Investing in a gas shower heater could mean lower utility bills and efficient water heating for your bath. However, you may encounter unexpected heating up issues with your gas shower.
To fix your gas shower heater check the gas line, look for a damaged burner or gas control, rekindle a blue flame, inspect the pilot light, review the thermocouple, look out for defective dip tube and sediment build-up in your tank.
In this article, we’ll discuss possible reasons for your gas shower not to heat. We’ll also outline various tips to help you address these potential issues and keep your gas shower in perfect working condition. Keep reading to learn more!
Gas Shower not heating up? Why and How to Fix
Check the Gas Line
The first essential thing to check if your gas shower isn’t heating up is the gas supply. There might be a leakage or something blocking the gas from reaching the burner or pilot burner. Besides that, the gas supply may also shut off accidentally.
How to Fix
- First of all, contact your gas company to ensure your account isn’t in arrears.
- Go to the gas valve and ensure it isn’t in a closed position. If the valve is closed, open it.
- Look out for gas leaks or kinks that may be causing a blockage in the gas line. If you find any, call a professional for proper repairs.
If you’ve got no gas line issues, got enough gas, and everything is intact, but still, nothing improves after turning on the valve. You should consider calling a plumber or related experts.
Look for Damaged Burner or Gas Control
A damaged gas control valve for the burner can cause your gas shower not to heat up. The water heater can’t work correctly if the burner is non-functional or dirty hence causing your gas shower to fail heating up. A damaged gas control valve can’t allow the pilot to ignite, and for this reason, your gas shower won’t heat up.
How to Fix
- Clean the burner assembly. Use a wire brush to clean the burner and tube brush, such as the DiCUNO Nylon Tube Brush Set to clean the gas tube connected to the burner.
- Open the control valve and try to ignite the burner. If it fails, that means your control valve needs replacement.
Try to Rekindle a Blue Flame
This is another diagnostic issue whereby your gas shower produces just lukewarm water. If your pilot burner lights yellow instead of the standard blue, your shower will heat up quite slowly. This type of flame is a result of the gas-to-air ratio problem.
How to Fix
Before you begin fixing this issue, it’s essential to note a burner with a yellow flame does release a colorless, odorless, and toxic gas called carbon monoxide. So to rekindle a blue fire:
- Close open windows or entrances that can be causing the burner to burn insufficiently.
- If you don’t notice an improvement, switch off your heater and call a technician to check out your unit.
Watch the video below to understand how you can troubleshoot a yellow flame on your gas heater and adjust it to a blue flame:
Inspect the Pilot Light
The pilot light is an essential part of your gas shower heater, which ignites and maintains the internal temperatures. However, pilot light does have some common issues that cause the gas shower not to heat up. This means your shower won’t get hot if this vital part fails to stay lit.
Some reasons your pilot light won’t stay lit include dirty pilot tube, dirt build-up in the intake valve, pilot light blowouts, and inefficient burning (as we’ve discussed above).
How to Fix
- Start by turning off the gas.
- Slide a long needle into the pilot tube and gently remove all the debris. For proper and thorough cleaning, you can use a wire brush.
- Clean the intake valve and change the air filter
- If your pilot light blows out, you should try to relight it. You can do this by:
- Locate a metal cover at the base of your water heater and slide it off
- Use a flashlight to locate the burner inside. There are two gas tubes that lead to it.
- Hold the gas knob and turn it to “Pilot.” Press and hold it down. If your heater has a separate switch for “Pilot mode,” press it and hold.
- While still holding the knob, use a lighter or press the ignition button to light the pilot.
- If the flame ignites, continue holding the knob for 1 minute. Release it and ensure the pilot light is still lit.
- Turn on the gas knob and listen to the whumping sound of the main burner igniting.
- Replace the metal cover
The following video demonstrates how to relight your pilot light:
Check the Thermocouple
A defective thermocouple is a common cause of gas shower heating problems. If the thermocouple is malfunctioning, the pilot light won’t stay lit, causing your gas shower not to heat up.
The thermocouple develops various problems such as accumulating dirt and slipping out of position, which results in a cut off of gas supply to the pilot light.
How To Fix
- Use sandpaper to clean your thermocouple.
- Adjust your thermocouple and ensure it’s well attached on its place
- Replace the thermocouple. Experts recommend the Honeywell CQ100A1030 Replacement Thermocouple for excellent performance.
- Conduct a tune-up for your furnace.
Watch the below video to get an idea of how to locate and replace your thermocouple:
Look Out for Defective Dip Tube
The dip tube is also an essential part of your gas shower heater where cold water flows through towards the heating tank. The dip tube transfers the cold water to your tank’s bottom to be heated for your use.
If this tube is damaged, the cold water will stay at the top and will not be adequately heated. Since the hot water outlet is located at the top of your tank, the cold water will flow right from the dip tube to the outlet, which will leave you with cold water.
How to Fix
Replacement is the only practical solution for a damaged dip tube. To replace it, follow these steps:
- Turn off the gas.
- Detach the cold water supply.
- Drain a few liters (gallons) from the tank.
- Remove the short piece of pipe to expose the dip tube.
- Cut to remove your dip tube. Consider using the RIDGID Tubing Cutter for easy and quick tube cutting.
- Dip in and fasten the new dip tube. If you’re doing it yourself, get the Camco Dip Tube for quality replacements.
- Reconnect the cold water supply.
Watch the below video to deeply understand the whole dip tube replacement process:
Sediment Build-Up in Your Tank
The water that enters your tank carries lots of dissolved minerals and some other particles. Over time, these pieces settle at the bottom of your tank, where the heater is located. This debris inhibits the heat process causing your shower not to heat up or deliver lukewarm water.
How to Fix
- Turn off the gas.
- Disconnect the water supply.
- Turn on the hot water outlet.
- Attach a hose.
- Drain the tank.
- Flush the remaining sediment.
- Close the hot water draining valve.
- Fill your tank.
- Turn the gas on and ignite your burner.
The video below demonstrates how to flush your hot water tank to remove sediment:
Summary
This article outlines a list of all potential causes of your gas shower, not heating up, and the possible solutions for each problem. Be sure to always refer to this article each time you encounter a heating issue with your gas shower to get a solution. If the issue is much complicated, be sure to contact a trained expert for proper assistance.
Steve Rajeckas is an HVAC hobbyist with an avid interest in learning innovative ways to keep rooms, buildings, and everything else at the optimal temperature. When he’s not working on new posts for Temperature Master, he can be found reading books or exploring the outdoors.