Hot water supply, without a doubt, can be considered a prerequisite for a comfortable life, therefore the occurrence of interruptions in the operation of the gas water heater requires the most urgent measures to be taken.
But you shouldn’t immediately rush to the phone and call a repairman, because the cause of the breakdown may well be trivial and easily fixable even by the user.
Let's try to figure out why the geyser goes out and in what cases the owner himself can restore its functionality.
Application and working principle
The main working elements of the gas water heater are:
- gas-burner;
- the heat exchanger located above it is a long coiled tube in which the water flowing through it is heated.
Auxiliary components of the gas water heater include:
- Ignition device: can be electronic (generates a spark in one way or another) or have the form of a pilot burner (pilot or wick) that burns constantly. In old speakers, the igniter had to be lit with a match. In modern ones, a piezoelectric element is installed for this purpose, which the user activates by pressing a special button.
- Water-gas unit: consists of an interconnected membrane (installed in the water supply) and a gas valve (installed in the gas path). As soon as the user opens the tap and water flows through the column, the membrane bends and opens the gas valve, thus supplying gas to the burner.
- Safety automation: consists of several sensors and a special solenoid valve in the gas path, to which these sensors are connected mechanically or electrically. If deviations occur in the operation of the column, the corresponding sensor will close the valve, thereby turning off the device. In columns with an igniter, a thermocouple is also connected to this valve, heated by the igniter flame. It is triggered when the pilot burner goes out.
“Advanced” speakers also have an electronic control module.
Reason for extinguishing when releasing the ignition button
To know why the column may go out when the ignition button is released, you need to study its structure. Discharging the power supply elements can cause the burner fire to go out. When the device has an automatic ignition from a generator or battery, the user will need to replace them with new ones, having checked the “Start/Shutdown” button in advance.
Dead batteries also prevent the gas water heater from working. The problem is typical for products with piezo ignition. Hold down the key for at least 10 seconds.
Why does the gas water heater go out?
Understanding the design of the water heater, it is easy to draw a conclusion: its spontaneous shutdown can primarily be caused by the activation of the safety automatics, which cut off the gas supply.
Typically it includes the following sensors:
- traction sensor;
- flame sensor;
- overheat sensor (thermal fuse).
Let's see what should be done in this or that case.
Lack of draft in the chimney
Let us immediately draw the reader’s attention to an important circumstance: the presence of draft depends not only on the condition of the chimney, but also on whether there is an air flow into the kitchen. Today, citizens massively seal their homes with sealed double-glazed windows, completely ignoring the need to install a supply valve in this case.
It is assumed that fresh air will enter the room through periodic ventilation, but you need to understand that the rest of the time the chimney and ventilation system will actually be paralyzed.
It’s a completely different matter with the supply valve: air flows in constantly and evenly, and the speed of its supply can be adjusted.
Accordingly, the chimney works as it should.
The valve is usually installed in the room farthest from the kitchen and bathroom so that the entire apartment is ventilated. Then you need to make sure that all interior doors, including the kitchen, have a gap at the bottom or a special ventilation hole with a decorative grille.
So, having made sure that there is an inflow, we check the draft: to do this, you should bring a piece of paper or a burning match to the viewing window of the water heater. If the flame or paper is deflected by the air flow, there is draft; if not, you need to repeat the experiment directly for the chimney, disconnecting the column from it. If there is draft here, you need to clean the column heat exchanger of soot, if not, you should clean the chimney itself.
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Gas water heaters rarely break. The most common breakdown is when the column does not ignite. Why this happens, read the link.
Preventive measures
To increase the service life of the heating installation, you should follow some simple steps.
- Protect equipment from hard and contaminated water. This can be done by installing coarse and fine filters in the water supply system.
- Carry out maintenance of the product once a year: remove scale from the heat exchanger, clean the inlet filter, burner, wick and chimney.
- Check the condition of the rubber parts (especially the membrane) and change if necessary.
Advice! Do it yourself descaling with a solution of citric acid in the amount of 70 g per 1 liter of water, after disassembling the installation or without dismantling it.
So, many malfunctions of a gas instantaneous water heater can be fixed with your own hands, but in some cases you cannot do without inviting a professional, especially if there is a gas leak. Prevention significantly extends the service life of the product, since the main causes of breakdowns are often dust, dirt, soot, hard water, humidity and instability of gas and water supply.
Main burner extinction
If the main burner accidentally goes out, the flame sensor will trigger, and the gas supply will be blocked. This happens under the following circumstances:
- There is a strong draft in the room. It causes a phenomenon called “flame lift-off”. Therefore, in windy weather, windows should not be opened wide open.
- The burner was blown out by a strong gust of wind, which caused the air in the chimney to move in the opposite direction.
This happens very rarely, the column just needs to be started again.
