This Whirlpool Water heater was purchased through Lowes on March 29, 2011. This past weekend, water started leaking out of the thermostat/natural gas control located on the side of the tank. I called a plumber to take a look. He stated that a new thermostat/natural gas control was needed. Although the tank has a 12 year warranty, this item does not. Whirlpool did agree to replace the part but would charge me $30 to overnight the item which still would have taken 4 days because of a weekend. To install the item would have cost me almost $500.00.To purchase a new Rheem Water heater was $999. I chose the second choice as the first choice would have still left me with a subpar water heater obviously already out of warranty. The reason for my review is that I saw the number of complaints on the failure of this part. When I purchased this water heater, it was the better model due to the 12 year tank warranty. What use is the tank warranty when the other items dont last? There should be some type of reimbursement but Im not holding my breath. Please buy a contractor grade water heater and not the cheaper models.

Purchased Whirlpool gas hot water heater from LOWES on 9/25/2016. After the installation, tried to light the pilot light for 90 minutes. Followed the recommended instructions, I could not get it to light. Called LOWES they told me to call Whirlpool. I did so, and told them I will return the heater to LOWES the next day. Whirlpool customer service very bad. Returned the heater to LOWES the next morning, went to a local plumbing shop and purchased a Rheem heater. After installation it lit very first attempt. Now three weeks later I get a letter in mail from collection agency that LOWES turned me in for stopping payment on the check I wrote them. After reading the many negative reviews and they disregard for my and my familys safety, nobody should purchase a Whirlpool gas heater from LOWES.

People should consider themselves lucky to get 2 yrs, 1yr, 6 mos out of these pieces of junk. Mine replaced an 8 year old Bradford White that was originally installed when the house was built. Funny thing, we had the exact same BW in our last house. Same problem after exactly 8 years - tank leaked. Anyway, this Whirlpool 40 gal gas was installed by a professional plumber ($200) and ran fine for 6 days before the pilot went out the 1st time. In the next 10 days it went out 9 more times until it wouldnt stay lit at all. I would light the pilot and it would be out in 5 min or less. I watched for the error code the last time - 2 flashes which indicated thermocouple low voltage. This is totally ridiculous. After research - which I should have done before I bought - it looks like a total bad design problem with associated customer service nightmares and much additional cost to the customer. AND EVERYONE WHO MAKES AND SELLS THESE THINGS KNOWS ABOUT IT. Attempting to fix this thing - even IF labor was included - looks like throwing good money after bad. When are these companies going to be held accountable for producing cheap poorly designed products and then let the consumer foot the cost of labor and/or replacement. You can say all you want about less government but this is just a small example of what you get when you have less government. Doing further research, it looks like NO manufacturer of gas water heaters can produce a reliable product now. So now, Im installing a Bradford White ELECTRIC water heater. Thats and extra $250 for the electrical service that needs to go in. AND additional for the actual install by a plumber. At least Lowes is not giving me a hard time about getting all my money back for the Whirlpool since its less than 30 days since the purchase. I guess I should consider myself lucky it malfunctioned almost immediately. Total out of pocket on the initial Whirlpool install: $560. Total out of pocket with reinstall of BW Electric: $1000. My time spent on this mess: priceless. At least we will have hot water, even though it will cost more per month in electricity to do it. Thanks Whirlpool - stay classy.

I bought my home four years ago with a Whirlpool 50-gallon water heater in it. It was installed in December 2002. Well, my hot water went out. After being told I could go to Lowe’s because they would supply the part free of charge because there was a recall on the thermocouple unit. I went to Lowes. No luck there. They told me they didnt carry the whole replacement unit and I would need a number from Whirlpool. The guy at Lowes was very nice but said I was the fifth person to come in this week.I called Whirlpool and was told because I was not the homeowner that had purchased the item that there was no warranty on the product and that I would have to pay for the part. It cost $34.98 plus shipping, which was another $30.00 because I had it shipped overnight. Two days with no hot water was enough. Well, I got the part and hopefully there is nothing wrong with it as it was shipped in a box twice as big as needed with no packing what so ever.I just got off the phone with them again but this time spoke with a supervisor that told me there was no need for packing. There was no part of the entire assembly that could have been damaged. Will I ever buy anything with the Whirlpool name on it? Not only no, but ** no! Will I tell everyone I know about this? You bet. I am also going to write to Lowes and ask why they are continuing to sell inferior appliances such as these. I have to tell one realtor friend about this and just placed a call to another to tell him. The first had no idea that appliances that were marked still under warranty did in fact have no warranty at all if its a Whirlpool. I may write a letter to the editor of our local newspaper and hope that they will publish it to inform anyone reading the paper about these inferior products.

I purchased the original Whirlpool water heater from Lowes in April 2008 for $372, and an installation charge of $443, grand total - $815. In February 2012 the tank leaked profusely, enough to ruin a section of hardwood floor in the room behind the garage where it was installed. Whirlpool provided me with return authorization, and Lowes provided me with a replacement water heater. So far so good. Since the original installation was done through Lowes, the replacement had to be as well, according to Whirlpool, but now they charged $500 with tax to install the replacement water heater! Grand total now is $1315. Fast forward to May, 2014 and the replacement water heater, just barely 2 years old, shuts off with a code of Bad gas control valve/thermostat. I call Whirlpool and an extremely rude 20-something staffer tells me the unit is out of warranty by one month! The replacement unit has no warranty at all - nada - only the original one does... Is this unbelievable or what?! BUT, they would be glad to send me the replacement of the defective part for $200 PLUS overnight shipping charges, and I would be responsible for all labor charges to install it. Had I opted for this my original $372 water heater would have wound up costing me in the neighborhood of $1800!! I told her in no uncertain terms what she could do with the repair part, and now I am going to go shopping for a water heater that will last me more than 2-4 years, and you can bet it wont be a Whirlpool, and it wont come from Lowes.

I bought a new Whirlpool gas hot water 40 gal tank from Lowes. I Installed it, but the pilot light would not light. So Cal Gas Co came out and said they did not like the new design, but that was how they were now making them. Gas is shot out from a pipe into the tank, however its fairly open. The pilot ignitor is similar to the one on barbarques that often do not last. You cannot get to it to light it manually. Several calls were made to Whirlpool and they sent a repair man out to fix it. You can imagine buying a new hot water heater and having it work part time. The repair man explained that the unit needed a new thermopile, but he could not put one on until whirlpool authorized it, which they would not. After a rather heated conversation with whirlpool they agreed to FedEx a part overnight. Of course the repairman could not wait for me to call and had to come back again. The pilot light still does not stay lit, and Whirlpool now wants to talk about how the tank is vented. This has nothing to do with the pilot light, nor did putting in a new 1/2 gas line and valve as per Whirlpools request. Whirlpool has a problem and they refuse to acknowledge it. However, it is Lowes that chose to buy from whirlpool and they do little if anything to stand behind their product and gain consumer confidence. My suggestion would be dont buy whirlpool, and shop at Home Depot.

Whirlpool Water Heater Purchased at Lowes - Like all the others I see on here. I Purchased a Whirlpool water heater at Lowes Model# BFG1H4040T3NOV. Pilot will not stay lit; customer service tells me to replace the thermocouple which did not solve my problem. This is the second time in 2 years same problem. First time it was fixed under warranty but now since it was replaced once it is not eligible for replacement so I now must decide if I want to pay someone to figure out the problem and I must pay to repair it or what I am starting to think is that I will likely junk it and buy a quality unit and be done with the games and run around and just have hot water, which is all I really want. I will never buy another Whirlpool product in my life and will encourage everyone I know to do the same.

I had the biggest nightmare with your sorry company. On 01/05/2013, I purchased a new 50gal electric water heater from Lowes in Waco, TX. I got the unit installed and the damn thing would not heat. I followed your lame support instructions. I contacted your support tech and diagnosed everything possible. I was told I needed to have an electrician to verify that I was getting enough power. That cost me $75.00 bucks and everything checked out. He was not able to check the water heater since he was not a Whirlpool licensed tech. So I called Lowes to return the water heater. Now this is where your policy at Whirlpool suck! Lowes is not allowed to take back/exchange your crap without an RMA number. I had to get it from Whirlpool directly! I called Whirlpools customer service. They flat out refused to do so. They stated that I need to get a certified Whirlpool tech, but it was up to me to contact one! Their nearest one was from Dallas (2 hours away) and could not come out until later next week! I told the tech that its unacceptable! She even refused to get a supervisor! Plus now I blew up on this one. I had to pay the tech $75.00 up front plus the $75.00 an hour to which it would take 2 1/2 hours for repair. Meaning, I would pay more in a damn service call than the actual cost of the new water heater! Oh, but they would refund me in 60-120 days. I would first verify the work was done and if any overcharges, it would not be refunded! So I say to Whirlpool/GE, your warranty policy is a bunch of **. This includes your customer service team as well! I will never ever purchase a Whirlpool or GE product again. Samsung now has my business. May your company fold! Youre a worthless corporation that continues to rip the Americans off!

