Old Rheem Gas Heater Good or Bad?

[jariv]

I have an older Rheem Gas Heater (Model No. P-M337-A-EN-C) and was wondering if it's in good enough condition to use safely. I took everything apart as best I could and it appears the wires are in good condition (not chewed or ripped). I did see some Gekos in there but I believe they're gone now as well as any debris. I used this heater last year once or twice and it worked fine (minus the large gas bill). I have attached some pictures to get some better opinions than mine. I spoke with a pool repairman who seemed slightly pushy about getting a new heater--he is of the opinion this is not safe to use.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Oh this *IS* a problem for 007 @JamesW This is right up his alley. Hold tight.

Maddie aka Goodpenny

 

[jrguzmanr]

I'm no expert and I'm not familiar with your heater, but if I was in your situation I would ask myself the following questions....does it start up and shutdown at the appropriate temps? Does it have any errors? Does it shutdown when water flows stops? Depending on those answers, then I would decide to keep it or replace it. I also have a Rheem pool heater (400k), about 7 years old, and I'm happy with its efficiency.

 

[wireform]

What the pictures show is only minor rust on the baffles. Lots of units have that. If all else works what difference would it make. I'd run it.

 

[Bugman1400]

I would vacuum or blow out the debris, but other than that it looks good to me.