# Rheem going to sht



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Put in a heater for my neighbor 8/20/20. Pilot went out. Relit it, next day, no hot water. Replace the thermocouple, wouldn’t light. Called Rheem, no gas control available! Gave me a part number. Apparently because of Covid they were shipping heaters with junk parts to keep up with demand.

Rheem didn’t have any replacements, but gave me a part number and case number. My supply house had one. In all three branches!

I want to replace my furnace and a/c this spring, but if this crap is going on with heaters, it’s got to be the same with HVAC. Mine is working, and thanks to a member here we stayed warm this winter.... but do I dare replace it with all the **** parts out there now?


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

OpenSights said:


> Put in a heater for my neighbor 8/20/20. Pilot went out. Relit it, next day, no hot water. Replace the thermocouple, wouldn’t light. Called Rheem, no gas control available! Gave me a part number. Apparently because of Covid they were shipping heaters with junk parts to keep up with demand.
> 
> Rheem didn’t have any replacements, but gave me a part number and case number. My supply house had one. In all three branches!
> 
> I want to replace my furnace and a/c this spring, but if this crap is going on with heaters, it’s got to be the same with HVAC. Mine is working, and thanks to a member here we stayed warm this winter.... but do I dare replace it with all the **** parts out there now?



I am having fits with Rheem too..... 
but I really dont blame them for the crappy gas valve on the heaters.
I never liked the blue colored gas valves they went to back about 8 years ago
Now they are paying for their error.....

I have had to go out every weekend for the last month and deal with complaints from units made in early 2020
and through august of last summer
just have to take out the gas valve and throw in the older style robert shaw (or white Rojer's)
brand which was always a better choice... I dont know which one it is for sure...

My salesman claims that the gas valve that is breaking down actually cost them a lot more than
the tried and true one that they had used for decades...... so go figure...

Rheem has given me about 10 of this model of gas valve shown in pic... for free
I probably need to get some more of them as I am down to 3... They have
to have the longer shank on them or you are totally screwed. .......


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## OldNelly (Jun 3, 2015)

Going to schitt? Rheem always has been in my experience. It's still better than Bradford.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

OldNelly said:


> Going to schitt? Rheem always has been in my experience. It's still better than Bradford.


I always had decent luck with Bradford. Ferg’s pizzed off my master so he switched to Rheem/Ruud. I’ve also installed lochnivar for about 5 years, had a few bad ones, about average between them.
Box store heaters are absolutely garbage! I don’t care what sticker they have.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> I am having fits with Rheem too.....
> but I really dont blame them for the crappy gas valve on the heaters.
> I never liked the blue colored gas valves they went to back about 8 years ago
> Now they are paying for their error.....
> ...


That gas line looks like azz. What's with all the sharkbites?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

skoronesa said:


> That gas line looks like azz. What's with all the sharkbites?


Probably a stock photo from a California install.


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## OldNelly (Jun 3, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> I always had decent luck with Bradford. Ferg’s pizzed off my master so he switched to Rheem/Ruud. I’ve also installed lochnivar for about 5 years, had a few bad ones, about average between them.
> Box store heaters are absolutely garbage! I don’t care what sticker they have.


John Wood tanks have been treating me very well for the last 10 years. Giant doesn't give me much crap either.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

OldNelly said:


> John Wood tanks have been treating me very well for the last 10 years. Giant doesn't give me much crap either.


Haven’t heard of either brand....


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Haven’t heard of either brand....


You probably ain't heard of weetabix either! You're missing out!


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## OldNelly (Jun 3, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Haven’t heard of either brand....


John Wood was a Canadian brand that is now owned A.O. Smith. Giant hot tanks are still Canadian owned and manufactured.


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## OldNelly (Jun 3, 2015)

skoronesa said:


> You probably ain't heard of weetabix either! You're missing out!


No, he's not.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

skoronesa said:


> That gas line looks like azz. What's with all the sharkbites?





skoronesa said:


> That gas line looks like azz. What's with all the sharkbites?



Sorry,,,We did the job and had not secured the gas line to the side of the heater
the stop was flush with the floor ..... I snapped the shot and did not think to
get another one

The brass sharkbites I use on many occasions when installing the clack water softeners...
the reason being that the steam and heat from soldering fittings too near the plastic and the "o" rings
going into the back of the units seems to warp them and makes them leak...
i have had that problem a few times
... 
Note on the back of the
clack carbon filter and water softener they have a john gest push pull kind of
elbow fitting which is very similar to the sharkbites---









Clack WS1 V3007-16 John Guest 1


The Clack WS1 V3007-16 John Guest 1" QC Elbow Assembly is designed to connect to either the Valve or the By-Pass for Clack Water Conditioners. Also connects to fittings from many other manufacturers. The 1" quick connect fitting connects to your PEX or CPVC pipes or fitting to provide a solid...




www.freshwatersystems.com






Their are other companies in town that totally install complete units with
those large white john gest push pull fittings which look pretty cheezey to me...

so we can debate the merits if you wish.. no problem with me
they seem to work fine, they are fast and clean, I have probably 
installed about 500 of them since 2010 with no issues
and I will most likely be dead and gone 
in 30 years anyway...... 😄 
. ....


