Richmond Water Heater Gas Valve Problems

Richmond Water Heater Gas Valve Problems: Here’s What To Do

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Gas valve problems on Richmond Water Heater mean you must replace it to operate the unit smoothly. 

This guide will walk you through: 

  • How to tell if water heater gas valve is bad?
  • Step-by-step guide on replacing the Richmond Water Heater Gas Valve
  • How to reset water heater gas valve

Without further ado, let’s dive in. 

Table of Contents

How To Tell If Richmond Water Heater Gas Valve Is At Problems?

You can easily determine whether the gas valve of Richmond Water Heater gets bad or not by lighting the pilot and testing the thermocouple. 

Let’s start with lighting the pilot. Follow the manual and attempt to light the pilot. Press the pilot knob all the way down and keep pressing the igniter button. If the pilot light doesn’t come on, inspect the gas supply. 

Make sure the gas orifice doesn’t get clogged. If still the pilot light doesn’t come after releasing the igniter button, there may be a problem with the thermocouple. 

I recommend you test the thermocouple electrically. To test it, remove the bottom access cover. Then, take a multimeter and set it to the Volt DC option. Now, use an adjustable wrench to unscrew the thermocouple from the gas control valve. 

Next, attach the probes of the multimeter to the copper and to the end of the thermocouple. Light the pilot and hold down the button. The voltage should start climbing within a few minutes as the thermocouple heats up. 

A healthy thermocouple should give a reading between 20 to 30 millivolts. It will cause the pilot light to stay lit. The following video will help you in testing and replacing the thermocouple: 

If the pilot still won’t stay lit, I bet the gas valve is at fault. In this case, you must replace the gas control valve. In the next chapter, I will walk you through the step-by-step process to change the gas valve. 

How To Replace Gas Valve On Richmond Water Heater?

Changing a gas valve on a Richmond water heater or other isn’t as difficult as it seems. And this chapter will make the gas valve replacement simple. Before heading over to the workflow, ensure you have the following equipment: 

  • Adjustable pipe wrench
  • A flathead screwdriver
  • A garden hose 
  • Teflon Tape
  • A new gas valve

Turn Off Both Water & Gas Supply

Start with turning off the water supply to the unit. Just set the cold water inlet valve at the perpendicular position to shut the water supply off. Then, shut off the gas supply to the unit. 

Drain Your Richmond Water Heater

You must drain the water. Otherwise, the hot water will burn your skin as the water comes out when you remove the gas valve. To drain the water, get a garden hose and attach it to the drain valve at the bottom of the unit. Then, place the other end of the hose to the nearest floor drain. Now, open the drain valve to let the water drain. 

Detach Everything Leading To The Gas Control Valve

After draining the tank, disconnect everything that is attached to the gas control valve. For example, you need to remove the thermocouple, gas line, pilot line, and main burner supply line. 

When it comes to removing the gas line, you should use an adjustable pipe wrench to remove the union between the shut-off valve and the gas valve. You can find a horizontal pipe feed into the side on the gas line. The other end of the pipe is attached to a tee. I recommend you remove the nipples from both sides of the tee. Now, pull out the gas line from the gas valve. 

Afterward, remove other connections like the pilot light line and the thermocouple from the gas valve. 

Remove The Gas Valve

Now, what you need to do is- remove the gas valve from the unit. You can loosen up the valve by holding the pipe attached to the valve. Ensure you turn the pipe counterclockwise. Once the gas valve comes loose, remove the pipe from the valve. Finally, take off the gas control valve from the unit. 

Install A New Gas Control Valve

Finally, it’s time to install a new gas control valve. You can find a universal gas valve in the market. Alternatively, you can see the part number on the old gas valve and use the number to search on Amazon to get the exact gas valve. 

Before installing the valve, use Teflon tape. Wrap up the threaded portion of the pipe that goes to the gas supply line. Then, attach the pipe to the control valve. Now, install the gas valve and hand-tighten it by holding the pipe. 

Next, use an adjustable pipe wrench to tighten up the valve. Don’t forget to attach the gas line using the tee and nipples. Finally, connect every line like the thermocouple, pilot line, and others to the gas control valve to finish the installation. 

Fill the water tank with water. Ensure you shut off the drain valve and detach the garden hose from the drain valve. Once you fill up the tank, turn the gas supply on. Finally, light the pilot following the instructions mentioned in the manual.  

How To Reset Water Heater Gas Valve?

Follow the below steps to reset water heater gas valve: 

  • Set the gas valve switch to the off position.
  • Unplug the water heater from the outlet for a minute. 
  • Plug the water heater back again.
  • Now, turn the gas valve switch on.
  • Finally, turn the temperature knob from all the way down and rotate it from low to the high temperature setting for seven times. It will reset the gas valve on your water heater successfully. 

End-Note

The only solution to Richmond Water Heater Gas Valve Problems is to replace the gas valve. And I already mentioned the step-by-step guide to change the gas control valve. So, follow the steps I mentioned and solve the gas valve issues. Good Luck!

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