Just FYI Rheem Power Vent

[Master Plumber Mark]

but...............

It is much , much easier than rolling around in sewage
in a crawlspace all day

its much easier than wrestling a sewage cable
covered in crap..laying in it whil you are pulling roots back
that actually scare the customer...


that is something I cant stand is being shopped for the
lowest price to come out and clean out a drain


being shopped to re-set a toilet....


haggeling with someone over 15 dollars ect



it happens with everything....

I just dont like the dirt.....

 

[Dunbar Plumbing]

It is much , much easier than rolling around in sewage
in a crawlspace all day

its much easier than wrestling a sewage cable
covered in crap..laying in it whil you are pulling roots back
that actually scare the customer...


that is something I cant stand is being shopped for the
lowest price to come out and clean out a drain


being shopped to re-set a toilet....


haggeling with someone over 15 dollars ect



it happens with everything....

I just dont like the dirt.....

Okay dammit.......


I'm putting in a 40 gallon RHEEM PowerVent next week. Sheesh! And a water softener to boot. Me thinks another WATERBOSS!!!



The property owner has an hourly servant that is going to do the manual labor of lifting drilling and going to the hospital after he pulls this old water heater out of the basement. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm just the canned brains for the job.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[No Leaks]

Rheem FV Sensor

I just replace a Rheem power vent Vapor Sensor. The list price was $13.40. Could you tell me where you were charged that much for the part?

 

[Cass]

My local Rheem dealer in Cincinnati. I was not charged that but I called them to see what the cost was thinking I might just buy one if the part was inexpensive enough to warrant just buying one instead of waiting for one to be shipped because it was under warranty, in order to get hot water to my customer sooner.

Where did you buy one for $13.40? I'll buy 2-3 and keep them on the truck if I can get them that cheap.

 

[Cass]

Well I called Rheem today and asked how much a FVS would cost me and I was told that since I didn't have an account that I would have to pay with a CC and it would be $57.90.

If I had an account it would be much less.

I then called back to my Rheem Dealer and they confirmed that their price was 157.00.

WOW is all I can say.

 

[No Leaks]

FV Sensor

I think the confusion is that there are actually three parts to what they call the "assembly." One is the sensor, which is what typically fails. Two is the small, white plastic retainer that receives the sensor, then clips into the base of the water heater. Three is the wiring harness. The 2008 Rheem parts list, page 26, shows the FV Sensor, #AP13447, at a cost of $13.40. (Other manufacturers who use Robertshaw seem to also include the entire gas valve in the pricing, assuming I suppose that you should just start from scratch when you have an emergency shut-down.)

Here's how I got the customer hot water overnight: According to Rheem/GE tech support, if you do an ohmeter test of the sensor, it should read between 9 and 44 K ohms. (The one I did last week read slightly low.) At Radio Shack I bought a "five pack" of 33 K ohm resistors, which set me back $.99. That's right, five for a buck. Install one of the resistors in place of the sensor, then follow the re-setting sequence. The heater will fire up. Please remember, this is only a temporary "fix" and will not provide the safety protection necessary. I only did it so that my customer wouldn't have a cold shower the next morning. We were able to buy the sensor from our supplier, then return the warranty-supplied sensor that was shipped to our customer.

 

[bbensten]

That is a great tip. Could you tell me the exact Radio shack part you used? was it http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062332 ? I have the same dire need and with the labor day holiday, the client is very upset. If I could come up with a temp fix like this it would be fantastic! I just need to make sure the voltage for the resistor is right.

 

[Redwood]

Install one of the resistors in place of the sensor, then follow the re-setting sequence. The heater will fire up. Please remember, this is only a temporary "fix" and will not provide the safety protection necessary. I only did it so that my customer wouldn't have a cold shower the next morning.

That doesn't sound like very safe advice...
I'd pass on this tip!

 

[bbensten]

I tried that trick this morning and nothing... same error condition. Anyone have any other ideas?

 

[Redwood]

Call a plumber to troubleshoot the water heater and repair it as needed.
Bypassing safety devices with a water heater is not a good direction to go.

If the problem is the overfiring sensor it is a non repairable, non replaceable item and a new water heater is required. The plumber should be able to troubleshoot the unit and determine the problem.

Your safety depends on proper operation of this water heater.

 

[SewerRatz]

I just came across a Rheem 75 Gal power Vent heater with the error code reading stating the FVS was tripped. I just shut the heater down for 10 seconds and restarted it and it fired right up. The home owner informed the heater is only 4 months old. From what I understand of these FV sensors is they are a one time shot deal. So since the heater fired right up after a reset the FVS is still working. Any ideas what else would cause a false reading? She did say when she first moved in to the home that it happened then but the FVS was replaced due to the varnish for the hardwood floors had tripped it off.

Also I noticed you all made mention to a parts list. Where can I find this. I looked up and down on Rheem's website and all I can find is a generic breakdown for the homeowners. Also is there some sort of a troubleshooting guide that Rheem gives out the the contractor? I normally service Bradford White in my area, and Bradford White is nice enough to give us contractors a troubleshooting guide for their tankless and power-vent units.