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> .........The brass sharkbites I use on many occasions when installing the clack water softeners...
> the reason being that the steam and heat from soldering fittings too near the plastic and the "o" rings
> going into the back of the units seems to warp them and makes them leak...
> i have had that problem a few times
> .............



I didn't say there was anything wrong with you using them......so long as they are properly installed AND they aren't buried in a wall/ceiling.

The major issue with sharkbites is installer/hack/diy error. They can't use a pipe cutter properly so the pipe has a bad lip. They don't check if the pipe is smooth all the way around. They just shove it on and cut the oring. The pipe isn't always fully inserted. And they NEVER pull on the pipe to set the teeth in deep and make sure they are actually grabbing.

I don't use sharkbites, and I don't think we should. BUT, they are an approved plumbing product and and competent plumber should be able to install them properly. I just don't agree with relying on an interference-fit oring on rough copper that gets thrown around and out of round. They are also really expensive.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

skoronesa said:


> I didn't say there was anything wrong with you using them......so long as they are properly installed AND they aren't buried in a wall/ceiling.
> 
> The major issue with sharkbites is installer/hack/diy error. They can't use a pipe cutter properly so the pipe has a bad lip. They don't check if the pipe is smooth all the way around. They just shove it on and cut the oring. The pipe isn't always fully inserted. And they NEVER pull on the pipe to set the teeth in deep and make sure they are actually grabbing.
> 
> I don't use sharkbites, and I don't think we should. BUT, they are an approved plumbing product and and competent plumber should be able to install them properly. I just don't agree with relying on an interference-fit oring on rough copper that gets thrown around and out of round. They are also really expensive.


We have been using sharkbites on occasion for probably 15 years... 
mostly just to adapt to oddball brands of pex you run into--- they are not expensive compared
to the time and effort to figure out some way to adapt to god knows what junk you are dealing with.
Never have had an issue with them but I know how to install them properly
I prefer to solder when I can.. it all depends


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> We have been using sharkbites on occasion for probably 15 years...
> mostly just to adapt to oddball brands of pex you run into--- they are not expensive compared
> to the time and effort to figure out some way to adapt to god knows what junk you are dealing with.
> Never have had an issue with them but I know how to install them properly
> I prefer to solder when I can.. it all depends


I agree.

We use viega fostapex, and one of the great benefits to that is hacks just have their brains explode when they try to hook to it lolz.

A couple years ago I got sent to fix a leak, found some jackazz had used two sharkbite couplings to replace a 3' piece of fostapex that had frozen. He put in a piece of kitec!!!!! He whittled off the outer layer with a pocket knife and used silicone on the sharkbites!!!! The fostapex and kitec both had the layers delaminate from the water pressure. I don't know where this guy found a phucking piece of kitec???

I was speechless and then I died laughing in front of the customer. I think I still have the piece I removed in my scrap pile somewhere.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

skoronesa said:


> I agree.
> 
> We use viega fostapex, and one of the great benefits to that is hacks just have their brains explode when they try to hook to it lolz.
> 
> ...


Kitech is some seriously nasty stuff that absolutely nothing will adapt to ..... 
you cant even find any kind of adaptors to that stuff any more
that I am aware of.... 
I should probably try to find or ask about that some day just to carry something around in my truck...

I know of someone who told me he was able to use sharkbites on some kitech in a ceiling for a fancy tub install , he told
me what he had done and I just thought better than to stir up trouble.... I hope for his sake it lasts more than the warranty


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> Kitech is some seriously nasty stuff that absolutely nothing will adapt to .....
> you cant even find any kind of adaptors to that stuff any more
> that I am aware of....
> I should probably try to find or ask about that some day just to carry something around in my truck...
> ...


A couple years ago we had to deal with it and I believe you can still get the kitec compression by mpt adapters.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

OldNelly said:


> Going to schitt? Rheem always has been in my experience. It's still better than Bradford.


The Rheem heaters seem to have a better burner asssembly and cheaper and easy to change out parts

they had to buy those ****ty gas valves from europe for actually more money than the good stuff they 
had used for decades.... now due to this hi-limit issue in those valves they are going to have to pay through
the nose......

I just got back on Sunday afternooon from changing out one of those peices of crap and installed the 
new gas valve in under 20 minutes... Luckily it was only 5 miles from my home, but on average most 
of these valves have been a minimum of 25 miles away and all going out on Sunday afternoons ......
murphys law I guess...

They are not paying enough to fool with them at 100 each... but I intend to get my pound of flesh out of 
them over time for all this aggravation...


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> The Rheem heaters seem to have a better burner asssembly and cheaper and easy to change out parts
> 
> they had to buy those ****ty gas valves from europe for actually more money than the good stuff they
> had used for decades.... now due to this hi-limit issue in those valves they are going to have to pay through
> ...


The sad part is the only replacement from my supply house was another POS looking plastic valve....


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

OpenSights said:


> The sad part is the only replacement from my supply house was another POS looking plastic valve....


They are now installing the better White Rojers valve on all of the heaters we receive....
I had *****ed about this and did not want to deal with any more crappy controls... at least
in our mid west area they have changed over to WR with a green decal on the box so you know
its an upgrade.......because so many customers have complained

What I dont understand is why they would go with that crappy valve from france when I find out
it actually cost a lot more than the WR valve??.. It had something to do with being able to keep up
with the supply demand from Rheem.... I am wondering if their will be a class action law suit over this??


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