Two years ago, I bought two Whirlpool Water Heaters. Like the others who have posted, after one year the first one went out. Last night the second one went out. I just wish that I had read the prior reviews before I bought these replacement water heaters. I also had to navigate a very unfriendly customer experience, first with Whirlpool and then the manufacturer. After that I had to wait a week to get a repair person out only to have to order the part and then be asked to pay for it and the express shipping. Totally amazing! I have decided to buy new water heaters next quarter because I just cannot put up with either the aggravation or the expense of constant repairs. I will returning these two water heaters to Lowes, where they were purchased. Perhaps if enough of us return them, Lowes will decide its not worth damaging their brand to sell a known inferior product. When this many people complain about a product and they all have the same experience its a lack of quality, plain and simple. And I would think that Lowes would not want to go on supporting a known inferior product when even Whirlpool is lukewarm in their response to our complaints.

I have had too many problems with the thermocouple beginning about two years after I purchased the water heater in 2003. Whirlpool keeps replacing the thermocouple, but I have to pay for the plumber to come out and repair the unit. This runs me about $180 each time. The thermocouple has burned out three times since September of this year. The plumber didnt charge me anything the second time it went out. But it went out for the 3rd time today and he recommended that I replace the unit. Of course, it is out of warranty and Whirlpool was happy to tell me that I could purchase a new thermocouple at my own expense from them. I have paid for this water heater three times over with repairs. Whirlpool knows that there is a defect with the design of the water heater. There is no way that a regular consumer can get inside the water heater to clean it. I will never purchase any Whirlpool products ever! I advise anyone reading this to follow suit.

I purchased and had professionals install a Whirlpool 30-gallon water heater in 2007. Since that time I have had issues with the unit not staying lite, but have been able to deal with it myself. Then in November 2011, it wouldnt work. After paying a plumber to come out and check everything, we got on the phone with Whirlpool who goes through their generic checklist, and after all that they agreed the control was no good. They sent a replacement part out at which time I had to pay to have put in. Now, March 2012, the same thing is going on with the unit. Customer service is their same polite self and have to go through their checklist, but unfortunately we were cut off. This was followed by calls and trying to get the same operator, who was supposed to call me back. It didnt happen. I then called and was hung up on. Finally, I had to work with another operator who again wanted to go through her checklist! She finally agreed the same control unit must be bad and is sending me a new one so I can pay to have it installed! They will not admit the unit is bad and replace it completely. I guess when buying Whirlpool you need to understand they dont back their products. It appears to be normal that a control unit from Whirlpool only has a life expectancy of 3 or 4 months. Last Whirlpool I ever buy!

I purchased a Whirlpool Flame Lock gas water heater with a 12 year warranty from Lowes in November 2011. It lasted almost 6 years. Called Whirlpool Support and no one in my area is a certified repair facility. Closest one is 45 miles away, and he wont drive up to check out my water heater because Im too far away. Called someone in town. He came out, looked at it for 2 minutes, and said he never saw a water heater like this, but Sears may carry parts. Charged me $50 for service call. Sears couldnt find the model number in their parts catalogs. I dont have a manometer (What is it?) so I cant do diagnostic tests on it myself. Cant find out anything about them online except complaints from other steamed customers about this crappy product. Whirlpool Support wouldnt do anything else for me except say they were sorry I got stuck with a bad product of theirs. It was made for Whirlpool by US Craftmaster Water Heaters Co.

Purchased on 04-26, professionally installed on 04-29 into a clean, large, well-ventilated area within the garage. Has turned itself off every day since then. Flashes code 10, screen is dirty... Pull the burner and the screen is clean. Called Whirlpool. They tell me to clean it again, so I do. This goes on for weeks... I can now pull the screen and clean it with my eyes closed. I get up a half hour early every morning to complete my water heater re-lighting procedure so my family can take a warm shower!!! Whirlpool gives me a phone number to a repair company. They tell me the repair person will have parts on the truck. I wait four days, guy comes out and says, You need a control valve.... did they send it to you? So I had to call Whirlpool back and order the valve... three more days... Very next day after repair, the thing shuts itself off again! I call Whirlpool and they try and push me off to the repair company, saying they are now responsible for the repair, but in the same sentence the tech says the heater needs a burner assembly. Okay, so you know it needs a burner assembly, but you ask me to contact the repair company to come out and fix it knowing they DO NOT have the parts on the truck? Only after I change my tone and raise my voice does she offer to send the part ahead of the repair appointment! In my opinion, Whirlpool has reached the top of a list shared by other mega companies like Bank of America and Time Warner Cable... Too bad the accolade is for the worst product and customer service. DO NOT BUY Whirlpool.

My 50 Gallon water heater is still under warranty, model #051718153. The water heater shuts down after a few minutes. Theres a sound of a leak inside the tank. They would not replace the tank; theyd only replace parts. We have already replaced the outer control box and the double burner, and theres nothing else to replace except the tank, which they refuse to do so. If I had called them and said theres water coming out from the heater, theyd have agreed to send me a new tank, but honesty doesnt work.

I Purchased 9 year warranty, Whirlpool water heater and installed it. Started having problems in the first month. It started giving a water temp too high error code, yet water was barely warm. Called Whirlpool. They had me do a bunch of diagnostic checks. Determined it was a bad control module. Sent me a new one. I installed it. Within a week or two, same problem. Called Whirlpool. This time they sent a Tech out. Everything on water heater tested normal, nothing wrong with any part. The tech finally, found a TSB that indicated that you couldnt have any re-circulating valves or systems connected to the water heater. We had one to keep hot water at the taps. So I removed the re-circulating kit and water heater worked for a few months. Then same problems, it keeps going into error. Error code indicates water temp too high, but water is barely warm to cold. Call whirlpool several times, they send out another control module and heating elements and I replace them. All work temporarily. Finally replace control module again, and it works for several months. Then back to error codes. Not always the same code. Sometimes it is water temp too high, other times it is check one of the heating elements. We have lived with it like that for about 3 years. We get hot water by resetting the water heater several times a day. Well, about 3 months ago it started tripping the circuit breaker in the electrical panel. I called Whirlpool and explained what has been going on since I bought their piece of junk. They will not do anything unless I call and pay for a service tech to come diagnose and repair the problem. They will provide the parts for the repair. I am not a certified appliance repairman, but I do handy man repair work for a living and do appliance repairs quite regularly. I am capable of doing every test that the repairman will do, but Whirlpool insists that I pay to get their defective product repaired. Then if I have problems again in a couple of months, I will have to pay a service tech again. I have friend that had this same water heater. I replaced the control module on his once. I was telling him about my woes and he told me he got fed up with all the problems and ate the cost and got a new water heater, not a Whirlpool. I am going to call Whirlpool one more time and then I am sure I am going to do what my friend did and put the money I would spend on a service tech into a new water heater. It will not be a Whirlfool.

I am experiencing problems with keeping my pilot lit too. I checked the screen and this is not the issue. I have just returned from Lowes where I purchased the water heater and they informed me Whirlpool supplied kits for this issue and it was widespread. They mentioned a class action and went on to tell me they and all surrounding Lowes stores are out of the free kit and arent expecting anymore. Am I to feel lucky my water heater water didnt fail sooner only to feel unlucky all of the free repair kits are now gone? Lowes provided me with the Whirlpool phone number for help and they have just informed me it will cost me $35.44 plus shipping. I now see how widespread this problem is. This isnt right. I am very disappointed in the handling of this known problem! What is my next course of action?

Electric hot water heater model E40H6-45-100 - Purchased at Lowes. Husband installed, tank filled, no hot water coming through house lines. Called support center several times after trying each recommendation that did not work. They kept saying it was a plumbing problem. My husband is very smart when it comes to electrical and plumbing. He has done numerous repairs to our homes over the last 30 years we have been married. He knows what he is talking about and told the support tech that he believed it was a faulty water heater. She immediately said the units are all tested before they leave the factory. The final step was to remove the nipple that the hot water flows through out of the tank and remove the two black bellows. Now my husband can see directly through the piece but also decides to put his finger through the the open whole on the top of the tank and cannot get his finger through - it is blocked. He gets a flashlight and a screw driver. Puts the screw driver through a thin plate that was blocking where the water should be coming through. He can now actually see the water in the tank. This was the whole problem! So they could not have tested this tank. They did give us a ref number to take parts back to store to replace parts we already bought and cannot use. Its the time and energy on whats suppose to be an easy job that counts. Will not recommend Whirlpool products to anyone and probably will not purchase any in the future. Ours was not as bad as most of the other reviews I read but wanted to advise others who may think about what brand to purchase.

