No hot water!
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (63235)
United States
December 12, 2012 4:56am CST
I woke up in the middle of the night because my throat is sore and my head stopped up.
I had gone to bed earlier but the roomie had wanted to take a shower so she had left the lights on in the kitchen. It was 2 something then. I get up, turn out the lights and lay down again, but as soon as I'm down the head fills up again.
So I was sitting on the side of the bed and petting cats when I heard the roomie get up.
She came in and said: "There's still no hot water."
I get up and turn on the kitchen sink and, sure enough, cold water.
We talked about it, I thought the heater had an electronic ignition like the heater and the range, I even checked prices on a new water heater.
So, we finally decide to go excavate the hot water heater, if it was broken we'd have to anyway.
The door of the water heater space was nearly impossible to open, I guess the remodelers had just tiled up to the edge and now the door had to scrape across the tiles!
It took both of us hauling on the door to get the bottom to move!
Once it was open enough, then I got out from behind the door and the roomie shoved it the rest of the way open.
I get down there and **SHOCK**
its got a pilot light!
Now, before the remodel I had to relight the old water heater a few times, but I hadn't even been in the water heater space since... I don't know, 2000?
After reading the directions on the side of the water heater - from laying on the floor without my glasses, I managed to light the pilot light!
After spending around $350 on plumbers in the last month, I'm happy to say, I didn't have to call anyone to rescue me this time!
Did have to have the roomie hold down the pilot light button on the water heater, definitely a 3 handed job!
Have you ever lit a water heater's pilot light?
its got a pilot light!
Now, before the remodel I had to relight the old water heater a few times, but I hadn't even been in the water heater space since... I don't know, 2000?
After reading the directions on the side of the water heater - from laying on the floor without my glasses, I managed to light the pilot light!
After spending around $350 on plumbers in the last month, I'm happy to say, I didn't have to call anyone to rescue me this time!
Did have to have the roomie hold down the pilot light button on the water heater, definitely a 3 handed job!
Have you ever lit a water heater's pilot light?2 people like this
14 responses
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
12 Dec 12
Yep, definitely, quite a few times. One of my houses (with a gas water heater) had a dirt basement so that was always fun!
The last three places I've lived had electric heaters so that wouldn't have been bad but I've never had an occasion to have to do anything with them. Now, we have a tankless heater and I'm sure I wouldn't know what to do if that stopped heating water. I guess I'd have to check the circuit breaker box to see if that one had switched off for some reason. I like this one even more because it's eyeball-height and I wouldn't have to get down on the floor for any reason. (I can't understand it but every year it seems that gravity is getting stronger and stronger making it harder to get up! 
)
I'm glad you were able to re-light the pilot without calling for a plumber. I agree with you that it takes three hands. Well, I did have to do it with only two once and that was tricky but it is so much easier with another person to help.
)
I'm glad you were able to re-light the pilot without calling for a plumber. I agree with you that it takes three hands. Well, I did have to do it with only two once and that was tricky but it is so much easier with another person to help.@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
12 Dec 12
I would like one of those tankless ones, but the cheapest one I found was still $500 more than the cheapest tanked one.
I messed up the job, forgot to put the waterheater back in regular heating mode so I had to relight it this morning - by myself, but at least this time I knew what I was doing!
1 person likes this
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
12 Dec 12
Yeah, they are more expensive but they do save money in the long run. You're not continuously heating and re-heating the water that's sitting in the tank while you're not using any hot water. Plus, they take up less room (they're attached to the wall).
Yay for you relighting it by yourself!!! I'm glad you were able to do it, although I don't quite understand about "regular heating mode" because it's been a loooooooooooong time since I had to light one.
Yay for you relighting it by yourself!!! I'm glad you were able to do it, although I don't quite understand about "regular heating mode" because it's been a loooooooooooong time since I had to light one.1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Dec 12
I guess we call them boilers over here? That's the nearest thing we have to a water heater anyway.
Neither of us have messed with the pilot light and I'm so impressed you've managed to light yours.
Ours is a gas boiler so it would be someone from British Gas that would come out if anything happened to it. It's very old but would cost a fortune to buy a replacement. Both my Mum and the in-laws have a condensing boiler, meaning it only heats up the water they use. Unfortunately, with our boiler it cannot be on 24 hours a day; we just use it for (mainly) daylight hours and at night, of course, as we cannot have the radiators on without the boiler being on as well.
