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• Anew water h eater isfilled withcold water f orthefirst t ime.
Burning gas produces w atervaporin waterheaters,
particularly high efficiency models w here f luetemperatures
arelower.
Large a mounts ofhotwater areused inashort t ime andthe
refill w ater i nthetank isvery cold.
Moisture f romtheproducts o fcombustion condense onthe
cooler t anksurfaces andformdrops ofwater w hich may fall
onto theburner orother h otsurfaces toproduce a"sizzling" or
"frying" noise.
Excessive condensation
cancause pilotoutage d uetowater
running down t hefluetube onto themain burner andputting o ut
thepilot.
Becauseof the suddenness and amountof water,
condensation
water m ay bediagnosed asa"tank leak". After
the water i nthetank warms u p(about 1-2hours), thecondition
should disappear.
Donotassume thewater h eater isleaking u ntil there hasbeen
enough time forthewater i nthetank towarm up.
Anundersized
water h eater willcause m ore condensation.
The
waterheatermustbe sizedproperly to meetthefamily's
demands forhot w ater including dishwashers,
washing machines
andshower heads.
Excessive condensation
may benoticed d uring thewinter a nd
early spring months when incoming water t emperatures
areat
their l owest.
Good venting i sessential foragas fired water h eater tooperate
properly aswell a stocarry away products ofcombustion and
water vapor.
Smoke Odor
It is not uncommon
to experience
a small
amount
of smoke
and
odor during
the initial
start-up.
This
is due to burning
off of oil
from metal parts,
and will disappear
in a short
while.
Operational
Conditions
Smelly Odor
In each
water
heater
there
is installed
at least one anode
rod
(see parts
section)
for corrosion
protection
of the tank. Certain
water conditions
will cause
a reaction
between
this rod and the
water. The most common
complaint
associated
with the anode
rod is one of a "rotten
egg smell".
This odor is derived
from hydrogen
sulfide
gas dissolved
in the water.
The smell
is
the result
of four factors
which
must all be present
for the odor
to develop:
a concentration
of sulfate
in the supply
water.
little or no dissolved
oxygen
in the water.
a sulfate
reducing
bacteria
within
the water
heater.
(This
harmless
bacteria
is non-toxic
to humans.)
an excess
of active
hydrogen
in the tank.
This is caused
by
the corrosion
protective
action
of the anode.
Smelly
water
may
be eliminated
or reduced
in some
water
heater
models
by replacing
the anode(s)
with
one of less
active
material,
and then
chlorinating
the water
heater
tank
and all
hot water
lines.
Contact
Sears
Service
for further
information
concerning
an Anode
Replacement
and
this
Chlorination
Treatment.
If the smelly
water
persists
after the anode
replacement
and
chlorination
treatment,
we can only suggest
that chlorination
or aeration
of the water
supply
be considered
to eliminate
the
water
problem.
Do not remove
the anode
leaving
the tank
unprotected.
By
doing
so, all warranty
on the water
heater
tank
is voided,
"AIR" in Hot Water Faucets
}.--\
)
Explosion
Hazard
• Flammable
hydrogen
gases may be present.
* Keep all ignition
sources
away
from
faucet
when
turning
on hot water.
HYDROGEN
GAS: Hydrogen
gas can be produced
in a hot water
system that has not been used for a long period of time (generally
two weeks
or more).
Hydrogen
gas is extremely
flammable
and
explosive.
To prevent
the possibility
of injury
under
these
conditions,
we recommend
the hot water faucet,
located
farthest
away,
be opened
for several
minutes
before
any
electrical
appliances
which
are connected
to the hot water
system
are
used (such as a dishwasher
or washing
machine).
If hydrogen
gas is present,
there will probably
be an unusual
sound
similar
to air escaping
through
the pipe as the hot water faucet is opened.
There
must be no smoking
or open flame
near the faucet
at the
time it is open.
High Temperature
Shut-Off System
This
water
heater
is equipped
with
an automatic
gas
shutoff
system.
This system
shuts off the gas supply to the water
heater
burner
when
high water
temperatures
are present.
It is non-
resettable.
If the high temperature
shut
off activates,
the gas
control
valve
must be replaced.
If this were to occur, turn "OFF"
the entire
gas supply
to the water
heater.
Contact
the Sears
Service
Center.
24
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