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| Kenmore Miser 12 Pilot problems | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 6th, 2008 05:48 pm |
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1st Post |
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improvement54 Member 
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Hello, I've been reading the site and have learned at ton about what to look for in my replacement water heater. Currently, I have a 40 Gal, 38K BTU, 1990 Rheemglas Fury water heater with a leak somewhere between the tank and the jacket. I've checked the fittings and the combustion chamber and everything looks good. I think she is just finally done. I had almost decided on getting the Kenmore Power Miser 12, 40 Gal water heater. It has 2 inches of insulation, two magnesium anodes, and fits what I'm looking for. The problem is that it has several reviews on the Sears website that say the pilot keeps going out because of dirty intake filters. Apparently, after 18 months the filters get dirty and have to be cleaned. I have not seen any word on whether cleaning the filters actually fixes the problem or not. Does anyone have any info on this issue on the Kenmore's?
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| Posted: Fri Jun 6th, 2008 09:43 pm |
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2nd Post |
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elenano Member
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Some years back, the federal government made everybody come up with a flame-arrest feature to prevent water heater pilots from igniting external fumes, such as gasoline. Two systems are used to do that and they both have drawbacks. One, used by everybody but Rheem, employs a metal link that melts to trigger the heater shutdown. It can be replaced, but with that type of heater, like the Kenmore, attention needs to be made to keeping the floor beneath the heater clean, as the filter gets clogged and causes problems. Rheem claims that people never have to deal with that problem with its heaters, but its system has a drawback, too. It employs a glass vial that breaks to shut down the heater. But once that happens, the water heater is junk. It can't be repaired and has to be replaced. I suggest you write the federal government and curse it roundly.  These fixes were in response to maybe five cases a year of water heaters igniting fumes and caused water heater prices to rise about 40 percent.Randy Schuyler
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| Posted: Sat Jun 7th, 2008 07:24 pm |
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3rd Post |
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improvement54 Member
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Yea, I read that on several websites. I just never came across such problems with keeping things breathing well enought to keep the pilot lit. I'm not condoning this type of behavior nor would I expect anyone else to, but could one remove the filters to allow better breathing? I mean, as long as this unnamed soul isn't one of those five cases a year, then what's the harm? Does it turn into an insurance issue? After all, how on earth could we have all survived all of the years without the handy fire prevention system?  Or would it be better just to vacuum everything out once a year or so?
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| Posted: Sat Jun 7th, 2008 09:57 pm |
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4th Post |
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eleent Member
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Hello: I suppose if the only one who could ever be hurt by your act of disabling the fire safety on the heater was you, there might be a way to rationalize it. If a plumber did that, he certainly could wind up with jail time. Even though it's a nuisance, cleaning the filter is taking the high road. I'd find out the source of the stuff clogging the filter and get rid of it directly, so the filter didn't clog up in the first place. Yours, Larry ps. We do seem to be going overboard in an attempt to protect us from ourselves. A little education would probably work better than attempts at idiot-proofing everything in our world 
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| Posted: Sun Jun 8th, 2008 08:45 pm |
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5th Post |
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Ej Member 
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On the Kenmore it isn't really a filter but a flame arrestor that is built into (part of) the bottom of the tank. To remove this you would have to "cut it out" of the bottom and would surely void your warranty and increase your liability to your home and family. Just simply running a feather duster under it once every three months isn't really to much of a hassle. Hang the duster on a hook next to the heater and it's there when needed.
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