I see that I am not the only one with the same pilot problem. I just purchased this new model that came out last summer. I bought my new water heater in September and just this past weekend, it messed up. I have not had it for 8 months. Whirlpool sent out a technician yesterday and he said the assembly is not good and the pilot would not light. Well they sent me a replacement part and they are coming out today to install it. The funny thing was that the technician said, Oh, these are hard to work with. We have a lot of problems with these models and they just came out last summer. Its the on that has the little box and you push the pilot button in and hold it until the red light comes on. Anyway, he said he didnt carry parts for that one, only the old ones which last longer. The ones that have the black round circle that looks like a thermostat. I said, Really? Well the reason I bought this water heater is because my last one that I bought 2 years ago kept having the same issue. Whirlpool sent me the assembly with the pilot and all 3 times and would never replace it. I got tired of it always messing up so after having it for 2 years, we just dumped it and went and bought this new model. Here we are 8 months since we bought it and the same thing is happening. I am so furious. I am pissed off that they dont recall these if they are defective. Why do they keep selling them if people have problems? My cousin called me a couple of months ago and asked if my husband could check her water heater and its the same type I had and it was doing the same thing. I will never buy another Whirlpool water heater again.

After seven long years of one issue after another, about once a year replacing one part after another, draining the unit to replace parts, waking up to cold water, I finally gave up and replaced this Whirlpool water heater, model model # FD1H4040T3ENOV unit. Never to buy a Whirlpool unit again. Thanks for the memories.

My Whirlpool water heater had to be replaced. I got a new water heater, and filed a complaint against Chris from your company. Talked to Chris, and he requested for paperwork on the old warranty. I tried to send it through fax number 1 800 999 9210, but got no response. Chris, please reply with the fax number so I can send the info you requested

I am having problems with my Whirlpool Water Heater. The pilot light goes off often and now it wont stay lit at all. I checked the thermocouple and measured the voltage, it is 19+ mV. So according to the manual, the gas valve/thermostat must have gone bad. I called the company and they gave me a name of the contractor but asked me to pay for the labor cost. This is a 50 gallon, 12-year rated heater bought from Lows in 2008. The heaters model number is BFG1J5040T3NOV. This thing has some serious quality issues.

Purchased at Lowes and within days of installation the water would heat up so hot that it would spit and spew out of kitchen sink (10 away) and be so hot you couldnt hold your hand under it. Returned to Lowes and they reluctantly replaced it. I should have bought a different brand but I felt confident that it was just a faulty thermostat. Second one did the same. Tested different settings and it seemed to work ok but a few days later it was scalding hot again. Tech support kept telling me that water heaters are intended to be used or they are like a kettle of water sitting on a flame. I told them they were crazy to think a small pilot light could heat 40 gallons to scalding temp.Guess what? I left the heater on the pilot setting and with 40 fresh cold gallons in it. I returned 24 hours later to find it scalding hot again. I got down and looked through the view window and I couldnt believe the size of the pilot light. It is the biggest pilot light I have ever seen. It blows like a mini blow torch! And there is no adjustment. This is a serious engineering flaw and extremely dangerous. This heater is at my father-in-laws house and he probably doesnt use 5 or 10 gallons a day but still, NO WATER HEATER SHOULD EVER HEAT WATER TO A SCALDING TEMPERATURE WITH ONLY A PILOT LIGHT!!!

I purchased a Whirlpool 12-gallon point-of-use water heater as a booster when I was going to get a tankless and when we decided that we didnt need a tankless, I tried to get an RA number through the manufacturer so that the store could give me credit, as it says directly on the water heater, Do not return to store. They said there is nothing that they will do and it cant be returned to the store. So, what am I supposed to do with this water heater now? Before I knew this was going to happen, I purchased a 50-gallon Whirlpool water heater as well. So now, I have the 50-gallon that I have had to replace the element for already and I have only had it for less than a month and a half, and the 12-gallon is just sitting in my garage. Im completely irritated with this company and do not recommend anyone to go with this company! This is the worst customer service!

Replaced an old water heater with new Whirlpool 40 gal. short natural gas water heater N40561-403. Good instruction, very clear directions. Also purchased at Lowes was a Utilitech universal gas water heater installation kit. The nipples provided in the kit screwed very loosely into cold water inlet and hot water outlet. I used teflon tape and finished the installation. When I turned the water on both fittings leaked. I couldnt tighten the nipples any further so I shut the water off and drained the tank a bit and reinstalled the nipples with at least 8-9 wraps of teflon tape. Im not sure if that is normal or if nipples were under size or if the cold water inlet and hot water outlet were larger dia. than normal. FYI.

I bought Whirlpool hot water heater with the Honeywell part in 2014 and the thermal box went out. No flashing lights, no way to reset. I understand that Whirlpool had a class action lawsuit after researching. Still selling this product to consumers. Whirlpool should be held responsible, and be made to give an allotment to replace homeowners with hot water tank of choice! If lawsuit is active please add my name.

Chris from Whirlpool contacted me the same day that I filed my complaint. He offered to replace our water heater at no charge. We will pick up our new water heater this weekend and install it. Hopefully, it is designed better than our current water heater.

I called customer service because my pilot light would not stay lit on my 2005 Whirlpool water heater. I was told that I needed to install the upgrade kit and that the water heater was malfunctioning because of a lack of air and that it needed to be cleaned at the bottom. I paid for the shipping of the kit although I believe it is called an upgrade or conversion kit versus a recall for this water heater to save money and to get the consumer to pay for replacing defective parts. A certified technician installed the kit but the pilot light would not remain lit. He replaced the thermocouple, although new parts had just been received. This did not help either. The technician and I called customer service, which didnt resolve the issue. I also asked for a manager who would only agree to send out another conversion kit. There are three years remaining on the warranty but I am being told to keep replacing new parts with new parts until it works. That is unacceptable. Also, I was not informed that my problem is a recurring problem with this Whirlpool water heater that I purchased at Lowes.

I purchased a Whirlpool water heater on 9/30/2011. It is leaking at the point of cold water entry and is spewing a brown colored watery substance, leaking on the floor.

I purchased a new water heater in August 2013. The pilot light started going out in October/November of 2013. After calling the Tech Support phone number, (877) 817-6750, I was advised to clean the burner screen. First this is very difficult to do because the burner screen is underneath the water heater and almost impossible to access. Second the closet the water heater is in did not show any signs of debris that could clog the burner screen. I did as they recommended. Several calls, and several weeks later, they finally authorized a technician to come and service water heater. He performed a cleaning even though he couldnt find anything to clean; and he replaced the control module. The new control module worked through the spring and summer seasons and then I started having issues again in the fall, late October. Started calling the same phone number and was told again to clean the burner screen. I convinced them to send out the technician again. The A and E Factory technician came out and only cleaned the burner screen and left before I had a chance to get home. This happened several times and I called Whirlpool every time. The next A and E technician told me to try changing out the draft vent chimney to a different size, which I did. Problem happened Again! I finally asked for another plumber and they sent me 3 names of their authorized plumbers. I called Phil, Philco Plumbing. He told me that I needed to have more ventilation, so I added more ventilation, even though I later found documentation stating I already had more than what was required by the manufacturer. Again, a week later, started having problems. Call back and asked to have my personal plumber come out. This time the rep told me that I have always been free to choose any plumber I wish (why wasnt I given that option the first 10 times I called?). My plumber came out and replaced the control module and the thermocouple, but wasnt convinced that these were faulty parts, he honestly couldnt figure out why I am having this problem, but it was worth a try. That lasted about 1 week and now I am having the problem again!!Whirlpool will FINALLY authorize a new water heater, but they will not authorize installation for the new water heater. I have already spent money on recommended repairs that have not worked. I have taken 15+ hours off of work to watch plumbers do nothing that has rectified my problems. And now Whirlpool wants me to deal with installing the unit myself, OR pay to have it installed! They say they wont cover installation because I purchased it more than 1 year ago. They seem to be missing the fact that I have had trouble with it the ENTIRE time I have owned it!This Flame lock system is garbage. I found on Consumer Affairs that a few years ago a class-action lawsuit settled, dealing with the same issues. I think it is time for another round! I KNOW that I am not the only one dealing with this problem because the plumbers I had out all had similar complaints from many of their clients. Whirlpool wont fess up to the problem, but the problem is real.

I purchased a Whirlpool electric water heater in August of 2008. The unit had a 12-year warranty on the tank. On January 21, 2012, I discovered that the water heater sprung a leak somewhere in the tank shell; it’s not the pressure relief valve, thermostat or anode port. The tank was never abused and operated well within its design limits. Not sure what caused it to start leaking into the catch pan and out onto my laundry room floor.I purchased the tank at Lowes and went for the longest tank warranty to reduce replacement intervals. I sent Whirlpool an email on 1/22/2012 explaining my problem and I referenced this site. The next day 1/23/2012 I receive a call from Whirlpool (Chris) asking me about my problem. I explained again and they gave me an RMA number and told me to go to Lowe’s and they would replace my hot water heater. I went straight to Lowe’s customer service and within an hour I was on my way home with a brand new hot water heater. Thank you, Chris, Whirlpool and Lowe’s. I am very happy with my outcome on this issue.

