Recent content by spr

perhaps. Overall, seems like the shotgun method to try and troubleshoot this. Fix this... did it work? nO. Fix That. did *that* work. nope. Fit that other thing. did that work? woohoo! well.. al least I hope to be saying 'woohoo' someday. ;-) Thanks.

Thanks for the suggestion on the flame sensor. I didnt even know what that was. Maybe whatever it was that was in there emitted smoke/residue. I will open it up again and clean that if you think its worth it. I dont want to open it up too often. Maybe I had better order a new inner door...

Hmmm. The wife says she had the door closed because she was doing laundry for a couple hours. I think she has been closing the door to the room when the dryer is running because it squeaks. Door closed + running old dryer = problem. or could be.

bah! The pilot went out again last night, though it was not the thermal switch that went. I did have the little fan off, and the wife had closed the door to the room for a while. again... we will see what the chimney guy finds if anything. Then, I think it will be time to take it up...

Follow up: I opened it to clean out any dust on the arrestor plate etc. Could this have been the problem? Something foreign was in there. At first I thought it was a pen, but it was medium guage metal. No idea what or where this thing came from. Its not enough to restrict air flow, but...

note: Arrestor plate and air flow:

Yeah, I have seen no mention of this being a product quality problem. I did my homework and thats specifically why we replaced out old stuff with Bradford White (WH) and a Burnham (Boiler). I will report back after venting inspection and (I anticipate) unit arrestor plate exam/cleaning...

Just for reference: Service Manual: http://www.bradfordwhite.com/images/shared/pdfs/manuals/44943A.pdf Spec Sheet & Parts: http://www.bradfordwhite.com/images/shared/pdfs/partslists/46639B.pdf Residential specs: http://www.bradfordwhite.com/images/shared/pdfs/specsheets/104.pdf...

note..From the service manual: "How the safety System Works" / (Bradford White Defender) During normal operation, air for combustion is drawn into the water heater through the openings in the jacket. This air travels down and around the combustion chamber and enters through holes in the...

I believe the unit is about 3 years old. No lint or dust whatever. Most I have talked to immediately point to that same thing. I think it shut down once or twice in the first couple of years and wrote it off as caused by heaps of laundry piled nearby, but the problem seems to be getting...

probably. As a first step, I am having a chimney service come by and make sure this thing is at least ducted properly and that the chimney is clear. Anyone ever seen or heard of a room like this that has a small fresh air exchange unit of some kind? That may solve the problem entirely if...

Thanks, but I have read the literature on FVIR. The resettable thermal switch ('...Proven and reliable bimetallic switch prevents burner and pilot operation in case of ongoing flammable vapor burn inside of the combustion chamber or restricted air flow...') is the issue here I think...

Yeah, you know... is screamingly obvious when you say it, but I um... didnt think about the dryer being a contributor here. I bet it is enough to tip the balance. With the door open there *should* be plenty of ventilation, provided the wife isnt piling up laundry right in front of the WH...

Thanks for the reply. I did have someone come out and check it. 'Its fine'. They didnt seem to have any suggestions beyond replacing the unit - which is crazy in the extreme. (methinks I need to call someone else) Regarding dirt, cleaning etc... this thing is still squeaky clean. no...

Hi. I poked around and see some resonable advice, so thought I would throw this out there. I have a Bradford White Defender Water Heater. Gas. 40 Gal. Problem - recently, the thermal switch keeps tripping. Very, very annoying. Probably once every few weeks. Factoids: * It is in a...