random pilot outage on new bradford white heater

zepfan

we installed a Bradford white natural gas water heater model # RG250T6N in July. The pilot went out the first week of September. The pilot was re lit and thermopile tested. It read over 600 mv. The heater stayed online until it went out again today. The pilot was re lit and the heater is back online. The heater is vented into b vent and the cap is in place on the roof, so there is no way a downdraft could have blown the pilot out. The water heater is located in a large room that also houses the furnace, washer and dryer. The furnace is a 90% model that uses outside air to burn, so I do not think that there is any way that the water heater would be short on combustion air. My question is what else can be causing these random outages on a brand new heater? Is there any chance that the Honeywell gas control has an issue with the pilot portion of it? Thanks to all.

Larry Weingarten

Hi, Any chance dust is clogging the air inlet screen? Is the combustion chamber getting too hot? 🤔

Yours, Larry

EdTheHeaterMan

zepfan said:

we installed a Bradford white natural gas water heater model # RG250T6N in July. The pilot went out the first week of September. The pilot was re lit and thermopile tested. It read over 600 mv. The heater stayed online until it went out again today. The pilot was re lit and the heater is back online. The heater is vented into b vent and the cap is in place on the roof, so there is no way a downdraft could have blown the pilot out. The water heater is located in a large room that also houses the furnace, washer and dryer. The furnace is a 90% model that uses outside air to burn, so I do not think that there is any way that the water heater would be short on combustion air. My question is what else can be causing these random outages on a brand new heater? Is there any chance that the Honeywell gas control has an issue with the pilot portion of it? Thanks to all.

And you are sure of this because you witnessed this with a draft gauge in place recording the draft at the time the pilot went out?

Is there an exhaust fan, or clothes dryer, whole house fan, or has the furnace blower door or blower return vent anywhere close to or communicating with the water heater room?

Is the B-vent termination outside the home located at least 3 feet above any obstruction within 10 foot of the b vent cap?

Has a tree grown so high that there is a possibility that when the wind comes from a certain direction, that tree can act as an air scoop to create a down draft?

Those are three possibilities (exhaust vents causing negative pressure, Chimney minimum clearances, or major obstructions) just to name a few.

pedmec

you might be tripping out on the fvir switch which will automatically reset itself until complete failure. if its located near any cleaning chemicals it will cause that unit to shutdown. Even mopping a floor near the heater can cause it to trip. Annoying service calls because it always works after you relight it. then weeks later it fails again. I have had to change water heaters to direct vent to eliminate problem unfortunately.

zepfan

The FVIR switch I assume is the manual reset  switch that is wired in series with the thermopile? Is it possible to have the contacts open, without having to be manually reset ? The two times the pilot has gone out, that switch did not have to be re set. Thanks to all

GGross

@zepfan

I think he is talking about the flammable vapor sensor, a different sensor. It senses any flammable vapors nearby and shuts the unit down.

Usually looks like this

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Bradford-White-415-45560-00-Flammable-Vapor-Sensor

pedmec

Exactly what it is

zepfan

Thanks for the responses. That is the part I was referring to as well. The one that is on this heater is a manual reset type that has never needed to be re set.

Larry Weingarten

Hi,, I don’t like guessing, and that’s what I’m doing now. The resettable control could be a temperature sensor, rather than a vapor sensor. Any chance your heater has both?

Yours, Larry

realliveplumber

Bradford White has excellent technical support, Id just call them.