Problem resolved - This is an update to my previous complaint... The repair man arrived this morning and after resetting the thermostat, the water heater started up again. He explained to me that these new water heaters are super sensitive because of the new designs and systems that are required by the State of California. He said that all brands have to have the same system. He said that the new water heaters dont breathe as well as the old ones. In our case, he suspected that after being installed, there were probably some air bubbles in the pipes which tricked the computer into telling it that there was not enough ventilation, when in fact our ventilation was fine, but that triggered a total shut down! In my previous written complaint, I was really upset because I have not had a shower in 3 days and thought this problem water heater would not be fixed until next week. I was furious! My understanding is that basically the way the new water heaters are designed is not very well and there is nothing we can do because about it they are all the same, unless we want to go to a tankless water heater system which plumbing included would cost $4000.00... so we are stuck and hope this will not happen again!

I had to turn the gas off my water heater and when I tried to turn it back on, it refused. I called the number on the heater and somebody answered. The guy told me to take the pilot gas hose off to make sure there was gas in the line. I did this but after spending 1/2 hour putting the pipe back in, the pilot light did not go on. I called them back and they told me to push a white switch and hold it down for 10 seconds and retry. That didnt work either so they told me to call a repair man and gave me the phone number of a local plumber. Trying not to give up, I removed the pilot light pipe off and tried blowing and sucking on it. I couldnt get air through the pipe so I figure that somehow it was clogged. I tried taking the whole assembly off (there are 2 screws to remove) but couldnt get that out. I called Whirlpool again and asked for a manual to be sent over the internet but I couldnt open that either. The water heater is only 3 years old and already Ill be paying to repair it.

Purchased first water heater in 2008 with 6 year warranty. In 2011, pilot light would not stay lit. Whirlpool told me to go to Lowes and get a new one at no cost. But I had to pay for service to identify the problem and installation of new one, costing $250.00. A year and a half later on a six year warranty, the same issue the pilot light not staying lit. They send a pilot light assembly and we pay the shipping and installation cost of $130.00.Two years later, the same issue begins again. Calling tech support, they determine it needs a third pilot assembly at $30.00 for shipping and $265.00 service installation fee by a certified Whirlpool technician. Worked one day! Im so done with this company!!!! I was promised a call from a supervisor with Whirlpool which Im still waiting on days later. Probably for the best at this point. I think I would feel better if I could beat the crap out of a Whirlpool CEO with it! Im cutting my losses and going with a different provider. I will NEVER again purchase another Whirlpool product!

I purchased a Whirlpool hot water gas heater with a six-year warranty. It only lasted three years. When I called for an RA#, I was told, Well, well send you a part after you get a plumber and pay for it. Meanwhile, there is water all over the cellar floor. I called again and was told the same thing. Two weeks of no hot water and no help from Whirlpool. I will never order anything Whirlpool ever again. They stink.

I purchased this heater in 2009. I have had so much problems with the pilot staying lit or the thermocouple. Had to have that changed, have to clean under heater monthly. I have called Whirlpool numerous times because the pilot light goes out. Now I have a problem with it staying lit. Whirlpool tells me I have to pay for service labor. They sent out a technician who broke the igniter and I am being told I have to pay labor cost to have this fixed. THEIR TECHNICIAN BROKE THE IGNITER BUT THEY WANT ME TO PAY THE LABOR COST TO FIX WHAT HE BROKE. I have had it with Whirlpool. This heater is a piece of garbage as far as I am concerned. I am tired of having no hot water.

This is truly a piece of junk! My water heater is 2 1/2 years old and the pilot light will not stay on. Was told that I needed a thermal coupler and paid $30 for shipping. Installed it and still the pilot light will not stay on. Was told again that I needed to replace the main control. Another $30 for shipping. Had that installed and the pilot light stayed on but no hot water. The light was blinking 4x (temperature too hot). WHAT!!? ALL I GOT WAS COLD WATER! Now I was told I need to replace the temperature sensor and they wanted another $30! I told them to I was going to junk it and buy a different brand.

I have 2 rent houses. I purchased 2 Whirlpool gas water heaters with a 6 year warranty, from Lowes in 2010 and 2011. The warranty just expired on 1 and almost expired on the other. I read the reviews and decided I would not spend my time to get a part, I did not want to put any more money into a bad product. Both water heaters leaked at the Honeywell gas control valve without any warning and flooded both properties. I replaced these with Rheem gas water heaters from Home Depot.

Thermal couple went out and nobody has one. You have to get it from whirlpool. This could be a easy fix with buying a $6.00 thermal couple but the one on mine has left handed threads. I took it to several parts places and they all said you have to buy it from whirlpool so you have to call the 1 800 number and they ask you how soon do you want it, 5 to 6 days to take a shower for $10 shipping, or $20 for 3 to 4 days without a shower or $32 for overnight? This ** should be free if they are the only ones that have it. I never heard of this crap before. The funny thing is they told me I should replace my water heater since the warranty is expired. Dont worry I will buy a new one someday and it will be anything but a whirlpool. I will never buy anything whirlpool again and make sure my family never buys whirlpool.

Our Whirlpool 40-gallon electric hot water heater, purchased in 2008, has performed fine, until today when it flooded our basement and, of course, did not provide hot water. As the paperwork says, it has a 12-year warranty. What options do we have for repair or replacement, preferably replacement?I was unable to contact anyone on the 877-817-6750 number due to the bad weather. The model # is EE3J40RD045V, the serial # is 0742130246, and the product # is **.

Late on the evening of Monday, January 27, 2014, after springing a leak in my 8-year-old water heater, I purchased a new Whirlpool model N50T61 replacement from Lowes. Installation went smoothly and the unit lit off fine the first time. It heated the initial tank of water rather quickly, but the next morning, I noticed the status light on the control unit was not blinking, which indicated the pilot light had gone out. I relit the pilot light, the water heater fired off and appeared to be working properly. 12 hours later, the status light was out again. I relit the pilot, but within 20 minutes, it went out again.On Wednesday, the 29th, I called Whirlpool customer service and explained to the representative what had been happening. He stated that since the status light was not blinking a code, the problem was either an air supply or venting problem, and he couldnt help me. I relit the water heater again and performed the match smoke test described in the owners manual on the vent connection. It did exactly what the manual said it should do, so I assumed that was not the problem. However, while performing this test, the water heater went out again. This time, being right there when it shut off, I saw the status light blink twice about 5 or 6 times before it quit blinking all together. The two blink error code indicated low millivolt signal from thermopile.I called customer service again and explained to the representative what the first person had told me and also told him the results of my test and that this time, I had observed the two blink error code. He asked if I had a multimeter (which I do), so he had me disconnect the wires for the thermopile, connect the meter to the wires, light the pilot and read the voltage. My meter is an old analog unit, and not capable of reading millivolts (which is what the thermopile output is), and I informed the rep of this, but he had me do it anyway. As I suspected, I saw absolutely no reading on the meter. The service rep stated that he believed the error code and decided to send me a new thermopile assembly. However, their shipping department was closed for the day and I should not expect to see the new part until Friday. This was unacceptable, but he stated that this was the only option available to me.After thinking about this situation for a while, I again called Whirlpool customer service and told the representative that I was not satisfied with the solution previously presented to me and that I wanted a return authorization to take the water heater back to Lowes for replacement. The rep stated he couldnt do that, but said that there were a couple other things I could try. He attempted to explain these procedures to me, but wasnt able to do so clearly. He stated he would email the instructions to me. As of this writing, I still have not received the instructions.In the meantime, I did some internet research and found that Whirlpool water heaters have numerous chronic problems, including the issues I was experiencing. I decided this was not a product I cared to own. I called the Lowes store where I purchased the water heater and spoke with the manager. I explained the entire sequence of events to him, and he told me to bring the water heater back for a full refund. Since my local Lowes store only sells the Whirlpool brand, I took the money and purchased a different brand of water heater from another home improvement store. Needless to say, it will be a cold day in hell before I ever purchase another Whirlpool product.

