Checking The Draft; Water Temperature Regulation - American Water Heater Gas Water Heater Installation Instructions And Use & Care Manual

Checking the Draft

Do not touch vent.
Doing so can result in
burns.
After successfully lighting the water heater, allow the unit
to operate for 15 minutes and check the drafthood relief
opening for proper draft. Make sure all other appliances
in the area are operating and
all doors are closed when
performing the daft test. Pass
a match flame around the relief
opening of the drafthood. A
steady flame drawn into the
opening indicates proper draft.
If the flame flutters or is blown
out, combustion products are
escaping from the relief opening. If this occurs, do not
operate the water heater
until proper adjustments
or repairs are made to
the vent pipe system.
Burner Flames
Inspect the burner
flames through the
viewport and compare
them to the drawings
in Figure 18. A properly
operating burner should produce a soft blue flame. Blue
tips with yellow inner cones are satisfactory. The tips of the
flame may have a slight yellow tint. The flame should not be
all yellow or have a sharp blue-orange color. Contaminated
air may cause an orange colored flame. Contact a qualified
service technician if the flame is not satisfactory.
Stacking
Stacking occurs when a series of short draws of hot water
(3 gallons or less) are taken from the water heater tank.
This causes increased cycling of the burner and can result
in increased water temperatures at the hot water outlet. An
anti-scald device is recommended in the hot water supply
line to reduce the risk of scald injury.
Emergency Shut Down
Important: Should overheating occur or the gas supply fails
to shut off, turn off the water heater's manual gas control
valve and call a qualified service technician.
18
Burn Hazard
Figure 17
Drafthood
Match
Figure 18
Flame Characteristics
Tips may have
a yellow tint
Yellow inner
cones are
satisfactory
Correct flame
soft blue

Water Temperature Regulation

Water temperature over 125°F can cause
severe burns instantly or death from
scalds.
Relief
Children, disabled and elderly are at
Opening
highest risk of being scalded.
Feel water before bathing or showering.
Temperature limiting valves are
recommended.
The thermostat is adjusted to its lowest temperature when
it is shipped from the factory. Water temperature can be
regulated by moving the temperature dial to the preferred
setting. The preferred starting point is 120°F. Align
the index bar on the thermostat with the desired water
temperature as shown in Figure 19. There is a hot water
scald potential if the thermostat is set too high.
Important: Adjusting the thermostat past the 120°F bar
on the temperature dial will increase the risk of scald injury.
Hot water can produce first degree burns within:
Figure 19
Robertshaw Gas Valve/Thermostat
Settings
Note: During low demand periods when hot water is not
being used, a lower thermostat setting will reduce energy
losses and may satisfy your normal hot water needs. If hot
water use is expected to be more than normal, a higher
thermostat setting may be required to meet the increased
demand. When leaving your home for extended periods
(vacations, etc.) turn the temperature dial to its lowest
setting. This will maintain the water at low temperatures
with minimum energy losses and prevent the tank from
freezing during cold weather.
120°F (49°C) more than 5 minutes
130°F (54°C) at 20 seconds
140°F (60°C) at 3 seconds
150°F (66°C) at 1-1/2 seconds
160°F (71°C) at less than 1 second
130°F
Reset
Bar
Button
Gas
Control
Knob
Dial
Stop
Index
Bars
130°F
Bar
120°F
Bar
T
S