Water heater troubleshooting

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    • #279958
      Avatar photopeter dellafranca

        I have presidential PR6 40CVIT water gas heater with hot surface ignition, pretty new, maybe 6 years old.

        The problem: it locks out once in a while.

        It locked one night a month ago and this morning.

        The lights on the control unit show “system lock” which, according to manual, may be due to low gas pressure.

        I checked, during startup, the burner lights up well, but is automatically shut down about 3 seconds after lighting up.

        The flame seems to be fine – I don’t suspect low gas pressure to be the case.

        I checked the air outlet pipe, it is clean and not obstructed.

        My question is: what are next steps in troubleshooting?

        maxrempel2011-01-16 02:52:59

      • #301996
        Avatar photoSelgas
        Participant

          From your description of the fault and as I am not familiar with that particular water heater I can only go on my experience with appliances controlled by power packs using HS ignition units. Clearly if the main burner lights and stays alight allbeit for 3 seconds then the cause may well be low gas pressure especially if the water heater is supplied by Natural Gas and the gas meter is located outdoors in the freezing cold. In this instance the fault of low pressure is likely to be caused by the gas meter regulator being exposed to extreeme cold temps and the diaphram in the same will not activate properly. To rectify this problem you should contact your energy supplier to check their gas meter set ( GMS ).

          Other than the above I could only add that if the problem does not turn out to be low pressure then the fault is likely to lay with the flame proving section of the electrical ciruit or possibly the control box for the same.

        • #302151
          Avatar photorobertshawn
          Participant

            Water heater have become a part of our life, especially in the days of winter, for taking a bath with hot water. And, if water heater stops working, then it would be best to consider only professionals to get it working again.

          • #302254
            Avatar photobriancooper
            Participant

              The worst time to have a hot water heater problem is while you are in the shower or washing dishes. Referring to the manual of the water heater is one of the best way to troubleshoot your heating problems But keep in mind that, no matter how handy you are, some problems ultimately require a professional.

            • #302322
              Avatar photobradjones
              Participant

                Water heater problems can be very annoying. In my opinion, one should not attempt to trouble shoot or repair your water heater unless you are a qualified technician.

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