Water Heater Frustration

[EddieWalker]

We're in Water a Heater nightmare!!!!

When I built this house three years ago, I didn't want to deal with propane, so everything is electric. Mistake number one. I shoped around and decided that the best electric water heater out there was the Whirlpool sold at Lowes. Stainless elements, lifetime warrentee and super smart energy efficiency. Mistake number two. When I installed it, it leaked. I called them up and was told that it's common for the anode to come loose and to just put some sealer on it and tighten it up. Clue to future problems that I ignored and should have returned it right then and there. Mistake number three.

A few months later, just before Christmas, it stoped working. Acording to Whirlpool, it was a defective control module. They sent out a new one for me to install. It was fixed until the next year on Christmas day.

We came home from my MIL's house to find a flood of water in the shop. The tank had ruptured. Lowes replaced it the next day and it's been working since then. It's an 80 gallon tank and we've never been able to take showers without waiting for it to heat up again.

Then over the summer, our water started to smell like rotten eggs. The water district guy told me to drain the tank and pour vinigar in there. That usualy kills the smell. It worked, but not for long. Turns out the anode to soften the water has a history of causing this smell. Mostly it's with well water, not city water, but in our case, we're special.

Take it out and replace it or learn to live with the smell of rotten egg hot water.

Then on Sunday evening, no hot water. Customer support said that I used up my lifetime warrantee when I got the new one two years earlier. I really hate them.

I go to Lowes Sunday night just before they close and buy the only brand they sell. Whirlpool. Another really big mistake on my part. What am I thinking?

I get it home, hook it up and wait for the water to heat up. Nothing. Turns out I picked out a dud. Customer support says they can send me some new elements to replace them, or I can call their support guy and he'll come out to do it when he's available.

Customer support is in India, and I don't think they get it that I just bought a brand new water heater and don't want to work on it, or wait for delivery of parts and some guy to come fix it for me. There are four of us without a water heater, and this includes my wife and 12 year old daughter. We need hot water now!!

I take it back to Lowes yesterday morning for a refund, but they refuse. Say that I need authorazation from Whirlpool for this. They even have a nice printed out sign at the refund counter saying this. I asked why the sign wasn't at the water heater section where I looked them over. It might have been nice to know this before buying it.

Another hour on the phone with Whirlpool without any authorization. Finally the store manager agrees to take it back and give me my money and had the satisfaction of hanging up on the supervisor that I was dealing with.

I go to Home Depot and buy a GE water heater. Its got Rheem all over it, but it also looks allot like the Whirlpool that I just took back to Lowes. Both are made in Mexico. I wonder if in the same building?

I get it home, hook it up and wait for hot water. Nothing. I call customer support and get somebody who speaks English. We do the tests and find out that the lower element is bad. Here we go again.

The new element should be here today. He said he'd ship it overnight express. It's 3:30pm and nothing has arrived yet. Guess it wasn't express...

I really need to get a propane tank!!!!!

Eddie & Steph

 

[Eagleview]

Sorry for asking the obvious , but are you on Off Peak electricity for the hot water ? As the meter will not provide spark until late at night . It may explain the last lack of hot water .

 

[RollTideRam]

I am about to buy a tankless propane made by rheem, now I'm gunshy. Of course I am really starting to worry about the 16 year old cheapest model I could get at Lowe's when we built our house. JC

 

[JASTN70D]

Wow It sounds like my kind of luck. I guess saying sorry for your problems would be way under doing it. Makes you want to take drastic action until you figure out there seems to be not target to take your complaints to. I think that is the worse part of it all

We built about 5 years ago.. Tried to get very good appliances. not the very top of the line but close.. They all had something in common extensive electronics. We have replaced all of them Some 2 times now (Microwave) I have decided bottom of the line from now on.

Appliances are apparently a disposable item now???

 

[kthompson]

I have worked on appliances years ago and do not think Whirlpool makes their water heaters. They may be now as they have bought many other companies (like Maytag). It is amazing how few appliances mfg companies there really are even with central heat and cooling.

As to Lowe's not wanting to take the water heater back...I agree that is sorry.

But here is where I was going to begin with and hope still true, I am not a 100% fan of Consumer Reports but on a few items they have done a good job for me, appliances and vehicles. If you don't want to buy them and I don't, the library normally has them. On autos their report from owners has always been right on all I have checked.

