The real reason your Rheem Water Heater won't stay lit - no it's not your thermocouple. See my fix.
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- Опубликовано: 24 сен 2021
- Have you tried cleaning/replacing your thermocouple and still no dice? Have you tried cleaning/replacing the pilot assembly and still nothing? My opinion is that the Rheem Protech Gas Control Valve SP20303B has a design flaw and I'll show you how to work around it.
*Update* - Some people have written and said that this sensor is a safety feature called a non-resetable, high-limit kill switch which goes off if the water heater senses the temperature in the tank it too high. It's possible that this switch is just plain faulty and will trip because of a malfunction or a one-time spike in temperature fluctuation. Who knows? I'm not an engineer. I'm not advocating that you bypass the safety features of any device but this method may be a stop-gap solution to a more permanent fix. Either way, if you are going to replace the gas control valve, it's probably best to avoid this model.
*Update #2*
A big thanks to user Mike, who called Richmond/Rheem and wrote: "I was told the white sensor / fuse that clips into the thermocouple connection fitting is an ECO (Energy Cut-Off device). Simply, the purpose is to prevent scalding. I thought I could get more information from Sit, which is the gas valve manufacturer. After several calls / messages to the US offices (Sit is located in Italy), I haven't received any return calls. However, the Sit website has a product data sheet for the Delta 650 gas valve (www.sitgroup.it/en/product/65.... While the data sheet, nor the gas valve schematic, provides any extensive details, it seems the white clip sensor / fuse is factory set to cut off the pilot, if the water temperature inside the tank was to reach 186 degrees F. This is an additional safety precaution to help prevent scalding if the water temperature thermostat fails, then someone turns on the hot water only (no hot and cold water mixing valves at sinks or showers) and the water temperature is near 186 degrees F. My best guess is the white clip sensor is an additional level of safety to avoid potential scalding, or more likely, subsequent litigation."
*Update #3 - Nov. 14, 2022*
Users are saying that Rheem is still sending out new replacement valves. I don't know if these have an improved design or not but if you haven't gotten a replacement yet, get it.
Also, thank you for the kind words many of you have posted. 
Хобби
I want to thank you for doing this video. I was at a customers house today and I saw you video after an hour of not understanding what was going on. You sir are a gift to humanity. I hope you have a wonderful blessed life.
Thank you for the kind words.
Thank you!! You saved the day!! I can’t believe there are so many people with the same “rheem” problem’d water heaters. Won’t bore you with my long story but know you saved hours of troubleshooting and my family’s discomfort of taking cold showers!
My tank s.t.b. a few weeks ago. Been showering at my girlfriend's place etc. I've replaced the valve twice, neither worked. I wondered about the wires at the thermocouple. I decided not to mess with them as they had to send a signal to the valve. I tried a new thermocouple, and even another (I've seen too many new parts fail) and still nothing. I watched your video, the proof was right there. I took the wires out and now I can do dishes and shower and do laundry!! Thanks so much for posting this! I'm glad I was on the right track, but I'm even happier seeing you prove it. I'm on disability as it is. It's not a good retirement plan. I wasn't looking forward to buying a new tank. Thank you, thank you! Great work!!
Thank you kind sir for posting this vid. Dealt with water heater issues as a landlord on multiple occasions. Pain in the rear. Discovered an issue with a 15 month old Richmond today. Pulled the Thermal cup, removed the sensor, cut a piece of copper to fill the gap (piece of an old TC) and bingo. Worked like a charm. 4 min vid, 2 min repair time. Saved me days of troubleshooting. 100x over thank you.
YOU Sir are a lifesaver! My friend had no hot water for 2 weeks and I couldn't figure it out. I'm a plumber and I've never seen this issue. Thanks a million!
OMG. Three days of messing with this. Changed the thermocouple, no good. Then I stumbled upon this video and voila!!
Thank you so much for posting this.
A lifesaver, indeed!
Let me just hop in the comments and show your video some love because after a few hours of troubleshooting with no luck, I figured I’d order a new pilot assembly tomorrow and try again. After seeing your video and grabbing a nail from the garage, I was able to make contact with thermocouple and pilot remained lit. I will contact Rheem tomorrow to replace the sensor, but for tonight, all thanks and praise goes to you! I love RUclips the most for videos like this that are clutch to saving the day.
Dude...! I was literally about to cry. You saved my life...!!! It took me two days of work and headaches until I found your video...!!! 👏🏽
Just wanted to add to the chorus of people that were helped out by this awesome video. Great example of critical thinking to determine a possible cause then performing an experiment to arrive at a solution. It is so hard to get techs and parts these days. Thank you once again for saving me from cold showers.
I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!! I was so frustrated and under so much stress. This heater problem was the absolute last thing I needed and after two days of losing my mind I found this video! NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES!!!!!
Literally had that assembly replaced on a 3 months old water heater. And this just happened again today. Got off the phone with Rheem and they said thier gonna send a new burner plate when I stumbled on this video. Did as you said and now I have hot water again. Thank you so much
Bro, you are awesome! My Rheem water heater is not even 2 years old and this is the second time that have had this same problem. Valve was replaced last January and same problem again two days ago. After hours of searching for a solution I came across your video, I have hot water again until the replacement comes. It's pretty bad when Rheem has so many customers with the same problem. Thanks again for the fix.👍👍👍👍
Thanksgiving, guests, repair man who has to order a part to complete repairs of a faulty "valve." Saw your video and it saved the Holiday and Monday morning work day. I vote you Hero of the freaking Year, Sir! Awesome! Much gratitude to you.
