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Lee DeCarlo Posted on Oct 29, 2012
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Would high winds and rain cause pilot light on a rannai tankless water heater to go out?

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Gene Haynes

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  • Water Heaters Master 5,391 Answers
  • Posted on Oct 30, 2012
Gene Haynes
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Joined: May 07, 2012
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Yes.
High winds can cause reversal of air flow down vent pipe causing pilot flame to blow out.
If situation happens frequently, then special roof cap has to be added.
Have plumber check natural draft up vent pipe.
Other things can cause same problem, for example if vent fan is located in same room as water heater, or house is tightly insulated, and vent fan is ON, then it will draw air down the water heater vent and blow out pilot.
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Bosch_Checking_the_draft.pdf

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5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 25 Answers
  • Posted on Jan 19, 2009

SOURCE: Bosch 125 Tankless Water Heater - Water not hot enough

Sounds more like the venturi in the watervalve of the tankless water heater is clogged. I would recommed rebuilding it and paying close attention to properly relubing the pushrod and cleaning the venturi.

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Anonymous

  • 33 Answers
  • Posted on Jan 27, 2009

SOURCE: burner will not light

Try this web site!
http://www.protankless.com/BoschProHome/GasProducts/BoschGWH425HN/tabid/506/Default.aspx
Copy & Paste to Google search engine.

Anonymous

  • 15935 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 18, 2009

SOURCE: lighting the pilot light

The steps involved can vary slightly depending on your furnace model and pilot valve type, so if possible try and find the instructions inside the furnace door cover or in the instruction manual. This is for a gas fired furnace, but applies to any gas-fueled appliance including water heater. Two of the most common types of pilot valve body assemblies either have a red reset button and a gas valve or no reset button and a valve knob that can be depressed. But whichever type you've got, if you have an older model furnace with a standing pilot (flame is lit all the time) then this is the basic procedure.

  • Turn you thermostat to 80 degrees or to a setting that will demand heat. Make sure the thermostat is in "Heat" mode.
  • Go to the furnace and find the pilot valve. The pilot valve body is a box shaped device into which the main gas line will run and is located near the gas burners. It will usually have a gas **** or valve knob that reads "On, "Pilot" and "Off." Locate this gas **** or knob.
  • Turn the knob or gas **** to the "Off" position and wait about 3 minutes for any residual gas to clear away.
  • Find the pilot. It's located near the gas burner tube assembly in the furnace.
  • Get your match or lighter ready. Sometimes the pilot is hard to reach. If possible, try and use a long fireplace match when you light it. If you don't have a fireplace match then a butane BBQ grill lighter works well too. If you don't have that, then you can fasten a match to the end of a stick when you light the pilot
  • If you have a pilot with a red Reset button, turn the gas valve from "Off," to "Pilot."
  • If you have a pilot with no red button, turn the knob from "Off" to "Pilot."
  • Place the lit match or ignited lighter tip at the pilot and depress and hold the button or depress the knob as appropriate. Depress the button or knob for about 30 seconds. This maintains gas flow to the pilot until the thermocouple gets hot enough to open the main gas valve.
  • Once the pilot stays lit, slowly release the button or knob and turn the gas **** or knob from the "Pilot" position to the "On" position. This will ignite the burners and keep the flow of gas supplied as required for the burners as called for by the thermostat.
  • If the burners fail to ignite then it may be because the thermocouple did not get hot enough to open the gas valve. Wait a few minutes and then repeat the above procedure. This time hold the red reset button or depress the knob for about 45-60 seconds.
  • Once the main furnace burners ignite, adjust the thermostat to the desired setting.
  • If you've followed the previous steps on lighting the pilot and it still does not light after, or will not stay lit, then you probably have a problem with the thermocouple or an adjustment needs to be made to the pilot. You'll need a furnace service technician to replace or repair these parts. You may find that the pilot lights, but it is an anemic looking flame. That's a different problem we'll look at in the next section.
  • If the pilot lights but the flame is a weak yellow flame, it will not get hot enough to heat the thermocouple to its set point allowing the gas valve to open.
    A natural gas flame should be a bright blue with the tip of the flame having just a tinge of yellow. A propane flame should have a bluish green flame with a tinge of yellow at the tip. The flame should be strong enough to hit the thermocouple tip about 1/2 inch from the tip end. If the flame is weak or shaky looking, check to see that a breeze or draft is not blowing on it. Adjusting the Flame
    There is usually a small screw on the pilot valve body that will adjust the flame. You may have to refer to the manufacturer's instructions to find the screw. Turn the screw as needed to adjust the flame throw. Yellow Flame
    A yellow flame is caused by lack of air and incomplete combustion. It can be caused by a dirty pilot tube tip. Split Flame
    This is caused by dirt in the pilot tube. Take a needle or small nail and gently clean the tube. Flickering or Wavering Flame
    A flame that flickers is usually caused by a draft.
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Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Apr 22, 2009

