A gas water heater is a necessary device in any apartment. It doesn’t need much time to heat the water and does the job very quickly. First of all, you need to remember that a geyser, like any device with gas, is a high-risk device. It ensures the supply of hot water to the house as a result of gas combustion.
After installation, you need to know how to properly start the gas water heater.
How does a gas water heater work?
Any user must understand how a gas water heater works. This is necessary for correct and safe use.
The speaker contains a metal casing, as well as:
The device can be installed both in the kitchen and in any non-residential premises with a ceiling height of at least two meters. In addition, the ventilation in the room must work properly.
Important! It is prohibited to place a gas water heater above the stove.
Gas devices of the Beretta, Electrolux and Neva brands operate in the same way:
- When turned on, water enters the system;
- Due to pressure, the membrane stretches and opens the gas supply valve;
- The burner is ignited, which begins to heat the liquid circulating through the heat exchanger;
- Combustion products are removed through the chimney and ventilation.
There is an opinion that installing a geyser is unsafe. This was during the time of using a device with manual ignition. Currently, the devices have sensors that control water heating and draft in order to prevent an emergency. However, do not forget about safety rules.
If you notice the smell of gas in your apartment, you must:
- Close the gas supply valve;
- Open window;
- Do not turn on electrical devices until the room no longer smells of gas;
- Contact the gas service.
How to check the draft of a gas water heater
Since a chimney and good draft are needed for units with an open combustion chamber, we will talk about them. Turbocharged water heaters force combustion products out and do not need a classic chimney. It must be said that all modern atmospheric columns are equipped with automatic safety systems that prevent the device from starting in the absence of draft or turn off the gas supply if it disappears during operation.
In general, to check the draft you need a special measuring device, such as is used by professional stove-makers. They allow you not only to determine the presence of air movement in the pipe, but also to calculate the traction force. It is clear that the average person does not have any instruments; the arsenal of verification is limited to two ways:
- Having removed the horizontal section of the chimney from the entrance to the shaft, stick strips of paper to the wall above the opening. If the shaft works well, the strips will be pulled inward;
- To check the draft of the gas water heater without any disassembly, you need to light a match or stick and, holding it in a vertical position, bring it to the inspection window on the front panel. The flame should deviate noticeably towards the slit;
Important. Very often the chimney is in perfect order, but there is no draft due to the fact that access to supply air into the room is blocked. You can easily verify this by opening a window during the test. A positive result will indicate to you that the room needs to be ventilated.
Terms of use
If the column is open type, then you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- When installing the speaker, you should take care of ventilation;
- It is strictly forbidden to turn on the device if there is no draft in the chimney;
- There is no need to leave the device on if no one is at home;
- You cannot change the design yourself;
- There is no need to leave the valve open if the burner is not lit.
Important! Only a professional can reinstall a geyser.
Rules for using geysers
These devices operate with fuel, which poses a serious danger to consumers who violate the rules for using gas equipment. If used incorrectly, the working components and parts of the device quickly wear out and fail.
Gas water heaters must be under continuous monitoring by the owners at all stages of use:
- Correct column installation.
- Arrangement of necessary ventilation.
- Ensuring safety during operation of the device.
How to ignite the device
After the device has been installed, the gas water heater is started for the first time. First of all, open the water and gas supply taps. Then, the column is turned on, presented in three ways.
Manually
This method was used in older type columns. You can start the gas water heater only with matches. Fireplace matches are considered the best option for ignition.
In this case, the following actions are performed:
- Open the tap on the water pipe related to the column;
- Turn the gas supply valve;
- The wick is lit with matches;
- The fuel supply valve is turned and the water temperature is adjusted using a special lever.
Reference! The device cannot be turned off until the tap is closed manually.
It is not difficult to light an old gas water heater. Switching off is done exactly the opposite. First of all, you need to turn off the wick, turn off the gas, and then turn off the water.
It is worth working with the old type samples very carefully. Otherwise, an explosion, device failure, or gas leak will occur.
Using piezo ignition
A semi-automatic device with no batteries, having mechanical switches in the form of handles. To ignite it, you need to get a spark.
The following manipulations are performed:
- Open the fuel transfer;
- Clamp the solenoid valve for twenty seconds to obtain a decent amount of gas for the flame;
- Press the piezo ignition key;
- As soon as the wick lights up, set the required indicators on the temperature regulator.
How to light an old gas water heater: 3 practical tips
Which column is considered old? Taking into account the improving models that appear on store shelves almost every day, last year’s modification is already ancient. That is why in this article we will look at the features of igniting a column with an ignition wick - these burned in the middle of the last century, and in some modern houses (the function is provided in newer “old” modifications of the columns). Let us remind you that the wick is ignited by the flame of a match or the sparks of a piezo lighter.
