Water heater - Pilot but no burner

[wvcampincpl]

Our Suburban SW6P water heater will not light. Pilot works, but no gas for burner. Cleaned everything I could and still no gas.

Guessing the thermostat control unit has went bad and am going to need to replace it.

Just seeing if someone knows of something else I might want to check or do first.

[Bama Rambler]

It could be a bad gas valve. If you have a multimeter and know how to use it, try firing up the heater and checking the terminals on the gas valve to see if they have 12 volts. If they do the the control board is sending voltage to it,but the valve isn't opening.

[Splitshaft]

Doubtful the SW6P uses a 12V gas valve. Before I replaced the thermostat control as it likely might be close to the cost of a new water heater, I would replace the thermocouple. Yes, the thermocouple must be able to produce sufficient voltage to keep the pilot burning, however it must also produce enough current to operate the low voltage gas valve in the thermostat control you plan to replace. What if a new $200 part didn’t fix it and a $10 or $15 part was later learned to be the problem? I start my parts replacements with the cheapest stuff first. Also, if the burner gas jet hasn’t been removed and inspected to make sure it is not plugged, that needs to be done too. If cleaning the burner jet, do not enlarge it in the process. And also make sure the burner tube is open and clear.