# GE/Rheem-Ruud Water Heaters at Home Depot



## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

In the professional opinions of plumbers on this site,



Are these water heaters prone for failures, through the design of FVIR technology, PowerVent models, 


All those Robertshaw thermostats that had to be removed on the PowerVent models and switched to the White-Rodgers Intellivent models...


Flammable Vapor sensors going bad with just the hint of moisture on them, even though they are ceramic. ????


I have a customer that has taken a brutal beating on chronic problems with her 4 year old GE Power Vent Natural Gas Water Heater from Home Depot.

Every 3-6 months it goes into failure, more parts ordered and I install them.

In just the last 2 weeks, GE sent this customer everything (gas control valve, flammable vapor sensor, complete burner assembly) and this damn gas control valve is showing an error code that the FV sensor is bad. 

They mentioned if it gets wet, it gets destroyed instantly. Well today arrived the new sensor, 2 minute job and it didn't make a bit of difference. 

Could be the gas valve, who knows.



This customer finally did what I recommended; she bought an electric water heater from Sears, Kenmore 9 year 50 gallon. 

Sunday I'm removing that POS GE gas water heater from home depot and doing the conversion to electric.


This woman is single, all she wants is hot water. Not what the last idiot got on sale at home depot that over 4 years of time has had 7 technical repairs done to the unit, all electronic based. 

3 weeks ago I had a 40 gall conventional gas water heater that wouldn't light, took 100 strikes with the piezo ignitor to light and I'm telling you it probably only lit because there was so much gas in the chamber that it overwhelmingly ignited by the abundance of unburned gas.


7 weeks ago, 2 year old conventional gas GE Rheem/Ruud water heater that wouldn't relight after I did a gas line rework.

Either the striker was misaligned or some other notorious joke of why they won't work.

Constantly, I'll see transfer of spark where the connection of the lead from the ignitor goes to the orange wire that's built into the burner assembly setup.

So, GE has no problem sending out a complete burner assembly when something as an ignitor being off .25 thousandths of an inch.


I'm not about to tear those units down without a new assembly going back in. You cannot buy that setup at a supply house. Heavily policed right through the manufacture so they keep an ongoing record of the serial number associated with the unit.


This single woman just wants hot water. I told her with the number of PowerVents I've been replacing under warranty lately, along with numerous people calling me to fix these when they stop working....


one would believe that there are chronic problems, way beyond 'normal' in the nature of electronics associated with gas fired water heaters.


All because some fool thought they'd save 20 square feet by eliminating double wall B vent inside the house, and now we just hook up drain pipe and send it out the wall there chester.
View attachment 10244



Where is the quality control on these products? I'm putting my hands on these a lot. I like to make money, but they are not holding up to any length of time and it's not just a select few. 

I got pictures of burner assembly replacements going back to 2007 on the internet, somewhere.


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

You aren't putting a poll on this one?


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Redwood said:


> You aren't putting a poll on this one?


Nope. 


I need the hard data of these heaters, how they fair from state to state. I don't ask to work on these... they all come to me via internet with requests to repair.


It's starting to creep in like the notorious whirlpool water heater issues on the conventional gas water heaters.


With the flammable vapor sensor they sent tonight, they sent the front housing of the old Robertshaw gas control valve. ???


I get to keep this water heater that's being pulled out. It will be a well viewed video on youtube, I promise that.


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## Prscptn Plmbng (Feb 15, 2011)

If it was bought from home desperate or sears....... Sell them a rheem or bradford white and be done with it... 

Avoid ao smith like the plague, there fvir system is a joke... I used to be an auth service provider for them... Their air intake screen clogs from any dust, the screen is the same size as the burner and the rust from the burner clogs it from the top.... 

The low flow of intake air causes the thermal switch to trip from the overheating 
Combustion chamber, and usually takes about ten or fifteen mins to trip, just enough time to be driving away... Then get the call back once your home...


