Your water heater is one of the most important parts of your home’s plumbing, learning more about how it may fluctuate can help you identify any problems that come up.
As a homeowner, it’s important to get to know your water heater pilot light. For each type of water heater, there is a slightly different type of pilot light, and they each have their own set of common problems. Once you have a basic understanding of how they work, and the common issues, you can have a better idea of when to call the professionals and when to DIY. To start, the pilot light is one of the main indicators that your water heater is functioning properly, it’s also what powers it on. Your water heater is one of the most important parts of your home’s plumbing, learning more about how it may fluctuate can help you identify any problems that come up.
Indirect and Tankless Coil Water Heaters
If you have a tankless coil or indirect water heater, you’ll want to contact a professional if a problem arises. For this variety of water heater, the most common issue stems from boiler and heat exchanger problems. Unless you have experience with plumbing, contacting a professional is best as this issue requires you to open the water heater to inspect the interior operations.
Pump Water Heaters
For pump water heaters the most common problem stems from improper installation. If your pilot light malfunctions with a pump water heater it may be because it wasn’t installed in the proper temperature range of 4°F to 90°F. It follows that the best spot in your home to install this type of water heater is directly next to your furnace.
Demand Water Heater
This type of water heater is an interesting case, demand water heaters only switch on when in use, which means that any issue with the pilot light most likely stems from installation issues. To troubleshoot this issue you’ll need to check the electrical connection to make sure it’s set up correctly.
Conventional Storage Water Heater
When this type of water heater’s pilot light acts up your first step will be to reset the pilot light, and then monitor it for up to an hour to see if the problem persists. Often, the trouble comes from a blockage within the system, sometimes a simple reset is enough to clear out the issue.
Solar Water Heater
Many eco-conscious consumers are turning to the power of solar to help with their water heating needs. If you have this style of water heater and notice an issue one of the most common problems come from the solar collector.
Call In The Experts At Alpha Plumbing
If, after checking all of these basics, your water heaters pilot light is still giving you trouble, it may still be a simple fix. The specialists at Alpha Plumbing can help you determine if you need simple servicing or a whole new system.
Alpha Plumbing is a full-service plumbing and contracting company serving the Baltimore and Annapolis metro area with expertise in all aspects of plumbing. We’re family-owned and operated since 1991 from our office in Pasadena. We offer quality plumbing services at reasonable rates in a timely fashion. Our trucks are equipped with GPS systems to ensure we’re prompt and on time. No job is too large or too small! We maintain a fleet of well-stocked trucks and also own and operate our own backhoes for jobs requiring excavation.
For more information and to get a free no-obligation estimate, you can contact us on our website, send us an e-mail, or give us a call at (410) 255-5998.
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