Gas water heater timer

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waterheatertimer.org

2010

This page shows a new product made by American Pacific

Remove knob, attach timer to gas valve

Tighten 2 thumb-screws, no tools required

Sells for about $180

Gas Water Heater Timer works by rotating gas valve shaft from 130° thermostatic setting to Vacation setting. The timer rotates one direction and then rotates back to original position. The rotation turns the gas valve shaft from 130° thermostatic setting to Vacation setting, and then back again. This action saves money by reducing gas consumption.

The pilot light remains 'on' during Vacation setting. Later when timer responds to customer's pre-set program, the gas valve shaft is rotated back to 130°, which is hot enough to kill bacteria when washing clothes and dishes. At this point, the water heater resumes heating water until customer's program tells timer to rotate gas valve to Vacation again.

Simply pull-off plastic knob to install timer

The center of Gas Water Heater Timer rotates one direction and then rotates back to original position. The rotation turns gas valve shaft from 130° thermostatic setting to Vacation setting, and then back again.

Simply pull off plastic knob on front of gas valve. The timer has a notch that aligns over gas valve shaft.

To align gas valve with timer, the instruction manual pdf says to rotate gas valve shaft 1/8" to the left or right to allow notch to fit over gas valve

Matching correct rotation is important when ordering a Gas Water Heater Timer.

Newer-type gas valves rotate opposite direction than older type valves

Older-type valves show on bottom row > Timer works on old or new valves

Timer works on old and new valves

There are two types of gas valves.
>Top row is newer-type.
>Bottom row is older-type.
>Both are still available.

The two types rotate opposite direction.

Model 1 Timer fits newer-type gas valve
Model 2 Timer fits older-type gas valve
Order Gas Water Heater Timer for about $180
Save $10-20 per month depending on incoming water temperature, hot water use, efficiency of heater*

Order Model 2 for older-type shown below

Knob color does not matter when ordering timer

On the left is original prototype showing gas water heater timer mounted to gas valve

The finished product shown in panels above is more attractive, and attaches to gas valve with thumb screws. No tools are needed to attach timer to gas valve.

Read the 2-page pdf manual before setting up your timer >> guessing at installation is not best

Timer mechanism on finished product offers another advantage. The timer mechanism can be substituted with any off-the-shelf 120V timer. This means you can control your water heater from anywhere in the house.

See larger image
Connect all electronics to surge protector

General information for setting timer:

Typical residential gas water heater heats 40 gallons of water in an hour. (Electric heater 20 gallons)

Shower uses 5-9 gallons hot water
Bath uses 12-15 gallons hot water.

*How to try a timer free:
For 2 months, manually rotate gas valve to Vacation when water heater is not used. Be stingy.
After two months, check difference on gas bill.
Also see:
9 Ways to save with water heater