Gas water heater with diagnostics

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Had to replace our gas water heater this week. I always buy one with a standing pilot so that we have hot water during a power outage. For decades the safety technology has been a millivolt thermocouple in the pilot flame the generated enough current to an electromagnet which held a shutoff valve open against a spring.

The replacement heater uses a thermopile instead which can generate a higher voltage than a thermocouple. That higher voltage is enough to run a diagnostic controller and a single flashing LED indicator. Here are the various error codes:

Here is the indicator LED with no fault condition.

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Water heater LED indicator

ncwoodworker.net

Methinks this is a clever piece of engineering.

 

[tvrgeek]

Yup. But suprised they let you buy something that is smart in the long run. When mine dies, I put in a tankless. It needs power but does use less electricity, gives long showers my bad back likes and can even fill my over-length tub.

Back in Maryland, if the wind was just right, it would snuff out my pilot. Must have been the exact shape of my roof as it happened quite a few times.

We don't loose power very often and when we do, I gave a portable generator that can run most of the house except the AC.

That cover looks old and dirty. New?

 

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That cover looks old and dirty. New?

It’s new. Dirt is my paw prints.