"A dear do" as my Dad would say, but, to be honest, whatever system people have in the UK now, it's still very expensive to run. At least I've managed to get John to pay monthly; otherwise he'd get a massive quarterly bill. I remember one being nearly £500 when we had a severe winter a couple of years ago!
Ours is a gas boiler so it would be someone from British Gas that would come out if anything happened to it. It's very old but would cost a fortune to buy a replacement. Both my Mum and the in-laws have a condensing boiler, meaning it only heats up the water they use. Unfortunately, with our boiler it cannot be on 24 hours a day; we just use it for (mainly) daylight hours and at night, of course, as we cannot have the radiators on without the boiler being on as well.
"A dear do" as my Dad would say, but, to be honest, whatever system people have in the UK now, it's still very expensive to run. At least I've managed to get John to pay monthly; otherwise he'd get a massive quarterly bill. I remember one being nearly £500 when we had a severe winter a couple of years ago! 2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
12 Dec 12
We call those "condensing" ones "tank-less" over here. Sounds like your boiler also puts the water in the radiators... I remember seeing those back east. Once upon a time they were heated with coal.
Over here most utilities are paid monthly, I can't even imagine paying my electric quarterly - we'd have to have a special account!
Over here most utilities are paid monthly, I can't even imagine paying my electric quarterly - we'd have to have a special account!1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Dec 12
Oh I know, John nearly had a coronary a few times when his bill used to come through. He got nagged (not only by me) but his Dad and, occasionally, my Mum would say something but left it up to him to sort out lol.
After what seemed like years of nagging he changed to monthly direct debits which incorporates both the electric and gas together. It's still expensive per month but at least it alleviates stress..not knowing what the bill would be in January (a bad month for bills in general), for example.
After what seemed like years of nagging he changed to monthly direct debits which incorporates both the electric and gas together. It's still expensive per month but at least it alleviates stress..not knowing what the bill would be in January (a bad month for bills in general), for example.2 people like this
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
12 Dec 12
I've never had to do this by myself. When I was living in houses, I usually had a guy around and they would do it. Now that I'm by myself, I'm in an apartment so I don't have to really worry about it. I'll tell you though, it sure didn't sound that easy from what you're saying..geesh. And laying on the floor too?
All I can say is, good for you, and you sure did save some money. Who knows what they would have told you was wrong.
1 person likes this
@Kashmeresmycat (6369)
• United States
12 Dec 12
I know you don't have a guy. I was just saying I never had to do it because at the time I did have one around. If I had to do it now, I'd be just like you...laying there on the cold floor..ugh. I can just feel it now.
Good you have a plumber you can trust. Couldn't you call the next door neighbor if you had too?..instead of paying $50? It's so hard living on your own in a house, and that's why I live in an apartment now. I don't deal with any of that, but I'd still love to live in your backyard, lol! 
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
12 Dec 12
Oh, I HATE those things!! I remember lighting the pilot light on a water heater I had years ago when I was still married and it wasn't that difficult. I could definitely do it by myself.
Last year when they were doing gas line work they shut my gas off for about 30 minutes. The guy came in and lit my water heater and I thought everything was fine then the next morning--no hot water! I tried to light the pilot light--first, the directions are so tiny that even my reading glasses didn't help much. I tried for about 10 minutes to light it then walked down the block to where the work crew was. Sure enough, they were happy to send a guy to light it and even he had difficulty!
I'm not one of those helpless people who call someone every time something goes wrong. But it seems to me this heater is a lot more complicated to light. The guy even had to have me hold down the button whereas the heater I re-lit about 20 years ago was simple. Its instructions were in large letter and 3 steps in print one could read. This one has about 4-6 steps and the print is tiny so that it can all fit on the water heater.
You and I are both fortunate because water heaters, the guy told me, are only intended to last for about 8-10 years. Ours are beyond that! I've been saving for a replacement--but only when the old one definitely is inoperable--so it won't be a hardship when it does happen. I like being able to plan for these things so its going out last year was a good thing because I'm now forewarned and forearmed! 
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
12 Dec 12
The water heater I replaced in the remodel came with the house so it was about 30 years old! It was only a 30 gallon tank, this is a 40.
But I messed up the lighting so I had to relight it this morning, and I did it myself without having to lay flat on the floor - and its now in there with the fire going!
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
13 Dec 12
Yes, I've had to light pilot lights on all kinds of gas appliances, but it's been a l- o-n-g time. We've lived in this all electric house for over 34 years.
