20 Most Recent General Electric GE SmartWater Household Water Filtration System - GNWH38F - Page 7 Questions & Answers

GE is made by rheem-so it should be around 38-41 gal per hour-should be on nameplate by gas valve

Id try raising the chimney until you can get the smoke from a piece of paper to get sucked up under the draft hood. I believe theres a different problem then a cold pipe.raising the chim.might not be the answer.

There are two water lines connected to water heater.
One is marked Hot and the other Cold.
The shut off valve is on the Cold line.

To eliminate sand and dirt from entering your water heater, the 'sediment' filter should be installed on Cold line.
Sand and dirt are sometimes called sediment, but this type of sediment is not the same as calcium carbonate sediment that accumulates inside a tank that receives hard water.

When you have hard water, then water heater makes calcium carbonate 'sediment' deposits that accumulate in bottom of tank. A 'sediment' filter will not prevent this problem.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Clean-sediment-out-of-water-heater.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-clean-sediment-out-of-electric-water-heater.html

If you have hard water, to prevent calcium carbonate from forming inside tank, you need a water softener.
Water softener will prevent calcium carbonate sediment forming inside tank.
However water softener will shorten life of water heater anode rod.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.html

Add a comment for more free help.
Also take advantage of fixya phone service.
For a price, fixya expert speaks with you over phone while you work on water heater.

try replacing the bottle...it might have a hairline crack that is causing the "leak". I have the same cooler and had the same issue...replaced the bottle and all was well then.

Roy Martinez

Yes, drain water heater.
Instructions are given on links below:
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-replace-water-heater-element.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-will-not-drain.html

http://genet.geappliances.com/DocSearch/pdf/49500623.PDF

Here is the web site that you are looking for.

Gary

Your water heater has 2 elements so its 240Volts.

1) If breaker is delivering power on one leg of the 240Volt circuit, then water heater can appear to have electricity, but tank is receiving 120V. Both 120Volt legs are needed to complete the 240V circuit. Double check for 240Volts.

2) Review electric Load.
Water heater label shows wattage of tank.
If tank is 4500Watts for example, you installed 3500 or 4500 watt elements.
With 5500 Watt elements you need 30 amp breaker and orange-colored 10 gauge wire
With 4500 Watt elements you can get by on 20 amp breaker and 12 gauge wire up to 75 feet away.

3) Check ECO red reset button on upper thermostat. If reset is tripped, then ECO is reading high temperatures. Suspects at this point are defective upper thermostat, shorted wire or bad lower element.

4) Also note that insulation and cover must be re-installed over thermostat. Thermostat reads temperature through wall of tank. If outside air circulates around thermostat, that can cause a mis-read and cause tank to overheat and ECO trips.

If you don't want to test the heater, replace both thermostats for about $25. Return the upper thermostat for a refund. Then see of problem persists.

Here's what I would do.
1. Check breaker for 240
2. Check water heater for 240 across 1 and 3 screws on upper thermostat
3. Note wiring and breaker size.
4. Note label on side of tank.

5. Look at end of new element to see wattage printed on each element. Look for sings of high heat and burning. Tighten screws on elements.

6. Check ECO reset button. Look for high-heat and burning. Tighten screws on thermostat.

7. Test upper thermostat as follows:
http://waterheatertimer.org/images/Electric-diagram-water-800.jpg
Test left-side #1 screw to right-side middle #4 screw. Test should read 240V at all times. If not, then ECO is tripped, thermostat is bad, or electricity is OFF

8) Water heater is cold so upper element should be ON. Test upper thermostat.
Test right-side #3 screw to left-side bottom #2 screw and it should read 240V
Test right-side #3 screw to right-side bottom #4 screw and it should read 0 volts

8. If upper thermostat checks out. Test upper element for 240 across both screws. If upper element does not read 240 when water is cold, then element is bad or there is a shorted wire between element and upper thermostat.
How to test element:
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-test-water-heater-element.html

