Hot water heater question

[okietool]

My gd has a gas water heater, it is setting in a pan.
The pan has water up above the base plate of the water heater about 1/4". (the water looks scummy like it's been there a bit). The drain on the pan is a little too high to drain all of the way.
We are trying to get the water heater lit, It sounds like it lights but evidently it isn't because the water never gets hot.
I do not think the water heater is leaking, I'm not sure where the water came from, but it appears to be just standing and not draining.

Her having her own home is like me having two homes as far as working on stuff goes. (Her man works a lot and is out of state most of the time so it's not on him).

 

[Aries]

I'm not sure what the question is...

Could the water be high enough that it covers the orifice under the burner and/or the pilot tube? Or maybe it was at one time, and the tubes are blocked with water? This would be a dangerous condition.

Can you not see the flame when it sounds like the pilot is lit?

If the water heater is not leaking, about the only place water could be coming from is a roof leak, maybe running down the vent pipe and ending up in the drain pan. Is there no sign of water outside of the pan, in the immediate area?

I'm not a plumber either, but I did work for the gas company as a service tech for a while, so I have more experience with water heaters than electricity.

 

[okierider]

There is a screen on the bottom of the tank that pulls air, if water is up to the tank it is not getting air.
Sounds like you have a ruptured tank if the water is that deep. Is there a drain connected to the pan? Water should have not been that high.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

Check your pressure valve. Those commonly fail and will drip water into a pan, which won't allow your element to light.

 

[SoonerP226]

Those guys are probably right, but if it's on well water and doesn't have a water softener, it's entirely possible that the tank is full of minerals. My folks bought a farm about 10 years ago, and their water heater never would get the water very hot. We figured the element was burned out (it was an electric water heater), so my brother and I went to Home Depot and bought a new one.

We dang near couldn't get the old element out, and had to pull it out in pieces because the tank was about half full of calcium from the well water. It's amazing that they were getting any hot water at all.

We solved that problem by buying my folks a new water heater, and my dad had a water softener installed before we hooked it up.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

We solved that problem by buying my folks a new water heater, and my dad had a water softener installed before we hooked it up.

You can also drain and flush that sediment out once a year, and replace the sacrificial rod every five. Might get twenty years out of it.

 

[mr ed]

Before you rush out and buy a new tank try this . Suck out the water, shop vac,towels whatever and see if it will light.
Look on top of the tank where the hot and cold pipes are. Are those dips full of water? If so your exhaust boot is probably leaking water that is running down the sides and filling the pan. we have been having a lot of storms and that could be the culprit.

 

[mr ed]

You can also drain and flush that sediment out once a year, and replace the sacrificial rod every five. Might get twenty years out of it.

Amen to that we're at 18 and counting on ours.

 

[okietool]

I'm not sure what the question is...

Could the water be high enough that it covers the orifice under the burner and/or the pilot tube? Or maybe it was at one time, and the tubes are blocked with water? This would be a dangerous condition.

Can you not see the flame when it sounds like the pilot is lit?

If the water heater is not leaking, about the only place water could be coming from is a roof leak, maybe running down the vent pipe and ending up in the drain pan. Is there no sign of water outside of the pan, in the immediate area?

I'm not a plumber either, but I did work for the gas company as a service tech for a while, so I have more experience with water heaters than electricity.

The pan has a drain and the water cannot get more than a 1/4" deep because.
It's one of those with the bolted down gas chamber with a view port, it's lows enough my old fat butt can't really get to where i Can see the flames, it's in a closet too.
The water is up even with the bottom piece that's on the outside of the water heater.

There is a screen on the bottom of the tank that pulls air, if water is up to the tank it is not getting air.
Sounds like you have a ruptured tank if the water is that deep. Is there a drain connected to the pan? Water should have not been that high.

That may be the deal.
Yes it does have a drain, but the fitting used makes the bottom of the hole about 1/4" off the actual bottom.Most of the ones I have messed with in the past either have legs or some type of feet, this one looks like it is sitting flat down on the pan.

 

[okietool]

Those guys are probably right, but if it's on well water and doesn't have a water softener, it's entirely possible that the tank is full of minerals. My folks bought a farm about 10 years ago, and their water heater never would get the water very hot. We figured the element was burned out (it was an electric water heater), so my brother and I went to Home Depot and bought a new one.

We dang near couldn't get the old element out, and had to pull it out in pieces because the tank was about half full of calcium from the well water. It's amazing that they were getting any hot water at all.

We solved that problem by buying my folks a new water heater, and my dad had a water softener installed before we hooked it up.

No well water but Elk City water is pretty hard. She does have a water softener.

You can also drain and flush that sediment out once a year, and replace the sacrificial rod every five. Might get twenty years out of it.

Before you rush out and buy a new tank try this . Suck out the water, shop vac,towels whatever and see if it will light.
Look on top of the tank where the hot and cold pipes are. Are those dips full of water? If so your exhaust boot is probably leaking water that is running down the sides and filling the pan. we have been having a lot of storms and that could be the culprit.

OK that's worth a shot.
I don't think the exhaust is leaking. I didn't notice any water standing on top around the inlet and outlet, but I wasn't really looking at that, so I need to check it.