Water heater shutdown, relight, and maintenance

The water heater is located in the garage next to the water softener. If you ever have the water shut off, you need to turn off the gas supply to the water heater, otherwise the heater will be damaged. The T&P valve should be exercised/tested every few months. The outlet of the T&P valve runs through the wall to the front of the garage and you should see water running down the driveway while testing. The drain valve on the bottom of the should be connected to a regular garden hose that leads outside and then opened fully for ~5minutes. I do this every 6 months as it helps clear out any sediment in the bottom of the heater which saves you money, decreases the recovery rate, and increases the lifespan of the heater.

This water heater is an A.O Smith ProMax Model# GCV 40 100

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• water
• heater
• shutdown
• gas
• pilot
• relight
• maintenance
• drain
• valve

[claybutler]

Thanks! Our pilot light went out and I followed the instructions that are printed on the side over and over. Then I watched your video which confirmed I was doing it right. Then I tried again and it started right up. On our model the "window" is 1/2" x1/4". Super tiny. I kept looking and looking until I found the right viewing angle (lower and looking slightly upward). You video confirmed I wasn't crazy and gave me clear idea of what I was supposed to see in the window. Thanks.

[710candlewood]

@claybutler Glad it helped :)

[olive1234567899]

Dude, you're my life saver. Just saved me $77 !

[710candlewood]

@olive1234567899 You did well, take yourself out for dinner ;)

[vintgeaeagle1]

loved the video. my water heater is atleast 10 years old. should i replace the yellow water heater lining at any point? i nevr have. the yellow fluff at point 1:08 in your video, should i ever replace that blanket? thanks and GOD BLESS

[710candlewood]

@vintgeaeagle1 If you are referring to the fiberglass insulation that came with the heater, no that doesn't get replaced. Some people add additional insulating blankets on the outside, and those can be replaced if it is really broken down.

[patsfan971]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. It was a great expliation and very easy to follow. You saved me a about $80 - Thank you kind sir!!!!

[Alphafox46]

I FUCKING LOVE YOU BRO! thank you! haha :)

[stopwhining1]

@710candlewood I dont know if my other comment posted, but I said that I fixed it.. The pilot and burner were cutting out. I got a new thermocouple but the water heater I have has a different thermocouple from the one I bought. Turns out the burner needed to be cleaned off

[710candlewood]

@jackdiggly Could be the thermocouple or the valve, make sure that the pilot is heating the thermocouple.

[710candlewood]

@stopwhining1 Is the pilot light getting blown out as the main burner shuts off?

[stopwhining1]

hey 710candlewood can you help me? My water heater looks exactly like yours, but Im having problems..I keep having to relight the pilot after about 20 min... I light it, turn the temperature up to about B level, the burner catches fire (like at 2:16 of this video), but after about 20 min, the entire heater essentially shuts down.. The pilot doesnt stay lit or anything.. Do you know what the problem is?