Installation Guide
Residen al Standard Gas Water Heater Use and Care Guide • 25
TROUBLESHOOTING
Residen al Standard Gas Water Heater Use and Care Guide • 25
TROUBLESHOOTING
keeps the tank from freezing during
cold weather but can cause a Hydrogen
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 ev-
ery 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 light-
ing 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 increased
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, consider replacing it
with a larger model. If the water heater
is in good condi on, you may be able
to meet your family’s hot water needs
with the exis ng water heater by install-
ing 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, re-
moving the old dip tube and installing
a new one.
Plumbing Leak. Even a small leak
in the hot water side of the home’s