I bought a Whirlpool gas hot water heater in 2005. In the first 12 months I replaced either 4 or 5 thermocouples and a total of between 15 and 20 from the time I bought it in 2006 and 2012. Only 1 time did the company replace one of them. When I would call them the rep would say things like, There may not be enough ventilation or Was it installed by a licensed technician? The 1 time they did take care of a problem the technician they sent out said NOTHING was wrong with the ventilation or the way it was installed. Oh yea, Customer Service told me that they did me a FAVOR (exact word) when they did that.In 2012 the hot water heater went out for good. The company would NOT do anything about it. I took it back to Lowes where I got it and they replaced it for me since the manufacturer wouldnt. The new hot water heater went out after only 3 years. I turned the hot water on and it was not getting hot so I checked the hot water heater to see what was going in. I found the pilot was burning, but the burner was not burning. I turned the water heater off and and checked everything out. When I tried to relight the water heater, guess what? It will not light. I am now being told that this heater has NO warranty, this 3 year old heater. There is MORE but I wont go into that now. Just know this has been the WORST product and the WORST company I have ever had any dealings with, PERIOD!!!

Purchased I assumed a brand-new electric hot water heater from Lowes. It worked giving us hot water for 5 months then it quit. We called the number they have located on the side of the water heater and they sent 3 references such as plumbers for us to contact because everything they told us to purchase didnt work... so after their references, plumber came out. Instead of him telling us what was wrong why all of a sudden we stopped getting hot water he didnt return our phone call. As a professional that sucks!!! So WHIRLPOOL CUSTOMER SERVICE says the hot water heater that had been working for 5 months wasnt up to code and wasnt wired right and WE need to pay an electrician to connect it right... thats **. The electrician did it correct the first time. Whirlpool just dont want to accept the fact that their equipment is faulty!!! But thats good because I will NEVER purchase anything WHIRLPOOL makes. I dont care if they start making water. I will just quit The hell with that company!!! WHIRLPOOL SUCKS!!! Heres the serial number 1626103174130 and if I had read the neg reviews before I purchased the hot water heater I wouldnt not have done it!!!

Whirlpool N50T61-403 - I bought this thing today 8.21.14 from Lowes. It is a Whirlpool 50-Gal water heater (6th sense) and was going to have it installed by their installer, but elected after seeing it was very similar to lining up with my old unit. I got it in and then filled it. After filling, I lit the pilot light per the instructions then turned the knob for heating it up. Success, the flame spread across the burners...then went out. The steady blink changed to the 2 blink code indicating a bad thermopile. It did not work - right out of the box. No plumber near me carries the part. Whirlpool has thus been pretty good about it offering to have someone come out at their cost... But if no one has the parts, that is no good. I am moving from this house so if we can get it to work, its the problem for the next owner. If not - Ill have to get an RMA and go back to Lowes... Then try the Rheem from Home Depot. Will see if they will overnight a part tomorrow. I found the other reviews - and I dont like it that this thing appears to have difficulty right out of the box.

I have fought with this issue hundreds of times over the last 3 years. My old water heater work fine until it started leaking, I bought a Whirlpool 40 gal gas hot water heater from Lowes. Worked fine for the first month, then this pilot light issue started popping up intermittently. Now the damn thing doesnt want to light at all. I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER WHIRLPOOL PRODUCT THE REST OF MY LIFE, and I will tell everyone I know that WHIRLPOOL Products are not quality products. DO NOT BUY. There have been so many class action lawsuits about this product and Whirlpool keeps on selling this junk. Im so frustrated with WHIRLPOOL customer support I cant think straight. To reduce your headaches in life, do not buy Whirlpool products as they are junk and their customer support is terrible also.

This is my second water heater in three years. The problem is the thermocouple thermostat. Also, when I drain the water, it comes out of the heater black because of the corrosion in side. I spoke to people in the company, and they were nasty to me. This happened to my two heaters in 2 1/2 years. Please, do not buy a Whirlpool heater.

Product number 0733318 Terrible water heater - Check valve went after 2 years. Replacement has to be shipped from TN. $30 to next day it or else I can take cold showers for a week. Warranty does not cover shipping or installation. My opinion, buy puts on WHR. Absolutely crappy product.

I purchased a gas hot water heater from Whirlpool. I have had problems with it since it was new. Whirlpool kept sending repair parts, which I installed, until the warranty expired. Now they say “Sorry Charlie, the warranty has expired.” The water heater has never been fixed. They just dragged it along until the warranty expired. Whirlpool has no complaint department or the repair place will not give it to you. They told me there would be no use for a complaint department. They would just tell the same thing the repair was telling me.

The gas water heater that we purchased has been a headache. Pilot went out several times. When we contacted Customer service they informed us that we would have to have a new kit put on it. We ordered that and it worked a while and then we started having the same problem. Just recently we had to purchase another part and once again we have cold water. Fed up.

Replaced the “brain” twice. No hot water for 2-4 days each time, waiting for part to arrive. Now I have to replace the nylon drain valve because it won’t shut off. Gonna use brass replacement. Fortunately I have it drain to a sump pump so house isn’t flooding. Don’t buy Whirlpool water heater from Lowe’s unless you enjoy this kind of thing. Consolation: the folks at the help line always answer the phone and are knowledgeable. And they’ve heard these same complaints over and over. One guy even said to buy AO Smith as they are made in Tennessee instead of China.

We purchased the Whirlpool model# BFG1J4040T3NOV 40 gallon natural gas hot water tank in the spring of 2010. The pilot light went out this weekend, 2011. And it will re-light but does not stay lit. This was bought at Lowes, rated as a 9-year warranty on the tank and parts. This is premature failure of a product that is listed as 9 years. Due to all the other similar complaints of this Whirlpool hot water tank, I would like my money back plus installation. I do not want the Whirlpool replacement as obviously it does not work. I will use a different brand and vet it much better in the future. We almost purchased at Home Depot but decided it would be a better bet to go with the Whirlpool reputation and name and Lowes than with the only Home Depot option, which is the self branded water heaters. It was a big mistake!

I purchased my water heater from Lowes about 11 months ago. The heater worked just fine for about 3-4 months then a popping noise started like a drum. I called Whirlpool and got this song and dance story with several email telling what is needed to do. Whirlpool said it was a water knock and I needed to install some devices on my water line or a tanks which cost a few hundred dollars. I called the plumber and he replace the main control valve. Same problem again so I called several other times and a plumber came and said it was my water pressure in which his gauge was incorrect. I went Lowe’s to complain and they said they would check into the situation and call me. It’s been several days and no results. Still the same problem. The Heater is a piece of trash and would not suggest anyone purchase one. It a total piece of trash and will replace with a premier heater very soon. Requesting Lowe’s replace or will take to Small Claims Court along with reviews pointed here. By the way, they want $450 to install the items on my water line - almost half the price I paid for the heater.

I bought a Whirlpool water heater from Lowes. I had trouble with it from day 1. It never worked correctly. Their service department is terrible. All they want to do is sell you extended coverage policies on it. Every time I have it fixed, its never covered, and I have to pay again. You will be sorry if you buy a Whirlpool water heater.

Water heater model N40t61-343 - Why does a water heater fail after 4 years when there is a warranty for 6 years? Is this water heater an omen for Whirlpool? I have a wife who is terminal and I trusted the Whirlpool name for hot water. What are Whirlpool going to do about this water heater?

Whirlpool anode rod went bad in 2 months. Called Whirlpool, would not stand behind warranty. Had previous hot water tank (not a Whirlpool) in for 10 years with same well and water conditions. Also noticed Whirlpool hot water tank is not nearly as efficient on energy use. Overall, this is a very poor water heater and even worse customer service to not replace a part that was under warranty.

Thermocouple failure on a Whirlpool water heater - We are having trouble finding the part to replace it because the thermocouple is threaded left-handed, and Lowes does not seem to have any replacements in stock locally. Meanwhile my tenants are without hot water, and my repair bill is escalating due to labor.

I purchased a new gas water heater and had it installed by a plumber. It worked for 3 weeks then we lost hot water. I called the 877 number and got shoveled around to 3 or 4 people. I got hung up on twice then spent 45 minutes repeating all the instructions that are on the tank to relight the pilot light. They agreed to send a new valve. The first time, I never received the valve (after 10 days) and had to call back. The second time I called in, I spent 20 minutes trying to get another valve sent. The valve I, finally, received had plumbers dope on the back and clearly was previously used. Had the original plumber replace the faulty valve? And lo and behold, the second valve didnt work either. I have no idea why a gas water heater would have any issues after 3 weeks. I bought it brand new from Lowe’s. It is obvious that Whirlpool makes shoddy products. They have very poor customer service and care little for the customers’ time either in correcting the problem or being without hot water. I have spent over 2 hours with Whirlpool. Only to 3 weeks after the initial call, I still do not have hot water from a heater that is less than 2 months old! I called them on the issue of the second valve not working and they put me on hold (after 10 minutes the line went dead and I was disconnected) despite the fact I asked them not to do that!

I replaced my hot water heater after 22 years and no problems. We got a 50 gal. gas heater from Lowe’s in 6/2008. In 1/2012, we had no pilot light and an alarm on high temp sensor. Whirlpool sent a new sensor and control valve to replace the bad unit. Here we go again, on 3/2013 - same parts same problems. We now have the cost again to have the parts installed for the second time. I have spent 1/2 the cost to have the parts put in than the cost for the heater. I will never pay for any Whirlpool product again. They are plain junk!

