My water heater died in the middle of a cold shower last Tuesday

Had to pay $1,800 for an emergency replacement from that Roto-Rooter guy in Decatur because the pilot light assembly rusted through and I couldn't wait three days for a plumber - has anyone else dealt with those Rheem models failing after just 6 years?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_king801d ago

dang that's rough... six years on a Rheem seems pretty short for a water heater. Was it a warranty thing or did they just tell you tough luck? I've heard those pilot light assemblies can be a pain to source parts for too.

the_drew20h ago

nah man that's the thing, Rheem's warranty is usually 6 years on the basic models so it ran out like right on schedule lol. had a buddy who worked at a plumbing supply house and he said Rheem changed their pilot assembly design a few years back and now you basically have to buy the whole burner tube to get the new style pilot. such a scam honestly. you can sometimes find NOS parts on ebay but it's hit or miss. honestly at that point you're better off just swapping the whole unit.