#!%$*& Water Heater

[JoeyGee]

So, I wake up this morning to get ready for work. There is a note on the sink from LOML stating there is no hot water (she went to bed after I did). I check the water heater, and the pilot won't stay lit. OK, a quick Google seach leads me to a bad thermocouple. I'm at the hardware store at 8 when they open, get the new thermocouple, and I'm feeling pretty good.

I take everything apart, except the gas line to the pilot. It's flexible, so I move it to where I need it. I replace the part, put everything back together, fire it up--all is good. Being the nervous person that I am, I check all the gas lines for leaks. Yep--the flex line is now leaking going into the thermostat (gas control valve). I took that apart, made sure everything was clean, and was VERY careful not to cross thread the copper fitting or the aluminum valve body. It would only go in about 1/4 of the way. I checked it again, still leaking.

I called a service man, and yep, the body is cross threaded. I MAY be able to get a new body, but likely will have to replace the tank.

I must have somehow cross threaded them, but I don't know how. I was very careful not to. It may have already been leaking, but I never smelled gas. Oh well. It's always the easy repairs that get you...

[Daryl]

Somebody someplace has a die for that connector that you can clean up the threads. If it was me I would give the connection a coat of pipe dope and tighten it up, never mind it was cross threading,just never mess with that connection again.

[JoeyGee]

Well, I thought about that. If it was a water line, I would have, but I did not want to take the chance on a gas line. I think that's what someone did when they installed it in the first place. I just don't see how I could have stripped them out. I have no problem paying for a pro when it comes to gas lines. I have repaired a few in my day, and the worry always leads me to checking for leaks for days.

I was "lucky" that the tech was able to get a new control valve--if you call $411 lucky. I was going to buy a new tank, but the guy really steared me away from it--this is a family business that my family has used for years and trusts. He said that newer tanks have sealed combustion chambers, and some lower end models have a single use failsafe somewhere, and if that gets tripped, you have to replace the whole tank. Others have gaskets and seals to worry about, which are a PITA.

My tank is 9 years old, and he said it should last, and he sees new designs coming by the time we need to replace it. I'm fine with it, as it was done in an hour or 2, and like I said, I trust his opinion, although my instincts told me to get a new tank.