Thanks so much for the kind words.
do you have to turn off the gas before unscrewing that copper tubing to remove the sensor?
Yep, same problem here. I removed that sensor and it worked like a charm. My heater was 4 months out of labor warranty so the plumber charged me 250 dollars but Rheem sent me the part for free. They should cover the labor since it is defective. My plumber had no idea what that white sensor tab even is and said he just replaces them and doesn't ask questions. Tony, thanks so much for sharing this. You have restored my faith in the internet for the time being.
Same thing as everyone else. 1 year old Rheem, same gas valve, same issue. One valve replacement three months into service after installation and 10 months later, same issue. I came to google looking for an old school gas valve (Robert Shaw, White Rogers, etc) that I could install in this tank. Like you, I had tested the mv output from the TC and it was fine. Found your video in the results instead and boom, success! Thank you, Tony!
@Tony Harrison. Our pilot light was going off intermittently. Another video led to your video. We already have the replacement part fr0m Rheem but you saved us from needing to have a weekend service call as well as from needing to take cold showers. Thanks for putting it out there. Plumber told us to replace thermocouple. Called Rheem to send us one under warranty and they said they will send gas assembly instead. You may have caused them to fix the issue. Thanks for posting.
We had a 22 year old AO Smith that was working great and our insurance made us replace it w/ a Rheem... 11 months in, this sensor dies on a Saturday night (and I love in a small town, we don't really have any emergency plumbing service here) so your video is why we will have hot water for the rest of the weekend. Thank you so much for posting this simple fix.
I'm happy to hear that. Thanks for writing.
Thanks for this! My plumber was talking about replacing the thermocoupler. Glad I tried this first. Worked like a charm, and took about 5 minutes
Did you still replace the gas valve ?
Just bypass the sensor and it works now. Two days after thanksgiving and the hot water was gone and it was a cold shower until I could find out why. I’m calling in for a new replacement valve in the morning. Thanks for all who shared and for making this video possible. Ahuihou.
My friend, you are exactly correct!! I used your method to fix my issue, in the meantime I called Rheem about this issue. They told me that there was a flaw in the original gas control design. Rheem is aware of this and their new control knob has been revised.
This is my second time this device has failed me. I was in such despair looking for the solution on RUclips and came onto this video. Now it’s working! Reheem needs to get their act together! Thank you for the fix!
I'm glad it worked. Thanks for writing.
Just watched this today as my wife told me the water heater stopped working. As I had “Richmond “ aka Rheem not even 6 months old I was pretty sure that this would be the fix. Especially as I read the comments tens of them praising this miracle of a fix.
Well I’m here to join this countless people in giving you Thanx to you good sir that have saved thousands from some unscrupulous repairman and draining their wallets. What I couldn’t find in the comments was is this sensor necessary at all or my heater will live the rest of his life senseless 😉???
Thank you so much for this video. We had no hot water for 3 days. I called a plumber to come over and they couldn't fix it. In fact, he seemed lost and didn't know what the issue was. Our Rheem is only 2 years old. I called the warranty and they told me they would sent me a replacement part but in the meantime no hot water. Then boom, I saw your video. It worked like a charm. This is a great temporary fix until we get our part. Thank you so much!!!
Two Rheem water heaters with this gas control valve were installed just over a year ago and both went out about the same time. One would light after holding the pilot button down for nearly 5 minutes but went out a few hours later. The other one wouldn't stay lit at all after releasing the pilot button. Supply house said they're on backorder for 4 to 8 weeks. This fix got them working for now. Many thanks for the post!
Glad to have helped.
Man I’m glad you got to the bottom of this. Unfortunately this is my second gas valve I’ve replaced while not difficult very frustrating. I won’t be getting a new valve next time thanks to this video. Cheers
Your video came right in the nick of time. I was just about to call a repair man today, but decided to watch more videos and ran across yours. Thank you for the advice. I’m currently sitting next to my water heaters and they are still on as of right now. I’ve been trying for hours last night and even got some tricks as to hold the pilot switch down without getting too tired. Let’s just say I got really personal with my water heaters, and now I know a bit more.
Lol. Glad to hear it. :-)
I cussed at mine a lot. Lol
do you have to turn off the gas before unscrewing that copper tubing to remove the sensor?
@@dashdigital5869 no
Thank you Tony! I have a newer Richmond water heater 23 months old, I had the valve replaced 12 months ago, This morning same thing. Rheem is sending new valve, although wont be here til next week. Used your advice and it is working like a champ!
My Richmond 40 gallon water heater just had this same issue, was installed in November of 2021 and it made it a year until this issue. It has a slightly different colored gas valve but for the most part identical. Swapped the thermocouple and that didn't work. After 2 days and lots of swearing I found your video. I can't thank you enough! I will be calling tomorrow to get a replacement valve on the way but for now I have hot water again.
Ive been at this damn water heater for couple hours now. Its 1:18am and I stumbled upon your video. This saved me! Thanks man my family and I are greatly appreciated!
