Mud Daubber Nest in Hot Water Heater

happybooker1 wrote:
Maybe I should just leave it alone? It's working fine now, & I can see how this taking apart/putting back together could turn out badly and cause it to NOT work then.

Clean it out......
Dabbers nest will restrict heat transfer, cause improper flame pattern, could cause blow back and sooting which will just cause more issues.

Removing burner tube, orifice, spark electrode is NOT brain surgery.
Very easy, simple job and the results are worth the effort

Maybe I should just leave it alone? It's working fine now, & I can see how this taking apart/putting back together could turn out badly and cause it to NOT work then.

Remove burner tube and spark electrode assembly

Run a wire thru combustion chamber 'U' tube all the way out exhaust side.

Tie a rag to wire....soak rag down with water..dripping wet.
Pull wire/rag back thru 'U' tube.
Repeat as necessary.

Clean up burner tube.
Brush spark electrode down a piece of emery cloth
Might as well remove main gas orifice and clean it with alcohol while you are at it.

Re-install spark electrode...make sure screw is tight against clean surface (it's the ground)
Re-install main gas orifice and burner tube.

Yep, take it apart and clean it, not a big deal at all. Then put some fairly large mesh screen over the vent louvers. We screened the water heater, furnace, and refrigerator openings.

happybooker1 wrote:
Bought the TT used and Son thinks he remembers seeing this in the HW heater when we bought it. At any rate, it's INSIDE where the burner lights on the tube that runs in the bottom.

It's been there awhile so it's like, BAKED on. DS wants to take a piece of rebar and knock it loose. Before he did that, I wanted to ask if that's a wise move. What's up there we could damage?

It does block some of the holes that light.

DS is using a sledge hammer to kill a gnat. Could easily damage the tube.

I would also suggest taking it apart also. Th nest is usually made of dried mud, (I have seen them made of concrete, but that is very rare,) and any brushing is bound to get dust/dirt down into the burner holes you mention that are blocked.

You then, (after brushing,) would have to take it apart to clean the dirt out of the burner tube. Might as well do it first.

The daubers are a pain down this way also. They must like the residual after smell of burned propane. The tube with the small holes in it for the flame to originate is where I found some on my fridge last spring. It worked fine on electricity but not on propane. It was an easy job that took no more than a half hour. Remove the side door, there was a curved section of the larger tube, held on by one sheet metal screw. Removed that and a couple of other visible screws with a nut driver and the burner tube came out. I soak mine in water for a short while, brushed it with a brass bristle small brush and then used a sewing needle to make sure all the holes were open. Re assembled it and it has worked fine.

I thought about putting some screen over the opening in the exterior door but at times, when it is really hot outside, I feel the air flow is marginal, at best for cooling the coils on the back of the fridge. So I will probably just check it a few times a year and clean it when needed.

get a 3 inch chimeney brush

Take the tube off and clean it.

Just carefully remove it and make sure all opening are clear.