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| Water heater heats way to high! | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Mon Sep 21st, 2009 09:26 pm |
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1st Post |
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stickmanpt Member 
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I inherited a 5 year old American Water Heater PowerFlex, for powervent, gas water heater. I always noticed the water seemed really hot though never took notice to it because it's just my wife and I. About a year ago when we had company and we were running water a lot more the PRV opened up and flooded part of the basement. I had a plumber come and they replaced the broken valve and put in a new pressure tank? (i forget what it's called). About 3 months later it happened again when we had company. I happened to check the temp and it was 170! The thermostat is set at 130. I called American Water Heaters and they begrudgenly sent another thermostat which I had to pay to get installed. Even with the new thermostat the same thing is happening. It heats to about 35-40 degrees higher than what is should. I spend part of my week now adjusting the control so it doesn't blow again. If I set it for 110 degrees, it still cooks to about 145 but then since the thermostat thinks it's still hotter than what it is, it won't kick on to reheat till it is actually 70-80 degrees or so...to cool. The gas thermostat is a RobertShaw. Can anyone help or do I need to just buy a new one? Thanks in advance for any advice!! Chris Last edited on Mon Sep 21st, 2009 09:33 pm by stickmanpt |
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22nd, 2009 01:36 am |
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2nd Post |
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Ej Member
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If a new thermostat and pressure release valve was replaced then I would want to drain the water heater and remove the thermostat to make sure the probes were not sitting or surrounded by scale build up. Other than that you could be getting mixed up with your diagnosis. I'll explain. Most if not all the time the hi limit incorporated into the thermostat will prevent the pilot or the burner from lighting. This will usually happen before the TP valve releases as such has been the case with yours. Temp settings on thermostats have never been real accurate so don't rely on it. At a 170 degrees the TP valve shouldn't be opening on temperature rise. But if you had a closed system present (see tankletts) as your heater warmed up your tank pressure would increase and possibly high enough to release from the TP valve. If coupled with high city pressure this just makes it worse. So to eliminate this possibility go to your local hardware store and buy a pressure gauge and attach it to your hose spigot on the heater. If your pressure stays under the TP rating by 15% during a heating cycle then you can eliminate this problem.
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22nd, 2009 04:19 am |
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3rd Post |
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eleent Member
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Hello: In agreement with Ej. I'd call the person who you hired to replace the valve and find out if he/she noticed any sediment while doing the replacement. I've experienced gas control probes being buried in sediment and it completely throws the control off. If sediment is the problem, you can reduce it by hooking up a 1/2 inch copper pipe to a shop vac and pulling as much sediment from the heater as you can get to. This particular job is not really much fun  It's likely time to have a look at the anode also.Yours, Larry
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22nd, 2009 02:04 pm |
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4th Post |
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stickmanpt Member
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Thanks ej and Larry. Ej, the plumber did take the pressure from outside and it was ok, nothing unusual... Larry, when the plumber tried to drain the water heater it had so much sediment the water wouldn't run out so he had to get a close hanger to shove up to dislodge. It took him some time and he never really got it all out of the way. He had to keep turning on the water intake slightly to build up enough pressure for the water to make its way out of the heater drain. Assuming that is the problem how do I clean out the tank sediment? You mentioned something about a 1/2 inch copper pipe attached to vac - how does that work? Also, how the heck do I get in there to clean it? It's a powervent...thanks for all the help! Chris
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22nd, 2009 02:55 pm |
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5th Post |
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elenano GCF-GL
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If the sediment is loose, and it sounds as if it might be, putting in one of my flush kits might go a long way toward solving the problem. I'm not just trying to sell something: putting it in is going to be a lot easier than Larry's shop-vac fix (sorry Larry ).Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22nd, 2009 04:51 pm |
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6th Post |
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stickmanpt Member
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Ok Randy...give me your pitch  .
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| Posted: Wed Sep 23rd, 2009 12:26 am |
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7th Post |
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eleent Member
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Ummm: There may be some jet lag going on here, but if the sediment is as thick as I imagine, flushing won't be able to stir things up all the way through the sediment down to the drain. However, getting a flush kit could still make sense as it comes with the drain valve assembly you need to get rid of the stuff. Once a large port drain is in place, you can run water/sediment from it, with the occasional poke from a long screwdriver to keep things flowing. After the sediment is thinned down, flushing with a curved dip tube should work just fine. I had originally thought of vacuuming sediment from the port where the gas control screws in..... As it was Randy traveling, I've no idea how I got the jet lag  Yours, Larry
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| Posted: Wed Sep 23rd, 2009 12:29 am |
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8th Post |
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Ej Member
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Chris now you tell us about the sediment issue
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| Posted: Wed Sep 23rd, 2009 12:56 pm |
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9th Post |
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stickmanpt Member
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LOL...sorry Ej, kinda left that part out - thought I'd make u think more  Ok, so lets suppose I'm fairly inept at the tasks which u mention Larry...would a plumber come in and do what you described? You don't live near Lancaster, PA do you??? Thanks! Chris Last edited on Wed Sep 23rd, 2009 01:14 pm by stickmanpt |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 23rd, 2009 01:08 pm |
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10th Post |
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elenano GCF-GL
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Yes, a plumber can easily do it. To see what's involved, though, go to the home page, click on The Basics, then on Know-How. Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Thu Oct 1st, 2009 01:54 am |
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11th Post |
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stickmanpt Member
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OK...still doesn't work. I have a new water heater narrowed down to AO smith 40 gallon powervent installed by local appliance company or GE from Home Depot. The GE is $300 Less. Does anyone have a preference?? Thanks! Chris
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