water heater issue with pilot light

[stackz]

had to replace my water heater back in april due to the old one falling apart. went with a spare my parents had for a rental property just because it was free. its a gas type as thats what I prefer since I can still have hot water and cook when the power is out on the island (ahh island life...lulz).

still heater is only a couple months old from a useage standpoint.

uses the grille lighter type to light the pilot through the window. it would light this morning and I would hold it the required amount of time but then it would go back out when you released. I'm thinking I just need to hold it longer to help it heat up and its obviously getting gas but what else could be wrong if it keeps doing this?

I mean it looks like the standard type where while you are holding it down, it heats the little element red hot and then it stays lit but cant really tell.

and yes, it was cold and raining pretty good this morning while dealing with this issue...sigh. why cant they go out on sunny afternoons where hot women are parachuting into the backyard with pitchers of beer?

 

[foodfisher]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

If you're sure your holding the control down long enough, then the usual problem is the thermocoupling.

 

[JB]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

Yes, what foodfisher said.

The thermocouple has to make voltage (be hot and electrically complete) to keep gas feed to the pilot. When (not if) the thermocouple croaks the pilot light cannot stay lit.

Learn how to change it and keep a couple of spares.

I need a new thermocouple on my propane furnace every couple of years. Saved myself many bux (not to mention chilly nights) when I learned how to replace it and started keeping spares.

 

[stackz]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

yeah, like said, it was a "bit rainy" this morning.

when I get home I'm going to give it a go again this time holding the button in via gravity (going to just lay a half brick on top of the switch to keep it depressed while propping it up) and once its going I'm going to leave it for 2 minutes (instructions says to go a full minute).

should give it time to heat up properly without me being bent down in the mud with my aching back . guess I need to look up what a thermocouple for this heater costs and where I can get one locally just in case.

 

[Lakemeadan]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

Glad I read this. I have a 12 year old house with 12 year old gas furnace, dryer, fire place and oven. The water heater already went at 6 years old (oh no that means new one is 6 now). Not even sure if the furnace, dryer and oven use a pilot system? Natural Gas.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

Furnace and oven=maybe.A looksee will tell. Dryer, probably not. Lint and open flame don't mix well.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

yeah, like said, it was a "bit rainy" this morning.

when I get home I'm going to give it a go again this time holding the button in via gravity (going to just lay a half brick on top of the switch to keep it depressed while propping it up) and once its going I'm going to leave it for 2 minutes (instructions says to go a full minute).

should give it time to heat up properly without me being bent down in the mud with my aching back . guess I need to look up what a thermocouple for this heater costs and where I can get one locally just in case.

Appliance parts store. Will need make and model #

 

[cpubud]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

you can get one at any hardware store for around 6 dollars

 

[Pierutrus]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

If you're sure your holding the control down long enough, then the usual problem is the thermocoupling.

Bingo......
Change it....
real simple....

 

[bigdee]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

As everyone said,most likely the TC......but you might want to try this first. Unscrew the TC from the valve body and clean both mating surfaces with a rag soaked in some rubbing alcohol and then reconnect the TC. No guarantee that it will correct your problem but it has worked for me in a few cases. The low voltage (millivolts) that is produced by the TC needs a good connection. Regardless,keep a spare TC around.

 

[Lyle29464]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

Is it set for propane? Also it takes a long time to bleed all the air out the first time you use it.

 

[stackz]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

you can get one at any hardware store for around 6 dollars

you would think this but alas NOPE!!! lol.

ok, my wonderful "new" water heater was apparently a part of a class action lawsuit against the whirlpool! yay! just for giggles so you can look it up online here's the model #BFG1F4040SNOV.

apparently its a horrible design where the thermocouplers just keep burning out repeatedly. its also a problem in that whirlpool is apparently filled with idiots who designed the thermocoupler with reversed threads so you cant use universal couplers!!

even better, after the suit was settled, whirlpool sent out a fix for a short time and then pulled ALL the thermocouplers off the market!!! my only guess is to force people to buy a newer product and trash the old heaters when their last coupler fizzles out. Its funny because the fix was from the old style units starting with "FG" to my type of unit with "BFG" which has the SAME problem. ugh!!

I cant find any on ebay or anywhere...

I've got a line on a local supply store that "may" have some but unless I can find this "kit" to convert to regular thread or a coupler I'll be buying a new water heater just months after replacing my last one with this one.

I will say I'm probably never buying a whirlpool product ever again. my mom has one of their "smart ovens" that she paid $$$ just two years ago and has already had to have it fixed 4 times. she's got more money than she paid for it in parts. this company is really starting to **** me off. was fun taking a shower at my neighbor's house last night and probably tonight as well. grrr.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

You can get universal therocouples at any well stocked RV store, they come in various lengths. A universal would work just fine.

