That brand new water heater I installed blew a gasket at 3am last Sunday

I put in a brand new Rheem water heater in a duplex back in February, top of the line model. Sunday morning at 3am my tenant sends me a video of water pouring down the hallway from the utility closet. The gasket on the inlet fitting just gave out, no warning. I was over there by 4am shutting off the main valve and mopping up with a shop vac. Took me until Monday to get a replacement part from the supply house. Has anyone else had issues with new Rheem units or did I just get a dud?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben_fisher6d ago

Six out of ten gaskets I've replaced in my life were Rheems, but that might just be because I've owned a lot of Rheems. The one on my own unit went out at 1am on a Christmas morning a few years back, so I feel your pain about the timing. Hope you charged the tenant double for the 3am show.

kellyallen6d ago

Double down on that Christmas morning pain, man. I had a Rheem water heater go out on Thanksgiving a couple years ago, right when the turkey was going in the oven. No hot water for dishes, guests showing up in an hour, and I'm standing in the dark with a flashlight trying to find the reset button while my wife is giving me the death stare from the kitchen door. Makes you appreciate how much we rely on those things until they crap out at the worst possible moment. And yeah, if I'm working a 3am emergency callout on a holiday, that emergency fee is getting tacked on for sure.

the_lucas5d ago

That death stare from the kitchen door is worse than any broken water heater. I think people forget that the real cost isn't the emergency fee, it's the relationship damage that happens while you're under the house and the turkey is drying out. My uncle is a plumber and he says the worst part of holiday callouts isn't the work, it's walking back into a house where someone is getting blamed for something they couldn't control. Next time your wife gives you that look, remind her that at least you weren't the one who picked the Rheem.