It's a Kenmore PowerMiser 9, several years old. The pilot went out and won't relight. I took out the burner unit and found that I get a nice spark. I disconnected the gas line to the pilot, blew through it, and found it was clear. I made certain that gas was following through the thermostat, but pilot won't light. I cleaned the air filter. I held the pilot button down a long time (to clear air) and pressed the igniter button 50 times, but no flame. It seems to me that if the thermocouple was the problem the pilot would light but not stay lit. Mine won't light at all. What's going on?
Pilot won't stay lit, tried everything
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Stuff
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Orifice could be clogged. When you held the button down for a long time did you smell gas?
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As I wrote, I blew through the orifice and it was not clogged and gas is flowing through the thermostat.
Stuff
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How do you know gas is flowing? Is it getting to the pilot orifice?
You saw spark when you took the burner out. Do you see spark at the pilot when everything is put back together?
You saw spark when you took the burner out. Do you see spark at the pilot when everything is put back together?
hj
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IF gas is flowing through the thermostat AND the pilot burner, it HAS to light if there is an ignition source, so something is NOT the way you describe it.
Dj2
In the Trades
In the old days, before we had igniters, we used long fireplace matches to light the pilot up (We also used metal coat hangers). Your igniter may be giving you a weak spark.
Try this: With burner chamber cover slightly open and pilot bottom depressed for gas flow, insert a long match to the pilot - do you get a flame?
Just don't burn yourself or the house down.
Try this: With burner chamber cover slightly open and pilot bottom depressed for gas flow, insert a long match to the pilot - do you get a flame?
Just don't burn yourself or the house down.
dj2 you are right. Here's what I did: I screwed the stub of a wax candle into the outlet of the thermostat then turned on the gas so it could flow only through the pilot line. Then, with the whole unit outside the tank shell, I lit the pilot easily with a match. So what now? Do I need a new piezo thingamajig? Can I buy that separately?
Looks like I can buy just the igniter, if ya'll confirm that is what I need. Thanks for the help.
Dj2
In the Trades
Before you spend $$:
How old is the WH? is it still under warranty?
It may not necessarily be a weak igniter.
A good igniter, positioned in the wrong place, could also be unable to start a flame. Handling a burner assembly can move parts ever so slightly by accident and causing it to fail.
Call customer service and see if they can ship you a new burner assembly.
If not, you will have to try to align the igniter closer to the pilot gas supply, or get a new one (around $100). But then again, it could be just a bad igniter.
When I try to repair a thing like this (out of warranty), I use spare parts that I ripped off water heaters that I replaced in the past, and in most cases give new life to an old wh.
How old is the WH? is it still under warranty?
It may not necessarily be a weak igniter.
A good igniter, positioned in the wrong place, could also be unable to start a flame. Handling a burner assembly can move parts ever so slightly by accident and causing it to fail.
Call customer service and see if they can ship you a new burner assembly.
If not, you will have to try to align the igniter closer to the pilot gas supply, or get a new one (around $100). But then again, it could be just a bad igniter.
When I try to repair a thing like this (out of warranty), I use spare parts that I ripped off water heaters that I replaced in the past, and in most cases give new life to an old wh.
Thanks. Heater is about 8 years old. I can get an igniter for $16, but first I'm going to try to reposition the igniter tip. That wouldn't explain how it suddenly failed though. Are there really sparks that are not strong enough to ignite gas?
Master Plumber Mark
Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
The Kenmores are junk and problematic....odds are its either the thermo-coupling
or the high limit in the gasthermostat that has gone out... Getting that same kind of thermocoupling is
not too easy to do... and the gas thermostat will cost you around 100 bucks....
Just take out the looking glass on the fire
wall and reach in and light it with a long match and see if it comes on.....most likely it will not.
if it does come back on simply plug the hole up with aluminum foil...which will work fine. and you are good to
go.......
If it does not light, it means the gas thermostat valve is bad and
I suggest not fooling with it any longer
because it will nickle and dime you to death....
go buy a rheem ..
or the high limit in the gasthermostat that has gone out... Getting that same kind of thermocoupling is
not too easy to do... and the gas thermostat will cost you around 100 bucks....
Just take out the looking glass on the fire
wall and reach in and light it with a long match and see if it comes on.....most likely it will not.
if it does come back on simply plug the hole up with aluminum foil...which will work fine. and you are good to
go.......
If it does not light, it means the gas thermostat valve is bad and
I suggest not fooling with it any longer
because it will nickle and dime you to death....
go buy a rheem ..
MACPLUMB
In the Trades
WHAT MARK SAID !
Well, I cleaned the tip of the igniter again, bent it a little closer to the flame port and buttoned everything up minus the looking glass. Then I lit the pilot with a match. It's operating now, but I did not put out the pilot to see if the adjusted igniter would work because I'm sick of the SOB, but the question remains: why did it go out in the first place? Any ideas?
PS I reinstalled the looking glass.
PS I reinstalled the looking glass.
Weak thermocouple?
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
FWIW, average life of a gas WH is around 7-years or so...you're on borrowed time. Yes, sometimes they can last lots longer...we're talking averages here.
If it had been really windy, and the wind blew just so, I suppose it is possible that the wind down the flue could have blown out the pilot light, but that would not prevent it from being relighted. If the breeze wasn't enough to blow it out, but moved it away from the thermocouple long enough (not likely), that could cause it to shut down as well. Neither of these are common, but are possible.
If it had been really windy, and the wind blew just so, I suppose it is possible that the wind down the flue could have blown out the pilot light, but that would not prevent it from being relighted. If the breeze wasn't enough to blow it out, but moved it away from the thermocouple long enough (not likely), that could cause it to shut down as well. Neither of these are common, but are possible.
I think the place that you got that number from just made that number up. I'll bet that place does not cite a study.
Here is another thing to think about. Imagine a study population of 4 houses. One has acid water and replaces the WH every 4 years. Three replace the WH every 20 years. What is the average WH life for this population? 10 years.
My point is that if there were an actual study, the median age would be more relevant.
MACPLUMB
In the Trades
You have a Flame Guard style Burner, go to water heater section and check out the flame guard
777 I'm not sure what you mean.
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
There's probably a reason why many gas WH have a factory warranty of 6-years. Yes, you can buy them with longer warranties.
