by Trevor Woods |
Last Updated: August 24, 2020 When was the last time you showed your water heater some love? No, not a Valentine’s Day card and a box of chocolate but some serious TLC? If you are following our recommendations and flushing your hot water tank once a year then you are already winning over our hearts!
But removing sediment from inside your water heater is only half of the equation to having a hot water tank performing at its best. Now you need to clean out the combustion chamber and the burner as well.
The burner is the heart of your water heater and we will show you how to keep it healthy and stoke those flames of love!
Why Should I Clean My Burner?
Just like why you would scrub down your stovetop or bbq grill, it’s all about the heat transfer. A burner that is covered in soot and debris will not heat your water efficiently and will cause your gas consumption to increase.
Periodically cleaning your water heater’s burner will keep the unit operating at peak performance, save on utilities, and extend the life of the appliance.
How Often Should I Clean My Burner?
It’s the perfect opportunity to clean your water heater’s burner when you plan to flush the hot water tank. Vacuuming the soot and ash from the combustion chamber and cleaning the burner head should be done at least once a year.
Cleaning your hater heater burner head more frequently will promote a cleaner-burning appliance and help keep your gas bills to a minimum. This is especially important if your water heater serves dual functions and plays a role in a hydronic heating system. If you are working your water heater hard you may want to consider cleaning the burner every 3 to 4 months.
Tools And Materials Needed
You are going to need a few tools to complete this piece of water heater maintenance:
- Tamper-proof Torx bits if your water heater has a sealed combustion chamber.
A complete kit to replace worn or torn combustion door gaskets.
How To
Cleaning your water heater burner is a simple chore that only takes a little elbow grease. You should be able to complete the cleaning process in under an hour. If you run into any problems don’t hesitate to consult your use and care manual while doing any of this maintenance
1. Turn The Water Heater OFF
Start off by shutting down the water heater. Turn the gas control valve know to the OFF position. Then close the gas shutoff valve on the gas supply to your water heater. This will extinguish the flame in the water heater and prevent it from trying to turn on while you are cleaning the burner.
Open up any windows or doors to ensure proper ventilation and allow the combustion chamber to cool.
Stop Smoking!
Smoking can is bad for your health, especially when working around combustables. Do not smoke while performing this maintenance on your water heater. Extinguish any incense, candles, or sources of open flame nearby. Save the romantic scene for later.
2. Remove The Cover Panel
Next, you will want to remove the combustion chamber cover panel. This outer door at the base of your water heater conceals the burner tubing and the pilot or ignition system.
3. Disconnect The Burner Assembly From The Gas Valve
If your water heater’s gas valve is labelled “White Rogers”, there will be an orange wire attached to the bottom side of the valve. This wire leads to the piezo lighter inside the combustion chamber. Disconnect the wire lead and leave the orange wire in the door assembly.
In the case that your water heater has a “Robert Shaw” gas valve, you will have to remove the igniter valve terminal from the base of the ignitor button with a screwdriver.
Now you can undo the three different sized hex-head connections from the underside of the gas valve. One will be for the
Undoing these gas supply lines will release a small amount of trapped gas from inside the tubing. Don’t be alarmed if you smell gas for a moment, the little volume of gas will dissipate quickly. If the smell of gas persists, check to ensure the gas valve is closed completely.
Be Gentle With The Gas Lines
Be careful while bending and removing these lines and do not kink any of the tubing. If you force the tubing too far they can get deformed or damaged and require replacement.
4. Remove The Combustion Door
Depending on the style of water heater you may be able to slide or swing the combustion door out of the way. Sealed combustion chambers will have a combustion door that is fastened in place with hex nuts or Torx screws.
Special Tools Required
Some water heaters are equipped with security or
Premium quality and easy to use security bit set.
Specialized tamper-resistant fasteners can show up in unexpected places. Be ready with a full range of types and sizes that fit these unique fasteners.