Recently had a Whirlpool gas water heater installed. Would smell gas every time the heater kicked on. I inspected the vent, all the new fittings, with no luck. Leaving the windows open didnt help. Finally found the problem: the factory-installed line from the gas control valve to the tank was leaking. Should have kept my old heater. It was still working flawlessly after 20 years. You would think a new heater would at least be inspected before hitting the market.

Purchased a whirlpool water heater 04/08/2005 and it worked for a short time. It had a 6 year warranty. I had to replace the thermocoupler assembly 1 time and it worked fine until last week. 09/02/1011, 4 months after warranty ran out, the unit started leaking severely from the top ? (Could of understood the bottom) here. After investigating further and being told to basically pound salt by the warranty number I called, I removed the top cove r(glued on by spray in insulation) and carved away the spray in insulation. All the bosses/threaded fittings for the inlet outlet and anode rod were all leaking under the insulation where it could not be seen! I know for a fact this unit was leaking long before the warranty expired! But because of the way it is built it is impossible to see it!. I strongly feel this was a manufacturing defect and there are hundreds if not thousands of these units in people houses all over the country!

Our Whirlpool gas hot water heater was purchased and installed (through Lowes) in April 2008. In February 2009, the thermostat failed. Because the failure happened less than a year after purchase, Whirlpool replaced the part and paid for labor.The hot water heater failed again three weeks ago, and we contacted Whirlpool. We were once again provided with another thermostat, and were charged $135.00 by a plumber to install it (even though the customer service rep stated that there were known issues with this tank model). The tank is still not working properly. We (with our tenants) have tried troubleshooting according to their instructions, to no avail. It has been three weeks now, and no resolution.The heater has a six-year warranty. Not sure what this means if the product is defective to begin with. We pay to attempt to repair it?We will not be spending any more money on labor to install parts that may or may not work and have demanded that Whirlpool replace the heater. Whirlpool has refused to pay for any labor costs and told us that we must take the heater back to Lowes. So I suppose that means we have to pay to have a 3 1/2 year old heater removed from the gas and water lines, transported to Lowes, and a new one installed. What a deal.Stay away from Whirlpool.

I have gallon Whirlpool hot water heater. After 2 1/2 years, the heater started indicating upper sensor failure. I have had servicemen out here every 3-4 weeks since June. I have replaced gas valves, a new sensor and a new gas meter. I have made several calls to Whirlpool, but cant keep this hot water heater going. I am going to have to find a new heater.

The damper switch at the top of my water heater, one I purchased at Lowes stopped working. I talked to someone at the local store, and I was told I had to contain the manufacturer. I called the number on the front of my unit. The tech talked my husband through the restart process...not once, but on two separate occasions. We were told that because it was intermittent, something they decided Over the Phone, they could do nothing. They would neither send a replacement part nor a technician. By the time we had to call back two days later, restart was impossible. JUST to get the part, a specialty piece, we now have to pay for expedited shipping! And either install ourselves, or wait 5 days After Arrival (!!), to get the stupid thing fixed! If they had sent the part out originally when we asked, we wouldnt have to wait for hot water or pay anything for a warrantied piece! Its a racket. Stay away!!!

We purchased a 50 gallon water heater that claimed to come with a 6-year warranty on parts. Its been a little over two years that we owned the product, and we noticed rust on the bottom. We checked to make sure if water or even moisture is visible from the outside - nothing. The problem is obviously coming from the inside. Since we have warranty, we called them and got nowhere! We were told that it is just cosmetic. They refused to send out a technician to take a look at it. We even emailed them pictures (see pictures) and still nothing, no service. Their warranty is a joke. We will never by any Whirlpool product ever again. Dont believe the sticker that claims you are covered for a certain amount of time. When it comes down to it, they will not do anything for you.

I purchased an 80-gallon electric water heater in 2009 with a Lifetime warranty. When the unit failed in 2021, I was told that Whirlpool no longer manufactures an 80-gallon tank. I was provided an R/A# and was told that Lowes should honor it with a like-kind replacement unit. Lowes originally suggested I order an AO Smith Hybrid online, (at my expense), return my old tank, and they would reimburse my account. When I went back to confirm this offer, it was adjusted to a $200 credit (suggesting that was the value at the time of purchase). Later, Lowes again adjusted their offer to cover $650 toward a replacement 50-gallon tank with a 6-year warranty and 30-gallons less capacity. Other manufactures do produce 80-gallon tanks and Lowes does have AO Smith tanks available online only. I would have to pay the difference beyond the $650 offer.I purchased the original 80-gallon tank because I need the capacity and I assumed the Lifetime warranty would allow for an even trade if/when something went wrong. The proper solution would be for Whirlpool/Lowes to offer a replacement value for any comparable 80-gallon tank regardless of the manufacturer. Currently, similar tanks average $1300-1500. (Westinghouse w/ Lifetime warranty at Home Depot). Lowes should also be able to order the tank for in-store delivery as opposed to having me order online at my own expense. Meanwhile, the current tank is leaking and will soon be out of service...

I have purchased a Whirlpool Water Heater on May 21, 2005 from Lowes Model number FG1F4040S3NOV, Product number 0730261, Serial number 05181291061. It is one of the Flame Lock heaters that was part of a class action law suit. The lawsuit has been settled however. I have had three thermocouples to date installed and each time the heater has gone out after three to four days. The technicians I have contacted at Whirlpool all have stated something else is wrong with the heater even knowing that this model has been seriously defective from the beginning. They always tell me to do this and that to repair it. I do not have hot water as of the date of this writing. The original problem began June 19, 2011.

After years, the gas hot water heater model fg1f5040t3nov went out. The plumber had me get a new part. 2-3 weeks ago, it went out again. I am trying another new igniter assembly. If it goes again, Im getting a new heater - not a Whirlpool! My plumber says he can get me a new one for a little more than I spent on the Whirlpool, and its much more dependable.

I purchased my water heater at Lowes and had it installed professionally. I suspected something was not quite right on numerous occasions because the hot water recovery time seemed excessive. I finally called Whirlpool and they gave me the names and numbers of two companies that were on their list. The first asked for the model number and normal information and never called back. The second showed up spent five minutes charged me 78 dollars and said they could not get the part (gas valve) I needed. And if I could get it from Whirlpool they would charge me 250 to put it on. They also said Whirlpool made horrible water heaters and I should save myself the trouble and just replace it. I have since heard from additional plumbers and the gas company to stay away from Whirlpool. I did have the water heater replaced. When they did it and they drained the old water heater it had so much sludge in it draining it was very difficult. The sludge is mystery since I have a softener in my home and it should have prevented that. The individual from that gas company said that was just one of the many issue others had experienced with these heaters.

My water heater burner went out after just over 3 years caused the pilot to go out. I was worried that although all parts were covered for 12 years and labor for only 3 and the labor would be very expensive. When I called and told them about the problem they said the part was covered and would ship it next day air but 10 minutes later another rep called and said they would cover the labor as well and to check a nearby service company as they might have the part in stock. Long story short without having to scream and yell my problem was corrected within 8 hours and all I have to do is drop off the new burner at the service company when it arrives. I have been lucky and haven't had many warranty problems in my life but none that I have had have been resolved so painlessly. I will never buy anything but Whirlpool from this day forward. Thank you Whirlpool.

My water heater was installed in 2007 (model BFG2J5040T3NOV). It has required 3 repairs in 4 years because part failures make the pilot light shut off. The gas controller was replaced in 2008. The manifold/burner assembly was replaced in 2010. This month (August 2011), I have replaced the thermocouple, which did not fix the problem. Now I am having to replace the gas controller again. The part is failing, but not completely inoperable, so occasionally when on the phone with customer support, the pilot light would stay lit. When this happened, the tech would act as if the problem was solved and tell me to call back if the pilot light went out again. The next day, the pilot light would go out again. Thus, I have spent several hours on the phone with customer support running the same tests and answering the same questions over and over again.

Our hot water heater (Whirlpool Mod # BFG1F404053NOV) stopped working. I called the Whirlpool help line and was advised to change the thermocouple as they had been having issues with this particular model. I was advised to go to Lowes, where we had purchased the heater, to get a new thermocouple at no charge to us. After changing the thermocouple, guess what? It still didnt work. I went back to Lowes and they replaced the heater, at no charge to us (they were great during this whole ordeal so no knocks against Lowes). Well, one year later, it’s the same issue. The pilot light will not stay lit. It’s very frustrating as it never goes out at an opportune time. In the past, the name Whirlpool ensured you were getting a quality product. I guess that’s not true anymore.

