Having hot water is absolutely essential in any household. It’s only when our gas hot water heater breaks that we realize just how much we use it – for cooking, cleaning, showering – all things that happen on a daily basis to help us run our lives much more smoothly. But if your gas hot water heater isn’t heating, what should you do?
Pilot Light
The first thing to check is whether the pilot light is on or not. If the pilot light for your heater isn’t on, then it’s possible that the heater just needs to be turned on again and the pilot light needs to be re-lit. Most modern heaters will have an ignition switch to do this with. If you can easily turn on the pilot light again, then your water should be hot again in no time.
Check Valve
Check that the valve supplying the gas to your heater hasn’t been closed. There should be instructions on your heater that tell you how the gas inlet valve should look when the gas is turned on.
Check Supply
It’s also worth checking that there are no utility companies working on the gas supply to the house – if there are, they may have cut off the supply to the house, in which case your heater won’t be working properly.
If it is not possible to fix the problem in either of these ways, then it may be that you have a slightly more serious problem that will require an engineer. It may be that the thermostat on your gas heater has broken, in which case you will need to have that fixed by a professional.
Contact a Professional
If your gas hot water heater isn’t heating at all, once you’ve tried to reignite the pilot light and you’ve checked that the gas valve is open and you’ve not been able to get your water hot again, then it’s time to call an engineer. While it’s tempting to try to fix the problem yourself, it’s possible to cause a lot more damage and a potentially very dangerous situation if you’re not qualified to deal with the problem. Do some research into the most trustworthy local traders around, and call in somebody who has experience in dealing with your problems and who is qualified to do so. This way, you can be sure of getting your gas hot water heater fixed in the correct way and you can be sure they won’t cause you any more problems!
