Residential Gas Water Heater Use and Care Guide • 27
TROUBLESHOOTING
Plumbing Leak.
Even a small leak
in the hot water side of the home’s
plumbing system can make it appear
that the water heater is producing
little to no hot water. In this case, the
burner will be on all or almost all the
time, yet you will have very little hot
water. Locate and repair the leak.
Sediment or Lime in Tank.
With an
existing water heater, if you have
some hot water but not as much
as you are used to, there may be a
build up of sediment or lime on the
bottom of the tank. Sediment or lime
buildup can reduce the efficiency of
your water heater. Heavy deposits
can damage the water heater. See
the Maintenance section for steps
on draining and flushing the water
heater.
Temperature Too High
Adjust the gas control valve/
thermostat on the water heater
to a lower setting. Install or adjust
Thermostatic Mixing Valves at
each point-of-use (see the valve
manufacturer’s instructions).
Low Water Pressure
Check both the cold and hot water
at a sink to determine if the lower
pressure is only on the hot water side.
If both hot and cold faucets have low
pressure, call your local water utility.
If the low pressure is only on the hot
water side, the primary causes are:
• Melted heat traps or dip tube. Sol-
dering copper pipes while they are
connected to the water heater can
melt the heat traps inside the hot
and cold water connections or the
dip tube (cold water side). Melted
heat traps or a melted dip tube can
restrict the flow of hot water. If that
is the case, replace the heat traps or
dip tube.
•
Partially closed supply valve. Open
the water heater’s supply valve fully.
Drips from T&P Relief
Valve Discharge Pipe
A small amount of water dripping
from the Temperature and Pressure
(T&P) Relief Valve usually means the
home’s water pressure is too high
and/or you need a Thermal Expansion
Tank. See Step 1 in the Installation
section of this manual for more
information.
A large amount of hot water coming
from the T&P discharge pipe may be
due to the tank overheating. If the
T&P Relief Valve is discharging large
amounts of very hot water, turn the
gas supply valve off and call a qualified
person.
WARNING! Do not cap or plug
the T&P Relief Valve or discharge
pipe, and do not operate the water
heater without a functioning T&P
Relief Valve — this could cause an
explosion.
Water Pressure Too High.
High
water pressure can cause the T&P
Relief Valve to drip. Install a Pressure
Reducing Valve (PRV) on the main cold
water supply line. Adjust the PRV to
between 50 and 60 psi.
Thermal Expansion Tank.
Install a
Thermal Expansion Tank. If a Thermal
Expansion Tank is already installed
and the T&P Relief Valve discharge
pipe drips, the home’s water pressure
may be too high or the Thermal
Expansion Tank may be defective.
Refer to the instructions that came
with the Thermal Expansion Tank for
more information.
Debris.
In rare cases, debris can stick
inside the T&P Relief Valve preventing
the valve from seating fully. In that
case, the T&P Relief Valve discharge
pipe will drip. You may be able to clear
debris from the T&P Relief Valve by
manually operating the valve, allowing
small quantities of water to flush out
the debris. Refer to the T&P Relief
Valve Maintenance section of this
manual.
WARNING! When manually
operating the Temperature Pressure
Relief Valve, make sure that no one
is in front of or around the discharge
outlet. The water may be extremely
hot and could cause severe burns.
Also ensure that the water discharge
will not cause property damage.
If the water pressure is between 50
and 60 psi, a Thermal Expansion Tank
is installed and properly pressurized,
and the valve has been cleared of any
debris, and it still drips, the valve may
be broken — have a qualified person
replace the T&P Relief Valve.
Water Odor
Harmless bacteria normally present
in tap water can multiply in water
heaters and give off a “rotten egg”
smell. Although eliminating the
bacteria that causes “smelly water”
is the only sure treatment, in some
cases, the standard anode rod that
came with your water heater can be
replaced with a special zinc anode rod
which may help reduce or eliminate
the odor. Contact a qualified person.
NOTICE:
To protect the tank, an anode
rod must be installed in the water
heater at all times or the warranty is
void.
In cases where the “rotten egg” smell
is very strong, you could increase the
tank temperature to 140°F in order
to reduce the bacterial growth in the
tank.
WARNING! Because higher
temperatures increase the risk of
scalding, if you set the thermostat(s)
higher than 120°F, Thermostatic
Mixing Valves at each point-of-use
are particularly important.
TR
OUBLE
SHOO
TING
