20 Most Recent RTO W4 A.O Smith Gas Hot Water Heater Draft Inducer Questions & Answers

Hi,replacement can be found on amazon, click here and take a look Amazon com Water Heater pointer. Cheers

You have sediment built up in the bottom of the tank, so flush the tank out.

clogged heat trap ******? http://waterheatertimer.org/Low-hot-water-pressure.html Gene If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

Many water heaters today are pilotless.Call manufacturer with model and serial numberGene. If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

The plug is HOT?Unplug immediately.Is the outlet hot? Is the circuit breaker hot. Have you had a surge event or nearby lightning strike?Do you have electrical issues in home?Add a comment.Test outlet for correct polarity, and test for overvoltage and short.The intellivent is very susceptible to surge and will stop functioning.http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/How-to-replace-water-heater-gas-valve.pdfCopy following link for troubleshoot by type of gas control valve.Including intellivent service manual.http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-troubleshoot-gas-water-heater.html#intellivent If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

The anode is located under the power vent.Remove power vent to gain access.Otherwise, remove Hot water nipple and install combo anode rod. If odor is the reason for replacement, then installing a combo without removing the old anode will not solve odor problem until old anode completely dissolves over time.Copy following link for specific information and illustrations, including odor elimination using hydrogen peroxide.http://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.htmlFor easy access next time, you can remove old anode and plug hole, and then install combo rod.If longevity of tank is reason you are accessing the anode, you can add a second combo anode in addition to the original anode and give longer protection If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

If you have power vent, the anode might be located in a separate port on the top under the power vent.Otherwise, the anode can be a 'combo' and connected to hot water nipple.Copy following link for more informationhttp://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.html If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

1) Open following link for how-to resources, illustrations, and service manuals for some brands of heater.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html#troubleshoot

2) Many things can cause pilot problems, including bad thermocouple, air in gas line, low gas pressure, negative pressure in house, bad venting, very hot attic, lack of combustion air, dirty combustion parts and dirty pilot tube, bad gas control, reversed polarity on electrical outlet.

3) If pilot flame is clear blue and strong, then next step is check that thermocouple sits in the flame, and then change thermocouple. This is start point. Following step would be reading service manual for exact troubleshoot and testing steps.

4) If pilot flame is yellow-or-orange or weak, then clean dirty combustion parts including pilot tube and air intake. Might want to change thermocouple while combustion parts are removed for cleaning.

5) Take a moment and rate answer:
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You offer much opportunity for research and discussion.
This would be a good topic for the Tank forum as there are professional plumbers with specific and general expertise on different model numbers.
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/TheTank.html

Fixya is not a forum since we parcel an answer, then move to next question.
Discussion is not common, and typically one person answers this question, and then that question is removed off the question board.
If you are wishing to diagnose pilot light yourself, assuming product is not defective, and you are not already professional in the field, then following links offer resource:
http://waterheatertimer.org/images/Negative-pressure.jpg
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Gas-venting-specs.pdf
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Pilot-light-will-not-stay-lit.pdf
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Attic-Ventilation-and-Pilot-Outage-in-Gas%20Water-Heaters.pdf

Take a moment and rate answer:
And take advantage of fixya expert assistance live.
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You have tank-type gas water heater with standing pilot light.

Instructions for lighting pilot light are usually on front of water heater.
Since water heaters vary widely, if you want specific information without guessing, then add a comment with model number that appears on label on side of tank, and also describe the gas control valve on front of unit.
This information will let expert located manual and look up specific information plus troubleshoot steps for that model.

A number of things can affect the pilot.
Unknown if this is new heater or heater that stopped working.
Unknown what type of gas valve is on water heater.
Unknown what the gas company man observed, and why he said call manufacturer, and what he repaired. Was the gas control valve leaking?
Unknown what type of general maintenance and testing has been done.

Option 1) The gas company said call the manufacturer.
Information shows on label on side of tank.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-manufacturers.html

Option 2) Open following links and start reading. And then try to fix yourself.
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Pilot-light-will-not-stay-lit.pdf
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html#troubleshoot

Option 3) Call gas company guy and ask him exactly what he observed, write that down, and then add a comment with very specific information for possible help.

Option 4) Call local plumber and tell him the specific information that gas company man said, and see what solution he can offer.

The Cold air screen on the bottom of the water heater is partially plugged. That is if the pilot light can be lit and stay on, but goes out when the heater should be functioning normally. This is not the removable plastic screen but a round white-yellow grid with 1/32" holes. You can try to clean it through the bottom but you may have to remove the gas line from the controller to the burner, pilot gas line, and thermocouple connection to remove that complete assembly to get access to the screen. The AO Smith booklet warns of this but they pretend the plastic screen will keep this second screen clean but it won't. After three years it was two thirds plugged.

If you have a blower and electronic gas control on your AO Smith water heater, then reading the manual for your specific product is essential for troubleshooting the problem.

As you know, tank-type gas water heaters require periodic inspection and cleaning of burner parts and combustion chamber.. The manual is important for giving instructions and advisories to the homeowner and technical specialist.

If you have ordinary direct vent water heater with mechanical gas control the following link has some troubleshooting resources that might help:
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html#clean

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Fixya is always less expensive than a service call.

Hi Chris.

My experience with water heater is like cars.
There are a few manufacturers making all the cars, and people sometimes get a bad one.
AO Smith, Bradford White, Rheem make most of the water heaters.
Each is shipping 150,000+ water heaters a month.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-manufacturers.html

Since all costs are energy, I suggest buying off-the-shelf tank-type water heater at local box store.
Sears, Ace, Home Depot, Lowes/ in no particular order.
The big manufacturers make box-store brands. All brands are good. The warranties are industry standard.
Stay away from blowers and electronics so you can maintain and repair the unit yourself with common, inexpensive off-the-shelf parts.
Install it yourself for around $330.
Adapt to the water heater. Read the manual and advisories. Do the maintenance so you are not disappointed.
Use the old tank as a staging tank for cold incoming water, or use it for DIY solar water heater:
Read the money-saving installation tips, plus a few maintenance tricks shown on following link.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html

Upvote the help.
And take advantage of fixya expert assistance live.
For a price, expert works with you while you work on water heater or any do-it-yourself project.
Fixya is always less expensive than a service call.

The thermocouple has gone bad or in this case is going bad to the point that it is useless.

The thermocouple is the pilot's, well, co-pilot! It is the electronic device that senses if the pilot flame is hot enough to ignite natural gas or propane fuel to the burner. If the thermocouple thinks it's safe, then it keeps open the main gas valve located in the pilot assembly. If the thermocouple does not sense enough heat from the pilot flame (such as when the pilot is out), then the thermocouple shuts off the gas valve to the burners.
How the Thermocouple Works
So what is this thing and how does it work? Well the thermocouple (technically called a thermocouple junction) is a device that contains two metal wires welded at the ends and placed inside a protective metal case. The thermocouple sensor is found at the business end of the pilot flame and is designed to be placed in the hottest part of the flame. The other end is connected to the pilot valve body. As the thermocouple heats up, it produces a small amount of electricity and when it gets hot enough from the pilot, send a signal to open the gas valve by using a solenoid operated by a 24 volt transformer. The thermocouple calls the shots, and by converting heat to an electrical signal, it allows the gas valve to open or close. Once the gas valve is open, gas is then constantly supplied to the pilot and as required for the gas burners (as called for by the thermostat). If the pilot goes out, then the thermocouple gets cold and produces no electric signal to open the gas valve's solenoid and the gas valve shuts off the gas supply to the pilot and burners. Neat huh?