Rheem Water Heaters Reviews

Had new Rheem pro electric water heater installed Jan 21. Jan 24 top leaked, April 26 Bottom leaked. That 3 in 5 years. But the one before it lasted 20 years.

I made a call to customer service on April 3 because my tankless water heater wasn't working and there were no error codes. They sent me a PDF file with instructions to remove the water control valve and inspect the impeller. I previously cleaned the burner and descaled the unit at their request. Consequently, the impeller was as clean as new. This unit was only 3 years and 11 months old, and there is a 5-year warranty on parts, so they said they would send a new control valve and it would go out on April 6th. I did not receive a tracking number on April 6th, so I called the next day and the next day etc. Consequently, after 2 weeks of this run around, I bought a Rinnai water heater. They finally sent a tracking number on April 21 that the part should arrive on Sunday 4/26. This is the only acknowledgement I received and it's too late, plus I doubt if the replacement valve would fix the problem because I suspect the PCB is the problem.

This review is completely based on our experience with this specific Rheem model water heater. Other models may be excellent. A Model GHE50SS-76 natural gas light commercial 50 gal water heater was installed in our new construction home October 2025. Our goals in constructing this house have been high quality, solid construction, high energy efficiency, reliability of mechanical items & appliances, low maintenance, safety features & ease of use. It has failed 3 times so far; once for a day (because I found a work around until the part could arrive & be installed), once for 2 weeks before we could get the part (the entire screen component, which is quite large) & get it repaired, this current time the temperature sensor in the condensing exhaust is defective. The part was supposedly overnighted to us Thursday, but has not arrived as of today (Saturday).

After only 3 years my tankless hot water heater stopped working. Upon calling I was essentially told to fix it myself and they would send me the part that would take 2-4 business days to arrive. I attempted to explain I had children and waiting 2-4 business days was not feasible. The customer service person said they would request it be expedited. 4 days after that they initiated the mailing of the part. I had to go to Amazon and buy the part to get next day shipping. It took them 4 days to even start the shipping process. Find another company that does water heaters.

Our Rheem water heater sprung a leak for the 2nd time! Called Rheem and waited on the phone for over an hour to speak with someone named Angela, who had an attitude, she informed us the part she determined we needed was out of stock for 3 weeks. The other option was they would send us a new heater, but we would need to pay for installation. Useless, piece of cr*p water heaters, customer service and warranty! We live in 4 year old community with 27 homes, over half of the homes have had issues with the Rheem water heaters installed by the builder! What a waste of time and joke this company is, DO NOT BUY A RHEEM WATER HEATER!!!

I had my water heater replaced 2/25/2026. Rheem is what Old Republic Home Protection would pay for. I was thrilled, a reputable new water heater with a six-or eight-year warranty. Yay me. Fast forward to 3/10/2026 and the water is cold again. The plumber said it needs a part which was mailed to my home. It's been 10 days and I still don't have hot water. The water heater is unrepairable so it will be replaced again (no charge per Rheem) but now the plumber says it will cost $125 replacement at the distributor.

I purchased a Rheem tankless electric water heater for $289. It worked for exactly one day. Returned it and got another. That lasted exactly one week. Got another that lasted 5 months (wow!). Customer (dis0service read from a list of issues. They sent me parts. Wrong parts. They wanted me to get a plumber to disconnect it and an electrician to disassemble it to check things out! That is where I drew the line! I was not going to pay a plumber and electrician $150 EACH to look at a $289 water heater. I ripped it out and offered to send it back to Rheem. They did not want it back.

Disappointing Performance Compared to Older Rheem Models. In 2023 I replaced my 21-year-old Rheem electric water heater, which was still working well but nearing the end of its life. Based on that long positive experience, I purchased a Rheem PROE 50 electric water heater from a plumbing supply house and had it installed by a professional plumber. Unfortunately, from the start it has not performed nearly as well as the old unit. It struggles to supply enough hot water for even two consecutive showers, something my 21-year-old Rheem handled easily.

I purchased a Rheem Performance Platinum about 12 years ago. It has worked perfectly. Unfortunately we have to replace every plumbing pipe in our home. We got 6 quotes for the job and every plumber recommended replacing our water heater. I planned on going with another Rheem but am a little leery after seeing the complaints about their customer service. They are horrible!

I just purchased a Rheem Tankless water heater. Called technical support with regards to electrical question. Waited 43 minutes and all you here is a recording how much we value your business and someone will be with "soon". I would like to know what their definition is of "soon".. I then hung up. ABSOLUTELY THE WORST OF THE WORST. I do not recommend this company for their customer service. But they want to sell you their products. A real pain in the butt with their AI call system. USELESS!!!!