Rheem Water Heater Require Troubleshooting
It can be especially upsetting when you experience problems with your Rheem water heater because you rely on it to produce hot water for your family. Here are the best water heater troubleshooting tips so you can get hot water today.2 Most Common Ways To Fix Your Rheem Water Heater Today
- Hire a Plumber- You can use our service to video chat with the best plumbing contractors right now to learn how much it will cost to have them come to your home to fix your Rheem water heater today.
- Do-It-Yourself (DIY)- Video chat with 1 of our many licensed plumbers to learn everything you need to know about troubleshooting the problem with your Rheem water heater right now.
Remove Your Rheem Water Heater to Get Hot Water Today
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Rheem water heater repair techniques and consultations can be achieved virtually via a video chat with one of our licensed plumbers making reading the content about water heater repair a waste of time. Not to mention most of the first page of Google content is written by AI. Save your time and just book one of our licensed plumbers to teach you how to troubleshoot your Rheem water heater so you can fix your water heater and live happily ever after.
How to Fix a Natural Gas or Propane Rheem Water Heater that is Not Staying Lit
Our Plumbers Will Teach You How to Relight Your Rheem Gas Water Heater
You may notice that your Rheem water heater occasionally turns on, while other times it does not unless you manually relight the pilot. Your pilot light most likely went out because it was struggling to stay lit due to soot build-up or even lack of proper fresh air ventilation that would evacuate fumes and bring in fresh air to help the pilot light burn properly.
Your water heater igniter, a dirty burner assembly, or a dirty combustion chamber affect the pilot light. A filthy combustion chamber will make it difficult for your pilot light to stay lit because soot in the combustion chamber may restrict the supply of fresh air causing the burnt gases to build up in the pilot area, extinguishing your pilot light.
Additionally, the flame sensor or thermocouple may be to blame for a pilot light that won't remain lit. Check the wire that is located on the bottom below the igniter and gas valve and can be accessed by taking off the burner assembly cover. Your flame sensor is here and your pilot light will not work if it is tripped.
How to Reset an Electric Rheem Water Heater
One reason your electric Rheem water heater may not be operating could be the electrical breaker. The water heater may have tripped the breaker in the electrical panel to which your. Electric water heaters trip the breakers when there is a problem. You may need to video chat with a plumber to learn the pros and cons of repairing the old water heater.
If you do not have hot water, and you see that your Rheem water heater did not trip the breaker you will need a volt meter and a 6-way screwdriver to diagnose the problem. Your water heater might have bigger problems such as a blown water heater element or a faulty thermostat.
You must measure for voltage with the electricity on. You will need to test for power at the thermostats first. If the water is cold in the tank the thermostat should be calling for the elements to be energized, meaning you should have power to the heating elements. You should video chat with a plumber to properly learn how to diagnose electric water heater failures.
Once you have verified there are 120 volts at each of the thermostats and heating elements you will then turn off the power at the breaker panel to test further with a volt meter.
There is a red reset button on the thermostat that should be pushed after you perform the initial electrical tests to verify power to the thermostat. Then press the red reset button and test for power to the heating elements before you turn off the breaker to the electric water heater.
The water heater will make a hissing sound if the heating elements are working, but a better way to check if the heating elements are working when everything has power and power to the element is being called for is to measure the amperage of each individual power wire between the thermostat and the element, each element should read around 18 or 19 amps, zero amps would indicate that the heating element has failed and need to be replaced.
Gas Water Heater Burner Won't Light
Your Gas Rheem water heater's pilot light can start to light the burner, but the burner might not completely fire. There may be poor ventilation throughout the combustion chamber causing heavier than normal soot to build up on the burner assembly clogging the burner assembly. Ask a plumber to guide you through cleaning the burner assembly of your water heater and remember that you need to provide a larger combustible air vent to the water heater location to allow more air to flow through for a cleaner burning flame.
Circuit Breakers to the Electric Water Heater Can Fail
The first step is to check the circuit breaker, it may be in the On position however your Rheem water heater isn't receiving power. A recent storm may have caused a power spike rendering the breaker defective causing it to not allow power to pass through to the water heater. At this point, the water heater problem becomes an electrical problem and you will need to ask an electrician online or hire a local electrician to change the breaker.
Water Heater Can Make Odd Thumping or Hissing Sounds
Even though your water heater probably makes some noise, it sometimes makes odd noises that you have never heard before. Sediment that has built up and settled on the tank's sides or bottom may be the cause of a rumbling sound. When the water warms up and is forced upward through the silt, it makes a noise as the scale pops off and is released from the tank. This is a sign that you should ask a plumber how to properly drain a water heater to flush out the sediment inside the tank.
Water Heaters Last Longer When You Properly Maintain Them
You won't have hot water if the pilot light or gas valve fails on your gas Rheem water heater because it won't light or turn on. Like all other appliances, water heaters require routine maintenance. If you don't do this, your Rheem water heater will not last as long as if you did.
Ask a plumber for advice on a video chat first, because you can show the plumber what type of gas water heater you want to service before you remove the sealed cover to access or disconnect the pilot light, main burner gas tubes, and thermocouple. This is a crucial step because if you do this wrong you will have to wait for the ordered parts or replace the whole water heater.
The gas chamber's cleanliness is what you wish to verify. There may be a significant quantity of junk within your water heater. Your pilot light will be stifled as a result of this since it may lower the airflow through the combustion chamber. Regularly cleaning out your Rheem water heater is usually not needed unless it is propane and you constantly run out or the natural gas provider continuously loses pressure causing the pilot flame to burn itself out causing high soot. It would be an excellent idea to address the combustible air venting that allows fresh air to flow through the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber can be cleaned with a shop vac and blown off with an air compressor.
You may rejoin the plumber on a video chat to perform a safety inspection to check your work on the water heater before and while you restart it. For best results restarting your water heater read and follow the instructions on the sticker placed on the front of the water heater, before you hold down the "Pilot" button while pressing the "Ignite" switch on the right side to restart your Rheem water heater.
Water Heaters Can Produce Rusty Colored Stinky Hot Water
If your faucet is releasing brown or brownish-red rusty stinky water, this is a strong indication that corrosion has already taken place inside your water heater and or in the galvanized steel water pipes and it's too late. The water heater anode deteriorated long ago and now you're just risking your health by using the water that comes from the water heater.
However, with time it has become worn down and lost its efficiency, and the sediments begin to pass through to be used to wash dishes, and clothes, cook food, and bathe. A new water heater is an ideal solution at this point and to save money you should get help from a plumber to install it with you on video chat today