Submerged gas hot water heater

mattt19 · Dec 22, 2007

Hi everyone,

I'm away from home and just received a call from my wife that our gas hot water heater was submerged in several inches of water snuffing out the pilot light. I'm wondering if - 1. Does gas continue to flow if the pilot light is snuffed out (I'm assuming it doesn't but I had her shut off the valve for the gas line just in case) and 2. Is the heater damaged at all by being submerged? There was a problem with the sump pump and the base was submerged for about two days. Is it safe to relight and continue to use it?
This has happened once before. The sump pump died and the small basement that the water heater is located in filled up with water knocking out the pilot light. I waited a day and then re-lit the pilot light. That was several years ago and we haven't had any problems.

Thanks for any help

Master Plumber Mark · Dec 22, 2007

depends on the brand

You willhave to take the burner assembly
out of theheater and blow out the water in
it...

Usually the gas orfice will clog up so it is better
just to change outhte whole burner assembly

depending on how old the heater is will be the decideing
factor on what you will have to do....

a pre 2003 unit will actually be easier to repair...
If it is a sealed FVIR unit then you might have difficulties

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

mattt19 · Dec 22, 2007

It's about eight years old. I'm unsure of the brand. When this happened before I had to light the pilot light several times and hold the pilot light button in for ten to fifteen minutes before it would stay lit. I didn't clean or blow water out of anything though. Just held the pilot light button in until it stayed on.

Several post on the internet say that the heater must be replaced if submerged. Should I be concerned about this?

Thanks

Master Plumber Mark · Dec 22, 2007

no --no really

as long as you pull out the burner assembly and
empty any water that has gotten into it, you will
probably be ok...

and as long as the orfice does not clog up

Toolaholic · Dec 22, 2007

I vote New heater ,and an additional sump pump ! Set the backup pump to kick in above the other! How many times do You want to go through this!?
Job #1 Keep Moma HAPPY.

Jimbo · Dec 22, 2007

Per most manufacturers, a water heater which has been submerged MAY NOT BE REPAIRED. It must be scrapped. See this from Rheem; it is unequivocal about how unsafe a heater is once it has been submerged:
http://waterheating.rheem.com/content/resources/documents/tech bulletins/1200 Series/1208.pdf

GAMA also recommends the same thing: http://www.gamanet.org/gama/search....rt=1&Count=20&SearchEntry=ResultEntry&Scope=1

Redwood · Dec 23, 2007

From Bradford-White...http://www.bradfordwhite.com/faqs.asp#question11

If my basement flooded, do I need to replace my water heater?

The Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has determined that any gas appliance exposed to flooding should be replaced. In a press release, GAMA advised against do-it-yourself repairs:

“With heavy rains bringing the possibility of severe flooding, it is important to remember that all flood-damaged plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical appliances and related systems should be replaced, rather than repaired... (GAMA) stresses that the repair of flooded appliances and related systems (including damaged venting and electrical connections) is not a job for the do-it-yourselfer, no matter how skilled. This is particularly true of control valves, according to the GAMA official. These components are manufactured to extremely close tolerances. Once submerged in floodwaters, they must be replaced. Field repairs should never be attempted by the homeowner.”
(taken from www.gamanet.org)

Potential damage to controls on oil, gas and electric water heaters present an increased risk factor to the homeowner. This damage may be visible, but can also be hidden behind a cover or jacket. Exposure to flooding conditions can cause corrosion of controls and components, a build-up of dirt/debris or a short circuit situation. Even though appliances exposed to flooding may appear to be operational, the gradual buildup of dirt and corrosion over time can render safety devices inoperative.

Construct30 · Dec 23, 2007

Replace the tank and I would go with a backup pump system, toolaholic is right, and a water alarm too, it is cheap insurance in the long run.

hj · Dec 23, 2007

heater

The "replace the heater if it is submerged" warning applies if the water was high enough to submerge the control valve, not just up to the burners.

Redwood · Dec 23, 2007

Not quite what they say...

