The most common reason why a Rheem water heater pilot light fails to stay lit is a faulty, soot-covered, or misaligned thermocouple, or a blocked pilot tube assembly. Modern Rheem units feature sophisticated Honeywell or White-Rodgers gas control valves equipped with robust safety sensors. If the pilot flame does not make direct, robust contact with the thermocouple tip, it cannot generate the necessary millivolt electrical current (typically 12 to 30 millivolts) required to hold the internal gas safety valve open. Verification: Test the thermocouple output voltage using a multimeter set to millivolts while holding the pilot button down.
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