"Mr.E" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 12 Jan 2014 23:08:28 -0800, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"Roy" > wrote in message
...
>>On Sunday, January 12, 2014 10:13:01 PM UTC-7, Julie Bove wrote:A bunch of
>>stuff about a water heater.
>>>
>>>
>>> Anyone have any suggestions?
>>
>>Julie, I would say you have a "downdraft" problem. Wind is coming down the
>>vent pipe and floods down around the pilot light and blows it out.
>>
>>I have had this problem when a strong wind comes from the north here and
>>bounces off my roof and down the chimney. Since the hot water tank vent
>>goes
>>to the chimney the downdraft floods over the tank. I usually have this
>>problem once or twice a year...no biggy but can be dangerous if enough
>>fumes
>>enter the house that should be going OUT.
>>===
>>
>>---
>>
>>Thanks! If it were only twice a year, I could handle it but it's getting
>>to
>>where it is once or twice a week now and many times seems to happen after
>>I've gone to bed. Another problem I have is that the other two who live
>>here love to take long showers and allow the water to run a lot to get it
>>super hot before they get in. As you can imagine, these things don't work
>>well when the pilot light is out. They also don't tell me if the water is
>>only warm and not hot and then the next person in the shower will get
>>barely
>>warm to cold water. *sigh*
>>
>>I will see if they can somehow change the way it is vented to prevent the
>>problem. I think the last time the plumber did say something about
>>downdrafting but thought it had to do with the tank itself. He had
>>ordered
>>a part for this but they sent him the wrong part and due to a weekend or
>>holiday or something (can't remember) it was going to take several days to
>>get here so... He just gave me a new tank.
>
> Does this tank have a blinking light on the control box?
> A neighbor had one of these types and it took the fifth control module
> in two years to finally stop the shutdowns. They would replace the
> module and the tank would stay lit for awhile then start random
> failure and was extremely hard to get a stable relight.

Yes it does. They may well have replaced that on the first one. The last
plumber said that the slowness or quickness of the flashing meant something.
But I can't remember what. Thanks for reminding me though. Mayhaps I can
find something when I look that up. I think when I relight it, it blinks
quickly but then some time later, it blinks slowly. And then it will go
out.