A tankless unit that will not light at all is usually blocked by one specific condition on the gas, power, water flow, or venting side, not a mystery failure.
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Quick answer
A tankless water heater that will not ignite in Richmond is typically being stopped by one of a short list of conditions: no gas reaching the burner, a power interruption at the unit's outlet or breaker, the water flow sensor not registering enough flow to call for ignition, or a blocked exhaust triggering a safety lockout before ignition is even attempted. A technician checks these in a specific order, starting with power and gas supply since they are the fastest to confirm or rule out.
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A tankless unit will not fire the burner unless several conditions are satisfied together: it needs to sense adequate water flow through the flow sensor, it needs gas supply at the correct pressure, it needs electrical power for the control board and igniter, and its exhaust and intake path needs to be clear enough to pass a pre-ignition safety check. If any single one of those is missing, the unit will simply refuse to light rather than attempt it unsafely.
Richmond experiences its share of power blips during winter windstorms coming off the Strait of Georgia, and a tankless unit that loses power mid-cycle sometimes needs a manual reset at the breaker or a power cycle at the unit itself before it will respond normally again. This is one of the more common no-ignition calls CANRO gets after a stormy night.
The other pattern specific to Richmond ties back to the area's high water table and crawlspace-heavy construction: units mounted in a crawlspace or garage are more exposed to humidity, and a flow sensor or ignition control board that has been sitting in a damp environment for years can develop connection issues well before it would in a drier mechanical room.
| Symptom pattern | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Started right after a power outage | Control board needs a manual reset or power cycle |
| Unit in crawlspace, intermittent no-light | Moisture-related connection issue at flow sensor or board |
| No gas smell, no click, dead display | Power supply interruption at outlet, breaker, or GFCI |
| Clicks repeatedly but never lights | Ignition system or gas supply issue |
A power interruption is usually resolved with a reset and takes minutes once confirmed. A fouled flow sensor is a routine cleaning or replacement. A gas supply issue, especially if it turns out to be a valve, regulator, or line problem, needs a licensed gas fitter to correct properly and safely.
If the control board or ignition system itself has failed on an older unit, replacement parts availability depends on the model and age; for a unit already many years old, replacing the whole unit is sometimes the more sensible option rather than sourcing an obsolete board. As a ballpark, not a quote, a new tankless installation in Richmond runs $3,500 to $7,500.
Safety note
If you ever smell gas (a sulphur or rotten-egg odour) near the tankless unit, hear hissing at a fitting, or the unit's exhaust is spilling into the mechanical room instead of venting outside, leave the home and call FortisBC's emergency line at 1-800-663-9911 from a safe distance before doing anything else. Do not try to relight the unit, reset the breaker, or open the cabinet yourself. Combustion and venting faults on a gas appliance are a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter's job, not a DIY project, because they involve flammable gas and carbon monoxide risk.
Many tankless controllers need a clean power cycle to re-initialize properly after an unexpected outage. Try resetting the breaker once; if it still will not light, that points to something beyond a simple power hiccup.
Yes, if flow through the unit does not reach the minimum the flow sensor requires to call for ignition, the unit will not fire at all, so a partially closed valve or low incoming pressure can present exactly like a no-ignition fault.
A couple of attempts following the manufacturer's manual is generally fine, but if it will not light after that, stop and have it inspected rather than repeatedly cycling it, especially if you smell any gas at all.
Yes. If the sensor cannot register flow, the control board has no signal to call for ignition even though water is actually running through the unit, which is why cleaning or replacing that sensor is one of the first things checked.
A power or flow-sensor issue is often resolved in a single visit. A gas supply or control board problem can take longer depending on parts availability, and your technician will walk you through the expected timeline once the cause is confirmed.
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