SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20150210-65FB7-1467631. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Rheem XG50T06EC38U0 (Gas Water Heater). Incident: The consumer stated that he purchased the water heater and had it installed. The consumer stated that immediately the pilot kept going out on the water heater. The consumer had to constantly re-light it more and more over the past two months. The consumer stated he went out for sometime. When he came back he had to re-light the pilot twice a day. The consumer stated that there was black soot coming out of the water heater. The consumer called the retailer. They informed him that this was normal. The consumer stated that eventually the pilot stopped lighting. The consumer contacted the manf at that point. They sent out a technician from Superior on 2/4/15. The technician was asked to take pictures of the chimney and exhaust. The consumer stated that Rheem attributed the soot problem to not having a chimney liner and the right pitch to the exhaust line. The technician from Superior stated that Rheem will send out replacement parts (TDR and burner) due to the heavy soot. The consumer stated that he received a call from the technician two days later asking about the parts and if they have come in yet. The technician called Rheem to find out and he was informed that since the consumer does not have the right pitch and chimney liner, they will not provide any replacement parts. The consumer stated that this water heater was a direct replacement from a previous one. The consumer contacted the manf and spoke to a supervisor on 2/5/15. They agreed to send the parts as long as the consumer does not hold them liable for any more warranty repairs. The consumer has a 7-10 years warranty