Hi after removing the sensor did you have any issues with water being too hot or any issues?
Hi Tony! You are awesome. Thank you for making & posting this. My Richmond heater from Menard's went out after 1.5 years old. I was able to use your band-aid fix to get it working again. My last water heater didn't have anti-scald safety and it lasted 20 years! It doesn't sound like Rheem did much testing before sending this design out to paying customers.
Is that what the sensor is for?
I'm waiting on parts for my Richmond heater that also failed at almost exactly 1.5 years. I cut the wires leaving enough to strip and twist together at the plastic widget inserted between the TC and valve body. I have to question whether that sensor is anti-scald or something else, like for blocked airflow. My reasoning is that even at the 'normal' hot setting, the water gets hot enough to burn you if you were to keep your hand under it, and the 'very hot' setting would likely burn you much quicker, but obviously can still be used if the sensor is working normally.
@@jessegamez4216 If you unscrew the gas control valve, there is a probe that inserts into the water heater, and inside that is the thermostat that tells the gas flame to come on or go off when the water reaches the set temperature. If the thermostat fails in the "on" position, the flame will come on and it will burn until all the water is boiled away, spitting steam out of the pressure relief valve. If it gets too hot inside the combustion chamber, this ECO switch will open, and cut the millivolt signal from the thermocouple to the gas control valve. The gas control valve will "think" the flame went out, and it will cut off the gas to the burner to prevent the room from filling up with gas.
@@ronaldroberts7221 sounds like an important feature, but only if rheem would of done a better design for it
Christmas morning and my 1 year old Rheem water heater would not relight. Found your video, followed your instructions (tightened up the thermocoupler to make sure it had contact) and presto! Fired right up and works perfectly. Thank you for the Merry Christmas!
A very Merry Christmas indeed!
I have a Richmond tank (Menard's Rheem made tanks) and had this issue after a year. They sent me a Delta brand valve under warrantee, with the same white clip, and it just failed after a year. I watched your video, but could not screw in the thermocouple to bottom out all the way on the Delta, so I used a small piece of solder in between, and it squished right into place nice and tight. It works great now. BTW Rheem has a video on RUclips on how to replace a SIT valve with a White Rodgers valve, which is their unofficial workaround for this issue. Thank you so very much for your help!
Removed the sensor just my removing the thermocouple with a pair of channel locks without having to turn the whole valve upside down. then just flipped that dang little sensor out and left it hanging. That with a lot of prayer and it has worked for me!! Thank you so much!
I'm glad it worked!
Add me to the long list of those helped by this solution. I wish I had found this before taking cold showers for over a week in the middle of winter while waiting for a replacement control valve. Thanks so much!
In case it helps anyone else, my thermocouple connector did not stay in contact once I removed the sensor and retightened the nut. I had to insert a small washer approximately the size and thickness of the removed sensor.
Holy crap, you just saved me over $120 for a new valve! I'd already replaced the thermocouple (didn't work) and the entire pilot assembly (after waiting 3 days for it to arrive) and the pilot would still shut down after a cycle and, most of the time, would not relight for hours. I was lighting it before I headed to work in the morning and once again after I got home that evening. I had a problem getting the new thermocouple to tighten down fully after removing the "safety" but simply pulled the end off the old thermocouple and put it in above the new one and it tightened right down. So far, it's working great!
I did HVAC for almost 20 years and my son has been doing it for longer and neither of us had heard of this before. Now he has a new tool in his bag of tricks and I have hot water.
Thank you so much for this
This video just saved me! Installed a Rheem water heater from Home Depot July 2020. First part failed 10 months later (May 2021). Replaced gas control & pilot assembly. Was under warranty but had to pay $30 to get the parts shipped ASAP. Well... 18 months later (Nov 2022), same problem. A plumber wanted to charge me $589 labor which was NOT covered by the warranty, but he later said forget it because he doesn't work on water heaters from Home Depot. Then looked online, found your video, fixed it in 10 minutes. Will figure out a permanent solution later but I have hot water again!
2 hours trying to get the thermocouple in the correct place, heating it up with something else, bought a new one and then found your video. Thank you for this information.
Glad I could help.
Hi after removing the sensor did you have any issues with water being too hot or any issues?
Thank you Tony!! I will try this simple fix on my water heater to see if does the same thing as I got mine for a man who got tired of dealing with Rheem and gave it to me. It was a 20202 model. I have ordered a used gas valve off Ebay for now but I may not need it after reading/watching this video. Again thank you for finally finding out what the real problem was fo rso many people with poorly built Rheem WH's.. I myself thought it had to be something small as why would all these units fail so quickly otherwise but I did not have your experience on water heaters directly but I am a handyman by age and knowledge and always try to help those I can when I can..
Thanks for watching and like, you, I also try to share the knowledge.
Worked on mine. Thank you. 22 month installed Rheem Professional...Just hope by-passing the sensor is safe but I have hot water so pleased.
You are the man! Had an emergency technician sponsored by Raheem come out and wanted to charge me over $1500 to fix this. I’m glad we said we’d wait until the next day but even more glad I stumbled upon this video. Thank you so much! Literally saved us thousands of dollars. After you go to Michigan for a steak, stop in Wisconsin and I’ll take you a fish fry.
