Dunbar Plumbing
Master Plumber
And I'll tell you why:
We're speaking specifically about these GE water heaters sold at Home Depot.
The electric ones? If they weren't awkward to carry, you'd see how little weight these tanks have. What does that mean? Very thin rolled steel for the tanks.
Every now and then I'll get one I installed that will have electrical problems, then it will need repaired. I either toss the call to my authorized rep in the area or I'll do it myself, unwillingly.
On the gas models that are standard vented, I don't have a lot of issues "yet" with the gas valve or FVIR technology on them, but the audience is still in suspense over this waiting for the timelines to show their longevity.
On the gas PowerVent models,
FAIL. You've missed the boat and here's numerous examples why:
Constant tank failures, leakers
Constant problems with the gas valves
Just in the past 3 weeks, I've had two GE heaters, 1 I installed a couple years back where there was a wiring problem. I sent the authorized rep out for this one and I'll soon have statistical data as what was done.
On the one I'm working on today,
Lady called stating she's getting the error code 4-2 which is ECO failure, call for help.
GE stated that they'll send her out a wiring harness, I get there and the box weighs almost 4 pounds. I know damn right well what is inside it, it's a complete burner assembly along with guess what? Intelli-Vent gas valve. $500 roughly in the mail for free.
Anyone get the feeling this is a Whirlpool nightmare starting to reoccur through a different product name? Same exact situation; sent the products no questions asked even with some tools. ????!!!!
I asked the lady where the wiring harness was, she said that is what chuck from india told her she'd get, and that my job is simple. What I'm being asked to do isn't simple; I have to drain the water heater, change out the gas valves, change the burner assembly because nothing will work by just changing part of it. Nothing matches and I wouldn't even try that.
So now, intelli-vent gas valves that are normally found on Sears/Kenmore water heaters, along with A.O. Smith heaters....now have the same gas valves. Pretty sure the same company owns all of them but you can see the problems mounting.
When we called GE today, they told us straight up, "The Robertshaw Gas Control Valve on your GE Water Heater is no longer made, and that the new Intelli-vent Gas Valve is the only product that will work on your Gas PowerVent Water Heater."
Now with this being the cure to the defective gas valve problem, you also have to rework the gas line because the two don't line up.
PLUMBERS.....DO NOT GIVE SET RATES ON THESE REWORKS.
You'll regret that move. I'm going over to this property, taking pictures and maybe video of this situation to scribe the walls of the internet with this useful information about what lurks in your basement as a soon to be problem.
This woman will end up paying me what it takes a McDonald's worker to make in 2 weeks to get this water heater back operational...with no guarantees.
My statement to Rheem is a simple one: You are not making money on the design flaw of your product, you should of tested your components long before putting them in the field in regards to product liability. I would think that making a "cheaper" product wouldn't have so many problems within the term limits of your warranty.
There was a woman who worked at Home Depot at the time, didn't listen to me about what product choice is better for her home and family.
She bought that 75 gallon gas powervent water heater,
Leaked twice in 3 years
Malfunctioned at the gas control valve after the two leakers
Paid me 3 times to install/service that water heater.
Every time, you supplied her a new water heater, new electronic parts.
Whatever your margin was, you pissed it away on the first screwup. She's not alone as it's becoming more obvious that your product is living true to big box reputation.
If you know this is a problem, why can't you bulletin the problem and get these people some recognition of your failures? Don't think the Intelli-Vent is without problems, my area rep stated to one of my customers that the wiring harnesses are having problems with separation in the jackets. ???
You're adding bad to bad. Who in the hell, where, and why do you pay engineers to build a product so unreliable? Don't think for a minute that someone doesn't sit at a drawing board figuring out how to get something to last a little over warranty expirations...we all know you do that already. Proof is in the pudding, or lets say, you're tech support daily lives answering the phones to your product failures..yeah?
Yes.
GE, you can build an jet engine that soars across the sky, but you sure in **** are having a bad way about building a reliable water heater at this point...and this is by far isolated. Just thought I'd give fair warning before you delegate your top gun to show up here or anywhere trying to deny what's really going on here, and I for one am not making it up. Put a damn product out there that gives the property owner a reason to buy it twice, that's all you have to do. Shouldn't take a internet forum user to get the message across to get someone to listen, if you even are.
Please build a airplane that drops hot water into tubes on the rooftops of homes. Maybe you'll get that right, maybe.
