Common HVAC Questions

Please do not attempt to repair your own water heater unless you are a qualified plumbing technician!!!

I Do Not Have Any Hot Water and I Have a GAS Hotwater Heater.

Remove the inner and outer burner access covers and Check to see if the pilot light is lit.

* Caution: Many modern water heaters no longer use standing pilots. They use electronic ignition to ignite the gas. Do not attempt to manually light an electronic ignition system.

  • If the pilot light is not lit:
    • Attempt to re-light pilot light following the instructions posted on your water heater.
    • If the pilot light will not re-light, the problem could be a clogged pilot line, or gas is not reaching the water heater. Call for service.
    • If the pilot light will light but does not stay lit when the gas valve control is released the problem could be a defective or loose thermocouple, or perhaps a faulty gas control valve. Make sure the thermocouple connection to the control valve is tight.
  • If the pilot light is lit:
    • Turn on a hot water tap and let the water run for several minutes. Check to see if burner comes on.  If not, run the hot water several more minutes. If the burner still does not come on, the problem could be a defective control valve/thermostat.
    • Check to see if the control valve knob is  in the "on" setting and not set to the "pilot" position.

I Do Not Have Any Hot Water and I Have an ELECTRIC Hotwater Heater:

  • If you have no hot water from an electric Hot Water Heater, first make sure the breakers are on. Otherwise it is most likely either a bad upper element or thermostat, or it is off on a high limit safety. Some water heaters have a reset able safety switch at the upper thermostat. Usually requires removing access panel.

* Caution: High Voltage connections are behind access doors. Turn off all power to the appliance at the main panel before removing panel. Use caution when removing panel and double check connections with a volt meter. If you are unsure how, then you shouldn't be attempting this.

  • Once confirmed that the electric is off, see if the red reset button has popped out. If so try resetting it, you will hear a click. Then re-install panel cover and reset the breaker. You should hear the unit start to charge. Keep in mind, that if the upper limit opens, it is usually because a thermostat is stuck closed and it will do so again, requiring changing.

 

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