Thanks so much and I have to say, I prefer fish to steak, although I am partial to a doublecut pork chop. 😄
???
Great video, many thanks for figuring this out and sharing. I might add that if you have a multi-meter you can measure the resistance between each side of the ECO and if you have infinite resistance then the fuse has blown. I've bypassed this for now and will have Rheem send someone out to replace the valve. Unit is only 9 months old and we run it on "hot". It is the third replacement unit, its two predecessors rusted out and started leaking right around the 1 year mark. Props to Home Depot for replacing them with no questions asked.
Update to this: Just over an hour waiting on hold got me to a customer service rep that was polite and fairly well informed of the issue. New parts will be here 2-4 days and a technician will call to schedule a time to install them. They're replacing basically everything but the tank to fix the ECO.
@@therestorationshop do you have to pay for the technician or rheem does?
@@kchilz32 Rheem is supposed to pay for it but no one ever called to setup an appointment. I ended up doing it myself. I wasn't a big deal.
@@therestorationshop thanks for the reply. I also buy the warranty from Home Depot so I was thinking doing it thru them. It seem my water heater has some rust on the plater near the pilot view window. Seem weird. So they may have to replace the whole thing. I should of gone with Lowe’s A.O. Smith water heater
I do maintenance on houses and we have been having to call Rheem and have replacement valves sent (They are still under warranty). You just saved me a bunch of time!!!
Thank you for this video! This quick and easy temporary fix got our 2 year old water heater working again while we wait for the warranty. You made a very happy wife in the middle of winter!
I can't thank you enough for making this video. I was going crazy trying to figure out the problem and even the repair technician didn't know what to do. Thank you so much!
I'm glad I could help.
do you have to turn off the gas before unscrewing that copper tubing to remove the sensor?
@@dashdigital5869 yes
Did you show this to your service tech?
@@romanbrown598, no you do not have to turn the gas off
This WORKS. And let me say thank you so much. It's the night before Thanksgiving and I spent all night putting in a new thermocouple and failed to get the pilot light to stay lit in order to start the burners. I deduced it to the gas valve and had been wondering about that white clip that looks like it goes to a sensor. I was going to strip the wires and bridge them but this solution was the big brain fix I needed. Just pulled the clip out and jammed the thermocouple right in. BOOM will now have hot water for Thanksgiving!!!
That is exactly what happened with us. Same day as well. Did it start out that you could relight it and get a burner cycle and progressively got worse? Then no pilot light?
@@cathyshull1007 identical problem here cathy. Are you in a cold area with the heater in the basement? I wonder if it's some sort of dissimilar metal problem that gets worse when the temperature at the heater is hot but the temperature of the room the heater is in is cold.
So annoying. I replaced the thermocouple, but the pilot tube broke and the orange gasket fell apart. ended up being a few hundred bucks and time and no hot water for days and it could've been fixed in 5 minutes.
NICE CATCH TONY.
@@matthewhenschel4247 Actually this her husband, I happened to be on her account when I posted these and didn't know it. Our fix has now worked since the original post. I am holding onto the new one just in case. Ou heater is in the basement always about 68 degrees, so no cold in our case. I talked to rheem and let them know there is a problem with this thermocouple arrangement. It is costing them a ton. i was the 15th caller in one day among hundreds over several months multiply that times around $140-170 a pop under warranty. The extra wire is not necessary. As a matter of fact if i do install the new one I am bypassing it immediately
Oh my god its working! You have no idea how many time i had this fixed i learned to install my own thermocouples and i had started replacing valves. Only ever lasts a year. I love you man
From Christmas Eve until 4pm on Christmas day, I've been trying to figure this one out and stumbled across your video. YOU ARE THE EFFING MAN!!!!
After a 10hr shift, then mowing my leaves till after dark, all I wanted was a hot shower. Didn’t think I’d have to worry about my 1 year old Rheem. You sir, are amazing, and I truly appreciate your knowledge and video. If you’re ever in Michigan, I owe you a steak. Thanks again!
I'm in Michigan. Mine first went out a couple months ago. Then it went out last week and this week it has went out everyday. Tonight is the first time I struggled with getting it back on. it wasn't an emergency so I was going to call repair next week if I couldn't figure it out... it's 9° out and I want to do my dishes and take a shower tonight and I sat there a couple min and relit 3 times before it stayed on... but my flame has way too much orange wispy now 😩
Also from Michigan with the same issue. This video deserves so many more likes. Saved me tons. Thank you my friend.
I'm in Michigan too.....trying this now!
@@chrispotas6236 I ended up having to do some adjusting myself. When I took that sensor out the thermocouple would come loose after being on a bit and shut off. Ended up just cutting the sensor off and keeping it in with the thermocouple. Been working fine the past few hours.
@@bolingbrookdad2569 yes. I cut the sensor right off from the temperature control valve.
I’ll chime in with the rest of the folks here, this was exactly what was going on with mine. I used a folded over piece of aluminum foil to complete the circuit of Thermocoupler to solenoid. Rheem is sending out a new gas valve, but I have hot water till then! Thank you for posting this!
Great suggestion on the foil. 👍
I would put the new one you receive aside somewhere and leave in place what you have now. Just saying this because I have seen NUMEROUS posts of people (plumbers included) saying the new one ends up failing in about one year or less. There is NO way Rheem doesn't know they are sending out crap to customers because this issue is very widely known now. They need to get their act together and change this design ASAP.
