Rheem lifetime electric water heater tanks ?

[Cycledude]

Anyone here have any experience with them ?
First time I ever even heard of them, couple days ago I found out Menards sells them so I called my local Rheem dealer and told him I need a new water heater because my 30 year old True Value water heater is leaking, he said he would be out with a new heater Tuesday morning, I really should have asked exactly what heater he was bringing but didn’t, he came with 50 gallon Rheem heater but it only has a 6 year warranty, installed it and it’s working fine but I was rather disappointed to find out it only has a 6 year warranty, my old True Value heater also came with a 6 year warranty and never had any trouble until it started leaking a few days ago, the receipt for the True Value heater says it cost $149.00 thirty years ago. I don’t know what the new heater cost but I suspect it will be over $1,000

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[ultrarunner]

When I stated as a property manager a 30 gallon gas or electric cost $88 at Home Base.

None of those $88 heaters still around but 22-25 years trouble free.

New water heaters safe to say 10 times more.

My only lifetime heaters have copper tanks and yes… they last.

My question is are you buying a warranty or is the $1000 heater of material where it will last and last?

 

[2manyrocks]

Perhaps the gas water heaters are safer due to the flame shutoff mechanism, but I don't think the basic electric heaters have changed much.

 

[ultrarunner]

Perhaps the gas water heaters are safer due to the flame shutoff mechanism, but I don't think the basic electric heaters have changed much.

Just did a quick 40 gallon check and found gad about $120 more than electric.

California has special requirements for gas and the last couple of purchases were $700+

 

[LittleBill21]

my understanding there is no difference in the build between the warranty's they simply charge more for the warranty.

personally I am going to attempt a heat pump version next year even though mine works fine (actually have 2)

 

[Cycledude]

I never knew anyone made a electric water heater with a lifetime warranty for tank leaking until a few days ago when I started shopping for a new water heater.
As far as buying extended warranty I don’t think Rheem sells one.
The new heater seems to be working fine, hopefully it will last much longer than the 6 year warranty it came with.
The guy I bought it from is well known for doing excellent work, he also installed my Rheem furnace about 10 years ago.

 

[ultrarunner]

I’ve had good luck with older Rheem.

In 2013 I paid 13.5k for new Rheem Heat Pump HVAC in Olympia WA…

It’s dead now and always needed something… 2 condenser fans, refrigerant valve, it lost communication with wireless stat and a compressor with me paying labor.

Maybe this is the future but at work I have dozens of gaspack package Carrier units going on 34 years… some have never been touched other than belt/filter.

 

[EddieWalker]

I never heard of a lifetime warrantee on water heaters. I wonder how you collect on it 30 years from now? If you buy a water heater at Lowes or Home Depot, they wont let you return it the next day if it doesn't work. You are supposed to call their "technician" and have them come out to fix it.

The way I understand the rating on how long a water heat will last is based on the metal rods used to heat the water. You get better metal for more money, and they give it a longer warrantee.

In my experience with warrantees, if you have a claim, they give you a replacement of what failed. I've had this happen with flooring several times. Also with plumbing fixtures, and lighting fixtures. In every case, the replacement arrives at the clients home, and the company is done with their part of the warrantee. Now the client has to hire somebody like me to replace what failed. With flooring, this is always very expensive!! So far, in every case, they hate the flooring so much that they switch to something else and throw away the brand new warrantee flooring that they got in order to buy something from another manufacturer, or totally different type of flooring.

I've never been involved in a water heater warrantee job. It makes me wonder how that is handled, and who pays for the labor of replacing it?

 

[LittleBill21]

the lifetime heaters have been around a while. the entire tank is plastic.

 

[ultrarunner]

I never heard of a lifetime warrantee on water heaters. I wonder how you collect on it 30 years from now? If you buy a water heater at Lowes or Home Depot, they wont let you return it the next day if it doesn't work. You are supposed to call their "technician" and have them come out to fix it.

The way I understand the rating on how long a water heat will last is based on the metal rods used to heat the water. You get better metal for more money, and they give it a longer warrantee.

In my experience with warrantees, if you have a claim, they give you a replacement of what failed. I've had this happen with flooring several times. Also with plumbing fixtures, and lighting fixtures. In every case, the replacement arrives at the clients home, and the company is done with their part of the warrantee. Now the client has to hire somebody like me to replace what failed. With flooring, this is always very expensive!! So far, in every case, they hate the flooring so much that they switch to something else and throw away the brand new warrantee flooring that they got in order to buy something from another manufacturer, or totally different type of flooring.

I've never been involved in a water heater warrantee job. It makes me wonder how that is handled, and who pays for the labor of replacing it?

The only lifetime I had was an inherited 1960 copper Hoyt made in Oakland CA.

Hoyt stood by their warranty but fast forward and the 100 year old Hoyt company is no more… so there you go.

I had an AO Smith exchanged under warranty.

The exchange involved cutting the label off the heater… they did not want the heater back.

First 3 repair attempts before the replacement.

It was when California went to the sealed combustion low nox… lots of issues with some at introduction.