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*post a picture*

*I think ALL of the RHEEM POWERVENTS are crappy....*

wether it comes from RHEEM, GE..or RICHMOND
they cannot make one correctly and should simply just 
go out and buy a Bradford white powervent , tear it apart , study it ..... and then COPY IT ....


why dont you post a picture of the gas valve and general appearance of this unit ......I would like to see how it sizes up with a normal RHEEM POWERVENT..

Dunbar.... you are getting sloppy......:laughing::yes:.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

Master Mark said:


> *I think ALL of the RHEEM POWERVENTS are crappy....*
> 
> wether it comes from RHEEM, GE..or RICHMOND
> they cannot make one correctly and should simply just
> ...


 
Pictures this coming week. I get the old one with all the parts sent. Putting in an electric sears/kenmore 50 gallon electric tomorrow.


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## jc60618 (Jan 24, 2010)

Last week I installed a 50 gallon power vent water heater from home depot. After hooking it up and bleeding the air out I turn it on, the blower was making a loud muffler like noise. I took it apart and found a piece of metal coming in contact with the blower. So as the blower was spining it keep hitting the piece of sheet metal causing the loud noise.


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## timplmbr (Mar 16, 2011)

you are right .......they are POS , we highly reccomend bradford white or state here in east tn, even tho american is right down the road in johnson city, (knock on wood) never had any issues out of a bradford white ( any of them):thumbsup:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

timplmbr said:


> you are right .......they are POS , we highly reccomend bradford white or *state* here in east tn, even tho american is right down the road in johnson city, (knock on wood) never had any issues out of a bradford white ( any of them):thumbsup:


State????


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## timplmbr (Mar 16, 2011)

yes state water heaters.....


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Might as well buy American then...
Same thing as State....


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

There are still some State Selects in the area. For the longest time, all Sears/Kenmore water heaters were State, then they transitioned to A.O. Smith.

Basically all owned by the same bigger company.



I did work for a truck driver that shipped filters to all the automotive stores. 


He said they all come in off the boat in one big box, all of them are the same in placed in different boxes, no difference in design even though they get placed in different colored boxes and promoted to be 'better' than the others.


That's just the "way it is!" - Paul Harvey


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## timplmbr (Mar 16, 2011)

true very true......but for some odd reason every darn american we have put in( yes every, that is what is odd) has leaked from the tank.but every state has done just fine( when we use them).:blink:


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## red_devil (Mar 23, 2011)

rheem??? No thanks. Packed up there plant here and moved to mexico. Used to have a great heater. GE I had an issue with one, called the hellp number thinking it was the gas valve and it was the eco inside busted. They said " its illegal in canada to change it, you have to change the taNK" I was shocked and so was the home owner but at least she got a replacement tank for free other than her install bill.


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## Prscptn Plmbng (Feb 15, 2011)

timplmbr said:


> true very true......but for some odd reason every darn american we have put in( yes every, that is what is odd) has leaked from the tank.but every state has done just fine( when we use them).:blink:


Same experience here


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

DUNBAR PLUMBING said:


> There are still some State Selects in the area. For the longest time, all Sears/Kenmore water heaters were State, then they transitioned to A.O. Smith.
> 
> Basically all owned by the same bigger company.
> 
> ...


Even though many heater companies are owned by the same conglomerate corporations, they may still be manufactured at different factories to different specs.


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## breid1903 (Feb 8, 2009)

we have a pre fvir rheem powervent. i can hear whats happening with fvir heaters on the forums. we will be geting an electric. probably a rhemm as that what my supply house has. maybe one of those lifetime jobbies. probably not we're cheap. breid..................:rockon:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

breid1903 said:


> we have a pre fvir rheem powervent. i can hear whats happening with fvir heaters on the forums. we will be geting an electric. probably a rhemm as that what my supply house has. maybe one of those lifetime jobbies. probably not we're cheap. breid..................:rockon:


Nothing a plasma cutter and a bolt can't fix... :laughing:


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