Overheat
Most often, overheating occurs for the following reasons:
- The user dilutes hot water with cold. Due to the addition of cold water, the consumption of hot water is reduced, therefore, the heat extraction is reduced and the water in the heat exchanger overheats. Remember: you can regulate the temperature of hot water only by changing its pressure or using the regulator on the column.
- The heat exchanger is clogged with scale somewhere. This also leads to a decrease in water consumption with subsequent overheating. You can guess what happened by the clearly weakened pressure of hot water, despite the fact that cold water flows properly. To prevent such troubles, the heat exchanger must be periodically washed with special anti-scale compounds.
If the mesh filter (dirt filter) installed on the water supply in front of the column is clogged, the flow rate in this case will drop with all the ensuing consequences.
Internal breakdowns
Now let's see what undesirable phenomena can occur inside the column itself:
Water circuit
Most often you encounter the following problems:
- The “original” filters included in some speakers are clogged.
- The flow area has decreased due to scale deposits.
Solid deposits, commonly referred to as scale, are formed by magnesium and calcium salts dissolved in water. The higher the water temperature, the higher the rate of scale formation, so the heat exchanger is the first to suffer from this problem. Its thin tubes clog very easily, resulting in a drop in pressure with all the consequences described above.
Today, a number of effective products are produced to clean the pipeline from scale. If a special composition for geysers is used, the heat exchanger does not need to be dismantled. It is enough to disconnect the supply pipe from it and drain the water by opening the hot water tap on the mixer.
Gas water heater water circuits
Then a rubber hose is secured to the inlet pipe of the heat exchanger using a clamp, into which the reagent is poured through a watering can. You need to pour it slowly, otherwise the product will splash out due to a violent reaction.
Descaling products contain very aggressive components, for example, hydrochloric acid. When working with them, you must carefully follow safety rules and use protective equipment - gloves and goggles.
After a 2-hour soak, the supply pipe is again connected to the heat exchanger, the root valve is opened and a certain amount of water is driven through the column.
If you couldn’t get a special product for speakers, you can use any, but then the heat exchanger will need to be removed and washed separately. Otherwise, an important element of the column - the aluminum gearbox - may be damaged.
If for some reason you cannot purchase a factory-made reagent, use a folk remedy - a solution of 100 g of citric acid per 0.5 liter of water.
Ignition system
In some columns, the spark to ignite the burner is generated by batteries - this is the so-called. electronic ignition.
The reason for the “strike” declared by the water heater can be very simple - the batteries are dead and need to be replaced.
The igniter may go out due to the fact that the ignition button was not held down long enough (less than 20 seconds) - the bimetallic plate did not have time to heat up.
Smoke removal system
Soot build-ups can form not only in the chimney, but also inside the column - on the heat exchanger. It needs to be cleaned periodically.
In turbocharged engines, the cause of poor draft may be a malfunctioning fan.
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Automation
The most common type of automatic equipment that fails is the rubber membrane in contact with water. It may become deformed or crack. This element needs to be replaced.
When choosing a new membrane, give preference to silicone-based products - they are the most reliable and durable.
The traction sensor also fails relatively often. To check its functionality, you need to measure its resistance by connecting a tester to the terminals. The device should show “infinity”.
Other faults
Also, malfunctions of the water heater can be caused by the following reasons:
Ignition system failure
In speakers without an igniter (electronic ignition), the spark is generated by the batteries; perhaps they have run out.
The battery capacity is not always enough for a year, as the manufacturer promises.
In other models, a spark is produced by a piezoelectric element triggered by a turbine installed in the water supply.
If the water pressure is weak, such an ignition device will not work.
When buying a column, you need to pay attention to the minimum water pressure that it requires for normal operation.
In columns with an igniter, the latter can become clogged: its flame becomes weak, sometimes yellow (this is how the lack of air in the gas-air mixture manifests itself). As a result, it either cannot ignite the main burner at all, or does this after a large volume of gas has entered, as a result of which the column ignites with a characteristic bang. After cleaning the igniter the situation returns to normal.
The membrane of the water unit has exhausted its resource
This element, made of a polymer material, must have sufficient elasticity, but over time it loses it, becoming rigid, and may even crack.
It can also become overgrown with lime deposits.
Accordingly, the column will stop turning on, even if the user opens the tap completely.
The membrane must be inspected and if its condition is truly unsatisfactory, it must be replaced.
Control module board burnt out
This often happens with imported speakers, which are very sensitive to the quality of the power supply. They should be connected through a stabilizer.
It is also useful to know that smart speakers with electronics should not be turned off at night.
Not enough charge
When you open the water, you observe a normal flow, when you turn it on, there is a characteristic click, a spark is formed and everything is generally visually good. But there is one noticeable point: the burner itself in the gas water heater does not ignite. If you look through the window, there is no flame. This is the reason why there is no hot water. The owner does not have hot water, which causes a lot of inconvenience. This reason must be eliminated as soon as possible.
