Daisy -- all of what Dr. J said is important, I would also add that it may be
defective & better to try to return it if possible than mess around trying to
enlarge the orifice -- if you can turn up the flame, great; if you can protect
the door edges better somehow, also great; but if the burner is "sputtery at
first" that may indicate a problem that you won't be able to correct even if it
performs OK most of the time when it's not windy. You don't want to mess with a
problem like this, and with never knowing when you can rely on the pilot or when
it's going to be iffy -- it's not something you want to have to be checking on
all the time.
I had an old water heater at my house that did this (pilot blew out if the
basement door was open), I ended up replacing it for that reason and also I
wanted a bigger one anyway. The tech who came out to handle it said something
might have gotten corroded in the unit's internal line or in the valve, and it
just couldn't hold a flame. (That seemed odd to me, I didn't think gas lines
had the corrosion problem that galvanized water pipes do, but like I said I was
going to replace it anyway so it didn't matter how he explained it.) This may
not apply to your heater since mine was old & would have different problems than
a new one, but if you did not have this problem with the one you are replacing,
then it's probably not the line, it's the new unit.
--Sarah
> > Hey Folks,
> >
> > I replaced my hot water heater with an identical, manual pilot. I'm
> > having trouble keeping the pilot lit if there is any wind. My old one
> > wasn't as sensitive, so I'm thinking the door isn't on right, or needs a
> > gasket or I need a baffle or something.
> >
> > Anyone have any wisdom about this ?
> >
> > It lights, fires up the burner ( maybe a little sputtery at first) then
> > later the pilot will go out. This was in SD, famous for wind, and then
> > in CA where it has been windy. Today, in the calmer air, it seems OK.
> >
> > Daisy