I have a Rheem 41VRP40-P (40 Gal Propane) water heater. I've had a series of problems with it that has me at wit's end. First the blower went. I replaced that only to find that no gas was getting to the pilot or burner. So I replaced the gas valve assembly.

Now I just installed the gas valve, plug it in and now the ignitor starts sparking, the pilot light ignites and burns as it should. Good, now I have gas flow. But the ignitor never stops sparking (clicking) and the burner never lights (no gas flow to it).

Does anyone have any ideas for me? I am completely frustrated. Thanks!

Does water heater have a draft inducer fan?

hkstroud, no there is not a draft inducer fan on this water heater.

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Good, now I have gas flow

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Are you absolutely sure of that? Did you bleed the gas line of air before you lit the pilot? If not, it is possible that you are getting an air/gas mixture that is "igniting" but is not strong enough to stay lit. In this case, loosening the flexible gas line or the union fitting to release air may be a great next step... ;)

If you have already released air, I would release a little more. Give that a shot and try lighting this a few more times... hopefully, it is as easy as that!

Mark

massplumber2008. I did bleed the line. So the valve allows gas to flow to the pilot no problem. The ignitor lights it, but it never stops sparking. In the past it would spark until the pilot lit then the spark would stop followed by gas flow to the burner. In this case the spark never stops so the gas flow never starts to the burner. Are ignitors also thermocouples? Do they measure temperature? If so, is it possible that this went bad?

Please tell us how old is your water heater.

You said that you replaced the gas valve, Please follow Marks advices if that would not work, it sounds like you have a bad gas valve, or thermocouple I would suggest to call Reehm tech support at 800-432-8373 for help, also please open the PDF for trouble shooting, good luck.


John

afaroo, the water heater is 10 years old (installed 8 years ago).

I did follow Mark's advice but unfortunately it did not help. One question I have is how is the thermocouple supposed to work? Does it, in addition to sparking, measure temperature and supposed to cut off when it senses a certain temp which then instructs the valve to open for the burner? I assume this is the way it is supposed to work.

Please open the link below you may find your answer, Thanks.

John

How Does a Gas Furnace Thermocouple Work? | DoItYourself.com