 

[studor]

I feel for you -- I went through a similar experience with a kitchen range made by Maytag (now Whirlpool) last spring -- don't expect any form of customer service -- if you complain through e-mail or their website you might as well talk to the wall. Just a thought -- I once had a problem with a two pole breaker and a water heater -- turned out the breaker did not function properly so I was only getting 110 instead of 220 -- drove me nuts until I checked the water heater with a meter and did the big ahaa -- felt pretty stupid. You might want to double check the internal wiring and back to the panel given it seems you have never had 80 gallons of truly hot water -- by the way the liability guys have worked their magic on water heaters too -- they are most often set at tepid so idiots will not scald themselves and then contact their favourite class action bottom feeder
The instant on tankless propane water heaters are great -- the electric ones require a small nuclear power plant to work well.
Hope you eventually get back into hot water
Steve

 

[HickoryNut]

Whirlpool/Lowe's new "FlameLock" natural gas heaters are also total junk. I replaced 12 thermocouples in 3 months, along with 2 "upgrade kits", talking to India is total nonsense. I took it back to Lowe's and when they wouldn't give my money back I just left it in their parking lot and went across the street to HomeDepot and bought a GE/Rheem and its been trouble-free and much quieter.

The Whirlpool had a flame-guard filter screen your supposed to clean every 3 months or you lose combustion air and cause thermocouples break down due to heat. But you have to disconnect the unit and lay it on its side to clean the screen on the bottom?!? Thing sucked up lint like a vacuum. The GE has the same type screen but its much larger and on the side.

 

[George2615]

Gee Eddie, it sounds like you've been visited by Murphy's law. I started with a small 30 gallon electric heater that was here when we bought our house. That one lasted about 6 years and started running out of hot water before the shower was done. Found out it was half full of sediment (we have a well). Next I decided to replace it with a 50 gallon propane hot water heater. Also at the same time I installed a water softener system and whole house filter to prevent the sediment. That one lasted 9 years and the controls and burner assy. started messing up and stuck in the on position causing it to overheat and lift the safety valve flooding part of the basement. The cost of all the parts I needed to fix it was almost as much as a new heater so I then replaced it with a 40 gallon electric heater. Propane prices had risen very high in my area by then which is why I went back to electric. We're now in our 3rd year on this one. I never got one (or two) new from the store that didn't work. Even if our propane heater had not crapped out I would have gone back to electric anyway since propane was costing us more money to cook food and take showers than it did to heat my house in winter on fuel oil. Now the propane company wants to charge us $57 a year extra because I don't use enough propane. They are not willing to work out anything for me to avoid that fee so I told them to come pick up their tank and I'll buy my own tank from their competitor and have it filled when I need it. They are supposed to be here next week to get it.
Sometimes you just can't win.

George

 

[Nissan197]

I feel for you -- I went through a similar experience with a kitchen range made by Maytag (now Whirlpool) last spring -- don't expect any form of customer service -- if you complain through e-mail or their website you might as well talk to the wall. Just a thought -- I once had a problem with a two pole breaker and a water heater -- turned out the breaker did not function properly so I was only getting 110 instead of 220 -- drove me nuts until I checked the water heater with a meter and did the big ahaa -- felt pretty stupid. You might want to double check the internal wiring and back to the panel given it seems you have never had 80 gallons of truly hot water -- by the way the liability guys have worked their magic on water heaters too -- they are most often set at tepid so idiots will not scald themselves and then contact their favourite class action bottom feeder
The instant on tankless propane water heaters are great -- the electric ones require a small nuclear power plant to work well.
Hope you eventually get back into hot water
Steve

I also would check the breakers. I built my house one year ago and about six months ago our dryer stopped heating. It was 17 years old and I figured it was time for a new one. Went to Sears and bought a Kenmore. Brought it home, plugged it in and no heat. Lights worked and it started up, but no heat. Repair guy comes out and checked outlet and tells me I am only getting 110 out of it instead of 220. Call my electrician and he informs me that they got a batch of bad breakers when he wired my house and now they are starting to get calls on them. Hmmm, kept the dryer because I figured 17 years on the old one was pretty good and it was getting towards the end of its life.
Reference the water heater I got a A.O Smith Pro Max that is a 40 gallon "fat boy" electric. It is also made in Mexico and I have had no problems with it. My plumber got it for me when building. At my last house I replaced an old natural gas one with a Kenmore brand and did not have any problems. Good luck. I know the feeling.

 

[kenmac]

Gosh eddie, I can install 100 water heaters & I may have only 2-3 bad ones out of the bunch. I install Rheem 2-1 over brands. We have a Rheem plant there in the state