Hot Water Tank Issue?

[gypsmjim]

When I got to camp I opened the valve on the propane tank, and then went inside to start up the stove to be sure propane was flowing. No issued so far.

I lit the HWT pilot, again with no particular problems. When the pilot was fully established I turned it "on" and the burner came on right away. As i was doing other things I noticed that the burner was off. (It usually runs for awhile with a cold tank full). I opened the panel and the pilot was off too.

I relit it and went off again. Five minutes later it was off again, so I relit it again. This time I stood there with the panel open and watched it. It kept running this time.

Over night I turned it off and relit it again in the morning. No problems on the 2nd day.

The propane tank is quite full.

Anything I should look into? The warranty runs out in a week......LOL.

[Sundancer330]

It sounds like the flame sensor is dirty, take a piece of sandpaper to it and it should work.

[gypsmjim]

Originally Posted by Sundancer330

It sounds like the flame sensor is dirty, take a piece of sandpaper to it and it should work.

Do you mean the thermocouple?

[Sundancer330]

yes same thing different name

[gypsmjim]

Thanks for the suggestion, but my gut feeling is that's not it.

TC's usually fail, and then don't work again. That's not the case here. Also, its a heat sensor only, not a visual flame sensor. I'm not sure cleaning it would help.

If it was the TC that shut it down, it would have been because the pilot went out. The burner does not hit the TC. So, my issue is why did the pilot go out. Under normal conditions it fully engulfs the TC.

[Sundancer330]

All it takes is a little soot grime or dirt on a TC and it won't work right. I just did this on a rental home I have, pulled the burner TC looked fine but I gave it a quick sand, installed and it fired right up and cycles fine. When my camper was new last summer the HWT was so out of adjustment I had soot all over the side, adjusted the air shutter then a few days later it would not stay running, cleaned the TC and no more problem. At least give it a try.

[Heady]

For what it's worth, when they do the annual maintenance on my home furnace/water heater they always clean the TC by sanding it. Worth a try.

[gypsmjim]

I will give it a try. Naturally that was the first thing I looked at. It looks clean and shiny and the pilot is strong.

Actually, I would guess that the HWT hasn't been used more than a dozen times.