Rheem gas water heater explosive noises - delayed ignition after 10 minutes?

[Walbur]

So my Rheem gas water heater recently started to act up. Whenever we start to use hot water, like doing a shower, roughly after 10 minutes, we hear a huge explosive bang coming out of the heater. The noise is so loud the entire house feels a shake. After the bang, sometimes the pilot slowly goes out (and we have to relit the pilot), and sometimes we hear rumbling noises from the burning for a while. This is so disconcerting I decided to record the flame using a webcam.

From the recording, I can clearly see the flame getting bigger, as I expected, when I started shower, but roughly 10 minutes after that, there were two loud bangs about 15 seconds apart, each accompanying what visually seems to be an explosion inside the chamber. After the second bang, the flame slowly shrank and eventually went out. I have uploaded the part of recording around the bangs (WARNING: be prepared for the sudden noises when you watch it).



Sorry for the low quality and if you are confused by a silver band showing in the middle of the observation window, it's the reflection of a foil tape on the left.

From what I had researched online, this seems to be close to a delayed ignition. But 10 minutes delay? Could there be a small gas leak somewhere? Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could fix this? I would have called a plumber but given the current coronavirus situation I wanted to first see if I can fix the issue myself.

 

[Geofd]

Call a licensed insured plumber this is not something you should wait on or research

 

[Geofd]

Call a licensed insured plumber this is not something you should wait on or research

They will stil come out usually you would have to be in a separate part of the house
You should NOT wait on this

 

[Walbur]

Thanks for the advice. Called one plumber and he said based on my description, the entire burner needs to be replaced. Does this make sense, or do I want to call another plumber?

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Just get a new hot water tank. Don’t waste money on costly parts and labor...

 

[Jeff Handy]

First of all, turn it off asap.
No need to burn your house down.
You can skip showers for a few days.
You can heat a big pot of water and wash your hair in the kitchen.

It sounds like it’s back firing like a car.
Gas is probably building up in the flue and then igniting.
That is likely shortening the life of the tank after every bang.

How old is the water heater?
How long is the warranty?
Most heaters have a 6,9, or 12 year warranty.
What is the exact brand, model, and serial number?
That can be found on a sticker on the heater.
Post a pic of that, don’t try to transcribe it.

If it is out of warranty, getting it fixed might cost half to almost as much as getting a new one.

 

[Jeff Handy]

It could be a faulty thermocouple, ignitor, pilot, gas valve, burner, lots of things.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

In this time of so many things shut down, it may be easier to have a new tank installed than to try and repair an old one. There are no unknowns with a new tank. With trying to repair an old one, you almost certainly have two trips from a plumber: one for diagnosis, the second for repair. When all is said and done you have spent hundreds and still have (presumably) an older tank...

 

[Walbur]

This is a Rheem 38 Gallon. The sticker pic attached.

I got it installed 3 years ago as a warranty replacement for a previous heater that leaked water inside. So warranty on this one was only 6 months and already expired. It annoys me thinking about replacing it fully out of pocket with only 3 years of use.

I scheduled an inspection with another plumber tomorrow. Will update with his findings.

 

[Jeff Handy]

How many years did you get out of the first one?

Meanwhile, I have read bad things about Rheem quality going downhill lately in the past few years.

Good luck with inspection, hopefully a cheap fix!

 

[Walbur]

How many years did you get out of the first one?

Could not recall the exact number (came with the house when we bought it), but it was like only a few months before the warranty expired. Thought I was lucky at the time.

 

[House Doc]

I would contact Rheem directly as could be a safety hazard, covered by more than basic warranty. I don't think that they would like it if their heaters were known to explode at times....