Water heater was defective from the factory with a pinched wire between the thermostats. After replacing everything on the heater Whirlpool would not reimburse any parts or labor for the unit... Whirlpool is dead to me now, and forever and I love to tell my story to prospective buyers of their products!!! So far, to date I have cost them about 14 sales of major appliances (and still counting!!!). After reading some reviews… Im (sorry, I omitted the personal insults) in respect of your review guidelines.

Whirlpool N50T91-403 purchased in Mar 12 had an error code 4. I knew the water heater had a safety installed in it when I was working on the plumbing and allowed it to drain the hot water side down to 16% of capacitance of 50 GL. After the plumbing issue was resolved, I saw the water heater had shut off (thermal protection) but the switch wasnt tripped as far as I could tell. Knowing small processors can only remember anything if they have power, I removed the Honeywell circuit board and with my multimeter probed all of the capacitors contacting them both (-) and (+) and in reverse order. Doing this forces the IC to forget its codes because they require a small amount of voltage to remember them, usually powered by a small capacitor. I reinstalled it and voila! Presto! It works again.

I am a Licensed Plumber in Oklahoma, have been for 25 years. Our company will no longer work on Whirlpool water heaters, heres why. I diagnosed a water heater that the pilot would not stay lit, the thermocouple was bad. Whirlpool Tech Support told me to go to Lowes and buy the parts and send them the receipt and they would reimburse me. The customer was furious that I charged them for the part and I told them when I got reimbursed, I would send them the money. Well, I not only never got any money from Whirlpool but I never got paid from the homeowner who was mad at me and I didn’t even sell it to them. Beware, buy Rheem.

Purchased water heater in 2005 with a lifetime warranty. We had our first problem May 30, 2013. Water would not heat above lukewarm. Called Whirlpool. Our plumber and Whirlpool determined that the temp sensor was defective. Plumber took it off and it appeared it had shorted out as the wires were black and plastic coating had slightly melted in one spot. We had replacement part in 24 hours. Licensed Plumber did repair (2 hours @ $75/hr = $150). Second problem occurred October 23, 2013. Not even 5 months later! No hot water. Hit reset button, turned temp up. No change. The diagnostic light on water heater indicated it was the same problem as before. Called Whirlpool. They sent out repair part which arrived in 24 hours. Licensed Plumber repaired (1.5 hours @ $75/hour = $112.50).I took a picture of the melted plastic caps where the wires screw into, of the housing around the wires, of the melted, charcoal crispy black of the Junction Box in the area that was directly above and covered the wires and sensor panel. It was much worse than last time. Plumber said that the part that screwed into the plastic cap had to be pried out and it broke off. You could see that this might be the spot where the problem started. We feel fortunate that we didnt have an electrical fire start from this problem. Something isnt right. Within less than 5 months, we have spent $262.50 to repair a water heater that has a lifetime warranty. Id like to give this 0 stars. Whirlpool owes us $262.50 and it might be more before this is all said and done.

I purchased a rental home with a Whirlpool hot water heater. In the home inspection, it was deemed to be in good working order. The first day the tenant moved in, I received 3 service calls for no hot water. My contractor told me I needed to replace the start up assembly and it needed to be ordered from Whirlpool directly, as it is not available in stores. When I contacted Whirlpool Customer Service, the operator, Stacey, was rude and unhelpful. She told me that the warranty was void because I was not the original owner, even though it does not state that the warranty is not transferable. She also told me she could not help me order a replacement part without the item number.

In 2007 our Whirlpool 30 gallon gas water heater began to have issues. Serial number 0425126675, Model Number FG1F3030T3NOV. The pilot light kept going out and would not stay lit.. After several times with replacement parts being sent with the same thing happening, finally in 2010 they replaced the water heater. A new water heater was professionally put in, serial number 1023T412357 Model number BFG1F3030T3noHV.I am having the exact same issue and I was told that the warranty was null and void on the new water heater because it was a replacement. They replaced a defective water heater with a defective water heater. I called the number given to me by Lowes 1/877/817/6750. I spoke with Nichole. I told her that I should not have to pay for replacement parts for a defective water heater. I told her that I was never informed that there would not be a warranty. I live on a fixed income and cannot afford to buy another water heater because I was given a defective water heater in replacement for a defective water heater. I became angry stating, Thanks for nothing and I hung up. So many people have the same problem with these water heaters that something MUST be done.

N40T61-343 Whirlpool Hot Water Tank - Purchased this hot water tank and had problems keeping lighted. This hot water tank has never worked correctly, every week the burner needs removed and cleaned or the flame burns under burner. The wires burn up and you need to buy a new burner. I have bought two new burners and am fed up trying to have hot water with this Whirlpool unit. The gas company has been here three times, they blame a poor design.

Whirlpool sent me a different part 3 times and hot water tank only work for a few weeks, then the pilot light goes back out. They never offered any more help.

First of all, I want to thank all of you who took the time to write all your comments. You have helped educate me in many ways. For one thing, I had no idea that Whirlpool made such bad appliances, or at least water heaters. I pretty much grew up in a Whirlpool household. But that was a long time ago. Things change. Anyway, I too bought a Whirlpool from Lowes about four years ago. It was the top of the line 50 gallon energy saver, and it has had problems staying lit for the whole time I have owned it. Because I read your comments before contacting Whirlpool (this time), I knew exactly what to expect. And that is what I got at first--someone trying to sell me parts via shipping costs. I said no to that, and a rep called and offered to replace the unit, which is exactly what Whirlpool should have done for all of you. I am writing this out of courtesy for Whirlpool. They did the right thing for me, and I truly do appreciate that. On the other hand, Lowes wants $700 to deliver and install the new unit. I live seven miles from the store. They set my other water, the Whirlpool I purchased from them, up in my garage. It is extremely easy to get to, and it is all up to code. In other words, even though they sold me a defective product and profited from both the sale and the delivery, they now want to do it all over again by charging so much for the set up. They did not even offer to prorate the new install. Of course, I will hire and pay a certified plumber to do the job, but I am very sorry to lose Lowes. I have always enjoyed shopping there. Home Depot is just across the street, and even though I have learned not to purchase a water heater, or any major appliance there either, I will go there from now on. Losing my business might not worry Lowes a whole lot, but two years ago I bought $5,000 worth of fencing from them, and God knows how much over the years. If you and I and all the thousands of other unhappy customers would stop going there, they might feel a bit sorry for doing us all so dirty. Agreed? Thanks again, you guys.

BFG2F4040T3NIV IS HORRIBLE. This water heater is JUNK. The release valve has released and flooded my basement 3 times in the past 2 years and the recovery time on water is terrible. Whirlpool needs to step up to the plate and refund everyone who purchased one of these. Every review on this unit is horrible. DO NOT PURCHASE a WHIRLPOOL water heater!

Absolutely the worst hot water heater I have ever owned. Broke within first year which Whirlpool sent me a replacement valve assy which I had to install myself. That one failed in 3 month and unit was out of warranty so I received no help from Whirlpool. Had a serviceman fix it again and it failed again. So I ended trashing the unit. I would not buy another Whirlpool product as long as I live. The last 5 appliances I purchased from Whirlpool all failed within a few months after warranty expired. This is no joke. Everything they sell is farmed out to other countries than the US and the workmanship and quality is the worst I have ever seen. The service people are nice when they tell you that they cant help you with your problem. Dont waste another dime on Whirlpool! Very bad product.

In 2012 we purchased a Whirlpool Nu40T61-403 water heater from Lowes that I installed due to us not being able to afford a plumber. I have since become a plumber. This morning while attempting to shower I noticed that the water was lukewarm with the shower valve turned all the way to hot. I got dressed and inspected the heater. I began to diagnose the problem. Pilot was out and Gas control valve signal light was off. Lit the pilot and it appeared to be functioning normally. My first thought was the thermopile had failed but seeing the pilot stayed lit this proved to not be the case. I was extremely relieved at that point. Turned the temperature control knob to high and the burner kicked on. At first it appeared to be functioning fine. But within about 20 seconds I began to hear detonations within the sealed combustion chamber.

I had a 6 year warranty on the new Water heater and about only 4 years into it the tank began leaking. Whirlpool replaced it but of course I was responsible for Parts and labor to replace it. The replacement only lasted just over only 2 years and just outside the total of 6 years from original purchase date on the first. Whirlpool refused to discuss it since it was a few months out of warranty. If someone else has purchased this heater it would have failed at 2 years and they would have had to warranty it anyway. I will never own another Whirlpool appliance because of their substandard products and warranty. I only wish I had reviewed the reviews of others and taken their experiences into consideration and not purchased Whirlpool. I am now out for another heater and reinstallation charges again.

