Gas water heater issues

[rslaback]

A couple of weeks ago the pilot went out on my 7 year old water heater. After my less than toasty shower I relit it and all was well. Yesterday my wife sent me a message at work that the T&P valve (replaced 2 years ago) was open and it was spraying water on our game room floor. She thinks it did it some other time in the recent past but she never said anything when she found the puddle.

Today, the pilot is out again. It relit just fine.

If it was just the pilot I would say with pretty decent certainty that the issue was the thermocouple. However, with the T&P opening I wonder if it isn't an intermittent issue with the actual gas control (too little causing the pilot and too much causing the T&P to open).

Thoughts?

 

[BD1]

Standing pilot ? Wow, only seven years old ? I would replace water heater. You will save money with a spark ignition.
check with gas supplier on a rebate too. My gas supplier had a rebate for replacement.

 

[rslaback]

Yes, standing pilot. The previous owners put it in right before closing so I imagine it was the cheapest available.

 

[Steevo]

The thermocouple that keeps the pilot on and shuts it off when the flame goes out is a separate control from the temperature sensor that turns the heater on and off. If the pilot keeps going out that is one problem. If the water is actually overheating and blowing off the temp/pressure relief, that is a second problem. If the water isn't excessively hot, and your water line pressure isn't too high, the second problem may just be a bad relief valve. I had to replace one on a 2 yr old gas water heater because it would dribble a lot. A new relief valve cured that.

 

[gordyy]

As Steevo said sounds like 2 seperate issues
but 7yrs old its defineltly not worth the $$ of a temp control depending on where you live 10 yrs is about average around here. If the T & P is blowing was the water hot enough to cause steaming or rapid evaporation rate to look like steam if so its probably either over heating or if you are on a rural water system with a backflow valve on the house (built into most pressure regulators they use) you could have a problem I have seen over the years where there isn't enough room for expansion in the lines and the expansion tank has a faulty bladder
or the temp is overheating either way you need to do further detective work