Cost Of Rheem Hot Water Heaters

Frequently Asked Questions

1. QUESTION:
   Water pressure and hot water?
   I just purchases a house that was built in 2006, 2 floors, 2400 sq ft. The hot water heater is located in my garage (obviously 1st floor). The faucets, bathtub and showers upstairs have adequete water pressure and the water heats quickly. The kitchen faucet however, is ridiculous. It takes over a minute for warm (not hot) water to come out, and 1 1/2 for it to be sufficiently hot for washing dishes. In addition, the water pressure is so low that I get frustrated washing the dishes. The kitchen faucet is located about 12 feet from the hotwater heater so this makes no sense to me unless there is something wrong.

   The gas hot water heater has a 50 gallon capacity. It has two labels on it: "Rheem Guardian Systems Fury Hot Water System" and "EverKleen Self-Cleaning Hot Water System"

   Is there any kind of fix I can make that won't cost me a fortune or dramatically increase my monthly utility bills? My dish washing would go a hell of a lot faster and use a lot less water if the heat and pressure were right.

   Thanks!
   I thank the two responders. I just checked the supply valves and they are already fully opened for max flow. In addition there are no kinks. I have been unable to remove the aerator thus far. I'm reading the Kohler website for tips on getting to the o-ring right now.

   • ANSWER:
     a few things you can check...first look under the sink for a couple of valves open them all the way (turn counter clockwise in most cases) also look at the small pipes that go from the valve up to the faucet sometimes they are plastic tubes that can get a kink in them..at last thing is remove the aerator from the end of the faucett spout (small piece that unscrews) it will have a bunch of small plastic pieces a few screens and a rubber washer in it..it mayby clogged with debri...sometimes it is easier to replace it than to clean it....if you replace it bring it to the store with you......its not the water heater

2. QUESTION:
   Can anyone recommend a water heater? My GE 50 gallon water heater is not working after 5 years?
   Seems like yesterday that I replaced my water heater with a GE 50 gallon one that is sold at Home Depot for 8 without installation. I had this installed in April of 2005 and I thought my daughter was teasing when she said we had no hot water two days ago. When I found out she was correct, I took a look at the 5 year old water heater. The first thing I noticed was that there was rust on the bottom where two items come together and screwed together. Then I took the small piece off so you can see the window where you can see if the ignator works. I was quite amazed to find that inside was also very rusty. I did follow the instructions and try to see if I could light the pilot which didn't light or spark. I called GE and they told me it sounds like the wiring is bad and they are sending me a wire. At that time I decided to check on line to see if anyone else has the problem with the rust right under the inside tank because I didn't feel good about the rust being there and I also decided to check out my neighbors' water heaters and found that the Kenmore water heather belonging to one neighbor which was also about 5 years old didn't have any rust on the outside or inside and the AO Smith one which belonged to my other neighbor (age unknown) also was rust free. At that time I called GE back and told them I wasn't comfortable keeping a water heater that had rust on the the inside right under the inside tank and they told me to empty the tank and take it to Home Depot where it was purchased and installed by someone Home Depot recommended. The price of the water heater with labor came to close to 0 and the water heater today at Home Depot is 8. The only other brand at Home Depot is a Rheem which cost 00. I was wondering if anyone had better luck with the present water heaters being sold today. Years ago they seemed to last at least 20 years. Any advise? Thank you in advance for your help. Also, has anyone had experience taking a water heater back to Home Depot ? I was wondering since I purchased one there and was going to get another, why wouldn't Home Depot send the new one and take back the old one. I am a 67 year old widow. To hire someone to do this would end up costing me as much as buying a new water heater. Any advise?

   • ANSWER:
     switch to an electric, heater, all you need is a 40 gal , get a local handy man to change it out,
     cheaper to run and will out last a gas unit,
     AO smith is the best and is made in the USA

3. QUESTION:
   switched to tankless gas water heater and my bill is high. Why?
   I just moved into the house about 3 months ago and for my first month living here I bought a tankless water heater and replaced my regular gas heater because the tankless takes up less space. I have it mounted on the outside. I paid a plumber to install it. It is a rheem water heater. For the past 3 months my bills have ranged from 300-400 in just gas alone. I had the gas company come out and I dont have a leak and the meter isnt running constantly. It only runs when I use the gas in the house. I dont have a kitchen yet installed so I don't use a stove. I havent turned on my ac/heat for the past 2 months so the only hting that could be using the gas is when I take a shower which is a 5 min shower daily. It's just me in the house. So why is my bill so high?? I am so concerned b/c I paid for the water heater got it installed and now it is costing me a lot of money. I checked to see what the previous owner used to pay in gas bills and it was way less than what I am paying and she used the regular hot water tank (not tankless). I threw out the old tank which uses a lot less BTU's than the tankless. I think the tankless uses 180k BTU's and I had a 40 gallon tank. I don't know what to do. And my plumber also checked for gas leaks and I don't have any.

   • ANSWER:
     the reason is the tank-less heater must cut on everytime you use water this isn't the case with the old tank type, it holds hot water until the overall temp drops then heats the water, these devices are just unnecessary in most cases, had it been an electric one it may make more sense but gas? just put a high efficiency gas (tank type) water heater and you bills will decrease or switch the tank less gas heater to an electric one. however I believe these devices are oversold.the old types worked fine if insulated properly( if it ain't broke don't fix it)