Rheem Water Heater Burner

[Matthew Dennis]

Good afternoon everyone! I have a 10 yr old Rheem 50 gallon water heater. Recently I discovered I had no hot water and a water leak from the hot water inlet. I repaired that, drained the tank multiple times and cleaned out the water in the drain pan and can't get the burner to stay lit more than a second or two. If I have the seal broken it will stay lit, the pilot works just fine but will also go out after the burner goes out. It seems like it's not getting oxygen, I used an air compressor to clean out the bottom of the unit to help clear lint and crud out and still no luck. It will only stay lit with the accesses seal being broken.

Please help! Thank you everyone for your input!

 

[Dj2]

You are in a tough position.
Could be the gas valve.
Could be the burner assembly unit.
At 10 years, this WH has lived its life expectancy.
Your call: invest in repair parts or replace the WH.
If you choose to repair...be ready to shell out some money.