Whirlpool Water Heaters Reviews

Our Whirlpool, model #FG1F034T3NOV, started having problems on the weekend of January 3 and 4th, 2009. We called Lowe's to report this problem and were told to call Whirlpool at 1-877-817-6750 to report the problem. We called and spoke with a woman from INDIA with a strong accent who must have thought she had a crystal ball. She immediately told us what is wrong with the unit, before hearing what is happening. She said she will mail out a part. WE HAD NOT FOUND THIS WEBSITE BEFOREHAND AND WERE UNAWARE THAT THERE WAS SO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS UNIT. We were told to call Sears at 1-800-676-5589, which we did, and we were told that they could work us in for repairs in approx 6 days.

I have a Whirlpool model FG water heater. The pilot wouldn't stay lit last May of 2008. Plumber cost me $365.00. It stayed running until Jan 1, 2009. Plumber came out Jan. 2 and has to order retro part? He should be back today, Jan. 5, 2009. I'm guessing it will cost the same as last time, or more than a new appliance. I ran a search engine after the plumber told me of problems and was astonished. I won't shop at Lowe's, buy Whirlpool or Kenmore appliances or shop at Sears. How can you continue to sell something that you know does not work?

Whirlpool water heater failed on 1/1/09, less than a year after being installed. It will not relight, so I replaced the thermocouple as advised by Whirlpool. Worked one day and no hot water again. Now they say I need a gas control valve, which I am waiting for. Lowe's and Whirlpool should be ashamed for selling a known faulty water heater, which I have found out has been giving problems for at least 6 years now. No hot water in the middle of winter for the last 5 days waiting for a replacement part from Whirlpool.

I purchased my Whirlpool Gas Heater from Lowe's for $300.00 with installation cost of $150.00 in March of 2008. New Year's Day - KAPUT! Pilot light would not stay lit thus I'm having a new water heater (any unit other than Whirlpool associated) installed this week for additional cost of $550.00 including installation. CLASS ACTION? - YES! I blame Lowe's Home Improvement (not responsible they say) as well as Whirlpool for not informing and ignoring their responsibility to their now former consumers!

Our plumber purchased and installed a 40 Gallon Gas Whirlpool Water Heater mid-2007. Right after Christmas, the pilot light started going out. I would relight it and relight it and finally, on 01/02/2008, it went out and I could not get it relit. I called Whirlpool and got nowhere. The serial number on my heater is not visible (sticker partially scraped off from installation), so they won't even deal with me on any level! I'm having our plumber try to fix as we speak, but I will be out money on this. Consequences: multiple days without hot water for my family of 6! This is crazy, Whirlpool/Lowe's needs to address this issue.

Whirlpool water heater has left hand threads on the thermocouple that just went out. I went to 10 stores and plumbing supplies and no one has this part. Why would they make something that has a part you can't buy? My family has had no hot water for three days and I have wasted two days looking for something that doesn't exist. The water heater is 2-3 years old.

My Whirlpool 50 gallon, 9-year warranty, hot water tank stopped working. The pilot would not stay lit. The heater was purchased from Lowe's on 4-14-04 and is the flame lock type that I see everyone is having problems with. Because it is Sunday and Whirlpool customer service is closed, I went to Lowe's to get a replacement thermocouple, which ended up not being the left hand thread that was needed. While looking for the correct part online, I came across this site. After reading dozens of complaints, it looks like I have more problems than I figured on. I guess the warranty paper can be used to light the pilot on the new non-Whirlpool hot water tank. Just kidding. I will try the replacement parts first.

In early 2007, I purchased Whirlpool Flame Lock Water Heater from Lowe's. It's the Model sg1j4040t3nov, product #: 0733020. It was installed successfully, worked for a year (just past warranty) and then in Aug. 2008, the upper and lower sensor failed. After several calls to Whirlpool call center failed to result in solution, I tracked down mfg. American Water Heater. I received replacement part via American Water Heater. I installed the part. It worked okay for a month. During this time, the pilot went out. Now it has lower sensor failure again. In the process of tracking down information on this heater, I learned of the many complaints about this item. I believe this item to be a lemon.

We bought a Whirlpool water heater less than 1 year ago. The pilot light will not stay lit. We contacted the helpline provided on the water heater and they told us we needed to replace the control valve, which we did. They are supposed to reimburse us the cost. The pilot light still would not ignite; we contacted the helpline again and were told we needed a thermocouple replaced. We are having a technician come out but the earliest they could come would be in two days. We asked about the warranty and were told the only one that could make the decision to use the warranty is the technician if the appliance is not repairable. After replacing two parts on a fairly new product, I just want my money back so that I can purchase a different water heater.