?All the bits are made from premium chrome vanadium steel bits with precisely machined tips. They are professionally manufactured to reduce stripping and ensure durability/longevity.
While removing the combustion door on sealed units, take care not to damage or tear the gasket that seals the door to the combustion chamber.
5. Slide Out The Burner Assembly
With the combustion door unfastened or removed, gently slide the burner tube and assembly out from the combustion chamber. Do this slowly and carefully to not damage any gaskets, disturb any debris, or snag on anything.
Handle With Care
If your burner assembly has a hot surface ignitor, be very careful not to bump it or touch it with your bare hands. Most ignitors are made from silicon nitride or silicon carbide and they can crack easily and the oils from your skin can cause them to fail prematurely too, whoops!
Get your water heater working properly once again with a replacement hot surface ignitor.
6. Clean It Up
With the burner assembly removed from the water heater, it can be easily cleaned with a
Nine Out Of Ten Dentists Recommend This!
You can use an old toothbrush to clean crusty burner ports. Just don’t use it to brush your teeth with afterwards, yuk!
Once the burner assembly is scrubbed clean, turn that vacuum loose inside the combustion chamber. Vacuum up the entire combustion chamber, including the flame arrestor situated below the burner.
Finish up by cleaning any dust or debris from the air intake screens if your water heater has them. Trapped dust bunnies can prevent the burner from getting enough fresh air and cause a lazy flame. Now that everything is spotless you are ready to put everything back together!
Great for both wet and dry pickups!
The Stanley stainless steel 5-gallon wet/dry vacuum features a powerful motor for industry-leading performance, providing maximum suction power for heavy-duty pickup.
7. Reassemble The Burner
Start off by sliding the burner assembly back into the combustion chamber. Aim the burner assembly into position with any mounting guide, bracket, or slot in the back of the combustion chamber. This may take a few attempts and some finesse to line everything up.
Carefully Slide The Burner Assembly Into Position
Use a
8. Install The Combustion Door
If your combustion door has an inner gasket, inspect it for any signs of wear and tears. Replace it if needed. Reinstall the combustion door by slipping it in place and securing it with the hardware you previously removed. Tighten the fasteners in a diagonal pattern to ensure the door is secured evenly and the gasket creates a proper seal.
9. Reconnect The Tubing
Now is the time to reattach the burner assembly to the gas valve. Reinstall the
Then plug the ignitor assembly back into the gas valve.
10. Turn ON The Water Heater
Finish up by turning the water heater back ON and testing for gas leaks. You can use leak detection solution or Windex on all the gas connections you have made.
You may have to relight your pilot light and turn the gas control valve to the ON position. Confirm the burner has ignited and is starting to heat your hot water tank again.
With the pilot lit and the burner running apply a little leak detector solution to your gas valve connections and check for any bubbles indicating a gas leak. Tighten and gas tubing connections as necessary.
Gas Safety
Do not check for gas leaks with a match or open flame! Your unsinged eyebrows will thank you.
Better Bubble leak locator is formulated to pinpoint the smallest leak quickly and easily.
Detects leaks of refrigerant gases, air, oxygen, and most other gases. Its thick formula can be used at various temperatures, pressures, and pipes. Application and cleanup are safe and simple.
Your water heater should be running in tip-top shape and back up to temperature soon, Done!
When To Call The Pros
This routine maintenance can be accomplished without much hassle but if you accidentally kink a gas line, damage the ignitor, notice the burner is broken or won’t stay lit, you may want to call for backup.
Your safety is more important than hot water. If at any point you feel uncertain or smell gas, contact a professional for help.
Conclusion
Cleaning your water heater burner may not be a heartwarming maintenance experience but your hot water tank will love you for it! You won’t get a hug or a kiss from your water heater but it will repay you with warming your water more efficiently and save you money on your gas bill. So keep that flame of love burning strong!
Happy Plumbing!
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