Security level of old speakers
Until recently, gas water heaters were used to equip the kitchens of high-rise buildings and entire neighborhoods. Today, in the face of increased requirements for the safety and reliability of units, users are concerned about the safety of their “out of fashion” speakers
On the one hand, they, of course, do not have super fancy functions, such as, for example, a gas catcher, auto shut-off, automatic ignition, or protection from everything. At the same time, rumors about the unsafety of the devices appear every now and then in the media and online platforms. We decided to figure out how much they have a right to exist.
Our verdict is this: if possible, buy a modern water heater and live in peace, but in the absence of what you want, the geyser will normally “work out” your requirements.
Mandatory Precautions
When switching on, safety precautions are important. Ignition of the wick or burner is carried out using the instruction manual.
What you need to know:
- Advanced devices have several levels of protection. The work happens automatically. There are no special rules for use. The wick is lit after opening the hot water tap.
- Old models of geysers have problems in use. These include ignition with matches and the inclusion of brands with piezo ignition.
- You should not operate the device “at random”; the instructions for the device should be read first.
- It is forbidden to change the design of the column with your own hands.
- Do not light the device if there is no draft or if there is reverse draft.
Features of operation
There are a number of provisions and rules according to which the use of gas equipment is permitted. Let's consider the basic requirements for open-type speakers:
- Do not start work in the absence of draft in the chimney or in the presence of reverse draft;
- It is not allowed to turn on and ignite without studying the operating instructions;
- For normal operation, natural ventilation is necessary (window, vent);
- It is prohibited to independently change the design of the equipment.
For long service life of the device, it is recommended not to turn on the heating above 55 degrees, and also not to mix hot and cold flows on the mixer. This leads to rapid scale deposits.
Dispensers with an open combustion chamber are most at risk of gas leakage. If you smell it, then:
- Close the valve;
- Open the windows and ventilate the room;
- Do not light a fire until the room is completely ventilated;
- Contact the repair service.
Before starting the appliance, check the presence of draft in the chimney.
How to properly check
There are two “folk” ways of checking:
- Take a piece of paper and hold it near the chimney or ventilation. If the leaf tightens, it means the shaft is working properly. If it falls, you need to clean the hole.
- Light a match and bring it to the viewing window. Does the flame deviate to the side? Then you can start the column. If it burns smoothly, check the chimney.
It also happens that everything is in order with the mine, but there is no traction. The room may not be ventilated, so there is no air flow for combustion.
How to turn on the water heater
Before turning on any equipment, there must be water in the heat exchanger. Therefore, you should first open the water valve.
Electric models:
- Insert batteries into the battery compartment;
- In some cases, you need to turn the power or temperature switch;
- Open the gas valve;
- Turn on the mixer on the hot position, which will ignite.
If there is a long break in the operation of the device, an air pocket forms inside, which is why the burner does not ignite the first time. Workaround: open and close the mixer several times until ignition occurs.
Semi-automatic devices:
- Start the fuel supply;
- Set the power and hold the piezo ignition button until the wick ignites;
- When you turn on the water, the burner will light up.
It is not difficult to launch modern technology. What about an old-style product?
Reasons for turning on the speaker yourself
Any geyser of different years of manufacture has an automatic system that does not allow the device to turn on on its own. Accordingly, spontaneous activation should not occur. The “frog” control system does not allow you to ignite the dispenser without water.
If the column turns on without water on its own, then there is a problem in the hot water pipeline. The main reason is considered to be a leak. As soon as the problem is resolved, the column will work as before.
In most cases, users are faced not with the wick igniting on its own, but with the fact that it continues to burn when the tap is turned off. This is due to the diaphragm being “crippled” by hard water. It is located in the water regulator. As soon as the water is turned off, the membrane remains in the same place and presses on the gas supply rod. The problem is solved by replacing the diaphragm.
At what time should the column be turned on?
It all depends on the type of inclusion of the column.
The instructions for the device indicate:
- Columns with no wick. They work automatically. The operating instructions for the gas water heater say that it ignites itself after opening the hot water tap. In the absence of pressure, classic brands do not work. Improved models turn on with low water pressure.
- With a wick that burns continuously. The operating instructions for the gas water heater indicate that it must be turned on in the morning. Users light the wick in the morning and leave it in this state until the evening.
Is it worth extinguishing the wick at night?
Here the choice depends on the type of water heater. In columns with a wick that is regularly on, this is necessary. By turning it off, gas costs are significantly saved.
There is no point in worrying about an accident occurring at night. The device operates safely. The manual for using a gas automatic heater does not say anything about turning off the burner at night. The device has degrees of protection against burner fire.
It is worth turning off the wick in a gas water heater only if there are visible signs of a malfunction, namely: malfunctions, the presence of pops, and also if the burner goes out on its own during operation. If you have such problems, you should turn off the gas and call the emergency gas service.
