I HATE THE NEWER WATER HEATERS!! NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS!!

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EDWINJCB

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GE WATER HEATER, SOME 8 YEARS OLD. RECENTLY BURNER FLAME GOES OUT. I LIGHT THE PILOT BUT AS SOON AS I TURN THE KNOB TO BURNER FLAME, EVERYTHING GOES OUT. I CALLED RHEEM. WAS TOLD THE THERMOCOUPLE IS LIKELY BAD,W HICH I ALREADY FIGURED.

INSTALL NEW THERMOCOUPLE, NO IMPROVEMENT. OKAY,THEN YOUR GAS VALVE IS LIKELY BAD, I'M TOLD. THE TRD IS LIKELY GOOD, I'M TOLD, BECAUSE IF IT WAS TRIPPED, EVEN THE PILOT WOULD NOT LIGHT. I THEN TRIED A SUCCESSION OF FOUR GAS VALVES I'D SAVED FROM RUSTED OUT WATER HEATERS UP TO 10 YEARS AGO. GOT ONE GAS VALVE TO LIGHT THE BURNER, BUT IT BURNED IRREGULARY FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS BEFORE FINALLY DYING. I TRIED CLEANING THE BURNER PLATE, NO HELP.

TRIED TWO MORE USED GAS VALVES THAT WERE WORKING FINE ON PREVIOUS WATER HEATERS, ALL OF THEM GOT THE PILOT LIT,BUT FLAMED OUT AS SOON AS I TRIED TO TURN FULL BURNER ON.

THIS WHOLE EXEERCISE WOULD HAVEN BEEN WORSE IF I'D RELIED ON THE DAMN SPARKER! I HATE THOSE THINGS. MUCH SIMPLER TO LIGHT WITH A MATCH OR PROPANE TORCH.

TWO TECH SUPPORT PEOPLE AT RHEEM FAILED TO MENTION A POSSIBLY CLOGGED FILTER, SO I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE. BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE THAT 4 GAS VALVES DIDN'T FIRE UP THE BURNER PROPERLY. THE NEW THERMOCOUPLE I GOT COULD BE DEFECTIVE, BUT NOT LIKELY.

WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHY THIS IS HAPPENING!

THANKS
 

Breplum

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Combustion air is coming from where?
Many instances of problems like yours is caused by clogged combustion air screen. Off the top of my head, I think Rheem is the mfr...so how is the combustion air path.
Some WHs have a fusible link that could also have been triggered. Check the exploded parts diagram... what a pain!
 

EDWINJCB

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Right it really depends. Are you sure this tank isn't leaking?
Hey, everyone, just found the Rheem water heater has a fuse in bottom, called a TRD. Darn thing was tripped. It's such a scam that even though it's out of warranty, the government requires manufacturers to send out replacements at no charge, which is nice, but having to replace it and even considering it as a possible failure point is such a pain!! The tank is not leaking water. I vacuumed out the bottom of the heater, so hard to imagine the combustion screen clogged.
 

WorthFlorida

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Parts get added to gas water heaters in the name of safety. Everything other than a pilot light and a thermocouple, everything else is to prevent gas leaks, fire and explosions. Many gas water heaters are in garages where gasoline fumes has started fires all too often. Down the street from me, 24 new townhomes were built in the last 2 years. Even electric water heaters in the garage are now installed on legs and a three foot pipe mounted in front of the WH for impact protection.

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WorthFlorida

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This fire started in the garage. Two or three men rented the townhome. One had to get out through the second floor window and cut his wrist, another one ate smoke. It was amazing how fast this fire spread, remember, garage walls and garage fire doors only have 20 minute rating. This fire burned for about two hours, no other injuries. This was directly across from my home.

 
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Master Plumber Mark

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Those thermo vials that go under the burner assembly on Rheem water heaters are an absolute pain in the
ass to change out... we have attempted to do this a number of times and it never seems to work right...

You would be wiser to just change out the water heater and cut your losses
 

Zayahjuarez

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Never used a forum. Looking for help. I have a Bradford hot water heater. It just completely lost power. I flipped the breaker in the breaker box and nothing. No lights not even a hum. I tried the reset/ test button seems to be in still.
 

Glennhvac

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All I can say is I have replaced more defective thermopile gas valves with the status LED than I had in the prior 40 years before the combustion redesign. When they first came out the AO Smiths had a small screen that did not filter out the small stuff in the combustion air. After a few years in the utility room that fine screen under the burner would begin to plug eventually causing pilot outages when the burner fired up.
 

WorthFlorida

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fire caused by waterheater? everyone I know is all electric in florida .
The fire started from a fan that was running 24/7 to keep a reptile cool in a very hot garage. But there are many fires that start in garages with or without gas water heaters. It just shows how fast and the damage a fire can do. This townhome was 80% replaced.
 

Mikerios

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Hey, everyone, just found the Rheem water heater has a fuse in bottom, called a TRD. Darn thing was tripped. It's such a scam that even though it's out of warranty, the government requires manufacturers to send out replacements at no charge, which is nice, but having to replace it and even considering it as a possible failure point is such a pain!! The tank is not leaking water. I vacuumed out the bottom of the heater, so hard to imagine the combustion screen clogged.
They gave you wrong information about the pilot light. When the TRD is blown, the pilot will still work, at least for quite a while. The TRD shuts off air supply to the combustion chamber, so that after you light the pilot, when you turn the valve to light the burner, all the oxygen in the combustion chamber is quickly consumed, and then both the pilot and the main burner go out.
 

Mikerios

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Hey, everyone, just found the Rheem water heater has a fuse in bottom, called a TRD. Darn thing was tripped. It's such a scam that even though it's out of warranty, the government requires manufacturers to send out replacements at no charge, which is nice, but having to replace it and even considering it as a possible failure point is such a pain!! The tank is not leaking water. I vacuumed out the bottom of the heater, so hard to imagine the combustion screen clogged.
When the TRD blows (literally, a glass vial explodes!), it allows a damper to close off combustion air completely. At least on the model I'm familiar with, there is no combustion screen.
 
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