I just installed a new water heater. It is a kenmore power miser
12...so it isnt a cheap one. I bought it from sears yesterday and spent
the better part of last night and this morning hooking it up.
Everything went well. I filled it and hooked up my gas lines. I try to
iginte the pilot and it wont light. I thought there must be air in the
lines but my home furnace (which sits right next to the water heater),
kitchen stove, dryer all work fine. I have a union right near where the
gas goes into the water heater with a shut off just above it. I
loosened this a bit and turned the gas on and the gas is flowing
because i could smell it. I tightend the union back down and still no
go. I turn the knob to piolt and hit the igniter like crazy and
nothing. I cant tell if gas is getting through to the burner because i
dont smell any gas. I cant really tell if the igniter is sparking
either but i would assume so. THis thing is brand new.

I didnt purchase the installation from sears because they wanted 340
bucks to install it on top of the 415 bucks i just dropped on the water
heater. Installation was pretty easy. Everything is already sweated in
place and the damn thing is full of water. I dont want to try and get
this thing back up the stairs etc to return it.

Any ideas? If i have a bad regulator or somthing sears should come out
and check that out correct? I dont want them to say since i installed
it that they wont cover there junk or charge me tons of money to fix
whatever might be wrong. IM thinking it has to be a faulty part
somewhere.

I thought the tough part would be the soldering and the gas etc.....not
starting the damn thing.

any ideas? Looks like cold showers for a while.

scale wrote:

I just installed a new water heater. It is a kenmore power miser
12...so it isnt a cheap one. I bought it from sears yesterday and spent
the better part of last night and this morning hooking it up.
Everything went well. I filled it and hooked up my gas lines. I try to
iginte the pilot and it wont light. I thought there must be air in the

Is the pilot knob the type you have to push in and hold for a minute or so
while igniting it?

"scale" wrote in message
oups.com...
I just installed a new water heater. It is a kenmore power miser
12...so it isnt a cheap one. I bought it from sears yesterday and spent
the better part of last night and this morning hooking it up.
Everything went well. I filled it and hooked up my gas lines. I try to
iginte the pilot and it wont light. I thought there must be air in the
lines but my home furnace (which sits right next to the water heater),
kitchen stove, dryer all work fine. I have a union right near where the
gas goes into the water heater with a shut off just above it. I
loosened this a bit and turned the gas on and the gas is flowing
because i could smell it. I tightend the union back down and still no
go. I turn the knob to piolt and hit the igniter like crazy and
nothing. I cant tell if gas is getting through to the burner because i
dont smell any gas. I cant really tell if the igniter is sparking
either but i would assume so. THis thing is brand new.

I didnt purchase the installation from sears because they wanted 340
bucks to install it on top of the 415 bucks i just dropped on the water
heater. Installation was pretty easy. Everything is already sweated in
place and the damn thing is full of water. I dont want to try and get
this thing back up the stairs etc to return it.

Any ideas? If i have a bad regulator or somthing sears should come out
and check that out correct? I dont want them to say since i installed
it that they wont cover there junk or charge me tons of money to fix
whatever might be wrong. IM thinking it has to be a faulty part
somewhere.

I thought the tough part would be the soldering and the gas etc.....not
starting the damn thing.

any ideas? Looks like cold showers for a while.


I had the same problem when I changed my water heater out recently. My
problem WAS air in the gas line. My water heater is not near a source of
ignition so I loosened the flex hose next to the regulator until I could
smell gas. Scared the whole time. Then I vented the area, paranoid. Then I
held the pilot button down (read the directions closely) and kept pressing
the ignition button. With in 30 seconds I had a pilot light. This was after
a dozen or so failed attempts.

I had considered a long match. Construction on my water heater almost
prohibits such an action. Guess the manufactures are getting smarter or we
the public are getting dumber.

This just in....

I got it. I bled the lines again and while i was on hold with sears
service.......the pilot lit It must have gotten scared and thought i
was going to return it to the warehouse.

Strange but i used the same technique each time....turn to
pilot....hold down...hit igniter and she lit.....

shes heating for the first time now.

Heck i might even get a warm shower before work tomorrow

Thanks for the replies...