 

[stackz]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

---

You can get universal therocouples at any well stocked RV store, they come in various lengths. A universal would work just fine.

as stated above...cant use a universal at this point. all the ones available in stores are right hand thread. whirlpool, in their infinite wisdom, decided to make the thermocouple the ONE thing on the control valve that is left hand thread (reversed). I am hoping to come across a left hand thread thermocouple at a plumbing supply or appliance parts store at lunch.

crossing fingers!!

there was mention in a couple threads I found online of a "kit" that converts the unit from left hand thread to right hand thread but I never came across a part # or even a picture of what it consists of...who knows.

 

[bigdee]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

Just for LAG try cleaning the connections first. If that don't work you might get crafty with a standard TC by filing the threads to make a "force" fit.

 

[stackz]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

ok, so it kept bugging me and I kept thinking about it while at work so I took a half day as I wasnt getting any real work done.

decided I would just pull out the burner assembly and take it back to lowes as its a mile from where I live versus running all over town. also, I had already bought a control valve last night from there "just in case". get the assembly off and look at it and man if it didnt look like the thread pattern on the one I bought last night. decided to just wait and went to lowes and took it inside. sure enough the other control valve there had been sold...glad I bought that other one just to have...next nearest lowes was 25 miles on the other side of town. anyway, looked at the universal 24" thermocouples...threads matched mine. knew I shouldnt have listened to the lowes employee trying to tell me it was wrong last night.

went ahead and bought it for $8.16 and got to the parking lot to check against the valve I bought last night, yep, threaded in just fine to that one too. I really wanted to straighten the thermocouple out and walk back in and beat the guy with it cause I could have had hot water last night most likely.

get home and put the new thermocouple on and no dice. still no flame. sigh. turned off the water and gas and drained the tank and replaced the control valve and hooked it all back up. fired right up and now its cooking my water for me. weird thing is I also now have more water pressure on the hot side than I did before?? I know thats not related to the valve, I'm thinking the water valve wasnt open all the way :facepalm:

decided to keep the old thermocouple as its likely still good too. man I was hoping to get my $60 back for the control valve but oh well, its done and I only got 60 or so mosquito bites

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

This sounds just like one of them free boats. Put you in the poorhouse.! Glad you got hot H2O now.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

ok, so it kept bugging me and I kept thinking about it while at work so I took a half day as I wasnt getting any real work done.

decided I would just pull out the burner assembly and take it back to lowes as its a mile from where I live versus running all over town. also, I had already bought a control valve last night from there "just in case". get the assembly off and look at it and man if it didnt look like the thread pattern on the one I bought last night. decided to just wait and went to lowes and took it inside. sure enough the other control valve there had been sold...glad I bought that other one just to have...next nearest lowes was 25 miles on the other side of town. anyway, looked at the universal 24" thermocouples...threads matched mine. knew I shouldnt have listened to the lowes employee trying to tell me it was wrong last night.

went ahead and bought it for $8.16 and got to the parking lot to check against the valve I bought last night, yep, threaded in just fine to that one too. I really wanted to straighten the thermocouple out and walk back in and beat the guy with it cause I could have had hot water last night most likely.

get home and put the new thermocouple on and no dice. still no flame. sigh. turned off the water and gas and drained the tank and replaced the control valve and hooked it all back up. fired right up and now its cooking my water for me. weird thing is I also now have more water pressure on the hot side than I did before?? I know thats not related to the valve, I'm thinking the water valve wasnt open all the way :facepalm:

decided to keep the old thermocouple as its likely still good too. man I was hoping to get my $60 back for the control valve but oh well, its done and I only got 60 or so mosquito bites

Sorry it wasn't usual. Gold Bond

 

[marauder11]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

I know this is an older post but, for the time it is not the thermo couple. Sometimes HWt have a electrical device called a TCO. Not sure what it stand for but when pilot is lit and goes out it can be the cause. It carries the current thru the TCO back to the valve. Check out page 22 on the link. It is like a 8 doolar item but have had so many people replace there HWt for no reason.

http://www.johnwoodwaterheaters.com/Docs/720901J.pdf

 

[hrdwrkingacguy]

Re: water heater issue with pilot light

Its called a temperature cut out/off...It's basically a high limit for the water heater to help keep it from becoming a bomb...you can take one wire off and check it with a ohm meter if its closed it isn't keeping it from lighting...You have to run the water heater with no way for water to get out and overheat it to test if it works right...