Number 153.331444 Serial Number M05A029264 Build Date 12/06/2005 Gas Type Natural Capacity 40 Max Inlet 14.00 Min Inlet 5.00 Max Working Pressure PSI 150 Picture Attached showing all of this info.
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