SOURCE: Tankless water heater pilot light will not stay on

It is most likely the water valve stuck open, telling the controls to heat water, that it thinks is flowing through it, but without actual flow it overheats. Depending on how comfortable you are with taking it apart yourself, you could open the valve to see if it just needs cleaned out, or if you have a ruptured diaphragm or some other cause.

co7196

Ned C Cook

  • 3433 Answers
  • Posted on May 06, 2009

SOURCE: no hot water, pilot light lights but no burner ignition

Thermo coupler may be defective. it controls the main gas valve by closing main if pilot is out. make sure thermo coupler bulb is positioned over and near tip of pilot flame, but not in the flame. Thermo couplers are inexpensive and easy to change out.

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Related Questions:

0helpful
1answer

I have a bosch aquasar 125b tankless water heater and the burners do not light when hot water is turned on this also causes the pilot light to go out

possible faulty pressure switch connected to the water line and that is failing to turn on the main gas tap solenoid
best have it checked by an accredited gas fitter or service center for the make
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I have a Bosch 10P water heater. Pilot light has blown out and while trying to relight the pilot the stop button has been pushed down and won't pop back out. What am i doing wrong? Cheers

What leads you to suspect that pilot blew out instead of another problem?
Fact that pilot will not relight, indicates other factors at play.

Open following link for Bosch troubleshooting resources including manual, and Bosch contact info:
http://waterheatertimer.org/Troubleshoot-Bosch-Tankless-water-heater.html

Best place to start is your manual.
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Bosch_10P-installation.pdf

1) Manual recommends 'cleaning by authorized person, never less than once a year.'
Tankless water heaters, and most newer tank-type gas water heaters, are highly technical and finicky devices that require continual maintenance, with tankless requiring 'yearly' maintenance while tank-type require 'periodic' maintenance.
2) Troubleshoot in manual says 'no gas supply' or 'blocked pilot' replace pilot injector

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0helpful
1answer

When the wind blows the pilot light out, I have great difficulty in pressing the buttons in to relight it.

You are getting negative pressure in the burner ... this can be caused by the access panel not being reinstalled properly after you relight the pilot. Vents can cause a "venturi effect" and if the access door is not on tight it will indeed become a real pain
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Pilot light was out after a fierce thunderstorm. relit pilot light and unit is operational at this time. heat exchanger was descaled a year ago. unit is 6 years old. what should i be looking for as far as...

Probably excessive winds caused a draft to enter your boiler via the flue and blew your pilot out - not unknown - if the unit is now working okay - don't worry. As you seem to be servicing the unit you will probably get a good many years out of it yet.
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Pilot light will not stay on Bosch natural gas tankless water hea

Check to make sure the flame of the pilot is hitting the thermocoupling. If not then you can use compressed air to clean the pilot port and relight and check again. If the flame is hitting the thermocouple, then it may need to be replaced.
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I have an Ascot wall hanging hot water heater.The wind frequently blows out the pilot light. Can I make a safe housing around it to protect it from wind and rain

Yes you can, but make sure that it has access to air. Leave at least 6" of space between the shelter and the pilot. Is it outside? I've never seen one outside.
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2answers

Tankless water heater pilot light will not stay on

It is most likely the water valve stuck open, telling the controls to heat water, that it thinks is flowing through it, but without actual flow it overheats. Depending on how comfortable you are with taking it apart yourself, you could open the valve to see if it just needs cleaned out, or if you have a ruptured diaphragm or some other cause.
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EA error msg on Bosh tankless unit

How I fixed it was got rid of it...support help never called back..and to get parts for it was looking into the new year can't go without a shower that long...can we now?
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