Error code

Rheem gas water heater error code A001

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Is A001 on a Rheem gas water heater an emergency?

Treat it as urgent — deal with it today. If you smell gas, do not touch switches or try to relight anything: leave, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside.

Take the photo. We’ll tell you what it is.

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What A001 means

“Ignition lockout.”

— Rheem, Rheem Residential Super High Efficiency gas water heater Use & Care manual (AP21831 Rev 2), alarm and alert codes. Codes vary by model: check your gas water heater’s own manual.

Where A001 fits

In plain words, A001 is about ignition — the burner did not light, or the control saw a flame signal it did not expect.

Rheem gives 6 other ignition and flame codes for this gas water heater: A002 (Flame is not stable), A012 (Flame Detected During Standby/Disabled Mode), A027 (Flame present before ignit), A028 (Flame present w/o heating), A030 (Unit lost flame).

Next to A001 in Rheem’s table: A002 (Flame is not stable).

What to try first

  • Turn the unit off and back on once to clear it. If it returns, stop and call a qualified technician. If you smell gas, leave and call the gas utility from outside.

Safety: If you smell gas, do not touch switches or try to relight anything: leave, and call the gas utility or 911 from outside.

How urgent is it?

At least TODAY. fixRAgent treats this code as needing attention today. It points at water where it should not be, overheating, a combustion or ignition safety shutdown, food that may be warming, or a wiring problem. This is fixRAgent’s reading, not the manufacturer’s. A photo can raise it — water near wiring, scorch marks, a gas smell — but a code never lowers what the photo shows.

Who to call

Plumber. Have the model and serial numbers from the label ready — a photo of the label works.

Recalls and manuals

Check whether your model is under a safety recall on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s site: cpsc.gov/Recalls. Your owner’s manual is on Rheem’s support site; search it with the model number from the label.