Can I run the hot water heater with a generator

You might have to raise the thermostat on the hot water heater gas valve

Unless you are using a tankless hot water heater, there is a limited amount of hot water available in the tank. Electric and gas water tanks need time to recover after use, and if you are using heavily, it can exhaust the available supply. That said, there are a couple reasons why you may have less hot water than seems normal. In both electric and gas water heaters, silt can form in the bottom of the tank. This will build up over time and displace water. It also reduces the heating efficiency of gas units. There is a drain valve on the bottom of water heater tanks to allow for purging of this silt periodically, but few ever do it. You could also have, in the case of an electric hot water heater, a bad element or thermostat. Most electric heaters have an upper and lower element and thermostat. If one fails the other will still work, but the water takes longer to get hot and will deplete faster.

1) Open following link for how-to resources, illustrations, and service manuals for some brands of heater.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html#troubleshoot

2) Many things can cause pilot problems, including bad thermocouple, air in gas line, low gas pressure, negative pressure in house, bad venting, very hot attic, lack of combustion air, dirty combustion parts and dirty pilot tube, bad gas control, reversed polarity on electrical outlet.

3) If pilot flame is clear blue and strong, then next step is check that thermocouple sits in the flame, and then change thermocouple. This is start point. Following step would be reading service manual for exact troubleshoot and testing steps.

4) If pilot flame is yellow-or-orange or weak, then clean dirty combustion parts including pilot tube and air intake. Might want to change thermocouple while combustion parts are removed for cleaning.

5) Take a moment and rate answer:
And take advantage of fixya expert assistance live.
For a price, expert works with you while you work on water heater or any do-it-yourself project.
Fixya is always less expensive than a service call.

Hello Mike,
Check gas pressure, burner parts need to be cleaned, check electrical outlet, hot surface igniter is bad

White Rodgers intellivent error code:
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-adjust-water-heater-temperature.html#Intellivent
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Intelli-vent-gas-valve2.pdf

Error code says: system in lockout, but you know that.
1) Low gas pressure, no gas to water heater: call gas company to check pressure
2) Hot surface igniter not positioned correctly: inspect and clean burner parts.
http://waterheatertimer.org/images/Reliance-hot-surface-ignite.jpg
3) Low voltage to water heater/ outlet has wrong polarity: Use circuit analyzer on electrical outlet to make sure polarity is correct

Typical power vent manual:
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Reliance-40-50-power-vent.pdf
Cleaning water heater:
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html#clean
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/How-to-clean-combustion-chamber.pdf

sounds like the generator has packed up. check water flow and clean any filters on the water line. you will need a service agent to check milli volts on generator and power pack

3 minutes?? does the water run cold then? or just warm?
Is this what the tank you replaced was doing? If so, then you may have: 1 a recirculating pump instant hot water system thats faulty and allowing cold water backflow into hot water piping. 2 A tempering valve that has stuck, allowing cold water into your hot water system.
Or maybe a broken or missing dip tube in your new heater.
If after 3 minutes the water is coming cold out leave that faucet running and go to heater and feel the hot water outlet pipe from the heater. if that pipe is hot then the heater is not the problem. If the hot pipe from the heater is cold the heater is the problem. (Make sure the cold pipe coming into the heater is connected to the Right side marked "cold" !) If there is a tempering valve by the heater: feel the output from the tempering valve, if it is cold and the pipe from the heater to the tempering valve is hot, then the tempering valve is the problem. If all these are OK somewhere in your plumbing system hot and cold may be connected possibly a faucet or showerhead that is shut off at the spout/head, but hot/cold handles are left turned on then cold water can backflow thru hot pipe.

Usually a polarity problem is fixed by reversing the wires that run to the power supply to the unit.First, shut off the breaker that feeds power to the furnace. Most of the time, there will be one black, and one white Unhook those, switch the wires around, use new wire nuts to wire them back together. Hope this helps.

The flame sensor is not sensing flame and the unit shuts off on safety. You can try cleaning the sensor, but will likely have to replace it. Also clean the burners. Sometimes there can be rust, dirt, or other dibri that causes an improper flame pattern and prevents the sensor from being fully in the flame.

With some units, the flame sensor is a seperate part, with others it is a part of the ignition assembly. Those can typically run 30 to 80 dollars for the part.

Nothing wrong with waterheater. Did you perhaps reverse hot/supply lines on new shut off valves?? try reversing lines. Maybe

Please rate. Thanks jj505