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Water heater Leaking?

Jeff_17
Jeff_17 Member Posts: 99
in THE MAIN WALL
I woke up this morning to find that I have no hot water. I checked the pilot light and if was out. So i lit the pilot and after the flame took, I turned the knob to on, and the flame came on. However, as the flame was heating the water, I heard an odd sound. I looked inside the water heater, and it looked like there was a pool of water on the burner, and that drops of water were hitting burner and causing the water to splash of the flames, making the odd noise.

The boiler is only 3 years old. Is this normal? Should I replace the water heater, or can this problem be repaired?

Thanks

J

Comments

  • Michal
    Michal Member Posts: 213
    I have seen

    I have seen it where the pilot goes out, the water cools down, and you light it back up, you get what you mentioned. It can be condensation along the flue. Also it can the the water heater is leaking. There are a few things to look at. It went off for a reason, could be the thermocouple (safety device) is not good and shut the unit off on safety. Its hard to say without seeing it. What happened after you relit the pilot? Truly would be good to have some one see it if it went out again
  • Jeff_17
    Jeff_17 Member Posts: 99


    I actually shut the heater down, and turned off the water supply. I dont know if the water dripping caused the pilot to go out, or was a result of it being relit. This was the first time that I heard the noise and I work right next to the heater for hours, and I never heard that noise before this morning.
  • Heatermon
    Heatermon Member Posts: 119
    Water dripping on burner

    What you have described is normal condensation that will occur when a heater is first started up. The fact that there was no signs of water leakage before you re-lit the pilot tells me that the posibility of the heater leaking from the tank is small. The other thing I have been seeing is an increase in thermocouple problems from heaters that were made right before the big changeover from open burners to FVIR technology, which happened to be 2-3 years ago. I would re-lit the unit and let it run until it either fully heated up or went off again to see what is really happening. The thermocouple may work fine for a few more days or weeks, but if it's bad it will go out again. I would at least purchase a spare thermocouple to be on stand by if it happens again (cheap insurance) or call in an expert that can diagnose and repair the problem no matter what it is.

    Good luck

    Heatermon

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