Rheem Stellar/RheemPlus 5 Star Questions & Answers (page 2 of 5)

Where's the flue terminal, is it where the front vents are? Mine had a lot of steam coming out while it's heating. It stops after the tank is full and heating is complete. Note I am not affiliated with Rheem, this is just my experience with the product.

Hi Jerry, I have the exact same question. I heard that the rheem stainless steel cylinders dont require a sacrificial anode. Did find out? Regards Burke

Hi Burke
Apparently the stellar 330 have 2 anodes per tank, so not required as soon as normal, I have a person coming out at 5yr anniversary to replace.
Hope this helps
Cheers Jery

Give Rheem a ring as it could be a problem with your gas jets or your anode needs changing. It appears your still in the warrantey period if you have a Stella. They will get a guy to come out and have a look.

I really dislike the standard answers from Rheem Official. The purpose of these public questions should be to help other people straight away, without asking them to call for exactly the same question.

For the Rheem Stellar 360, 5 star, 160 liters, model 850360NO. The model can be found by removing the plastic door (there is a big plastic label on the inside).

This model has two anodes, which are accessible from the top of the water heater. Under the top plastic cover (held in place by a screw), there is a rounded metal dome which has to be removed as well (I used my hands with leather gloves to lift it from its sides) and there are two anodes underneath.

The user Zeiter has provided advice about the anode replacement on https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1251999

Unlike other people, I could not be happier with how this model performed in the five years since we installed it. The flame never turned off since then and we always had hot water. I use the release valve for a few seconds every few months.

Good one Nick, i was trying to work out what was holding the cover down. Ill look for this screw.
Agree with generic responses being of no use.

I phoned and complained, and flat out refused to pay any service fee, my complaint got escalated, they came out and replaced the gas lighter so far so good
But point out that this is a common fault and the system is useless without a pilot light and should have longer warranty being an important component

I have the same issue with this POS. House is 2 years new and Rheem are also trying to sham us a service fee for what looks like a common defect with these systems. Issue persists.

Hi Bruce. The pilot light goes out for a reason. There needs to be some Investigation done to work out the cause. The pilot light on the Stellar is very small (helps Rheem achieve the 5 star rating). This can cause issues with wind blowing out the small flame, especially if the front cover is not fitted correctly or is damaged. There is a part called a thermocouple that sits in the pilot flame that tells the burner control to keep supplying gas to the pilot light. The thermocouples do burn out over time causing the pilot light to go out. It can be changed and a new thermocouple should last at least 4 years. This is the most common fault. If the new thermocouple is not fitted exactly right, it will continue to cause problems because the pilot flame is so small. I use the original Rheem thermocouples as they clip in one position only so you can't get it wrong. Or the burner control could be faulty with an intermittent fault. This is hard to diagnose due to its randomness. It's is also replaceable, but it's not a cheap part. You want to be sure before you change it. I have seen issues with the retaining screw in the top of the burner being removed during service but not replaced. This can cause an earthing problem for the thermocouple so must be put back in if it's missing. Another problem I have seen is a sticking gas meter regulator on the utility gas meter set. Again another result of having a very small pilot light. It's a unusual problem but I see about one every year. Hope that helps. Mark.

Problem is with the water meter. The noise is generated by faulty meter and resonates via the copper piping to the water heater which is 20 metres away! Discovered this by turning down the water pressure and sound diminishes. Alan

I think I am not the right person to be asked this question. please refer it to Rheem Stellar customer service or qualified plumbers. sorry....

I've not experienced this issue with my unit. Only the banging sound which I'm sure would disturb the neighbors at night let alone my little one.

Just got off the phone with rheem I have the same problem and I is getting worse I spoke to their technical support and they told me that it has been rectified in the newer models so to me that is them admitting the product is a substandard product. When I said that to them they told me that it's my problem. My old hot water service was rheem as well it never went out I wouldn't buy anything rheem ever again I build commercial kitchen and will always suggest people don't install rheem even if it is specified