This was done as a temporary fix until the replacement part could come in on a Rheem Water heater. Warning: You burn your house down, that is a you problem, not a me problem.

Note: I set mine to 12k ohms, not 12. Reading should be between 9k and 45k per Rheem technical Support.

If you have to perform the reset, your sensor is probably failing. This reset will only work a few times before the system locks it out (at which time you WILL have to install a new sensor, or preform the pencil trick). While I think the pencil trick can work as a temporary fix, I would not rely on it.