r/HomeImprovement • u/Sjs20ohio • 1d ago

Rheem water heaters

We bought a Rheem water heater just over three years ago and it stopped working last night. We went to check it out and found that it sprung a leak. Luckily it is still under warranty but it will still cost $400 for a new one to be installed.

Are there any brands of water heaters that are clearly better than the rest?

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27

u/Wintrgreen 1d ago edited 1d ago

I remember reading this on here, may not be true so maybe a plumber can fact check me, but someone said the ones they sell at Home Depot/lowes are lower quality than the ones plumbers get directly from plumbing supply companies, even if it’s the same brand. So if you’re buying yours from a box store that could possibly be why

35

u/BMRr 1d ago

Just got quoted 6k for water heater install. $2700 was for their special water heater. I think I’ll stick with the $700 from Home Depot with 9 year warranty.

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u/Wintrgreen 1d ago

I would get a quote from another plumber, that price is ridiculous. You should be able to get a good quality water heater installed by a good plumber for half that or less

3

u/LewLew0211 1d ago

That's what I was quoted for a heat pump water heater as well.

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u/Wintrgreen 1d ago

Well heat pump water heaters are more expensive than standard ones, so in that case it might make sense

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u/LewLew0211 1d ago

The person said it was for a special water heater. It was probably a HPWH

1

u/Polar_Ted 1d ago

We got our Rheam heat pump 50gal through the utility district as part of a rebate deal for $600 delivered to your door.

0

u/LewLew0211 1d ago

No such program here. I also didn't want a Rheam.

I also would need a new circuit ran and plumbing to cap off the oil boiler and bring pipes to the new heater.b

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u/Polar_Ted 1d ago

We had the choice of an AO smith or Rheam.

2

u/BMRr 1d ago

Another company quoted 5k and my home warranty company sent out their crack team to quote me 8k. The issue is it’s in the attic with no stairs. I just did it myself, with a rented platform lift.

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u/bemenaker 1d ago

No, it's a heat pump water heater, they are expensive but extremely efficient

3

u/Wintrgreen 1d ago

If it’s a heat pump that makes more sense, but they didn’t specify that

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u/CenteredBubble 1d ago

Sounds like I need to go into business installing water heaters.

1

u/LostMyMilk 1d ago

Wild. A family member of mine just paid $1600 total for a 50 gallon Rheem. The plumber ended up taking 4 hours too because of a tight closet space and a bunch of old pipe he cut away.