9. Do a full troubleshoot on electric water heater
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-troubleshoot-electric-problems-with-water-heater.html

12 year old water heater is getting near the end.
Some tanks last 20 years, but that's the exception.
To find exact age of your brand water heater:
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/WaterHeaterSerialNumberDecoder.pdf

Leaking TP valve:
1) Lift TP lever and gently lower back into position to see if that stops leak.
Occasionally something gets stuck in the valve.
2) Sometimes water heater temperature gets turned up because heater is not producing as much hot water as before, and higher temps cause TP to release pressure because of overheating.
Dial temperature down to 120 degrees.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-adjust-water-heater-temperature.html

3) If steps above don't fix problem, replace TP valve >> TP valves have 125 or 150 degrees rating >>> older tank shouldn't be running above 125 because higher temps cause more pressure on tank, so thermostat should be lower than 125 degrees TP rating.
Buy replacement TP at any hardware store + a roll of teflon tape to seal pipe threads.
Turn gas control to pilot ... this will keep pilot lit but burner will not fire.
Let water cool, and then drain some water out of tank.
If TP valve is on side of tank, then open drain on side of tank and drain water until it is lower than valve level. Open bathtub spigot to let air into line.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-will-not-drain.html
Be careful around water that is higher than 120 degrees F >> you can get burned quickly >> apply cold water to any burn.
Use pipe wrench and unscrew TP valve counterclock-wise.
Install new TP and put teflon tape on threads.
Re-fill tank completely and open tub valve on hot side until water is running >> then turn gas control back to original position.
Do not fire up any water heater before tank is completely full of water or this could damage tank.

To read more preventative information about water heater leaks and age problems:
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-at-bottom-of-water-heater.html

Don't lubricate this O ring. Your trouble is not there.

There is probably a small piece of dirt in the bleed valve (you are calling this a pressure relief though its purpose is to let the air out not provide relief from excess pressure). Press it several times to try to wash the dirt out.

If this doesn't work, you might have to work on the valve from the inside.

The pilot light jet may have got a little bit of dirt or grit in it which is preventing it from keeping alight. Try probing the jet with a fine piece of wire to see it the blockage can be dislodged. You may have to unscrew the jet to clear it by blowing air through it. Make sure gas is turned off first before removing any parts.

The pilot light also has a thermocouple that allows gas to the pilot light while the flame is burning. If flame goes out it shuts gas off to the pilot jet. The thermocouple is bypassed by a switch during the initial ignition and once the thermocouple warms up after a minute or two of holding in the bypass switch, it should maintain the pilot. If, after cleaning, the pilot light keeps going out, it would seem that your thermocouple is faulty and needs to be replaced

Problem can also be lack of air to the combustion area. Vacuum the area towards the bottom of the tank where the vent holes are. Also, I had a resident that had fans blowing out of her apartment windows this summer. We had the same problem with the pilot light and even replaced the thermocouple. Problem continued and even had CO in the home when the tank was firing. She was creating a back draft and pulling the exhaust gases into the apartment from the hotwater tank. It took time to figure it out.

Hello. Here is an excellent article on how a water softener works which may answer your problem for you. http://home.howstuffworks.com/question99.htm

J.

Hi. Most times some teflon tape applied to the threads will solve the problem. Using the liquid teflon "tape", available at most hardware stores may work better for you. Regarding the leaking faucet, there are several possible remedies. Go to this link for an excellent tutorial on all of them http://www.essortment.com/all/repairfaucetpl_remn.htm

J.

Hello,

Either your pilot thermocouple is faulty, or your gas control valve is bad. Since it is easy and cheaper to replace the thermocouple, start there. Most appliance stores will carry both of these parts.

One more thing, make sure that the pilot thermocouple is snugged up in the gas control valve housing. If this is loose, it can mimic all sorts of problems. The little nut should not be loose.

I need you to be more specific on what trouble you are having please. I also would like to know how old your unit is. Thank you