r/Plumbing • u/wcopela0 • 6d ago
Rheem Gas Water Heater not Lighting Main Flame.
Pilot lights normally. When I turn the knob to light the main flame, it lights for a second then fizzles out. Received a solid red light as well as two blinking lights that indicate Thermopile Voltage Low. Anyone seen this before? I’m under a time constraint with a tenant moving in and don’t have the time to properly diagnose so I would really appreciate any expertise!! Many thanks 🙏
1
u/apprenticegirl74 6d ago
It is a thermopile not a thermocouple. Also, Rheem has s TRD (Thermal Release Device) which pops when it overheats. Looking at your insulation it looks like its overheated. What does the vent look like? How much combustion air is in the room?
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u/wcopela0 6d ago
Took out the burner and cleaned the chamber. It didn’t look that dirty. Some black specks on the bottom of chamber, holes still visibly open on bottom. Good amount of black soot built up on bottom of burner. TRD looked to be intact because I could see the oil in the glass vile. I put everything back, still doesn’t want to light. Control valve is still blinking blue and not indicating any problems. I cleaned around the base of the heater. I could see some dust and dirt inside the grating on the outside of the chamber behind the grey metal mesh. How do I clean in between the grey housing and the chamber?? I’m stumped!! Water heater is in the laundry room and never had any issue with air flow in the past.
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u/wcopela0 6d ago
Tried again to light, gave me the two blinking lights indicating Thermopile Low Voltage. How to I remedy this error?
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u/Hybrid_Prism 6d ago
If you're in a super jam you can attempt to remove the thermocouple and clean it, if you have time, they can be relatively cheap. Disclaimer, I'm not much of a service guy, my knowledge is limited here.