AO Smith Water heater not heating. If you’re not getting the hot shower that you wanted, it could be something as simple as a broken dip tube or tripped circuit breaker, or something along those lines.
Additionally, some electric water heater models have a safety mechanism that triggers when needed. Sometimes it could be triggered because of either too much pressure or even no reason at all.
For gas water heaters, it can simply be related to running out of propane or butane if your model is the type that uses one of those fuel sources.
AO Smith Water heater not heating
In this article, we will discuss some problems with the AO Smith Water heater not heating how to solve them.
Defective Pressure Switch
If the temperature in the room rises, the thermostat will signal airflow to make its way over to the water heater, warming up this appliance and thus turning on its ignition process which will cause it to heat.
However, should there be a malfunction with any of these systems, for example with the switch for pressure or airflow, then your water heater will no longer be able to heat.
Thermostat issue
If the thermostat is defective, replace it. Temperature is sensed by the thermostat, and accordingly, the water heater is regulated.
Heating elements lack continuity
Replacement of the heating element is necessary if the continuity is not present. To do this, test it using a multimeter.
The inducer motor is not working
In the water heater, the air is drawn in via the burner and then exhausted through the flue. As this process occurs, it closes a vacuum switch to signal that proper airflow is present.
If there are no issues with your heating element, but you’re still having issues with the water heater itself not heating properly.
Check to see if your motor is working properly because in many cases an inducer motor suffers from bearings wearing out or a plugging vacuum port.
Cracked Dip Tube
If you find that the water from your shower is not hot enough, it could be as simple as a small part called the dip tube.
In the dip tube, cold water travels down the long plastic pipe to the bottom of the tank, where it can be heated using the burner.
Restricted Pilot
Every water heater pilot light is as unique as the appliance itself. And every burner has different features, including non-adjustable, adjustable, or recessed.
Some burners will have a fixed flow while others have adjustable controls.
Now that you’ve figured out the type of water heater pilot light you have, it’s easy to know how to
maintain your appliance by keeping check into whether it has a nonadjustable or an adjustable
control burner head and installing an in-line device like a selector valve which allows you to run multiple appliances at once regardless of their characteristics.
Faulty Gas Valve and Thermostat Assembly
The gas valve opens up to allow the gas to go into the burner. If this does not happen, the water heater will not ignite and it won’t heat up.
That is why you need to ensure that the ignition source is working correctly and also whether the pressure is reaching the gas valve well for it to open up.
If both of these things are possible, then maybe you should consider replacing your gas valve because it might be faulty.
The thermocouple does not detect flames
Gas water heaters like to network these days and with good reason! When everyone is connected, asking for a favor is no big deal.
The thermocouple near the pilot controls the gas valve’s opening distance from the valve seat. The thermocouple monitors whether or not there is a flame present after pressure builds up in the system.
Should the thermocouple fail to sense a flame, it will prevent the gas valve from fully opening because that means there wouldn’t be enough pressure for proper ignition.
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