We're speaking specifically about these GE water heaters sold at Home Depot.
The electric ones? If they weren't awkward to carry, you'd see how little weight these tanks have. What does that mean? Very thin rolled steel for the tanks.
Every now and then I'll get one I installed that will have electrical problems, then it will need repaired. I either toss the call to my authorized rep in the area or I'll do it myself, unwillingly.
On the gas models that are standard vented, I don't have a lot of issues "yet" with the gas valve or FVIR technology on them, but the audience is still in suspense over this waiting for the timelines to show their longevity.
On the gas PowerVent models,
FAIL. You've missed the boat and here's numerous examples why:
Constant tank failures, leakers
Constant problems with the gas valves
Just in the past 3 weeks, I've had two GE heaters, 1 I installed a couple years back where there was a wiring problem. I sent the authorized rep out for this one and I'll soon have statistical data as what was done.
On the one I'm working on today,
Lady called stating she's getting the error code 4-2 which is ECO failure, call for help.
GE stated that they'll send her out a wiring harness, I get there and the box weighs almost 4 pounds. I know damn right well what is inside it, it's a complete burner assembly along with guess what? Intelli-Vent gas valve. $500 roughly in the mail for free.
Anyone get the feeling this is a Whirlpool nightmare starting to reoccur through a different product name? Same exact situation; sent the products no questions asked even with some tools. ????!!!!
I asked the lady where the wiring harness was, she said that is what chuck from india told her she'd get, and that my job is simple. What I'm being asked to do isn't simple; I have to drain the water heater, change out the gas valves, change the burner assembly because nothing will work by just changing part of it. Nothing matches and I wouldn't even try that.
So now, intelli-vent gas valves that are normally found on Sears/Kenmore water heaters, along with A.O. Smith heaters....now have the same gas valves. Pretty sure the same company owns all of them but you can see the problems mounting.
When we called GE today, they told us straight up, "The Robertshaw Gas Control Valve on your GE Water Heater is no longer made, and that the new Intelli-vent Gas Valve is the only product that will work on your Gas PowerVent Water Heater."
Now with this being the cure to the defective gas valve problem, you also have to rework the gas line because the two don't line up.
PLUMBERS.....DO NOT GIVE SET RATES ON THESE REWORKS.
You'll regret that move. I'm going over to this property, taking pictures and maybe video of this situation to scribe the walls of the internet with this useful information about what lurks in your basement as a soon to be problem.
This woman will end up paying me what it takes a McDonald's worker to make in 2 weeks to get this water heater back operational...with no guarantees.
My statement to Rheem is a simple one: You are not making money on the design flaw of your product, you should of tested your components long before putting them in the field in regards to product liability. I would think that making a "cheaper" product wouldn't have so many problems within the term limits of your warranty.
There was a woman who worked at Home Depot at the time, didn't listen to me about what product choice is better for her home and family.
She bought that 75 gallon gas powervent water heater,
Leaked twice in 3 years
Malfunctioned at the gas control valve after the two leakers
Paid me 3 times to install/service that water heater.
Every time, you supplied her a new water heater, new electronic parts.
Whatever your margin was, you pissed it away on the first screwup. She's not alone as it's becoming more obvious that your product is living true to big box reputation.
If you know this is a problem, why can't you bulletin the problem and get these people some recognition of your failures? Don't think the Intelli-Vent is without problems, my area rep stated to one of my customers that the wiring harnesses are having problems with separation in the jackets. ???
You're adding bad to bad. Who in the hell, where, and why do you pay engineers to build a product so unreliable? Don't think for a minute that someone doesn't sit at a drawing board figuring out how to get something to last a little over warranty expirations...we all know you do that already. Proof is in the pudding, or lets say, you're tech support daily lives answering the phones to your product failures..yeah?
Yes.
GE, you can build an jet engine that soars across the sky, but you sure in **** are having a bad way about building a reliable water heater at this point...and this is by far isolated. Just thought I'd give fair warning before you delegate your top gun to show up here or anywhere trying to deny what's really going on here, and I for one am not making it up. Put a damn product out there that gives the property owner a reason to buy it twice, that's all you have to do. Shouldn't take a internet forum user to get the message across to get someone to listen, if you even are.
Please build a airplane that drops hot water into tubes on the rooftops of homes. Maybe you'll get that right, maybe.