RHEEM XP50T06PV42U0 Yellow Flame/ TRD keeps blowing

[theck4291]

I have the model xp50t06pv42u0 Rheem water heater. We accidentally ran out of propane a bit back, and after getting our fillup, I noticed that the hot water never came back on. It ignited, and ran, however after making sure it was lit, I didn't keep an eye on it as I thought everything was good. The hot water never came back, so after lighting it again, it ran for a few seconds and went out. I thought it was the thermocouple, but after taking apart the burner, I noticed that there was none, and found out about the TRD(thermal release device) and ours was shot. Got replacement through warranty, installed, and when the hot water heater was ignited, I noticed it was a yellow flame only.

When I initially removed the burner, there was liquid on top of the burner... There is no leak to the tank, I fully inspected it, just wanted to include that info because I am not sure how that happened!

After running and having the yellow flame, about 6 minutes later the TRD blew.... Why is the flame not blue now, as everything is saying that's the problem. I am beyond frustrated with this, and we even went a little more expensive to get one of the better water heaters.

Can anyone shed light on how to fix this and prevent it from happening again?

 

[Twowaxhack]

The water was probably condensation, that can be normal.

Sounds like you have an air flow issue, either not enough coming into the heater ( no fix ) or you have an outflow problem like a clogged or improper vent.

You could also have a gas pressure problem. Like, too much pressure.

 

[theck4291]

The water was probably condensation, that can be normal.

Sounds like you have an air flow issue, either not enough coming into the heater ( no fix ) or you have an outflow problem like a clogged or improper vent.

You could also have a gas pressure problem. Like, too much pressure.

So how would I figure out clogged vent? I tried removing the fan assembly, but the baffle looks like it is sealed, unable to be removed. (I installed this water heater myself like 6 months ago, no issues until we ran out of the propane

 

[Twowaxhack]

I doubt it’s a vent problem if you have a power vent and no codes are being thrown. Probably not getting any air for some reason or a gas pressure issue.

 

[theck4291]

ok. So this should be diagnosable. what would cause pressure issues? the regulator maybe? guessing there is a way to hook up a gauge to the inlet where it connects to the thermostat to test pressure?

 

[theck4291]

ok now that I just typed that i remember i thought this could be an issue, so i turned on my furnace and it fired up full blast with all 4 burners emitting a nice blue flame.... must somehow be an air supply issue. need to figure out how to fix that problem.... something I read said something about scale on the burner could cause yellow flame... going to try and figure that out too

 

[theck4291]

could be that the burner itself has a clog or restriction, and that may be it. will look into that too.

 

[theck4291]

OK- So I took everything back apart, replaced the TRD, and used my compressor to blow out the filter inside. I turned the unit on(with the burner removed and the gas shut off) so the vent fan would assist on sucking all the soot out.... didnt do that at first and now I look like a 90's cartoon bad guy who had a cigar-bomb explode in his face. With vent fan running, million times better. put everything back together, leak tested it, and now its running better but I now have yellow tipped blue flames. Blue at bottom, yellow at top.... any advice on how to fix?

 

[bowerj12]

Did you ever find a fix for this? Same exact thing happened to me. 500 gallon lp tank ran out and our 1000 gallon was never turned on. Water heater never came back up. Replaced pilot assembly and TRD and once replaced the TRD it stayed lit and had hot water but ended up going out again and triggering the TRD. It's a power vent unit and checked exhaust air flow and there's no blockage. WH is in a tight space, is it a simple air intake restriction issue?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Probably restricted air intake either to the room itself or the intake screen to the heater. There’s no legit fix for the screen inside the heater being clogged on a Rheem.