Rheem Furnace Ignitors

Rheem provides heating and air conditioning units for residential and commercial use as well as commercial boilers and swimming pool heaters. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company has manufacturing plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, California, two in Canada, one in Australia, and two in Mexico. Japanese company Paloma Industries, the world's largest producer of gas-using appliances, purchased Rheem in 1987.

Ignitor Products

Rheem manufactures heating and cooling units under brands name Rheem, Raypak, Ruud, Richmond, Protech and Prostock. Rheem furnaces use direct spark ignitors with electric ignition. Ignitors usually have a service life of approximately five years but can fail sooner if improperly mishandled. Oil from human hands is particularly harmful to ignitors and may cause them to fail earlier. Replacement parts can be bought for about $25 to $50 from furnace installers and parts merchants.

Company History

Brothers Richard and Donald Rheem started the company in the mid-1920s in San Francisco by buying a galvanizing plant. Space heaters and oil furnaces were added to the product list in the 1940s and 1950s. The company expanded into the heating and air conditioning market in the late 1960s and central air conditioning in the 1970s. Japanese company Paloma Industries, the world's largest producer of gas appliances, purchased Rheem in 1987.

Rheem's Warranty

All parts, including ignitors, in Rheem furnaces are covered by a five-year limited warranty which states that the company will replace parts that, through normal use and maintenance, fail within the warranty period. Some models are covered by an additional lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger. Rheem will replace the unit if the exchanger fails only if the furnace is still owned by the original buyer and was registered with the company.

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