Hopefully that insulation is not blocking the air inlets.

Thanks, Jake! That's a better video than I was able to find. I'm pretty determined to get the water heater lit again, and it seems that this is a common problem. Videos are much more helpful than manuals.

In Los Angeles, all water heaters have to be installed outdoors, and so it is in a tin box just outside the kitchen. I think the reason for this requirement is that too many problems occur when water heaters fall over in earthquakes.

I'm going to try to follow your video this evening when I get home! I wasn't sure how different the different models of a water heater would be.

If you can't manage to do it, most gas suppliers will send out someone to do such tasks for free. Also to do a safety inspection if the unit is old, also for no charge. Try calling yours, that's another approach (So Cal Gas?).

I guess we will have to call So Cal Gas - we could not get it lit. We had trouble finding the reset button (there was nothing labeled as such), but we tried to press what looked like a black reset button, but it would not budge. Also, we had trouble seeing through the window, since out unit is in a box, and so we had to set up a mirror to try to see in.

As of now, problem not resolved. We found the receipt for the water heater, which was $2,575.00 (with tax), and so I do not consider it to be a cheap one. The installer did not put his name on the receipt, and so we had to find the cancelled check to get the name of the installer. Then it took me a while to find his phone number, which we called and left a message on voice mail. He gave us no warranty information, but we do have the manual, which is not helpful.

I just took photos of the insides:

Evidently the models vary quite a bit, as we do not have a reset button similar to the one in the video.

Your gas valve has a microprocessor, and thinks that it knows what's best for you and me. Maybe it does.

I'm fortunate that I haven't yet tangled with such a critter. But I have a Bradford White water heater with that fiendish Honeywell gas valve in a rental house, so I guess it's just a matter of time. (By the way, my BW WH didn't cost anything CLOSE to $2500+. IMO, a water heater that costs that much ought to be so efficient that it feeds gas back into the pipeline when it heats the water.)

Anyway, a search on "Honeywell gas water heater control" turned up some ideas.

Try these instructions. Also, view this video clip.

If the LED blinks, see this info to decipher the trouble code. Also check this page.

I hope this helps!

Lars, with the black button, did you push it down and then try to turn it?

I don't have any experience with the new tech H20 heaters but on the old school ones, that knob/ button won't turn unless you push down and turn all in the same motion.

I couldn't find a manual for your specific model# but this one looks very, very similar. Lighting instructions are on Page 3.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/bradfordwhitecorp/wp-content/uploads/residential_gas_ultra_low_nox_atmospheric_vent_high_input_naeca_compliant_supplement_iomanual_51009.pdf

Sorry, but I listed the serial number instead of the model number. The model number is URG250T6N. We have the manual for it, and I had also found the same manual on line, but there was no information in the manual about the reset button. The person we bought it from is out of town, but he did return our call last night and recommended a repair person that we called this morning. That person is in Thousand Oaks and will not come to our area. However, we did find another person who is in our area and will be out today to fix it. He said he will not charge us for parts (if any are needed) as the water heater has a six year warranty on all parts, and they can get reimbursed from Bradford White. Labor for the repair will cost $250.00.

I do think we probably paid too much for the water heater. On this site, it is about half the price at $1488.00. We have the 50 gallon unit. I'm a bit upset now that we paid so much for the water heater, but I did not know how to do a comparison shopping because I was unfamiliar with the brands. Maybe the price has gone down in less than two years. Ours was installed Nov 25, 2016.

Evidently, this model is not at all easy to relight.

I don't want to make you feel bad, but you can buy the on this web site the same 50 gallon Bradford White hot water heater for $553. That price includes free shipping. I would think you could buy it locally for a similar price. That price is typical for a conventional 50 gallon hot water heater. This one only has a 40,000 BTU input, which means the recovery time is not the best.

Did this hot water heater replace an existing one? If it did, then should have been a 1 - 2 hour replacement. I realized southern California tends to have higher prices, but even where I live in NJ a $2000 installation charge is a bit much.

