How to Light a Rheem Hot Water Tank

If you have a gas Rheem hot water tank, you may need to relight the pilot light every now and then. Sometimes if there is a draft in the area surrounding your hot water tank, the pilot light can be accidentally blown out, causing gas to be wasted and preventing the water tank from heating your water as it should. Lighting a Rheem hot water tank is not difficult and can easily be done in less than 15 minutes.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Long matches

1. Begin by turning the gas on outside of the house. In order to turn the gas on, simply turn the gas control valve counterclockwise until it will no longer turn, then turn it clockwise a quarter of a turn.

2. Locate the pilot light of the Rheem water heater. Normally, the pilot light is situated at the bottom of the heater and will be clearly marked. There will be a gas control knob next to the pilot light. Turn the gas control knob to "Light" and then strike one of the matches and carefully slide the flame in front of the pilot light hole to light the gas.

3. Once the pilot light is lit, use the gas control knob to turn the heat up to the desired water temperature. The pilot light will serve as the ignition source for the burners now so that when the gas is on you can simply adjust the water temperature with the turn of a knob.

4. Light the pilot light quickly as the longer you wait to light it, the more gas escapes into the confines of the house which could be dangerous.

Tips & Warnings

• Periodically check the pilot light to make sure that it is still burning. If you notice that the pilot light has blown out, very carefully repeat the lighting process after.

References

• Informative article on hot water tank maintenance