Just watched the video had the heater pulled apart and put back together looking at everything multiple times, tried this and it’s working THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Same issue for me. One of my girls took a shower after school. Second one tried to and no hot water. Removed the cover and pilot was off. Tried turning it on several times and did not stay on. Came across this video and bam. Fixed it. Did take me a little longer as first couple of times as there was some space in between the sensor and rod as it was not all the way up. Push the screw in part down and pushed the rod up. Now It was connecting and then the pilot stayed on after releasing the pilot button on the control value. Luckily it happened today and we weren’t out, but couple of hours without hot water. Appreciate the fine gentleman who posted this video.
After days of troubleshooting (technically, hours spread out over a couple of days) and at least a dozen videos, I landed on this jewel right here. My RHEEM water heater is less than 2 years old, so looking for replacement parts did not seem reasonable to me. Most videos suggested replacing the thermocouple, which I did. I was moments away from booking a hotel room just to get a hot shower, but then Mr. Tony Harrison showed me the way. THANK YOU SIR!!
My pleasure. Happy New Year!
light? Sure???
Shit"""
I'm in this exact same situation... going to try this now.
How did you get sensor off? Mine is built in. It is not the same as this one. I can't pry it off, press it off!!!
Thank you Sir! My 11 month old Rheem wouldn't stay lit. Changed thermocouple and of course that did nothing. Broke down and headed to the internet. Removing that fixed my issue. I plan to ream Rheem and get a new valve. But we have hot water in the mean time. Thanks again!
Great to hear! Thanks for your kind words.
Worked like a champ for about a month. Then tonight my water heater kicked out again. The thermocouple had moved away from the magnet just enough to lose connection. As another person said, lightly kink the thermocouple above the nut so it holds tight to the magnet and can't drop down. I did that and we are back in action. Thanks again for this video and to the person who recommended kinking the thermocouple just enough to keep it in place. You guys are truly helping people out!
Hello did you have any issues with water getting too hot after removing sensor?
@souravtalukdar8620 i haven't, but I don't run the thermostat very high.
YOUR GREAT,THANKS. I looked at 12 RUclips videos and i spent 6 hrs of my time between videos and going to town for parts. Found your video and it worked, Thanks again for posting..
This worked for me as well. Installed water heater 11 months ago. Pulled the sensor and boom the water heater is working 3 days in a row now! Now I guess I need to call Rheem/Richmond and get in-line for a new valve too. Thank you for making this video! You are the man Tony!!!
do you have to turn off the gas before unscrewing that copper tubing to remove the sensor?
It's just going to keep happening until you settle with Tony's fix as a permanent solution.
Thanks so much Tony! I replaced my thermocouple and still wouldn't work... called in to have it serviced as they told me it was a bad valve... to replace would be a week and $500 some odd dollars. Already paid the $140 service fee for them to come look but saved me a bunch with this easy fix. Thanks so much! You saved a lot of people a ton of money!
Happy to help.
do you have to turn off the gas before unscrewing that copper tubing to remove the sensor?
@@dashdigital5869 yes
@@dashdigital5869 I didn't and had no issues.
@@scottkeith2587 Same here. Never turned the gas off.
Sir, this was my problem exactly! Thank you!! Been waiting two days for my landlord to find someone who could come out, but it is the weekend and no one would bother. Got my multimeter across it and found it was an open circuit. Jumpered it with a paperclip and pilot light stayed lit. Will run it long enough to get some hot water for laundry and showers for the family and turn it back off to await a service call. You rock!!
Great to hear that I could help.
Any updates on the service?
i did the same thing and it worked for a min but the flame got way way big even when i put it low . so i turned it off and i could hear water sizzling from inside 🤷🏾♂️
@@jonathanw2391 yeah that sensor is to prevent over heating. There was an issue before the flames will get so much they explode
Thank you so much Tony. 🙂 You’re a life and money saver. Your trick worked like a charm. My water heater was less than two years old. I couldn’t understand why it would stop working so soon.
Do u have to shut off the main gas off ??
Thanks man u are a live saver, I was scratching my head after replacing the thermal couple and still not resolve. I end up fixing it with your method and don't have to replace the gas valve
OMG thank you so much for sharing this video you are a savior of so many people just like me I been working trying to fix my hot water heater for 3 days, and I knew was a thermocouple problem, changed 3 times and nothing works it just didn't stay on and so I went went to check prices to replace it for a new one and thanks to you by sharing this video I was able to fixed and save $ 800 muchas muchas Gracias Dios lo Bendiga
Con mucho gusto, amigo.
Thank you!!! Your video is the only one I found like our model and this absolutely worked!
We had just about given up, and my husband called a technician. 2+ day wait. While he was on the phone, I found your video. I have a little background with thermocouples (BSChE) so your fix made perfect sense to me. [disclaimer: I am not an expert and will not advise any individual to disable a safety feature]. Husband and I applied your fix without having to flip the entire gas valve upside down. I’m appalled at how flimsy the sensor appears, small white plastic with thin metal plates. I feel no threat in having removed it, as it almost feels more like an anti-tampering device than a functional safety feature.
Our hot water heater is currently heating up and I’m elated!!! Thank you so much!