I recently had a 75 gallon AO Smith gas water heater replaced for $1500 and this took several hours due to having to make several changes to the piping. I also live in a high cost area (NYC).

Mike, that is not the same water heater. Mine is URG250T6N, and the "U" stands for Ultra Low (whatever that means). Mine is also Eco-Defender, NOx Series. There may be very little difference, but they are not identical.

The water heater we bought did replace an old one that had stopped functioning, and there may be a charge just to get rid of the old one. I think the fair price for the one we have is $1488.00, as that is for an identical model. That is still $1100 less than what we paid, and that seems high for installation and removal, but we had our installation done during Thanksgiving holiday, and I'm sure that affected the price. I believe it was the day after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, 2016, as that is what the receipt says. My brother dated his check Nov 27, but I think he didn't know what day it was. So we were paying holiday price. I think we did not want to have to wait four days. Our old water heater was pretty old and came with the house that we bought in 2009. I just was not expecting to have a problem in less than two years.

Here is the link to what appears to be the manual

I got it from googling URG250T6N manual

Page 3 has the instructions - which are also probably on the heater also.

Pushing the round dial activates the gas. Pushing the square button activates the electric lighter. Most people forget to continuously hold down the round dial for at least a minute after the pilot lights. This is required to heat up the thermocouple that detects the pilot is actually on.

I agree with weedmeister, that often the pilot knob isn't pressed and held long enough and the pilot flame extinguishes when the knob is released.

Also, what is your gas supply? Is it a bottle or a deicated line? If you're running off of a tank is it possible the tank is empty?

It's really tough to see what's going on in the sightglass.

Make sure you follow the instructions and the times are minimums.

1) make sure the control is off to stop any gas flow, and wait 5 minutes (at least). This provides time to disapate any lingering gas between the valve anf the pilot.

2)Turn the knob to "pilot" and press it in and HOLD IT IN.

3) while holding the knob in...press and release the red square igniter button. You should hear it click (similar to an igniter on a gas grill)...still keep the pilot knob pressed it.

3a) If at all possible look in the sight glass and you should see a small flame.

4. Wait a least 1+ minutes with the flame lit and the pilot knob pressed

5) Release the pilot knob and confirm that the small flame stays lit.

5a) If the small flame goes out or isn't visible...start the process again.

6) Once the small flame stays lit without the pilot knob pressed in, turn the knob to the desired temperature position. You should hear the burner fire up (again the same as a gas grill)

Good luck.

The repair man came out and discovered that the earthquake sensor in our gas meter had turned off all gas to our house - and we did not even have an earthquake!

Thanks for the link to the manual, Jake - I'll keep that on file. If we every do have an earthquake, we will have to go through all of this again. It appears also that our gas meter is very old, and so I am going to contact the gas company about replacing it so that this will not happen on its own again.

I was unaware that the gas meter had an earthquake sensor - I thought we had to turn off the gas to the house manually after an earthquake, as we were always told to have the tools to do this and to know where the shutoff valve is, which we do.

Anyway, we could never have relighted the pilot without gas! Normally I do a lot of cooking and would have discovered that we were without gas when I tried to cook, but we barbecued last week-end and have been reheating leftovers in the microwave - plus I have been making salads. It's been to hot to want to cook or eat anything too hot. We're not sure what tripped the sensor, but I'm afraid that it might go off on its own again, as it appears to be trigger-happy.

Thanks for everyone's help! I hope that next time we will not have to call a repair man, although we might need help turning the gas back on from the meter.

Here's some additional info on our water heater:

The Bradford White URG250T6N is an eco-friendly gas water heater with ultra-low nitrous oxide emissions. It features intelligent diagnostics through an LED screen that give you 10 different indicators of how your water heater is functioning. Source

It could be that the ultra-low nitrous oxide emission feature might be what makes it more expensive, and this may be required by the state of California.