So your Rheem water heater won’t light? Better Call Harry explains why!

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Rheem Manufacturing has said little about the residential water heater problem its been having throughout the pandemic, but if you ask customers and plumbers, they know all about the issue.

On Thursday, Rheem released a statement to CBS46 confirming that a “small percentage” of residential water heaters produced in 2020-2021 have a problem with a gas valve preventing the pilot light from igniting. Although, it’s unclear exactly how many water heaters have the problem, and where they were all installed.

“You don’t realize how difficult things are, the daily tasks you do, how difficult it is without hot water,” Sara Reising told CBS46′s Better Call Harry

Reising tried boiling water to heat her 2-year-old’s bath, but by day two, she was driving the toddler to her parent’s house. The family waited 5 days for the replacement part. On day six, the plumber installed the new part free of charge.

Prior to your inquiry we were aware of an issue affecting a small percentage of our water heater parts. From the moment we learned of this, we moved quickly to implement a permanent fix and mitigate these issues with our customers.
Despite supply chain challenges faced by manufacturers, we moved swiftly to provide a solution for homeowners like Ms. Riesing. We offered a labor credit to plumbers along with our traditional warranty program and process.
Any repair work should be completed by a licensed professional to ensure safety precautions are taken. Due to risk of injury, homeowners should not attempt repairs on their own.
Rheem stands ready to support our valued customers and will continue to work to deliver the quality performance they expect from Rheem.
Rheem Manufacturing Company Statement

If you have a 2020-2021 Rheem residential water heater, you can call a local plumber in your area and they will replace it for free.