The reason for the malfunction and lack of hot water lies in a completely simple phenomenon. When the batteries stop working, the speaker stops functioning. It does not heat up and therefore the hot water supply stops.
The battery charge in the final stages is only enough to produce a spark. Therefore, visually you observe a spark, and there is also a noticeable click. But the battery energy is not enough to ignite the burner itself.
Replacing the batteries yourself is not difficult. To do this, you need to open the box with the batteries and take them out. Next, you should replace it with new, high-quality, powerful batteries.
More about batteries
Polarity in batteries matters. If you insert batteries without taking into account their polarity, the column will not light up. Batteries can sometimes get stuck in the pack, so keep an eye on them.
Replacement with new functioning batteries is carried out if two main criteria are met:
- The polarity of the batteries must be taken into account;
- The box intended for batteries must be closed until it clicks.
The batteries used in geysers must be standard D (in other words, barrel batteries). Salt options are not suitable because they have the ability to quickly fail. In most cases, alkaline batteries are used for geysers. They are otherwise called alkaline batteries.
There are often cases when a person purchases batteries, but they do not light the column. Here, too, several questions arise as to why even new batteries cannot cope with their functions. At this stage, the owner may also become confused and look for a completely different reason. In order not to find yourself in such an unpleasant situation, you need to wisely choose batteries for the operation of the gas water heater. There are a few tips to keep in mind...
Tips for choosing batteries
It is not advisable to choose too cheap ones. In this case, it is recommended to choose more expensive batteries (normal ones cost about 200 rubles). If you buy cheap ones, they most likely will not work properly, which means that in the future you will need to overpay
Therefore, initially purchase good quality expensive batteries; Pay attention to the expiration date of the batteries; As for brands, Duracell and Energizer brands are preferred. The battery must be alkaline or lithium
It will be more informative to use a specific multimeter tester that accurately determines the charge. Anyone can use such a tester; it won’t be difficult. This method is convenient and practical to use, and you can purchase a battery tester at any store.
Attenuation: overview of popular models
Some brands of water heaters have characteristic diseases that are useful for users to know about. Here are a couple of examples.
Column "Neva 4510"
It happens, although extremely rarely, that this device simply stops turning off.
This occurs due to the jamming of the gas valve rod - the spring cannot move it to the “closed” position.
To check if this is the case, you need to remove the water-gas unit, disconnect the water part from it and try to move the rod with a screwdriver.
If this requires a lot of force, you need to replace the gas unit - this malfunction cannot be repaired (this unit in these columns is too fragile).
Column Bosch Junkers WR 13-P
The weak point of these water heaters is the thermocouple, which is heated by the igniter.
In some units, it quickly (after about 3 years of operation) begins to malfunction, as a result of which the column first goes out spontaneously, and then the igniter cannot be ignited at all - it goes out immediately after the button is released.
This problem can usually be resolved by sanding the thermocouple with fine sandpaper.
If this does not help, check to see if the pilot tube has become dislodged. In the Junkers it is not attached rigidly, and therefore can be moved during cleaning, careless manipulation, or even ignition with a match. As a result, the gap between this tube and the nozzle through which gas is supplied into it is reduced.
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And through this gap air is sucked into the gas flow. Accordingly, the air content in the gas-air mixture decreases, which is why the flame on the igniter burns worse and does not reach the thermocouple. This gap needs to be adjusted. If this is done correctly, the flame on the igniter will lengthen and deviate slightly, reaching the thermocouple.
Gas pressure
If the gas water heater does not light up when you turn on the water, the reason for this situation may be problems with gas pressure or a complete lack of gas in the system.
In this situation, usually the water pressure is normal, and the piezoelectric element gives a spark. The first thing you need to do is check the presence of gas in the gas pipeline; to do this, you need to try turning on the gas stove. If the stove does not turn on either manually or automatically, and the characteristic hiss of flowing gas is inaudible from the burner, then with a high probability it can be said that there is no gas in the gas pipeline.
The option when gas does not flow in the gas column while there is normal gas flow to other devices and when there is a spark on the piezoelectric element indicates a malfunction of the gas equipment or a clogged gas filter. When the gas water heater does not ignite when the water is turned on and the ignition system is activated, it is necessary to check the condition of the gas filter installed in front of the device.
The fact is that the composition of natural gas, the presence of impurities and gas condensate can clog the gas purification filter. Because of this, the gas pressure decreases, the pilot light does not light, or the gas safety valve turns off. One of the symptoms of filter contamination can be cases when the device does not light up immediately, or if it does turn on, it starts working intermittently at first, and then after a few minutes it reaches the desired mode.
What to do if the gas water heater does not light up due to low gas pressure or a clogged filter? First of all, you need to turn off the gas supply valve and open the vents for ventilation. Next, you need to inform the gas service about the problem and if this is not a centralized gas shutdown, then call a gas service technician.
The main thing in this case is not to try to do the repairs yourself and wait for the specialists to arrive.