On 01/02/08 the water heater went out. The pilot was out. I re-lit the pilot light and it cycled to heat. The pilot light went out again! Did some research and saw this website. Thank you for being here. I found it very informing and very interesting. So after disassembling two times, I found my problem. It was the thermocouple. I disassembled one time. I used a piece of emery cloth, cleaned the thermocouple, reassembled and it fired up. It has been working all night. I know it might not work for all, but it did for me. P.S. My water heater is new (04/07/08). Almost made it 7 months.

I am on my 3rd thermocouple on my top of the line Whirlpool 50 gallon water heater. It is Saturday and there is not anyone at Whirlpool that cares about this available. I went to Lowe’s to buy another one and found out the Whirlpool vendor pulled everyone off the shelves. Now, I not only have a defective hot water heater, but I have no way to get parts to repair it. A generic thermocouple will not work with this unit. I cannot believe that such a clear cut case of "poor design, terrible customer service, and don't care attitude" from a large corporation like WHIRLPOOL has not received more attention! Posting on a message board is great, but there will not make any difference. I wasted my money on this product and even Whirlpool doesn't acknowledge hot water heaters on their own website.

I purchased a hot water heater, Whirlpool Model FG1F4034T3N08. This water heater has failed three or four times now and has cost me plumber repair fees and also some parts cost each time. I estimate that I have paid at least as much in repairs as the water heater cost in the first place. A class action suit should be started against both Whirlpool and Lowe's. These heaters have severe faults which should have caused the product to be recalled. Hundreds, if not thousands of people, have registered the same problems on the internet. When is someone going to take the necessary action to fill a class action lawsuit on this?

I had a Whirlpool water heater installed on May 31, 2008 by contractors of Lowe's Home Center. On December 30, I contacted Lowe's stating that I did not have any hot water. The person advised me to contact Whirlpool who will walk me through the steps of re-lighting the pilot light. Meanwhile, a service technician for my furnace came. He showed me how to light the pilot but it would not stay on. I called Lowe's again and the person requested my model number. She requested me to come to the store and pick up a kit that Whirlpool had distributed and this would resolve the problem. I refused and requested Lowe's to send the installer out with the kit. I had to contact Lowe's twice again before hearing from the installer that he could not service me before January 5. This was unacceptable so I called Lowe's headquarter. Christina at the customer care desk informed me that my problem was not a Lowe's problem and provided me a number for American Water Heater which was Whirlpool. The recording spoke of purchasing the kit.

I bought a Whirlpool hot water heater 17 months ago and it quit on me. After hours spent talking to someone in INDIA, a part (which was wrong) was sent to me. I paid $15 for overnight shipping and $47.50 to a plumber to fix the heater. He said I didn't need that part, but a different one. This happened last week. I have a medically fragile child and need hot water to keep him and the house clean! I am thoroughly disgusted! I paid $715.91 to Lowes for the water heater and installation. Thank you.

I bought a Whirlpool 50 gallon water heater with flame lock less than 7 months ago. Over the past few weeks, the water seemed to be getting colder and colder, until the pilot light just would not stay on. I thought it was an isolated incident, however, it continued. I searched the internet and found this site. I originally was freaked out about the horror stories I was reading. But I e-mailed Whirlpool at their site, www.whirlpoolwaterheatersupport.com, and clicked on the Talk to Us section. Lo and behold, a recognized problem.

A few days ago, my pilot light on my Flame Lock Whir pool water heater started going out. I relit it and about 5 minutes later, the pilot light and the burn flame went out at the same time. So, I tried to relight the pilot, but when I would release the red button, the flame would go out. I then went to the Whirlpool website to get additional troubleshooting instructions. By following these instructions, the problem seemed to be the BFG Gas Thermostat or the Thermocouple. So, I replaced each of them and the pilot still doesn't stay lit. The website should have informed its customers of this problem. I've been working on this for two days and spent 65 dollars of my money attempting to repair it.

I purchased a Whirlpool Flame Lock water heater 2.5 years ago. The pilot light went out on New Year's Day (how convenient!). I tried several times to relight it and finally deducted it was the thermocouple. I read the complaints on this website and became very suspicious. I went to Lowe's to get a new thermocouple as this is where I purchased it. I told the clerk about my issue and the other complaints. She gave me a new manifold kit. Fortunately, I was able to install it and had hot water last night. I am cautiously skeptical though. Stay tuned...

