Pilot light will not stay lit on water heater?

Question

My water heater isn't even 2 yrs old. For the last 2 weeks we've been having to relight it numerous times. We have noticed a strange sound from inside it. It sounds like a drip falling down on something extremely hot and sizzling. Should we be hearing that? I thought the thermocouple needs replace but now with this "drip" inside the tank I'm wondering if there is something else wrong. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

If this happens to be a "Flame Lock" sold by Lowes, you have a big problem. Go to any consumer home page and

see the horror associated with this never ending piece of s**t.

Answer 2

replace your water heater

Answer 3

You don't need a whole new tank, just thermal coulper.

Answer 4

You need a new thermal couple. Go to the hardware or plumbing supply store and get the right part. Take off the cover that is on the bottom,turn off the gas supply to the H2O heater . A couple of wrenches is all the tools you'll need and it sounds like you already know how to re-light the pilot after you turn the gas back on and your good to go. That should be the last time you'll have to re-light your hot water heater for awhile.You will recognize the thermal couple by the small rod that is above or next to the pilot light flame and it has a 10 or 12 inch small gas line (smaller than a pencil). Take the whole thing with you to the store. The thermal couple is pretty generic so you shouldn't have much trouble finding one.

Answer 5

Some problems with gas water heaters can be problematic to diagnose.  The drip you're hearing or seeing on the inside of the unit, could be from condensation forming on the vent tube that runs through the center of the tank to the top.   I've actually thought that I had a leak in a brand new unit when I lit it for the first time, as there was so much water dripping down from that tube that it seemingly had to be a leak, however, it eventually stopped when the water in the tank warmed to the temp. of the outside air.  That may be the problem with this dripping sound you're hearing.  If it only happens after the pilot has been out and you've no more hot water, then it should stop once the burner is lit for a while and the internal water gets heated up somewhat.  If it doesn't stop then there may, indeed, be a problem with a leaking weld somewhere.   The pilot not staying lit is most likely a separate issue.   It could very well be that you need a new thermocouple, although these should last much more than 2 years.  If you do, unless you've the tools and knowledge to work on gas related things, then it would be to your advantage to have a professional do the job.   I see answers from folks all the time on here telling others how easy it is to replace these things, but from my experience of 35 years of installation and repair of water heaters,  99% of the time you must remove the burner to get to the thermocouple, and in order to remove the burner you have to remove all the lines from the thermostat/gas valve on the side of the unit to allow it to come out.  Also, if this is one of the newer units with the piezo igniters, then you'll have to unscrew the metal plate with the little window in it and take it out too.   Not as simple as it sounds.     And then this may not be the problem.   Sometimes there's problems with the actual thermostat/valve, that's not maintaining the magnetic field necessary to hold the gas valve open inside the housing.    If that's the case then the  entire thermostat/valve assembly will have to be replaced, (not cheap).   Any water heater repair tech worth his salt should be able to diagnose which of these problems pertains to your situation.    PS - there's NO gas line attached to a thermocouple.

Answer 6

trace the sound,see if its falling anywhere near the pilot,also ck to see if there any water inlets or outlets near the pilot or burner,is the pop/off on the side or the top?

how does the supply line route to the tank?

where does the pop/off drain line run,anywhere near the pilot? last but not least just because its only 2 yrs old that doesn't mean that the tank can't be leaking.