Gas water heater concern

[Michael Hinsch 67]

hi. This is my first post. I like all the posts that I've read on this forum. My question is kinda dumb. One of my plumbers had previously installed a natural gas water heater when it should have been propane. It was discovered at the 10 day mark, when I sent another plumber out to this home on the fourth call back in which the w/h pilot kept going out. He discovered the house has a main gas control valve outside exactly the same as all of our natural gas meter controls. We immediately replaced the heater with a propane heater and issues resolved at this house. Now, I kept that heater and just had it installed by one of my guys today and I got a call back the pilot went out. Is there something I can do to this heater to rid myself of this issue or do I have to trash this natural gas heater $425 value


Any advice is greatly appreciated

Tampa fl

 

[Jadnashua]

You cannot use a device setup for one gas (propane) on natural gas or vice-versa without making changes to it. In most situations, while it might be able to be converted from one to the other, the parts and labor are not worth it. This isn't necessarily true for all, but is on some. Propane is much more energy dense, so the jets and sometimes the burner are different along with the regulator. A NG unit used on propane would likely overheat, if it worked at all. TO get the same heat output, with NG being less energy dense, the jets and orifices in the thing need to be bigger, and if you used propane with it, it would have way too much fuel and may not light. When it comes to igniting gasses, too much can be just as bad as not enough, and it just may not work right. And, with propane, since it is heavier than air, having too much, and it not lighting, means it can just flow out along the ground and things fill up from the bottom up...a recipe for disaster. NG, on the other hand, is lighter, and stuff fills up from the top down. Neither situation is great, but you're more likely to smell a NG leak, and can crawl out, but it's hard to wade through a sea of propane gas and watch out for a static discharge if you happen to cross a rug!

If it can be converted, it will say so in the installation manual.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

He's already pulled the wrong heater out. He's having trouble with it working in the "new" correct location.
I don't know if installing an LP on NG for a week is the problem or not. Does that harm it? Good question.