I woke up yesterday morning to no hot water. I found that the pilot light was out and reignited it with no problem. It heated up at least enough water for a hot shower.

A few hours later I checked on it just to be sure and it was off again. I've done this 3 or 4 times but it keeps going out.

Any advice would be awesome.

Does your water heater have a closed or sealed combustion chamber?

Sealed

Hi TTL

The first thing to look for is clogged vent ports around the bottom of the water heater (combustion air for flames comes in here). Here, remove the filter(s) at the bottom/sides of the water heater and clean the underside of the water heater with a vacuum cleaner (use radiator attachment)...replace filter(s) and see if that fixes the problem. if that doesn't resolve the issue, then pop back and we'll go into the next steps to take, OK?

Mark

Now that you say that, the water heater is tucked away in a little closet/room with my washer and dryer. When I pulled the washer/dryer out, the duct piping was disconnected from the back of the dryer and there was a good amount of lint on and around the water heater. I vacuumed most of it out but didn't pay specific attention to the vent ports or the filter. I'll clean it thoroughly and report back. Thanks for the response!

If you have a lot of lint, it will easily clog the front filter. Follow Mark's advice.

Ok I tried that and it shut off again after about 5 minutes.

OK, next step would be to remove the nuts/screws holding the combustion door in place, pull the combustion door forward about an inch so you are sure air is getting into the now slightly OPENED combustion chamber and then try lighting the pilot again and see how long things last. Be sure there are NO combustible materials or solvents (including paint thinner, paint, spray cleaners, etc.) near the water heater while doing this. If the water heater stays lit for a long period and doesn't end putting the pilot light out, please report back as this may not be as positive a sign as it seems!

If the pilot light goes out after this then, most likely, the THERMOCOUPLE and door gasket need to be replaced...;)

Back to you...

Mark, I followed your instructions and the pilot light remained on even after the burner finished heating, but the door is still slightly open. What next?

Thanks again!

Hi TTL

Unfortunately, that isn't necessarily a good sign...could be a failed FVS (flame vapor sensor) IF State has these internal to the unit.

At this point, I would suggest that you call state industries tech. support and finish troubleshooting with them. Have the model number and serial number of the water heater ready to input to the following contact link.

Click on this: State Industries | Customer Service | Cross Reference Guide

Each water heater manufacturer is making these differently and some even make it so that when the FVS goes off, the entire water heater needs to be replaced (RUUD, comes to mind here).

Contact these guys and let us know what happens...could be as simple as vacuuming the inside combustion chamber honeycomb filter, or it could mean replacing the entire unit (UGH!!)....doesn't sound like a simple thermocouple swap out at this point.

Good luck!

Mark

Hey tooltime, when you cleaned the bottom filter, as suggested, did you get the little screen on the very bottom of the water heater? It's a hard little bugger to get to, I usually use a long handle scrub brush with soft bristles.

Well this is weird. I had to leave the house so I closed the combustion chamber and screwed the door back on with the pilot light still on. I just got back about 45 minutes later and the pilot light is still going fine.

Could it have been a fluke? Or maybe I dislodged some rust or sort of debris from around the burner and thermocouple when I opened the door?

Mark, I'm still going to contact State as you suggested just to be safe. I'll report back with what I find out or if the pilot goes out again.

Parttime, I vacuumed as best I could around the bottom. The little plastic screen was already dislodged from the vent so I removed it completely and cleared it off, although it wasn't too bad. I also stuck the vacuum extension inside the bottom of the heater and tried to reach as much as I could but I didn't have the best angle. I looked through the little window with a flashlight and there didn't appear to be much left in there except for some small rust particles.

I really appreciate everyone's assistance. I just found this site and couldn't be more pleased. Thank you all!

Not a fluke...air make up issue here, or a failed FVR like I suggested. I'm betting the pilot goes out pretty quick after this...;)

Further, when Parttime suggested cleaning better under the heater he was talking about cleaning a HONEYCOMB filter on the underside of the water heater...not just the underneath of the unit, so you may want to go back under and this time actually clean the very BOTTOM of the water heater itself (where the filter is).

Finally, call state no matter what...post back when you know more!

Oh wow, I didn't realize that. Ok, how do I find and access the honeycomb filter? I had a difficult time getting in through the bottom vent with the vacuum extension. Do I go through the combustion chamber door?

They don't make it easy, for sure. The inside filter is very hard to get to and the outside bottom of the filter is at a very odd angle to get to.

Anyway, you have to get creative

Use the crevice tool on your vacuum if you have it.

Take a metal coat hanger and wrap a rag around the end and brush the underside of the filter...vacuum any dust that falls.

Choke the wet vac. hose down from full size to a washing machine hose using duct tape and then angle the washing machine hose upward and vacuum the filter that way.

That kind of stuff! Give it a shot.

UPDATE: I'm all fixed!!

Thank you Mark and Parttime! I emailed State support and they confirmed it was an air flow issue. I bought a little scrub brush with a bendable stem and scrubbed the bottom of the honeycomb filter. I did this a few times and vacuumed out all the lint. A half hour later the pilot is still going. I could tell it made a difference right away because I could hear the air flowing through the heater.

State sent me a PDF (which I will gladly email to anyone for future reference) that included a link to a video on how to clean the filter. The video was extremely helpful. Here is the link:

Standard Gas Control Water Heaters - Filter Cleaning

I'm pretty confident I am in the clear now. If not, I'll be back!

Thanks again to everyone that helped. I learned a ton and saved a lot of money. I couldn't be more satisfied.

Luis

Hi tooltime, I'm glad your all fixed, thanks for the update and the link.