Water heater leak
When we had the water turned on for the inspection, we discovered a water heater in the basement with a tiny leak. Of course, there’s no such thing as a small leak when you don’t have it going into a drain. So I shut off the water to the heater and turned off its gas supply. I added “Water heater” to our list of upcoming expenses.
But then I noticed the warranty label on the side. I called the company (Rheem) and gave them the serial number. They told me all about the heater, what year it was made (2000) and that it was probably the drain valve that was leaking. They offered to fedex me a new valve at no cost. I reminded them I don’t own this heater yet, and they said that was ok since I plan to buy it. Got the valve two days later.
And if this doesn’t fix the leak, they offered to replace the whole tank. Sweet!
February 2nd, 2005 at 12:07 pm
Update: I got the part, drained the water heater, replaced the valve, filled it up, and it no longer leaks. Yay!
August 1st, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Hey Phil,
Just wanted to let you know that I’m having the same problem now with my Rheem water heater (the drain valve leaking) and will call them tomorrow and see what they can do about it.
Shak
November 28th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
My electric water heater started leaking around the heating element. Called Rheem who sent in a new element that was installed. A few days later, there is another leak now, appears to be coming from sheet metal just above the thermostat. Seems they’ll need to replace the entire thing because it’s still under warranty for another 3 years. The only problem is their warranty does not cover labor costs. So even if they send a new heater, I’ll still have to pay a couple of hundred bucks on having it installed.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
To stop all the leaks I would recommend a tankless water heater like the Titan. They come with a 10 year warranty against leaks and are build in the USA. For more information go to www.etankless.com or call us at 888-688-8010