Pilot light won't stay lit. It's under warranty. Lowe's (seller) doesn't have the upgrade kit in stock, but hopes to have it in a week. I can order the kit from Whirlpool but they want $30 for shipping and then I have to have a plumber install it. I understand the new kit won't be ignitor start anymore. The local plumber (contractor for Lowe's) says I should get a whole new valve and thermocouple, but the Whirlpool phone rep says, "No, you only need the thermocouple kit." Lowe's only sells Whirlpool brand water heaters. The replacement will be $348 plus $250 installation. The Lowe's salesman is trying to find some kits at another store, but it may be a WEEK or more, and they have a backlog of requests already - 14 in the last two weeks at just one Lowe's here.

I purchased a Whirlpool water heater from Lowe's on 6/12/04. Model # FG1H4040T3NOV With the Flame Lock safety system. I thought that if I purchased a name brand like Whirlpool, from a reputable company like Lowe's that it would last for at least 10 yrs. Boy was I wrong. 4 yrs & 6 mo. later, the pilot light goes out and won't light.

Our 1 1/2 year old water heater quit working last week, and I called Whirlpool about it, and found others have had the same issue, and even a lawsuit had been filed previously. They sent me a replacement part but I'm still having the issue. Pilot light won't stay lit!! I've relit the pilot on occasions, just long enough to get hot water, and then it shuts off again. This is not only a hardship on our family, over the holidays, but also a safety issue. I need to hire an expert in this field now, and feel Whirlpool should pay for this.

Our landlord replaced an old water heater in April of ‘08 with a Whirlpool Flame Lock water heater. It worked well until 12/27/08 when the pilot light went out and we could not get it started again. Called the landlord and he sent out his repair man. He checked everything out and stated that the Thermocouple had gone out. He replaced it, started the pilot and left. He was gone only for about an hour. I went out to check the water heater and the pilot had gone out again. I tried to restart it and it would not stay lit after letting go of the restart button.

I purchased a 40 gallon Whirlpool Flame Lock water heater from Lowe's in November 2003. Since then I have replaced the thermocouple 12 times and the gas valve 2 times. The parts used to be available from Lowe's, but now I have been told by Lowe's that the parts have to be obtained from Whirlpool. Again, I have no hot water and I have to wait for Whirlpool to ship the part to me. I have to pay for the shipping. How Lowe's can continue to sell an item that has as many problems as this water heater has is beyond me.

I have not had hot water in 12 DAYS because like so many others, the pilot on my 2-yr-old water heater won't stay lit. I called on a Saturday morning. They sent me a coupling kit. I had to pay 15 dollars in shipping, then I got it on Tuesday. Didn't work. Called again, they sent me a new thermostat. Plumber is installing that now. Had to pay $15 again. Called Customer Service and after waiting 20 min for someone, Bruce has the nerve to blame ME for the problems, saying I probably didn't install the coupling kit correctly!!! I said, "Look buddy, I haven't had a hot shower in 12 days, and you're blaming ME for this piece of ** product???" Unbelievable!!

We purchased a Flame Lock/Flame Guard residential water heater (model # beginning with the letters BFG) through Lowe's in February 2008. It was installed through Lowe's installation service. On September 20th, 2008, the pilot light went out. The thermocouple and gas valve were replaced. One month later the pilot light went out again. Whirlpool overnighted a new gas valve and thermocouple. They were installed and the pilot light still will not stay lit. Based on the repairman's suggestions I asked Whirlpool to send a new manifold door assembly and scheduled a third day for service work. Whirlpool said if this did not work, then I could call them back and they would replace the water heater. I am aware that a class action for this very problem was just settled earlier this year. However, it is clear that many outside of that class, including myself, continue to have the exact same problem with this heater and it is very likely that another class action seeking water heater replacement cost (not just a retrofit kit) is warranted. I intend to pursue all available legal remedies to recover my costs and obtain a new water heater that is NOT a Whirlpool water heater.

I believed I was buying a quality brand, and I wish I would have researched this site before I bought it. Purchased a top of the line whirlpool flame lock water heater from Lowe's approximately 11 months ago. The water heater is known to be defective, a class action lawsuit is currently pending. This will be the second time I will have to have this piece of garbage serviced due to the pilot not working. With this next service call, I will have paid more for the repairs than the original cost of the tank.

We have bought two water heaters in the last two years from Lowes and they both went out and I am tired of spending money we do not have. They are not any good. We have spent almost 1,000.00 in the last two years. I will never buy another Whirlpool product.

Encountered similar problems with the pilot light staying lit, again!!! Suggest that if you cannot resolve the problem with Whirlpool or the store where purchased that you contact your local BBB and your state Attorney General. I am in the process of doing that at this time.