Great to hear!
Salute to fellow BSChE!!! Disclaimer and additional verbage appreciated!
I am a BSME (retired after 44 years in the chemical industry) and also appreciate the extra verbiage! I am having the same issues and service rep knows nothing more than replacing entire valve ass’y. Mine is a newer Rheem (installed < 1 year ago) and it appears the ECO is not removable but I may be able to jumper. Service rep has ordered new valve but with covid related supply chain issues - supposedly - lead time is 1.5 to 2 weeks.
BTW, the white plastic is not the sensor or fuse link itself. The thermal fuse is inside the valve apparently, as that's where the wires go. The plastic widget just has a contact on each side and the current coming from the thermocouple goes through the attached wires, through the thermal fuse. So if the thermal fuse fails (either due to a real issue or poor quality control), the voltage from the thermocouple is interrupted, the valve snaps closed, and the burner is locked out.
My water heater has been acting up for years. Pilot goes out too often at the worst times. New thermocoupler every six months is a joke...Finally new thermocoupler didn't fix n thought might have to replace whole assemblies. So glad to find this fix. Thank you it worked like a champ. Turned right on and stays lit. Didnt have to bridge gap seems to be fine for now.
People trying to reinvent the wheel just make a worse wheel.
You saved me almost $200 dollars in repairs. You truly saved a family lol. Thank you so much!
Glad I could help.
Mine Richmond/rheem is only 1 year old .... I removed the spacer/sensor & put a little bb sized ball of copper to make up for slack on thermocoupler threads...
Work like a charm..... 👍
The sensor is the emergency shut off sensor, and it seems that every Rheem water heater over the last 2-3 years has a faulty one. I'm about to call in for my third of my warranty. Really thrilled about being without hot water again. Thanks Rheem.
Turn the water temp setting to low. The high water temp setting exceeds the temp of the anti scald device fuse.
Yep!!! Just got through replacing pilot assembly and about to do the gas valve but thought... 2020 unit, brand new! I must be missing something! This TOTALLY fixed the problem! Thanks for posting this!!
I bought and installed my Rheem on Jan 1, 2021, and the pilot light stopped working on Jan 11, 2022! How frustrating!!! After finding this video I was able to fix it! THANK YOU for putting your video together and sharing it!!!!
Once again I am reminded that I should ALWAYS look things up on RUclips first!! LOL
I noticed that I can not seem to replace the cover over all that now, touching the copper wire shorts the power and the pilot light goes out again. I'm working on it, but at least I am getting hot water to the house!
Same thing as you. Got my unit July of 2020 and just went out Jan 13 2022.
I did all the steps after hours of watching videos and noticed that touching the copper wire did short it.
I'll have to call Rheem but I do have hot water for now.
Thought I had to replace the less than few month old heater. I think its due to the temp change so it causes metal on the Thermocouple to lose contact/signal. This video should be on the top and upvoted. Such an easy fix.
Thanks very much
Is it safe to use without that
I’m 5 weeks out on a new valve
Same as everyone else man, thank you! I bypassed mine and it works great now. I used a small common nail in the gap, and tightened the coupler down onto it to make that solid connection. After that, I was good to go! Now, time to call Rheem and get a free, new one! (PS: my tank is less than a year old)
Joey, I'm having the same problem, only mine is less than six months old, and only worked for the duration of one 100 gal. propane tank. By ' Now, time to call Rheem and get a free, new one!" did you mean that you were going to use your warranty to have them exchange/replace your year old unit, 'cause why not? Or, what exactly did you mean by that/decide to do? I haven't actually got mine working yet, but my truck is also down and I have no way to really get it back to the store I initially purchased it from at the moment. My warranty is up in three days and I am just trying to decide what to do. Thanks, Dude. :) Kristin
Thank you! Magic!
I want to say I love you. Omg all weekend long 5 thermocouples. A guy who told me I needed new gas piping ran through my entire house and stole my tools and couplers. I just want you to know I truly truly love you. I am officially subscribed after this one.
I'm glad I could help. Thank you for the kind words
Thank you! My new water heater stopped working and I paid to get it fixed. They changed several pieces and here I was with the water heater not working again. Turns out this was the problem this time and last time. Thanks 🙏
Thanks for the info, I installed a WH for a customer last year and just went to service it today. Tested the thermocouple and cleaned it. Was not getting a accurate reading, so I replaced it. Still had the same issue. Removed the sensor and reconnected the new thermocouple and BAM! had flame. The home owner purchased the tank themselves, so I told them to contact Rheem and see what could be done for warranty replacement. Sounds like this is a common defect with this gas valve model. Thanks again.
Same here call back on a 1yr old water heater for the same reason
Thank you so much I have replaced the valve once already under warranty. Went a week without hot water waiting for shipment from MFG. They sent the wrong part, blew up at them and they overnighted the right one, two more days of cold water. That was in April 2021. Yesterday November 2021 same issue pilot not staying lit. Just went down and slipped a piece of 14 gage wire in place of the sensor and it works. Biggest piece of crap water heater I've ever owned. The one I replaced was 21 years old before it started leaking but was still providing hot water. They don't build them like they used to (without the "Extra safety crap" and it's a shame. I hope everyone is reviewing these things on the MFG web site and where they purchased the water heaters. Thanks again.
