Resetting Rheem Electric (Tank) Water Heater is simple as it has a reset button. To reset the unit, turn the power off to the unit. Then, remove the upper access panel and the insulation. Now, press the red reset button to reset the unit correctly.
But what do you do if you have a gas or tankless unit?
To discover the way of resetting the Rheem Gas or tankless unit, keep scrolling till the end.
Table of Contents
- Rheem Water Heater Reset Button Location
- Rheem Water Heater Reset Button: How To Steps
- What Trips The Reset Button On A Water Heater?
- FAQs
- End-Note
Rheem Water Heater Reset Button Location
Every Rheem Electric (Tank) Water Heater has a reset button. It is located on the upper heating element. You can easily access the red reset button by removing the upper access panel and the insulation.
And the red reset button looks like the following picture:
However, Rheem Gas (Tank) Water Heater and tankless units from Rheem have no reset buttons.
Still, you can reset those water heaters. For example, if you have a Rheem Gas (tank) Water Heater, you can reset it by relighting the pilot.
On the other hand, the tankless unit can be reset by plugging and unplugging the unit from the power source.
To learn more about this, go through every step I mentioned in the next chapter.
Rheem Water Heater Reset Button: How To Steps
It doesn’t matter if you have a Rheem tank or tankless unit or gas or gasless, this chapter will help you reset any type of Rheem Water Heater.
How To Reset Rheem Electric Water Heater?
Every electric water heater including Hybrid, Platinum Series, or others from Rheem has a reset button on the upper heating element. In other words, you can reset your electric unit (no matter what models of Rheem Electric Water Heater you own) by following the below instructions.
- Disconnect all power to your water heater first before maintenance.
- Unscrew the upper access panel and remove the insulation.
- Press the red reset button, which will reset your water heater successfully.
- Replace the insulation and the jacket access panel back into their places before restoring power to the unit.
How To Reset Rheem Gas Water Heater?
If you encounter any problem associated with your Rheem Gas Water Heater, relighting the unit will help you resolve the issue. To relight the water heater, follow the below step-by-step instructions:
- Before lighting the gas water heater, smell all around the water heater for gas.
- Rotate the combination gas control/thermostat knob counterclockwise to the Off position.
- Wait for 5 minutes to let all the gas clear out. If you smell any gas, maintain the safety guideline mentioned in the manufacturer manual.
- Take off the outer door from the water heater. Never try to attempt to remove the inner door assembly. Locate the piezo-electric spark generator button, which you can find below the combination gas control/thermostat knob.
- Rotate the gas control knob and set it to the Pilot position.
- Now, press and hold down the gas control knob all the way in while pressing the piezo-electric spark generator button several times until the ‘Status’ indicator light comes on. Once the ‘Status’ LED light begins to blink, ensure the pilot light is lit by seeing the pilot flame through the sight glass window.
- Put the outer door back into its place.
- Release the combination gas control knob, which should pop back out. If it doesn’t pop back out when released, call a professional or gas supplier immediately for further assistance.
- Lastly, turn the gas control knob to the desired setting to complete the task.
Note: If the Status light doesn’t come on after the first attempt, repeat steps 2 through 6. Set the gas control knob to the Off position if you are unable to light the pilot after a sequence of lighting attempts. Then, call a certified technician for help.
How To Reset Rheem Tankless Water Heater?
Rheem Tankless Water Heater has no reset button like the Rheem Electric (Tank) Water Heater. But you can still reset it.
To reset your tankless unit, set the circuit breaker for the water heater to Off position and leave the unit for 30 seconds. After that, restore the power to the unit by flipping the breaker to the Up position. And it will reset your tankless unit.
Turns out, you can adjust the DIP switches to hard reset your tankless unit. FYI, maintain the manufacturer’s manual or hire a certified plumber to adjust those switches. I recommend you to watch this tutorial to hard reset your Rheem Tankless Water Heater:
What Trips The Reset Button On A Water Heater?
Every electric (tank) water heater including Rheem has a safety feature called ECO. If water temperature somehow reaches the safety limit or gets too hot, the unit will cut off the ECO or reset button to cut off electric power to the unit.
Now, the question is- what causes the water temperature of the unit to go extremely hot?
Simple.
If you set the temperature too high, the output will follow. To resolve this issue, I recommend you set the temperature to a lower setting. You can easily adjust the temperature by turning the thermostat dials pointer.
To get the thermostat dials pointer, remove the upper access panel and the insulation. Now, use a screwdriver to set the thermostat dial to a lower setting.
A corroded or burn-out heating element is another culprit that may cause the reset button to trip. In this case, you must replace the defective heating element to resolve the issue.
FAQs
Should I hit the reset button on my water heater?
The reset button plays a safety role in your water heater. It cuts the power off to the unit if there is a problem with the unit or during power surges. Before hitting the reset button, I recommend you find out the culprit that causes the button to trip. Then, resolve the issue and press the reset button to reset the unit. If the reset button keeps tripping, it will be better to contact your plumber.
What happens when you press the reset button on water heater?
When you press the reset button, your unit will receive the electric power it requires to activate the unit.
How long after resetting the water heater will water be hot?
You must wait once you reset the water heater unless you have an on-demand water heater. Actually, the exact time it takes to heat the water will depend on the tank size of the unit. For an electric unit, it will take around 60 to 90 minutes to heat the water. On the other hand, the gas water heater will take 30-40 minutes to get hot water in the hot shower.
End-Note
Effortless.
Yes, resetting your Rheem Water Heater is not rocket science. If you own the Rheem Electric (Tank) Water Heater, turn the power off to the unit first. Then, access the reset button by removing the upper access panel and the insulation. Lastly, press the reset button to reset the unit.
On the other hand, if you own a gas water heater, relight the pilot following the step-by-step instructions I mentioned in this article.
For a tankless unit, just unplug the unit from the electric power source, leave the unit for 30 seconds, plug the unit again.
That’s it…
Eric Alvarez is the head of content on LilDutchUncle.Com. He is an HVAC guy based in El Paso, Texas, United States. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the University Of Texas at El Paso. Years of experience in the HVAC field have taught him many lessons, not the least of which is that the value of quality and knowledge far exceeds any promised initial savings. He has a good standing reputation for superior skills in heating, air conditioning, hot water tanks, and indoor air quality systems.