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
13 Dec 12
I wouldn't know. I wasn't there. If I was 13, he was only eight. I think that our parents decided that his scare was sufficient punishment.
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
13 Dec 12
I have one for y ou. Have you ever filled the tank for a refrigerator that ran on kerosene? That used to be my job when I was a young teenager. One day, I was away from home and my youngest brother decided to do my job. He managed to set the house on fire.
1 person likes this
@savak03 (6684)
• United States
14 Dec 12
Yes I have and it is no fun either. I am glad that we now have an electric water heater. When I first moved here to Tennessee we got a house that used gas but in the winter my gas bill was more than my rent so we decided to find an all electric home.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157562)
• United States
12 Dec 12
It has been ages. If we have trouble we call the next door neighbor, who works for Gas Services. Sometimes, if something is really weird he has us call the Gas Company. . .so that always happens before we end up calling the plumber. We have two water heaters, as well. Both in the basement, but one is for upstairs and one is for down.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157562)
• United States
12 Dec 12
This house was two apartments when we bought it so it had two of many things. We now just have two bathrooms, two hot water heaters, two furnaces and two a/c units. No longer two washer/dryers, two stoves, two kitchens.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
12 Dec 12
when I was a kid I lived in a two story house and we only had one water heater... we did kind of stagger the water usage during the day - dishwasher in the evening, washer during the afternoon mostly, showers in the morning (except after horse riding!)
1 person likes this
@justhere (229)
• United States
13 Dec 12
My sister and I thought we were slick one day a church, we were going to lite the gas heater. We were about 10 and 11 years old. The gas was on and we couldn't get the match lite for a while. Once we got that lit the gas blew and we got our face singed, no eyebrows and no eyelashes. It burned bad. Got in trouble. We were lucky our skin did not burn. I let my husband lite the water heater now.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
17 Dec 12
Oh yes.
I normally shower at night but in this particular house where the bathroom was upstairs and the heater downstairs and outside, it seemed to happen that when I would leave my shower till morning, the shower would run out before I barely started so I would have to get out of the shower, wet, put something on, go downstairs and light the plurry thing....usually while holding my towel around me.
Not fun, specially if it was Winter!
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
15 Dec 12
My water heater along with the rest of my apartment is pure electric. Gas appliances give me the willies as I'm not comfortable around open flames.
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
19 Dec 12
nope.that goes under "menfolk job" to me LOL
there's 2 of 'em in this house,so one of them can do it.
(not that i couldn't,but they do little enough already here)
1 person likes this
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
13 Dec 12
It seems like around my place the first thing to go out is the pilot light. I hate to think of the number of times I've had to go outside and open the area that the water heater is in and struggle with the stupid thing. Of course I have gotten very proficient in lighting it.
The fun thing that I used to have to light was the gas barbeque. Mom had bought father a Charm Glow gas barbeque when they first came out, and when they moved into this place he installed it permanently just outside the house. When I moved in with Mom in 1983 we decided to barbeque a couple of steaks to celebrate. I went out and had lit the barbeque when Mom came racing out to warn me about the fact that the barbeque would light with a horrible "BOOM". I looked at Mom and told her that it was already lit. She stood with her mouth hanging open for a few seconds and she informed me that father would turn the gas on, allow it to build up in the barbeque, and then light and throw matches at it. The thing would light with a horrible boom and the windows on the house would rattle from the shock. Mom went on to tell me that father could never figure out "WHY" he never had any eyebrows during the summer and fall months. It seems that he would get too close when he was throwing matches at the barbeque and his hair would get the effect of the blast!
I explained to Mom that there was a hole at the side of the thing for lighting it and if you read the directions the lighting of it was safe and uncomplicated. She never got over the fact that I could light the barbeque without nearly blowing up the house too!
1 person likes this
@sunnykooluv (33)
• India
12 Dec 12
yea its hell of a task .! But nevertheless its important.Mine doesnt even have a pilot lite.!but we got to do it no matter how much we hate it.! :p
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
12 Dec 12
Its not like I'm the youngest in the house anymore... haven't been for a long time, but I can't see "D" doing it
I did mess up, forgot to put the water heater back in "normal" mode so I had to relight it this morning - but its in there heating water now...
I did mess up, forgot to put the water heater back in "normal" mode so I had to relight it this morning - but its in there heating water now...