Hot Water Heater Thermostat?

[SCscoutguy]

My mothers hot water heaters pilot light went out the other night because of a really bad rain storm so I relight it for her and the water heater produced hot water for around a day until she called me and told me it was cold again. I went and looked at it and the pilot light was still light but the gas thermostat was turned down to pilot light instead of the normal position of A. Well I turned it back up to A and it produced hot water for around another day until it did it again. Is this some sort of safety feature or something that is making this thermostat knob turn itself down to almost completely off instead of staying where it normally is at A? If the thermostat needs to be replaced is that something that I can do myself? This water heater was made in 2003 and has never had any problems until the rain water got so high it extinguished the pilot light the other night.

 

[cj7365]

Its over 8 yrs old, any warranty on it, Ive had them last for 5 yrs and 10 yrs. anymore trips over to moms house the gas money saved would buy a new one

Call the manufacture to see if they still carry the part (thermostat) see how much it is first, might be cheaper to install a new one

 

[mayday0017]

right at 10yrs old, I'd toss that sucker out and put in a new one... I has lived it's life, I don't believe in fixing water heaters when they are close to their lifespan anyways because this week it may be thermostat & next week it might be something else... At some point during the repairs you won't be able to get or replace what you need so it will be new water heater time anyways and you already invested a lot in the old one.

My 2 cents

 

[BD1]

Save your time and replace it. All you get these days is 5 to 8 years as stated. The newer ones will save you money and you can visit with mom
instead of working on old heater.

 

[RECox286]

There is no crystal ball when it comes to water heaters. I've seen them malfunction almost

from the git-go, to lasting more than 30 years, and everything in between.

As long as there are no ghosties in the house, there must be some other reason for the

mysterious repositioning of the T-stat... Further, as long as the water heater is not

leaking, I would say if you can repair it for a reasonable price,

then do so. When it starts to leak, then that is the time for replacement.


Perhaps it would be wise to install a tamper-proof device, remove the knob, or

maybe just a spot of your favorite epoxy would do the trick. I have never heard of

a case where a T-stat moves itself. Perhaps mother is trying to tell you that

you don't come to visit often enough ?

Uncle Bob



answer

 

[SCscoutguy]

Thanks for the info guys. So far since last time I readjusted it the thermostat has not changed so I am hoping it stays that way but if not I will just get it replaced.

 

[gayler]

I don't want to upset you, but how old is mom? Is she acting normaly? Or is she doing small out of the ordinary things? My wifes granny started doing strange things and it turned out to be alzheimer's Could she be turning the thermostat and not realizise she did?

 

[SCscoutguy]

I don't want to upset you, but how old is mom? Is she acting normaly? Or is she doing small out of the ordinary things? My wifes granny started doing strange things and it turned out to be alzheimer's Could she be turning the thermostat and not realizise she did?

My mom is in her late 50s so I don't think that is problem just yet. Plus this thing is outside in metal enclosure that you have to snap the galvanized cover onto so I don't think she could get into if she tried lol.

 

[gayler]

My mom is in her late 50s so I don't think that is problem just yet. Plus this thing is outside in metal enclosure that you have to snap the galvanized cover onto so I don't think she could get into if she tried lol.

Glad to hear it, one less thing to worry about.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I've never heard of them turning on their own, and there definitely isn't anything internally that would turn the dial.

Maybe put a piece of duct tape over a corner of the dial. If it's broken the next time you go out then you know someone has fiddled with it.

I agree too, 10 years is about all you are going to get out of your average home water heater... Either they rust out and leak, or build up so much calcium in the bottom it takes forever for them to heat up.

 

[jason.blackwell]

Anytime you get water in the burner area of a wh it is always best to pull out the burner and blow everything out with a small compressor, you will need a 3/4", 7/16, and a 3/8 wrench to pull the burner out. With that being said most of the time when a thermostat starts to act that way means that it is going bad it does not mean YOU NEED A NEW ONE LIKE SOME PEOPLE ARE TELLING YOU. A new wh cost around 500 buck plus labor,you can by a thermostat a lot cheaper than that and yes you can do it yourself just drain the tank first, disconnect the gas line (after shutting the gas off) and you can use a pipe wrench and screw the valve out of the tank. I see gas water heaters last a lot longer than 10 years however those ones outside in a heater hut to tend to kick the bucket a ill bit sooner. Hope this helps.