I bought a 40-gal. Whirlpool water heater 2 years ago. Since then, I have had to have it serviced twice. One time for a faulty gas valve and once for a rebuild kit that I still had to pay a technician to install. I bought this new for $300.00 and have put another $300.00 into repairs in only 2 years.

Purchased a Whirlpool Flame Lock 50 gal natural gas hot water Heater from Lowe's store in north San Antonio on 5/10/2008 (Model No. BFG1H5040T3NOV). Cold water showers started on 10/19/2008. Tested thermocoupler per user manual and found defective (only 7 mV instead of 12 mV minimum when pilot lit with red button down). Read about everyone else's woes regarding these heaters last night (wish if I had known and/or Lowe's would have told me when I bought this in May 2008). Bought 3 thermocouples today from Lowe's and installed 1st - it did not work and failed the 12 mV test. Tried 2nd and it passed mV test. Pilot stayed lit for one heating of the water tank. Now it will not stay lit and back to cold water!

Bought water heater at Lowe's 6/01/08. It broke down, not hot water. Had someone look at it. Relit pilot light, lasted 1 day. Had to wait a week, because the person who helped me with it is out of town. He then replaces the thermocouple that lasted one day. Now I have no hot water again. I called the number on the tank, could not understand a word the person was saying. They were supposed to give me the number to Sears for repair. They gave me DHL's number, so I had to call back and wait on hold again. Got the right number, called Sears. They said they had to know when my part would be in. Had to call Whirlpool back for the 3rd time to find out when the part is coming.

The product number BTG1F4034T3NOV was purchased on February 26th,2008 and I've had to replace the thermostat couple and gas valve because the pilot was not staying lit. And it is only October 19, 2008. The replacement parts are not working now. I am having difficulty contacting Whirlpool and filing a refund claim for the parts replaced and for the entire water tank unit. I want my money back so I can purchase a better working appliance.

Same problem with pilot Light. Civil Suit settled giving back consumers $30 and attorneys over 2 million. I suggest we all mount the water heater on top of our houses with a sign Whirlpool Lemon. This should get National attention and put Whirlpool out of business. We the people must do the right thing and protect ourselves from these unethical practices so common in today's Society.

Flame lock water heater. Add me tho the long list of customers who were taken by purchasing this faulty tank. Only I put it in 3 rental properties to date and ALL three of them have gone bad!!! The first one I ordered the part but what good is that when the tenant cannot go days without hot water. After that, 2 more went bad I tried to use the part it didn't work either. The tanks were less than 2 years old!!! What a rip off. My plumber said better to replace and be done with the problem.

Saturday, labor day weekend, our Whirlpool hot water heater went out. Got it restarted, but soon quit again. Called Lowes (where we bought it 10 months before) referred to an 800 number. Its a holiday weekend, so we were willing to pay ourselves. Called a service company - they don't have parts - gave us the same 800 number. Called them, go through steps to re-lighting including hooking a couple of wires together with a paper clip. End result - they'll send a part, which can't be shipped until Tuesday to arrive Wed. Part arrives Wed, its the pilot light ensemble. Manage to get it installed after prying out the old piece. No difference. Call the 800#, try the same things again, still won't light. When we get to a point where it beyond my skills and equipment.

I purchased a WHIRLPOOL natural Gas Water Heater at Lowe's approx. 3 years ago. It has a 7-year warranty on parts. The pilot light went out today without warning or other previous problems. The gas company sent a tech out to relight the pilot. He said he has seen a bunch of Whirlpool water heaters purchased from Lowe's with the same problem. And like the others, he could not relight the pilot. He said it might be the thermocoupling and suggested I call Whirlpool's 800 number pasted on the side of the tank.

Water heater has broken twice in maybe 2 years. First time thermocouple was replaced. Second time we called a plumber, cost was 160.00, plus 50.00 for part. Seems to be working ok now.

We purchased a Whirlpool water heater Model # BFG1F404053NOV in March of this year. We have been without hot water for over a week. We had a plumber come by. He knew when he walked in the door what the problem was - it was a Whirlpool. He told us about the class action suit. He ordered a thermocouple thinking that was the problem. We waited for the part, but that wasn't the problem. He said it's probably the gas valve. He would order one from Whirlpool, we'd have to wait again.

Well, where to begin. I purchased a brand new home in 2005. The contractor used appliances from Lowe's. Needless to say, he also installed their piece of JUNK WATER HEATER. About a year later, we started having trouble with the water heater going out. After many issues, my repair guy pulled the unit, took it back to Lowe's and came back with, what I thought was, a new unit.

An FG water heater that does not work after updating thermocouple only 4 years old on 6 year warranty.