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Frequently Asked Questions How do I light the pilot on my natural gas or LP gas water? The temperature of my hot water seems to be higher than what I think I need … Why does my water heater make a rumbling or popping noise? If a tankless water heater doesn’t have a holding tank, where does the hot water come from? Can I save money with a tankless water heater? Will a tankless water heater fit for my installation? Where does a foul or sewer odor come from in a bathroom that is rarely used? Our kitchen drain has taken longer than usual to drain during the past year. Should we have it cleaned? Does Bio-clean work on a clog? Recently my water bills appear to be rather high. None of the faucets appear to leak. What else could contribute to a high water bill? Where does a whistling sound come from that seems to be connected to our water system? It comes and goes. We need to replace 1 or more older toilets in our home. We have read and heard about the concerns of low flow toilets. How do we choose the right one? How do I light the pilot on my natural gas or LP gas water? Water heaters have a “standing pilot” that stays on all the time. If, however, you need to relight the pilot, we recommend you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If their instructions are not available, carefully follow these simple steps. 1. Remove the access door on the water heater 2. Turn Gas valve to OFF position and wait 5 minutes. 3. Turn Gas valve to Pilot. 4. Press and hold pilot safety button. 5. Use match or lighter to light pilot. 6. Turn gas valve to ON. If the pilot light won’t light or stay lit, you may have a defective thermocouple or gas valve. Of course, you can call the Eureka or Santa Rosa locations of Mapleservice for further assistance. Back to the top of the page The temperature of my hot water seems to be higher than what I think I need. How can I conserve energy, yet also be sure that there is an adequate amount of hot water? Most people are comfortable with their hot water set at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which is also the new standard that manufacturers use when presetting it at the factory. If you have an older model, set the thermostat at medium. On a gas model there is a dial on the front of the gas valve. On electric models, the thermostats (there may be two) are concealed behind the two panels on the side of the tank. NOTE: Turn off the electricity before removing the panels. There are exposed wires behind the panels containing voltage. See the links service page of this web-site for our water heater products and specifications. Back to the top of the page Why does my water heater make a rumbling or popping noise? Noise water heaters are a result of sediment that builds up in the bottom part of the tank. Small air bubbles are trapped in the sediment and as the water heater heats up these bubbles rise to the surface of the sediment and make rumbling, popping and banging sounds. Depending upon your water supply and how much you use your water heater, the sediment can build up quickly. Installing a full port ball valve in the heater will allow adequate access to flush the heater regularly, every 6 months or annually as a minimum. If your water heater is older and has not been maintained, it may not be wise to install the valve as leakage may occur. Back to the top of the page If a tankless water heater doesn’t have a holding tank, where does the hot water come from? The tankless water heater doesn’t hold any hot water. The open faucet and cold water flow through the sensor, then the sensor turns on the burner. Tank-type water heaters can draw hot water as fast as your plumbing system will allow. However, when the hot water tank is depleted the tank will need to “re-cover”, which is to re-heat the water than is now cold. Back to the top of the page Can I save money with a tankless water heater? Yes, most tankless water heater manufacturers state that the savings over a tank-type gas water heater can be between 24% and 45%. Tank-type water heaters continue to heat the unused hot water in the tank as it cools. Tankless water heaters only heat the water as it is used. Mapleservice offers tankless water heaters from Aqua-Star, Takagi and Rheem. To further answer your questions visit our links page or call us. Back to the top of the page Will a tankless water heater fit for my installation? Tankless water heaters require 4” venting. Most residential tank-type waters have 3” venting. Tankless water heaters have a higher BTU rating than tank-type water heaters and may require an alteration to the existing gas piping system. A new installation of a tankless water heater will likely require a new 4” venting system and may require some new gas supply piping. The water supply is the same as tank-type water heaters. Back to the top of the page Where does a foul or sewer odor come from in a bathroom that is rarely used? Plumbing systems are designed to prevent foul odors from entering the house by means of the trap attached to fixtures. Traps contain water to seal out foul odors; if the water seal evaporates, the odors enter the bathroom. To solve this problem, pour or run water in each trap, sink, shower or other fixture drain. This will re-supply the trap with the water seal. Back to the top of the page Our kitchen drain has taken longer than usual to drain during the past year. Should we have it cleaned? Before having the drain cleaned or immediately following the drain cleaning we recommend using “bio-clean”. There are millions of bacteria in each spoonful. Each one will eat its weight of waste ever 60 seconds. The double in number ever 30 minutes and as they multiply they will spread throughout the entire drain system. Back to the top of the page Does Bio-clean work on a clog? If the material is biodegradable, yes. However, in most cases, the stoppage is not caused by a blob of something in the trap. Most likely, it is several feet of pipe that is filled with “gunk”, and it may take several days for the bacteria to eat through this blockage. Therefore, it is suggested that a mechanical cable be used to restore the flow. Then begin bio-clean treatments to remove any remaining waste build-up. Regular maintenance treatments will prevent new build-up. Back to the top of the page Recently my water bills appear to be rather high. None of the faucets appear to leak. What else could contribute to a high water bill? You may want to check to see if a toilet is leaking. First, check the water level to ensure that water is not overflowing the tank by way of the overflow pipe. This is the pipe in the middle of the tank. It has small tubing connected to it. If water is running into the overflow, adjust the fill valve approximately 1 inch below the top of the overflow tube or to the water level mark stamped on the side of the tank. Back to the top of the page Where does a whistling sound come from that seems to be connected to our water system? It comes and goes. The sound us usually caused by a toilet fill valve that is slowly leaking. To locate the leaking toilet, remove the lid of each toilet tank and adjust the fill valve mechanism until it stops. Back to the top of the page We need to replace 1 or more older toilets in our home. We have read and heard about the concerns of low flow toilets. How do we choose the right one? In the 1980s the federal government mandated that toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Manufacturers scrambled to their design staff to create and get to market their 1.6 gallon models. These new models would need to clear the toilet bowls with half the water as the earlier 3 gallon models. Some of the early models did not do this properly. Since then complaints have forced the manufacturers to develop new ways of flushing toilets. One new way is the use of a pressurized toilet tank. This model looks like a regular toilet, but it has a pressure tank inside. When flushed it works like a commercial toilet. A large surge of water enters the bowl and clears the bowl of any waste. These toilets work well, but are not as quiet as a conventional toilet. Also, replacement parts are more costly than those of conventional toilets. Now toilet manufacturers are producing conventional toilets that have proven to be effective at clearing the bowl consistently and as well as their 3 gallon predecessors. Those manufacturers include American Standard, Kohler, Toto and others. To further answer your questions visit our links page or call us. Back to the top of the page • Main page • Home • E-mail Us Content from this site may not be reused without permission. |
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