Top 20 Rheem 40 Gallon FVR NATGAS Low WATER HEATER 6YR 22V40SF - Page 9 Questions & Answers

electronic ignition or Thermocouple?

Thermocouple - replace it.

Electronic - anyone's guess

Sometimes it is necessary to turn the temperature dial all the way back to the coldest setting with the gas valve in the off position in order to reset the safety on some gas water heaters. Give it a try

Immediately, Immediately drain and replace the water heater!
Steve

sounds like you need a new gas control valve

have a good track record best of luck

if the pannel is full of water, i wouldnt worry about lighting the pilot

Air in system. Make sure there is no sources of ignition and loosen the supply line at the heater and purge all air. Mske sure your source valve is open. then turn off yje heater after tightening the line. Let sit in off position for 15 minutes. Then turn therm knob to on slowly and then over to pilot, depress pilot button and hold a ffew seconds. Pilot should light. If so, hold for a few and then release and turn ti on position. Good Luck.

Make sure thermostat is turned to 120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the thermostat down and back up to see if it ignites. If it lights put the cover back on and set it to temp you want it to be. if not, you have a bad thermostat.
Hope this helps.

make sure your flue is clear,, and no suit is in the burner, also there are wires going to the ignitor make sure they are not touching after time for what ever reason they need to be seperated because they short out but doesn't cause any problem other then the unit not lighting

You've done well with having a water heater lasting much longer than the average. Most water heaters will last anywhere from 10-15 years with normal water conditions, somewhat shorter with mineral and sediment issues, etc. Since you've already flushed the tank, which is always the first thing to do, I think you've taken the right steps.

That being said, I believe your tank is failing and you should replace it soon, as having the contamination issues continue will reek havoc with your laundry and could ruin a lot of clothes.

Yes, getting 19 years is pretty good, but the time has come to replace it. Hope this helps you with your decision. Best Regards!

not a record, I actually just did a chang out in Annapolis Maryland the had just the 2 wires running into the unit. you know the way houses used to be run back in the 40's just wires no casings, they screwed right to the back of the water heat to 2 screws ans wing nuts, it was a rheem electric

yes you will increase life if you flush sediment yearly

If the smell is somewhat like sulphur, a nipple from a nat gas line was installed into the water line when the water heater was installed. If this is the case replace the nipple and the smell will go away

The water heater is locked out. The following process should reset it.
1. Reapply power to the water heater and wait for 3 seconds for the system self-diagnostic check.
2. Within the first 30 seconds, the temperature dial must be rotated back and forth crossing the 120
degree mark at least six (6) times. This will reset the control and display a normal flash code
(slow blinking).

Remove the cover then the access cover, then you can see inside,
the pilot light is probably out.

If out turn the gas off, then get a long match, grill lighter,or piece of paper ready to light, you should be able to see the little thin
gas line that runs inside the tank and see where it connects to,that is where you need to light, now that you see where to light, turn gas knob to pilot, and press down and at the same time light the pilot.
( blow into the pilot area before putting match inside to make sure no gas has built up inside) Hold down the knob for a minute then release, if pilot goes out try again and hold down longer, if you hold it for 3mins and it does not stay lite, the thermocouple is bad and you will have to replace it.

REPLACING THE SPARK IGNITOR WOULD BE MY FIRST GUESS .

Is your pilot light staying lit? If not, then replace the thermocouple. If it is, and you have the thermostat on it turned up, then the thermostat is bad and you will have to replace the whole gas valve. To do this, you will have to completely drain the heater and then remove the flame Assembly and screw out the valve. Replace the valve and reassemble the burner Assembly. That should take care of it. If the water heater is old, then I would replace the whole thing. A gas valve will cost you over a $100 anyway. Good luck.

sounds like ur gas valve solanoide is done . depending on what type and age it is , it will have either manual or electronic ignition . one last shot wourth trying iis the jet may be slightly blocked, remove it and blow it out with a compressed air line do not try cleaning it with a wire or similar. put it back together and try firing it up. good luck .ps what part of the world do u live because these arent a common house hold appliance in ireland they are only used in commerical building,s over here.

You can try to flush the sediment with the water and power on. Just hook a short hose to the drain and shoot it into a clean white bucket (so you can see what comes out). The drains on most water heaters are far too constricted to flush anything but the small particles, so if your problem continues you might consider replacing the factory drain with a short 3/4" dielectric pipe nipple, a 3/4" full port ball valve, a 3/4" m.i.p. x 3/4" garden hose male and a garden hose cap with hose washer. That will give you some serious flushing capability.

If all of these steps won't get rid of your noises take comfort in the fact that the noise may be a nuisance to you, but it is not doing any really bad damage to your heater. I also strongly recommend getting a water softener to prevent this problem from ever happening again.

Mike

ECO "Energy Cut-Off"
http://www2.directenergy.com/builder/documents/Power_Vented_Rheem_FVIR_Tanks.pdf
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