Unitrol Gas Valve Water Heater

When you own a water heater, you need to know how to keep it in good working order and what some of the things are that you can do to provide proper maintenance on your Unitrol gas valve water heater. For instance if the pilot light keeps going out on the water heater, your problem may be a weak thermocouple, or it could be the gas valve. Most experts recommend replacing the thermocouple first, as they are quite inexpensive and can be found at almost any hardware store or home improvement center. If the problem continues, then it may be the valve of the Unitrol gas valve water heater unit that must be replaced.

If your water heater is an older model, it is also a good idea to have a service technician come and bring a gas meter to check for leakage of the valve. If you have smelled gas, this is particularly important. Your technician can bring a little meter that reads the amount of gas that is leaking. This is particularly important in the case of a realtor or home inspector who goes into a home that is for sale with the potential clients. You do not want a home certified as having no gas leaks if there really is one that should be documented through the use of a gas detector. Often, it is just the valve that will need to be replaced. However if the Unitrol gas valve water heater is old enough that it is nearing the end of its useable life, the expense of replacing the valve would be better off spent replacing the entire unit.

If your water heater has been submerged by some water, whether through spring flooding or a pipe bursting, you need t be very careful to determine how high up it was actually under water. If it doesn't light properly after having been in contact with water, but it is hard to tell how high the water went, you could begin by replacing the thermocouple. If you have replaced the thermocouple and it still doesn't light, you may want to contact a service person to check it out more thoroughly. If the water heater was damaged by the water, it could take much more than replacing a couple of parts, you may need to replace the entire Unitrol gas valve water heater. In fact, this was the recommendation to people after Hurricane Katrina swept through and submerged many gas appliances. You want to be safe rather than sorry, so having a service technician come and give you the word is definitely a good idea.