White, powdery residue in burner chamber

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bnymbill

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My AO Smith GPVH40 water heater has been cycling out showing error code 6, Ignition/Flame Failure. The flame sensor, burner and burner chamber are coated in a white, powdery residue. I can clean the flame sensor, after which the water heater will operate but it will cycle out again in a day or two. I also noticed that the flame is tall and orange as opposed to low and blue.

Additional circumstances: my tenants sprayed Wondercide in the house to get rid of fleas. It is a cedar oil-based product. My educated guess is that cedar oil in the ambient air is causing a "dirty burn" creating the tall orange flame and leaving behind the white, powdery residue. The utility room was not sprayed with cedar oil but the rest of the house was, so I'm guessing some amount has made its way to the water heater.

The power vent appears to be pulling well - can feel it outside.

Will it return to normal after airing out the house for a few days or what can I do to help the process?

Picture saved here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByDEsDfHXr5ER0tRSEVRNkxuWTQ/view?usp=sharing
 

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Jadnashua

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If there's a slight leak, and potable water escapes, boiling away the water can leave a white mineral deposit (lime scale) just like on the bottom of a well-used teapot.
 

bnymbill

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I cleaned it thoroughly and looked for leaks, didn't see any, so I reset it and let it heat a tank before I unplugged it. Flame was still high but mostly blue this time. Minor residue on flame sensor but burner chamber is very clean compared with the picture posted above.

Video of flame reaching flue baffle and burning the tip:

 

DonL

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Did your carbon monoxide detector go off yet ?

It does look like a dirty burn. Improper fuel mixture.

Take the spider out of the orifice. And make sure it is the correct one.

Good Luck.
 

bnymbill

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Detector hasn't gone off yet - I guess the water heater shuts off before enough CO builds up. The detector is about 8' from the heater.

I was able to blow into the burner tube and feel the air coming out of the orifice. The parts are original, so it should be the correct orifice but I'll check it out.
 

Jadnashua

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A dirty burn tends to leave carbon deposits, not a white one. If you can scrape off some of that white deposit, put it in a glass cup along with a little vinegar and see if it dissolves...if it does, it's likely calcium scale deposits. I'd leave it overnight, depending on the amount of deposit you had and how much vinegar. The acid will dissolve calcium.
 

bnymbill

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Left a bit of the deposits in vinegar for a week and they did not dissolve. The tenants were on vacation for a week so the place has had a chance to air out a little bit. Unit was new in July 2011 and this is the first issue - I'm hoping for better/cleaner performance moving forward.
 
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