Water heater Question

[Recumbentman]

We were able to get in a weekend trip of camping this past weekend and I ran across a problem with the water heater. After filling the tank and getting the pilot lit. I would turn on the heater and it would roar to life with no problem. I then closed the heater access door and went inside. An hour later still cold water. So back outside to check water heater and sure enough the pilot went out. Re-light heater and all goes good. watched it a few minutes and all well. close door and watched the pilot and with in a few seconds the pilot goes out. So re-light and I prop the door slightly open and the pilot stays lit for the rest of the weekend. So the natural question is this correct!! I wouldn't think so. What am I missing??

[wavery]

We were able to get in a weekend trip of camping this past weekend and I ran across a problem with the water heater. After filling the tank and getting the pilot lit. I would turn on the heater and it would roar to life with no problem. I then closed the heater access door and went inside. An hour later still cold water. So back outside to check water heater and sure enough the pilot went out. Re-light heater and all goes good. watched it a few minutes and all well. close door and watched the pilot and with in a few seconds the pilot goes out. So re-light and I prop the door slightly open and the pilot stays lit for the rest of the weekend. So the natural question is this correct!! I wouldn't think so. What am I missing??

That's a common problem and it is merely an air adjustment or cleaning problem. In very rare cases, it could be a bad thermocouple.

You need 2 things to have the pilot light burning. #1 is fuel #2 is air. It's just that simple. So, if the pilot light is not staying lit, one of those 2 things has to be missing or the pilot is getting blown out.

I think that I would start by cleaning the gas orifice with a very small wire brush. Also, clean the end of the thermocouple. The thermocouple has to stay above a certain temperature. If it drops below that temperature, it will shut off the gas (then you are missing item #1). This could happen by an improper adjustment of the pilot flame and/or a sooted up gas orifice and/or thermocouple.

The thermocouple is that round "bulb" looking thing that the pilot flame is actually contacting when it is lit.

The pilot flame should be adjusted so that the flame is contacting the thermocouple but not too high as for the blue part of the flame to cover the thermocouple. The hottest part of the flame is where the blue meets the yellow tip of the flame. That should be contacting the thermocouple. However, the thermocouple must be fairly clean for the heat to register properly. If it was operating properly before, something has changed. It is usually just soot and/or corrosion from the elements. A good, gentle cleaning with a wire brush will usually solve this problem. Just be careful not to damage anything by getting to enthusiastic

[tknick]

Along with what Waverly said, if you haven't used the hot water heater or other gas appliances in a while, it is possible that you simply have air in the line.  eventually, it'll work its way out, but it'll be a pain in the short run.  You can light your stove and let it burn for a while while the hot water heater is also lit.  That will let gas flow in all directions and hopefully purge all of the air out.  If that isn't the problem refer back to Waverly's solutions.

[wynot]

We were able to get in a weekend trip of camping this past weekend and I ran across a problem with the water heater. After filling the tank and getting the pilot lit. I would turn on the heater and it would roar to life with no problem. I then closed the heater access door and went inside. An hour later still cold water. So back outside to check water heater and sure enough the pilot went out. Re-light heater and all goes good. watched it a few minutes and all well. close door and watched the pilot and with in a few seconds the pilot goes out. So re-light and I prop the door slightly open and the pilot stays lit for the rest of the weekend. So the natural question is this correct!! I wouldn't think so. What am I missing??

If you have a Suburban water heater, you can also have the flame suffocate itself.  It usually happens with the door shut.  Most folks think it is the wind blowing it out, but it actually is the pilot burning itself out of oxygen.  I was told how to fix it from the factory, so if this is the case, I'll repost the advice.

[Recumbentman]

If you have a Suburban water heater, you can also have the flame suffocate itself.  It usually happens with the door shut.  Most folks think it is the wind blowing it out, but it actually is the pilot burning itself out of oxygen.  I was told how to fix it from the factory, so if this is the case, I'll repost the advice.

Please do tell !!!

[wynot]

Please do tell !!!

According to the folks that make them, the flame suffocates itself.  It can pull enough air around when the main is firing, but sometimes, the main burner can flame out the pilot, so that when the main shuts down, there is no longer a pilot burning.  That's why when you have the water heater door open, everything works fine, but once you close it, it is limiting the oxygen supply to the burner(s).  With this mod, you effectively are improving the draft of fresh air to the burners as the exhaust pulls the fresh air from the bottom.
 
The fix is to modify the flue box.  Remove the flue by removing the phillips head screws holding it in place (at least 2 of them are there), probably more.  Where the bottom of the flue has a lip which sticks out, you want to remove the bottom, so that it is now open.  They told me to cut it out with tin snips, but I wasn't sure it was going to work, so I simply bent the bottom of the flue box up flush with the inside, so that the bottom is open.  Reattach the flue box to the water heater.
 
I did this fix a few years ago, and I have never had a flameout since.  I discarded the Windgard I had tried to use to fix the problem, because I never needed it.  BTW, I have never touched it again, so the bottom sheet metal is still bent up inside of the flue box.
 
Suburban told me that they were eliminating the bottom in production, whether or not they ever did, I don't know.  Hope it helps.  I'm doing the steps from memory.

[Recumbentman]

According to the folks that make them, the flame suffocates itself.  It can pull enough air around when the main is firing, but sometimes, the main burner can flame out the pilot, so that when the main shuts down, there is no longer a pilot burning.  That's why when you have the water heater door open, everything works fine, but once you close it, it is limiting the oxygen supply to the burner(s).  With this mod, you effectively are improving the draft of fresh air to the burners as the exhaust pulls the fresh air from the bottom.
 
The fix is to modify the flue box.  Remove the flue by removing the phillips head screws holding it in place (at least 2 of them are there), probably more.  Where the bottom of the flue has a lip which sticks out, you want to remove the bottom, so that it is now open.  They told me to cut it out with tin snips, but I wasn't sure it was going to work, so I simply bent the bottom of the flue box up flush with the inside, so that the bottom is open.  Reattach the flue box to the water heater.
 
I did this fix a few years ago, and I have never had a flameout since.  I discarded the Windgard I had tried to use to fix the problem, because I never needed it.  BTW, I have never touched it again, so the bottom sheet metal is still bent up inside of the flue box.
 
Suburban told me that they were eliminating the bottom in production, whether or not they ever did, I don't know.  Hope it helps.  I'm doing the steps from memory.

This makes a lot sense.  I will give it a try
Thank You very much !!!