You are the man. Went to take a shower tonight and pilot light wouldn’t stay lit. This fixed the problem. Thank you!
THANK YOU!!!! Been boiling water to give my 10 month a bath, been taking cold showers, waiting for new control valve from Rheem.
This was my exact problem and your solution worked perfect. I too took a bit of 14 gauge copper wire between the two parts. Thank you.
do you have to turn off the gas before unscrewing that copper tubing to remove the sensor?
@@dashdigital5869 no there is no gass to the thermocouple
@@shanesample2202 is that copper tubing easy to unscrew or would i need a special tool for that?
Called Rheem/Ruud to get a replacement gas valve under warranty. They were candid in talking about this issue, saying they have since (hopefully) addressed it with an updated gas valve design, and that its common for technicians to bypass the ECO fuse like this video shows while waiting for a new gas valve. They also confirmed this fuse only protects from scalding, and is not used for any other safety purposes.
Thanks so much for writing.
I had called rheem and they sent out a replacement gas valve, will probably recieve it in 3 business days.In the mean time is it safe to leave the heater on after bypassing the eco fuse?
@@azmathali87 I’m not a professional, but Rheem advised me it’s ok to bypass the ECO fuse as its an anti-scalding feature. There is risk that if the heater gets too hot then you could be burned. I’d recommend wrapping the white clip with tin foil and slotting it in to bypass the fuse.
@@StevenRichardsck tried this. It seems to be grounding out on the sides. I put a small bit of paperclip as the coupler was a hair shy from staying.
Thanks for sharing this info. Do you happen to know if the grey color Rheem (Richmond?) valve has the same problem? It is a relief to know that the gas will still turn off if the pilot goes out even after removing the ECO fuse. At least I hope it does. 40 gal water heater less than 2 years old, can't even light it now.
It worked!!! The only thing i would love to add is that at first it wasn’t making connection after taking the safety sensor out - so added an extension in there and bridged it - THANKSGIVING IS SAVED!!!
The night before thanksgiving here dicking around with this water heater and stumbled across this! Gave it a whirl and now it works again!
Thank you kind sir!
Dealt with this on Thanksgiving with Covid. Not a fun Thanksgiving. Just installed this water heater last year.
Thank you for this. Countless videos watched and none of them had the same unit as me until I found your video. Sure enough removed the sensor and it's working. The threads on the nut are not long enough to push the connection all the way to the thermocouple. If I apply pressure to it to the copper tubing it slides up and makes contact. So I wedged a block in there to hold it in place. Then took a hot shower!
FYI, our unit was installed about 14 months ago. We called the company that installed and it and they said there is a recall for this issue and they will replace for free. No charge on parts or labor. Rheem will reimburse them. However, he said they've already replaced a few that died again months later and it's past warranty after that.
Mike,
I’m trying to find info on the recall but having trouble finding info online. Could you dm me the name of your installer so I can ask them about the recall? Or if that’s weird, that’s fine.
@@kristofferpanahon9913 you can call rheem with the serial number and they will send you another valve. I have about 15 of these in my garage, all from 2020 tanks.
@@MoonRambo702 Thanks for the advice. If you're a plumber, do you know if the new valves are better?
@@kristofferpanahon9913 HVAC tech. They are the same valve, I assume they identified and fixed the issue, if not I’ll have some angry customers in 6-12mo. 😅
What is it exactly that's being bypassed?
awesome info that worked well. You sir are a true American, thank you for giving back.
Replaced the thermocoupler, blew out the pilot gas line with air, nothing. Must have pulled it apart 10 times.....was ready to call someone, then I stumbled across this video. THANK YOU!! I just put a piece of wire where the sensor was to maintain contact, and I HAVE HOT WATER!!
Another happy person, wife is a teacher and germ phobic, your fix saved me a hotel bill and a bunch of drama. Bless your heart, the good way…lol
You don’t know how useful was this video for me, I had exactly the same issue and for 7 days me and my family had to heating the water on the stove and using buckets to bathe(Illinois temp 37). Thank so much
Wow! I'm glad I could help and thank you for the kind words.
Absolute lifesaver! Technician FINALLY came out and told us that the entire gas valve had to be replaced by Rheem which could take 2-4 days then another few days for them to come back out! I asked him to remove the sensor based on this video info and he refused stating that it would cause carbon monoxide to leak out. Has anyone heard that before?
This is just an anti-scalding fuse. It had nothing to do with the gas assembly at all. Even experienced plumbers don't know what this does.
"Tony Harrison, it's an Anti-Scalding Fuse that's great to know THANK YOU!"
Now i can tell my wife not to worry about it being pulled out and bypassed.
I would not blame the tech, if something happened the tech would be eating a shit sandwich. I would bypass it myself but not expect someone else to bet theirs house on it.
No! But if you bypass the fuse and for some reason your temp/ pressure relief valve fails. Your water could explode. I wont bypass them either. You can use a multimeter to measure the resistance of eco from each side of the wires
You fixed my broken water heater, can't give you enough thanks.
Glad I seen this! I have the 650 delta 15255d, quit 2 years in a row! Warranty one is on order. Thermocouple does not touch in mine with out the sensor in. I stripped the wire back in the middle, gave them one twist so they were touching and put it back together. Boom! Works until the parts show up!!!
