Mistaken Identity: Help with Kenmore Water Heater

Could you send me some pics to the area were the hidden ceramic filter at the bottom of the burner assembly and it was dirty with lint is? (my email: gycc3@hotmail.com)

I have the same exact problem. Sears finally gave me a new replacement, but I am not wanting to put up with Sears or their Kenmore brand anymore......

What a terrible nightmare

Buyer beware.

Is your water heater still working? We have replaced the burning assembly in ours 4 times in the last 6 months, and the pilot light is still going out.

If possible could you please send me a picture also because my plumber is coming out tomorrow to see what the problem is although I have just bought the pilot. I also had a water heater that lasted 29 years, it was not a Kenmore though and I thought I was going to have the same 29 years of service.

History:
I Purchased my Kenmore Power Miser water heater about 3 1/2 to 4 years ago, and about a year ago, I started having problems with the pilot light not staying lit. I replace burner assembly, and the problem seemed to clear up for a few months and then I was back to the same problem again. After awhile the problem got worse. The pilot light would now only stay on after I lit it manually, the water would get hot and the burner would shut off and the pilot light would go out also. I suffered through this problem for several more months and was about to replace the Gas Control Valve when I landed on this forum and read Ozzie's post (see above), concerning the ceramic filter beneath the burner assembly. I removed the plastic screen Air Intake from the bottom of the heater housing and using a flash light, I saw the ceramic filter that Ozzie had described, and it was very dirty.
What I did to correct the problem:
Without removing the burner assembly, the only access to this filter is through the elongated holes in the support at the bottom of the water heater. These elongated holes are covered up by the black plastic Air Intake screen, which I will refer to in the future as the the PRIMARY air intake filter. Using a dryer lint cleaning brush, I remove a lot of built up lint from the bottom of the ceramic filter which I will refer to in the future as the Secondary air intake filter. Just for good measure, I also removed the burner assembly and cleaned the Secondary air intake filter from the top also. Using a small shop vac I cleaned up the burner housing area and reinstalled the burner assembly and the Primary air intake filter. It appears the problem is fixed. My pilot light is staying on after the burner goes off and I now have a continuous supply of hot water.
In my opinion, the problem is not a bad design, its a more of a maintenance issue. Just like your car our your heating system, the filters have to be cleaned to insure proper operation. If you never replaced or clean the filter on your car, the engine would start to falter and give you trouble. If you don't clean or change the filter on your heating and air system, it's not going to work properly. On this hot water heater, if you periodically check and clean the Primary Air Intake Filter clean and at least twice a year clean the Secondary Air Intake Filter, you should never have a problem. If you don't then here you are, looking for answers and spending money for nothing. I think the real problem is not so much a case of a bad design, as it is a case of a poorly written Owner's manual put out by Kenmore. There is no mention of cleaning the Secondary Air Intake Filter anywhere, and the only place there is any mention of cleaning the Primary Air Intake Filter is in the trouble shooting section.
Owner's Recourse:
For those of you that have had a Sears Technician to come out and evaluate this problem and have paid good money for replacement parts and labor without results, I do believe you have a case for a refund of your money for any replacement parts they sold you, or at least a free return trip to clean both the Primary and Secondary Air Intake Filters, which they should have done on the first visit. The truth be told, the Sears Tech probably didn't know about the secondary Air Intake filter, but that's not your problem. they are the "EXPERTS" in the industry, they are suppose to know there products and how to repair them. Also, For the service call, this is not about warranty, which is usually 90 days, this is about negligence or ineptitude, for which there is no time limit. If you payed for a local Sears service tech to come out and fix this problem, and they just replaced a burner and or the gas control valve, and he did not clean the Secondary air intake filter, I would call and complain to Sears, because the first thing they should have done, before they replaced any parts, was clean both filters (screens).