No need to turn off your water heater while on vacation

Q: Before going on vacation, I turned off my gas water heater. When I returned to no hot water, it dawned on me that I didn’t know how to light the pilot. I really do like hot showers. What should I do?

A: Next time you go on vacation, you don’t need to turn off the water heater. I assume you wanted to save energy by turning the unit off, but you can get the same effect with the dial on the front of the water heater.

Do you see the word “vacation” on the knob? Just turn the dial counterclockwise and stop at that spot. This turns down the thermostat just the way you turn down the heat when you leave the house. That way, instead of relighting the pilot upon return, you simply turn the thermostat up to the desired temperature.

It sounds as if you have an older water heater, as newer water heaters don’t require a match. They have an igniter that you push to spark the pilot. Read on to find out about lighting a pilot with a match.

Lighting the pilot is simple, but most people are a little apprehensive about it. Here you are sticking a match deep into the bowels of the water heater waiting for a catastrophic flash of fire. Instead, you get a little flame.

Remove the water heater’s outer cover; it’s near the unit’s bottom near the thermostat dial. Inside, there is a second door to access the burner. At the edge of the burner is the pilot.

There is an area where the burner pilot and the thermocouple, which looks like a wire that’s a little thicker than a coat hanger, meet. These don’t touch, but there is a small gap between them. This is where you hold the match.

If you’ve ever aspired to be a proctologist, here is a good test. You will need to squat down to see inside the bottom of the water heater. One of those proctology headlamps would work great here because you will need both hands, one to hold the match and one to start the flow of gas. There is a long list of safety precautions stamped on the side of the water heater, so read them before you begin.

Turn the thermostat dial to its lowest setting; think vacation. Turn the gas control knob to pilot and press it downward. This will start the flow of gas to the pilot. You may hear a slight hiss.

Hold a lighted match to the pilot — a long fireplace match works great — and you should get a flame. Keep the gas control knob depressed for about a minute and then let it up. The pilot should stay lit. Turn the knob to “on” and close the inner door.

Turn the thermostat knob up to the desired level. As you turn the knob, you’ll hear the burner fire up. Close the outer door and prepare for hot showers beginning in an hour or two. Until the water inside the tank is heated, you’ll hear a dripping noise. This is normal. It is just condensation dripping and sizzling at the burner.

Mike Klimek is a licensed contractor and owner of Las Vegas Handyman. Questions may be sent by email to: handymanoflasvegas@msn.com. Or, mail to: 4710 W. Dewey Drive, No. 100, Las Vegas, NV 89118. His Web address is www.handymanoflasvegas.com.