State Select Gas Water Heater Troubleshooting
On this page (6 sections)
The Short Answer: Most State Select gas tanks are atmospheric-vent heaters with a standing pilot lit by a push-button piezo igniter and held on by a thermocouple. When one stops heating, the pilot is usually out because of a weak thermocouple, a dirty pilot, or lint blocking the bottom air intake. Relight it once by the label. If it will not stay lit, a technician should take over.
Know which State Select you have
State Select is State’s retail line, built in the A. O. Smith family. The State atmospheric-vent manual (opens in a new tab) covers tanks with a gas control knob (OFF, PILOT, ON), a temperature dial, a reset or pilot button, and a piezo igniter button. It gives lighting instructions for both White-Rodgers and Robertshaw controls, so check which brand is on your heater’s control before following any steps.
If yours has a plastic vent pipe and a blower on top, it is a power-vent model and needs electrical power before it will fire. If it has two access panels on the side and a heavy cable, it is electric; see State Select reset button. For the broader picture, including electric models, see State Select no hot water.
Symptoms and likely causes
| What you see | Likely cause | Owner action |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot out, no smell of gas | Thermocouple, draft, or the pilot simply blew out | One relight per the label |
| Pilot lights while the button is held, goes out on release | Thermocouple not producing enough signal, or pilot flame not on the thermocouple | Stop after the label’s attempts; call a technician |
| Igniter clicks but no pilot flame | Gas off at the supply valve, air in the line, clogged pilot | Check the supply valve; then call |
| No click at all | Failed piezo igniter or its wire | Call; see piezo igniter won’t spark |
| Reset or pilot button will not pop back up after release | Control fault | Manual says shut gas at the line valve and call |
| Pilot stays lit, burner never comes on | Control or thermostat fault, or setting too low | Check the dial; then call |
| Water on the floor or in the burner area | Tank or fitting leak | Shut off gas and water supply; call |
What the manual allows you to do
Relight the pilot once, exactly as the label says. The State procedure has you turn the temperature dial to its lowest setting, turn the control to OFF, and wait ten minutes for any gas to clear. If you smell gas at that point, stop. Otherwise you set the knob to PILOT, hold the reset button down, press the igniter, and keep holding for about a minute after the pilot lights. If the pilot will not stay lit after several tries, the manual says to turn the control off and call a service technician or the gas supplier.
Check the base-ring filter. These flammable-vapor-resistant (FVIR) heaters draw combustion air through a screen at the base. State’s manual asks owners to check it at least once a year, and more often in linty or dusty spaces, and to clean it with a vacuum hose after turning the heater off and letting it cool. A blocked screen starves the pilot and is a common reason a pilot will not stay lit in laundry rooms and garages.
Keep flammables away. Gasoline, paint thinner, and similar products should not be stored near the heater.
Situations that mean “replace,” per the manufacturer
The manual is explicit about two cases:
- Flood: if the gas control, burner, or pilot has been under water, the whole heater must be replaced.
- Flammable vapor ignition: if vapors have ignited, the air intake will show discoloration, and the whole heater must be replaced.
A leaking tank also means replacement. Most other faults are part repairs.
What the technician will check
A plumber or gas technician will typically measure the thermocouple’s output and compare it with the control’s requirement, clean or replace the pilot assembly, and test the piezo igniter. On FVIR models they may remove the burner assembly to clean the combustion chamber and flame arrestor, a procedure the manual sends to service. They will also check the vent draft at the draft hood, since a poorly drafting vent can blow out a healthy pilot. A new thermocouple or pilot assembly is a minor repair. A gas control replacement costs more and must match the heater’s model and gas type.
If air in the gas line is suspected after a supply interruption, that is the technician’s job; see why you should not purge the gas line yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does a State Select gas tank have a reset button like the electric ones? A: The button on the gas control is used during lighting to let gas reach the pilot. It is not an overheat reset. A heater that keeps going out needs a diagnosis, not repeated relights.
Q: Why does my pilot go out every few days? A: The usual causes are a weakening thermocouple, a dirty pilot, a blocked base-ring filter, or downdrafts in the vent. Clean the base screen if it is dusty; if the problem continues, have a technician check the thermocouple and draft.
Q: My control has a small blinking light. Is that covered here? A: Some State gas models use electronic or thermopile controls with a status light. Those flash codes are model-specific; read the label on your control or the manual for your model number.
Manuals and supporting references
These links distinguish general safety information from model-specific documentation. A manual directory helps you locate your unit’s instructions; it does not establish that every model uses the same parts, codes, or test values.
- State: Atmospheric vent gas water heater instruction manual (opens in a new tab)State atmospheric-vent residential gas tanks with piezo-lit standing pilots and White-Rodgers or Robertshaw controls, including Select models linked from State's product pages.
- PG&E: recognizing and responding to a gas leak (opens in a new tab)Emergency actions for suspected fuel-gas leaks.
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