This worked, and took all of 5 minutes with a 1/4" box wrench and needle nose pliers, at zero cost.
It would have been three more days of cold water waiting on a tech to dispatch, and it's debatable whether the issues would have been resolved, or at what cost.
Songs of Tony will be sung in our house in the morning when luxuriating in warm showers or baths.
So u just unscrew the thermocouple?
You, sir, are an absolute life saver (sadly, I was able to fix this before my wife and three kids even knew there was a problem...). I wish I could repay you with more than just a "like" and "subscribe"!
Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad it's working.
I'm curious what we are bypassing... is this safe?
Just did the bypass myself. Wondering the safety of it too. Could you update us on your experience? Thank you.
the white wire is a over heating sensor. just in case your hot water heater gets to hot and blow up.it will shut it off.
Thank you so much for this share, I replaced thermocouple and still messing with it for hours. Then watch this gem of an upload. 🙏
Till i found your video , i was beating my head against the waterheater for day's trying to figure out why my pilot light wouldn't stay on more than 1 cycle without going out. I even replaced the entire thermocoupler assembly and still no luck. So i removed the fuse and replaced the gap with a piece of romex wire and presto !!! All is looking good so far. Thanks for saving me hundreds of dollar's. Now i have a backup thermocoupler for later.
Tony, I thought you and your viewers might gain insight from my experience with Rheem. I contacted them through their website and described the problem. They responded with an email, giving me a phone number to call. I did, and after a couple of minutes worth of voice prompts, I ended up speaking with a very courteous representative. He was familiar with the problem, mentioned the gas valve has been redesigned to reduce failures, and promised to ship me a replacement part. Within a couple of hours, I received tracking information (2-day FEDEX) and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
Did they say what the sensor is meant for.
@@tulaangeni5215 water heaters used to over pressurize and explode/go flying.... that sensor is linked to a pressure/heat gauge inside the tank itself behind that blue box. how ever Rheems quality on thee sensor is poor and they fail/go bad fairly frequant from my reserch on this issue. but is a pain because light wont stay lit.. or burn and go out for no reason.
I took a piece of stiff copper wire (14 ga stripped) and wrapped it around the thermocouple tube between the nut and flared end.. similar to a split ring. It tightened down perfectly.
Smart fix! I was helping a friend whose 2 Rheems (both less than 1 year old and having the same problem with the pilots not staying lit) and will try the wire "split ring" this evening for the thermocouple to make contact. Apparently it's a common problem.
How come I can't understand this too well? I really need to get this fixed😭
Took back 3 hot water tanks this year. Wish I would have seen this video sooner. All my rental houses has this type of water heater. Big help
Can’t thank you enough for making this video, I’ve been going crazy for three days thinking I had a bad thermocouple, then maybe a clogged pilot orifice, last thought was maybe a bad solenoid. Then I found your your video, put a bit of tin foil to bypass and the pilot stayed on, FINALLY! 😅 Thanks again!!
Same thing happened here - we have the exact same gas control valve - had someone come out and look at it - he actually cut the wire to the sensor but left the sensor in - he determined that the gas control valve was bad and that the entire heater needed to be replaced - heater itself is a Rheem classic series 50 gallon installed in 2013.
When the plumbing tech left, I removed the sensor altogether as demonstrated in this video and the pilot light stayed lit and has continued to stay lit
Guy was tryna scam you on a new tank.
What a sketchy plumber. He cut the sensor wires to keep pilot from going out? Was it necessary you to remove this sensor given the wires were cut? Or removing it was needed for better contact + sure voltage from thermocouple to controller?
A buddy had this same issue on a 2 yr old Rheem made tank. I bypassed it while we waited on the replacement part from Rheem under warranty. Once the gas valve was replaced I figured out what failed on the old one and will be writing a tutorial on fixing the original gas valve so people can have a spare. There's 3 security torx bolts which secure the brass assembly to the back of the valve. Inside of those tubes is the ECO with a 91 degree C thermal fuse which is crimped on this ECO wiring and is encased in heat shrink. These thermal fuses are a super cheap part at under $1 each.
Let me know when you have the tutorial up. Thanks
@@Agent22817 thanks!
Thanks!
Do you have video up? Where do you buy the replacement fuse? Thx!
@@timbezek I don’t have a video but I have a write up on instructable The fuses are available lots of places like Amazon eBay or places like Digi-Key and mouser
Tried it, it’s working. Thanks for the straight forward explanation. Saved me some cash. I was getting tired of dragging a pot of hot water into the shower
Just took mine apart after holding down the pilot button (hurts your fingers after about 20 seconds; ugh) on and off for over an hour. Multiple tries at having the pilot light up and not stay lit. But anyway, I had my paperwork out ready to call the hotline. You see, I have a landlord that does not want to fix or replace ANYTHING that is faulty/broken. And this hot water tank was FINALLY replaced 8 months ago. Yeah, 8 months was all it took for it to do this. So I watched your video; I struggled for a few but got the sensor unclipped and the thermocouple back up in there. Worked out after the second go round with the pilot light. Looking forward to having hot water without having to fight my landlord for a month to take care of it. Thank you so much from an incredibly grateful mom.
I'm so happy it worked for you and thank you commenting and for your kinds words.
My next son will be named Tony