Because so many things can go wrong as a result of floodwaters, itâ€™s usually cheaper and always safer to replace rather than repair, Mr. Klimp said. â€œYou can have a control valve replaced but there may be damage to other parts of the unit, like venting, piping, burners and insulation. There are so many things that can go wrong that the wise choice is always to start over with new equipment,â€ the GAMA president declared.

http://www.gamanet.org/gama/news.nsf/7cc08f1cee1371ec85256e5f005a02ea/49bffac257019b8385257346006a7a39/$FILE/Flood%20Appliance%20Awareness%202007.pdf

Master Plumber Mark · Dec 23, 2007

They do have a vested interest......

Perhaps if the heater has been completely submerged
in water above the Thermostat it is wiser to change
out the whole unit.....

Or at the very least change out all the parts on the heater...
The heater companies do have a vested interest in selling
you a replacement unit

................so their advice is sort of tainted............

of course with the New FVIR units if it has been totally
submerged above the thermostat it might just be easier
to change it out...
Considering the high limit re-set buttons....the air screen......
and other issues on a Bradford white and Rheem unit
it makes better sense.........

Their is a place in our town that actually buys
our old water heaters that are not leaking from us..
no matter how old... like a 1964 Smith.....they buy them......

They give me 16 dollars if the tank dont leak..
basically its lunch money for a day or two.......

They take this heater and clean out all the sediment,
air test the heater and make sure it fires up ok..

the do remove the t+p valve and make them buy a new one...

and "believe it or not"

they sell them for $169 with a 30 day warranty to local
landlords that will install them in their crappy old dumps.... .

they have been doing this for 40 years...

and they have a hard time keeping up with the demand...

Gfe76 · Dec 23, 2007

Set the new water heater on a pressure treated box made out of 2x6's and even if you get a couple of inches of water in the future, you won't have problem with pilot light....just a thought.

mattt19 · Dec 23, 2007

Thanks for the advice. I'm not home right now so I'm not sure how high the water was. There was about a foot of water last time this happened. I'm assuming the same thing this time. And this is not a full size basement ( I'm in Los Angeles). It's a small room about 8' by 8' with only the water heater in it. How high up is the thermostat usually?

Jimbo · Dec 23, 2007

mattt19 said:
( I'm in Los Angeles

Well, you are the happy beneficiary of the new ULTRA LOW NOX requirement of the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The gas WH which will be sold as of Jan 1 will cost approx 50% more than the present price. And many suppliers are OUT of the "old" units, as there is no grandfather clause about selling existing inventory, so they stopped ordering in the "old" ones. Deliveries from Rheem were expected starting this week on the new ones. Any "old" ones are selling like hot cakes, even thought the law specifically states that a non-conforming unit cannot be SOLD OR INSTALLED after Jan 1. Try to find one and get in in this coming week.

Construct30 · Dec 23, 2007

Watch building something to put under a tank on your own, they make code approved stands to put hot water tanks on, required anytime you put a tank in a garage. The buggers are heavier than you could imagine.

Redwood · Dec 23, 2007

master plumber mark said:
Perhaps if the heater has been completely submerged
in water above the Thermostat it is wiser to change
out the whole unit.....

Or at the very least change out all the parts on the heater...
The heater companies do have a vested interest in selling
you a replacement unit

................so their advice is sort of tainted............

of course with the New FVIR units if it has been totally
submerged above the thermostat it might just be easier
to change it out...
Considering the high limit re-set buttons....the air screen......
and other issues on a Bradford white and Rheem unit
it makes better sense.........

I find it hard to believe that you can rant so hard about "Bad" PEX then post here about submerged water heaters being okay and water heater manufacturers having a vested interest! I wonder how you insurance company would feel?

Construct30 · Dec 23, 2007

Besides he said the burner was under water for at least two days so that wouldn't be pretty. This seems to be a recurring problem, I would do the back up pump alarm and approved stand. I would change out the tank.

Submerged gas hot water heater

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