How To Repair Sensor Failure On Honeywell Water Heater Control

If you accept a Honeywell gas valve on your h2o heater, and you lot find you have no hot h2o, this may be the reply to your problem and the piece of cake fix.

The Honeywell gas valve went into "High Temperature Shutdown" mode. When this happens, the gas valve closes, extinguishes the pilot light and your water heater stops heating water. You won't see any flashes on the LED status light to help yous make up one's mind the problem. No worries though. At that place's an easy five infinitesimal set to get your water heater working once again.

Why Did My Water Heater Cease Working?

In that location'south a common problem with some Honeywell gas valves that operate some h2o heaters.

I have a Reliance brand, forty gallon, natural gas h2o heater with a Honeywell gas valve, model WV8840B1109, and information technology has this mutual problem.

So here'due south the problem. For unknown reasons, sometimes these gas valves become into "High Temperature Shutdown" status and shut off the gas valve, which extinguishes the pilot light.

In my item case, I think the water heater stopped working because we had a oestrus wave for a couple of days, with temperatures reaching well-nigh 108 to 110 degrees.

I suspect, but am not sure, the ambient high temperature, coupled with the heated water in the water heater, caused the control lath on the gas valve to exceed the maximum temperature threshold allowed for this h2o heater and its control board.

So, the command board issued a "Loftier Temperature Shutoff" error code and caused the gas valve to shut down which stopped the gas supply to the pilot calorie-free and extinguished the pilot flame.

When the pilot flame was extinguished, the thermopile, which sits adjacent to the pilot flame, was no longer enveloped by the flame, which the thermopile relies upon to produce the electricity to operate the control board in the gas valve.

When the thermopile tin't exercise its chore of producing enough current, called millivolts, to operate the control board in the gas valve, the control board won't work, which causes the gas valve to close. No gas to the gas valve ways no flame to heat the water.

The control board is important because it constantly monitors the operation and status of the water heater to ensure proper performance. The lath too issues mistake codes that you see as "flashes" in the LED status calorie-free. Those flashes, or blinks, indicate the operation status of your water heater. If the command lath doesn't work, your water eye won't piece of work.

Because the control lath is not operating, you lot won't exist able to see any flashes at the LED status light to assistance you determine what the problem is with your water heater.

Now, if you do relight your airplane pilot light, without following the steps outlined below, your pilot may in fact light, but yous will see 4 flashes at the LED status light, which indicates that your water heater stopped working because it went into "High Temperature Shutdown" condition.

Only, your burner will Non ignite and oestrus the water until y'all override, or reset, the iv flash error code. The steps I outline beneath will testify y'all how to override the fault code and get your hater heater working again.

What practise the Error Code Status Flashes Point?

Let'southward talk virtually the error codes, or flashes, to help you understand what the flashes tell us.

One flash, every three seconds, indicates your water heater is working properly. But, if you meet no flash or more than than 1 flash, the flashes, or error codes, indicate your water heater has a trouble that needs fixing.

On my particular Honeywell gas valve, model WV8840B1109, the error codes indicate the post-obit:

FLASHES STATUS

0 Command Off/Pilot Out

i Normal Performance

ii Thermopile Voltage Depression

4 High Temperature Shutdown

five Temperature Sensor Failure

7 Gas Command or Valve Failure

8 Flame Sensor Error

The error codes and flashes help you lot to understand what the trouble is when your water heater isn't working.

So, if y'all have four flashes at the LED condition low-cal, like I did, follow the steps below to fix the trouble.

Steps to Fix four Flashes on Honeywell Gas Valve

If the LED condition lite is flashing 4 times, your water heart has gone into "Loftier Temperature Shutdown" style.

Probable though, if your water heater has gone into "Loftier Temperature Shutdown" condition, you won't see any flashes on the LED status light. Don't worry most that.

Equally I said above, that simply indicates the pilot low-cal is out and not producing the flame that is needed to operate the thermopile, which, if operating properly, would produce plenty electricity to power the command board that issues the four flash error lawmaking at the LED status low-cal.

So, now, permit's get on to the uncomplicated and quick steps you have to resolve the problem. The steps should not take you more than than 5 minutes to consummate.

When y'all follow these steps, you override the error status code in your gas valve command board which resets the command board to normal operating condition.

A quick note before we go to the steps to gear up the problem. The steps below will only work if the cause of your water heater non working is in fact related to a "High Temperature Shutoff" error code.

Another of import thing to mention before y'all follow the steps below. On some of the Honeywell gas valves, like mine, it's difficult to see the LED status light when it's flashing codes considering the light is and then faint or dim. That's important to note considering when you lot get to footstep iii, beneath, y'all should see four flashes on the LED status calorie-free after you light the airplane pilot lite.

Pay close attention to the LED condition light and wait for 4 flashes, which volition indicate that the reason your h2o heater is not working is that it did get into "High Temperature Shutoff" mode.

The Steps

Honeywell Gas Valve Control Knobs LED Light

Just follow these quick steps to fix the problem:

1. Plough the temperature command knob to the "OFF" position. Note: The instructions on my h2o heater indicate to look v or ten minutes, later on the knob is in the "OFF" position, before lighting the pilot. This will allow whatever unburned gases to dissipate before y'all light the pilot.

2. Now, plow the temperature control knob to the "Airplane pilot" position and depress the knob.

three. While continuing to depress the knob in the "PILOT" position, press the "igniter" (piezo igniter) button rapidly, most once every 2nd, until you run into the iv flashes at the LED condition light. This should take almost one minute, probable less.

The 4 flashes at the LED condition light bespeak that your water heater went into "Loftier Temperature Shutdown" mode/status and shut downward, or stopped working.

4. When you come across the iv flashes at the LED status calorie-free, immediately turn the temperature control knob to the "VERY HOT" position. Leave the knob in the "VERY HOT" position for 10 seconds. Count 10 seconds.

v. Now, plough the temperature control knob to the "HOT" position for 10 seconds. Count for 10 seconds.

6. At present, plough the temperature command knob to the "PILOT" position for 10 seconds. Count for 10 seconds.

seven. At present, y'all tin can turn the temperature control knob to your desired setting, and you will hear the water heater burner ignite. (Annotation: If you set your temperature control knob higher up "HOT," your water heater may stop working again, at some betoken, and go into "High Temperature Shutdown" again.

At this signal, you should meet one flash at the LED status light which indicates your water heater is in "Normal Functioning" condition and working properly again.

That's it! At present, you have a working h2o heater. Bully task!

Conclusion

Great chore! You lot simply saved yourself the cost of a new gas valve or a new water heater and/or the cost of paying a plumber to fix something y'all could, and did, fix yourself.

However, please go along this in mind. The Honeywell gas valves that have this mutual problem will likely over again go into "Loftier Temperature Shutdown" status if y'all have your temperature control knob set at whatsoever temperature setting above "Hot."

That means if you plow your temperature control knob to the "A," "B," "C" or "Very Hot" temperature setting, your water heater may finish working over again, at some point. That's the common problem with some of these Honeywell gas valves.

But, if your water heater does go into "High Temperature Shutdown" again, you lot will know how to override and reset the fault code and fix it yourself.

Happy DIYing!