Marey Tankless Water Heater Not Igniting
The Short Answer: A Marey gas tankless that will not ignite is not an electric ECO unit. Power Gas boxes need two D-cells, enough flow to trip the microswitch, and LP or NG at the rating plate. Digital GA units throw E1 after two failed sparks. Stop clicking into a dark burner. Do not crack fittings.
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Search Intent & The Real Problem
You opened a hot faucet. Silence — or tick-tick, then nothing. Marey sells three machines under one badge: battery Power Gas (GA5 / GA6 / GA10 class), 120-volt fan-assisted indoor GA16–GA30 class, and electric tankless (ECO / Power Plus) that never ignites. Electric Marey going lukewarm is electric tankless goes cold, not this page. This page is no flame. Cousin portables: Excel. Generic no-flame physics: burner not lighting.
What other guides get wrong
They paste Rinnai code 11 onto a two-D-cell Power Gas. There is no 3” PVC and no 199,000 BTU manifold on a 5 L box. They skip reversed water connections, so the microswitch never sees flow and you buy a gas valve. They tell you to soap-test a smelling closet with the spark still jumping. And they treat ECO 180 electric Marey as a “no ignition” problem — that unit has heating elements, not a burner.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Step 1: Name the Marey — then split no-click from click-no-flame
| What you have | Ignition | This page? |
|---|---|---|
| Power Gas / GA5 / GA6 / GA10, D-cells, water-flow knob, no flue fan | Spark from batteries when the microswitch opens | Yes |
| Indoor GA16 / GA24 / GA26 / GA30, 120 V, display, flue | DSI + blower, E1 after two trials | Yes |
| ECO / Power Plus electric tankless, big breakers, no gas | No burner | Wrong machine — Siogreen-class electric |
| Click, no flame | Spark without gas, or lockout | Stay here |
| No click at all | Batteries, microswitch, flow, or 120 V / blower | Stay here |
| Lights, then dies | Flame rod, ODS, overheat | Step 4–5 |
- What to look for: Rating plate (GA5PORT, GA10FLP, GA16ETL, GA24CSA, GA30LP). Fuel: LP vs NG. Photo of any E digit. Cold and hot actually on the stamped ports — reversed lines are the #1 “dead” Power Gas.
- Required tools: Flashlight, phone camera.
Step 2: No click — batteries, flow, microswitch, 120 V
- What to look for: Power Gas: two D-cells, correct polarity (the door diagram, not a guess), tabs actually touching. About 3 V at the compartment. Inlet screen packed with grit so the water-valve diaphragm never lifts the microswitch. Flow knob cranked toward the tiny droplet so the switch never opens. Isolation valves closed. Electric Marey owners: stop, you are on the wrong heater. Indoor GA: display dark = no 120 V; display alive but no fan = blower not working — do not fire a power-vent with a dead fan (CO).
- Required tools: Fresh D-cells, eyes on the microswitch with a hot faucet open (cover off only if you are qualified). Water off before the inlet screen.
A 5 L / ~1.6 GPM Marey will not spark on a trickle. That is activation, not a failed igniter. House static over ~80 psi belongs on a regulator, not on the gas knob.
Step 3: Click, no flame — gas you do not crack
- What to look for: Appliance cock parallel to the pipe. LP bottle not empty, regulator not icing, stove lights. Spark you can see at the electrode with gas off for one look. Spark, no flame: no gas at the burner, wrong NG/LP orifice after a “conversion,” or a solenoid that never opens. No spark on a click is a cracked ceramic, a wet electrode, or a dead module — cousin path piezo will not spark even when this unit is DSI, not a push-button. Whoosh / bang, then dark: delayed ignition — shut down, not a second try.
- Required tools: Ears at the cabinet. Manometer work is licensed. Typical NG ~3.5–7 in. w.c. / LP ~10–11 in. w.c. at the appliance — confirm the rating plate (some Marey sheets list a wider window; the plate wins).
Do not crack a flare to “see if you have gas.” Air after a bottle swap delays light-off — still do not purge fittings. RV DSI click-no-light is a different board — Atwood clicking.
Step 4: Digital GA — E1 lockout, then stop
Indoor Marey boards are typically two-try. No flame, E1, lockout. Soft-reset by shutting the hot faucet off and back on. Three E1s in a row is a tech, not a ritual.
| Code (confirm your GA sticker) | Meaning | First move |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | Ignition failure / flame not proved | Gas, spark, two trials, then lockout |
| E2 | Flame lost during a run, or false flame | Fuel / flame rod. E2 as false flame: leave it off |
| E3 | Overheat / dry fire | Flow too low; cool with water; licensed if it returns |
| E5 | Fan / air prove | Flue, blower, pressure switch — do not jumper |
| E7 | Solenoid / proportional valve | Licensed. No wrenches on gas |
| E8 | Flue blockage | Termination, nest, condensate — then licensed |
- What to look for: Fan spins before spark on a vented GA. Spark you can hear with gas off. E8 or a blocked termination is not “more gas.” Exhaust that smells like fuel is tankless exhaust gas smell.
- Required tools: The sticker. One faucet reset after you fix fuel or 120 V.
Same family as Rinnai no hot water — not the same codes.
Step 5: Lights then dies, ODS, and a dead exchanger
- What to look for: Flame for a second, then dark: flame rod sooted, weak LP as the bottle ices, or an ODS that dropped (indoor vent-free / some portables) — do not bypass. Runs, then E3: low flow so the exchanger flashes over temp, a clogged inlet, or a failed thermostat. Wet cabinet, green copper, drip at a water union: isolate water, leave gas off. A $180 Power Gas with a cracked exchanger is replacement.
- Required tools: Paper towel. Gas off. No epoxy on a pressure vessel.
T&P on a vented GA that dribbles is expansion or >80 psi; never cap; typical 150 psi / 210°F.
When DIY Ends: Calling a Licensed Pro
You may confirm bottles, swap D-cells, clean an inlet screen with water off, verify the microswitch moves, and faucet-reset E1 once. Stop at a gas smell, delayed-ignition bangs, a jumpered ODS or pressure switch, gas-valve work, a silent blower on a vented GA, and repeating E1. A licensed plumber with a manometer beats a fifth spark into a dark cabinet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is my Marey tankless water heater not igniting? A: No flow to the microswitch, dead or reversed D-cells, empty LP or a closed cock, reversed water lines, a dead igniter, or E1 lockout after two failed trials. Electric Marey units do not ignite — they have elements.
Q: Why does my Marey click but never light? A: The igniter is sparking and gas is not arriving, or the valve is in lockout. Do not keep clicking. One trial after you confirm fuel, then a licensed tech.
Q: What does E1 mean on a Marey gas tankless? A: The board tried to light twice and did not prove flame. Open gas and water, check the inlet screen, one faucet reset. If E1 returns, stop. Do not loosen fittings.