A couple of years ago, we had 2 natural gas hot water heaters installed. We immediately had a service call to replace the thermostat on one of them. Then recently, the other one had to be replaced because of the leaky tank. It was still in warranty, and we had to pay $425 for the old one to be removed and the new one installed. Now, this one has a bad thermostat and the A & E Factory Service is coming tomorrow to install the new thermostat. We have been inconvenienced by this for a couple of weeks as we have no hot water in the master bath. We were just lucky that we had one hot water heater working in the other part of the house. I think that Whirlpool should have paid the $425 for the installation as the original hot water heater was in warranty. Now, I hope that tomorrows visit will be covered by the warranty. Next time we need an appliance, we will not be purchasing a Whirlpool.

I’m getting the run around with service. No one comes to our area to check our new Whirlpool hot water heater. The hot water heater has not worked right since I installed it. I need a service tech to come to my house at Whirlpool’s expense and check the damn thing and get me taken care of. Does Whirlpool want to retain a customer or not? Its that simple. My cell phone number is **.

I purchased a Whirlpool Water Heater Model # ND50T122-403 on March 4, 2011 from Lowes. I had it installed by Lowes and it included a 12 YEAR Manufacturers (WHIRLPOOL) WARRANTY, plus I purchased an additional 11 YEAR EPP (Extended Protection Plan) WARRANTY. About 3 weeks ago I had no hot water so I went down to my basement to check the water heater and it displayed 7 single blinks followed by a 3 second pause, which is a flammable vapor sensor lock-out code. I made sure there was no flammable vapor in the area, turned off the gas and pulled out the plug then called Lowes since I have an active warranty with them. They said I had to wait 3 business days for them to call back to set-up an appointment to have it repaired. I waited 3 business days including the weekend and no one called me back by the end of the 3 business days, so I called Lowes back and they set-up an appointment for a video store owner with a plumbing license to come over and try to fix it. Finally I thought I would have hot water after over 2 weeks without it, but the plumber started taking it apart and about an hour later said he needed to order a part and he would be back another day when he gets the part. He came back 2 days later to install the part and fix it, but he could not fix it. He called Whirlpool to report the issue and Whirlpool told him they would not honor the warranty because my basement was not safe. He then told me he would call Lowes to let them know about Whirlpools position and call me back. So when he called me back he said Lowes said the current warranty was under Whirlpool and their warranty was only effective after the initial 12 year manufacturers warranty was up, so they would not help any further. So after only 4 1/2 years with a 12 year manufacturers warranty and an additional 11 year extended protection warranty that I purchased from Lowes, Whirlpool will not honor the warranty that came with this water heater. I am going to take this to small claims court. Whirlpool and Lowes have terrible customer service policies. I will NEVER purchase another Whirlpool product and I will NEVER again shop at Lowes. Please do NOT EVER buy a Whirlpool water heater! TAKE YOUR CLAIM TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT FOR SATISFACTION! Maybe an attorney will put in another class action suit against Whirlpool and/or Lowes.

A whirlpool water heater model FG1F5040T3 purchased from Lowes five years ago developed problems, which could not be fixed. My problems started two weeks ago when the pilot light would not stay lit eight hours at a time and then nothing. Having a service plan through our utilities, they were notified not once but as it stands now, 6 times. Six techs have been out to my house and replaced the thermocouple twice and a complete gas control valve. The pilot still will not stay lit. Supervisor contacted Whirlpool on Thursday. Now its Saturday and no word from Whirlpool and no hot water. Try to get assistance from Whirlpool after work hours and it is impossible. This tells me that they do not care about their customer or the product that they make. Do not buy Whirlpool products!

I bought 40 gallon gas water heater in June 2004 and had to have it worked on twice, costing more than I paid for it. I am replacing it now because pilot light will not stay on, and it is currently out of warranty, and I have no faith that simple repair will hold more than 1 year stint. Customer service was attentive but product itself failed to meet expectations.

We had Lowes install a Whirlpool model Nu40T121-403 natural gas water heater early October 2012. The temp controller went out in October of 2014. I replaced the controller myself at a cost of $30 for overnight UPS from the manufacturer, American Water Heater. The controller went out again almost exactly one year later and I again replaced it for the $30 shipping charge. In both instances the customer service person told me the malfunction was probably due to my not flushing the heater annually, causing a sediment buildup. The water to the heater not only flushed annually, but is filtered through a water softener and there was absolutely no evidence of sediment in the drain water or on the part of the control that is in the tank. Now it has stopped working a third time. I called Lowes about replacing it, but they only carry Whirlpool, so wont be buying a replacement from them.

Pulled a track home water heater out to replace with a Whirlpool 12 year smart heater. Well within 4 years with tank flush every year the water coming out of my hot water tap looks like mud. We have whole house water filters and when you drain the sink there is a layer of rust. I called and asked them what I should do and they told me to flush it with apple vinegar. Did this but a week later it was back. Called again and was told to do it three times with apple vinegar. There was nothing about this in the care manual about apple vinegar. I will never buy Whirlpool again NEVER!

I bought two Whirlpool (Model: bfg1j4o4t3nov4o) natural gas water heaters. The pilot light would go out to so I re-lit it and sit in the attic until the water got hot and the burner go out. But before the burner went out, I could see the flame go from blue to yellow and hear the water dripping down on the burner. So, after the burner goes out, the water would drip down on the pilot light putting it out.They sent me a thermo coupling for free but that was never the problem. The problem is that the water heaters are poorly insulated which causes the water to drip down on the pilot, putting it out. To make a long story short, no part they send will fix these heaters. I have a GE heater in my house for 20 plus years and it is still kicking. I should have went back with that same heater.For some good news, I got my money back from Lowes. I raised so much hell in that store that the manger gave me my money back just to get me out of his store. I made them realize that all we want is our hard-earned money back from a product that does not work.

Purchased a Whirlpool hot water tank from Lowes 5/12 and have had NOTHING but problems with it since day 2. The tank I replaced was around 20 years old, never a drip, never a problem, it just finally rusted through.. Well this piece of JUNK I had installed is just that JUNK.. I have been in contact with this company many times, they ALWAYS have a new story. I replaced my old thermal expansion tank 3 months after buying this JUNK because I was told it could be that. Well that didnt fix anything and cost me $60.00, then it was pressure relief valve, ok, another $20.00, nope not that. Well back on the phone and emailing this company, now they tell me I am not vented correctly, because with all the repairs being done on this tank, my Son noticed the top plastic pieces melting. Well back on the phone I go, and of course Whirlpool tells me, its me again.. Had piles going into my chimney replaced, no help, replaced thermal expansion tank again, no help, replaced pressure relief valve, no help. So sick of cleaning up water I want to throw up. Well I now know why they say, do not return to store where you purchased it, because it is bad business to have Lowes parking lot, looking like a Whirlpool graveyard for their product. .

After 22 years, I replaced my Whirlpool, electric, 50 gallon water heater, due to age and it was still working well. Went to Lowe's and they do not carry Whirlpool any longer, so I purchased and installed an A.O. Smith water heater, electric, 50 gallon water heater, model ES12-50R55DV110. Hoping for as good a product now, as I had from my Whirlpool. Also, I installed myself.

I purchased a 12 year warranty, high end Whirlpool WATER HEATER (OR SO I THOUGHT AT THE TIME) through Lowes in 2014. Model ND50T122-403. Six years and multiple service calls later it is broken again, this time for the final time. I am ripping this garbage out. So livid with this company that could give a rip about their customers. Three years in to my 12 year warranty it started giving me problems. Horrible HORRIBLE customer service. They will insult your intelligence. Whirlpool will not honor the warranty or stand behind their product. They just take your money and basically give a shrug of the shoulders or worse blame you for THEIR TERRIBLE product failing. It may be unscrupulous and unethical but I guess saves them a pile of money which is what they seem to only be out.The Service Tech that came for the 4th time to repair it says they see this all the time in Whirlpool water heaters. Its a Design Flaw they say. I dont know about all that. I just know when I have been swindled. The electronics are garbage. The pilot light when it goes out is not easily reset as others have mentioned on this site. Will stay lit for while and then shuts down. Whirlpool says, despite reams of evidence to the contrary it must be a safety issue in the install, which they have absolutely zero evidence of therefore, they are not honoring the warranty. They are Blaming the installers, according to our service techs who tried to order the part thats supposed to be under warranty.The original installers, by the way were from Lowes, the outfit that sold me this hot mess. Another Class action lawsuit seems ripe. Or perhaps the consumer protection division from each states Attorneys General would be interested in protecting their citizens from practices like this. Lowes is complicit in allowing it, failing to protect their customers and not calling Whirlpool out for it. I cant think of a more deserving target of consumer protection than Whirlpool. A truly horrible, expensive experience. See the Whirlpool logo and RUN - - DO NOT WALK -- THE OTHER WAY!

I have had to replace my Whirlpool 50-gallon hot water heater 2 times. First time it broke, it caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damages plus Im out a $760.00 deductible. I had the last one just over 1 month and couldnt exchange it at Lowe’s because it’s a few days over a month. So I had to get return authorization before I could return it again. I went through speaking to a hateful CSR. After calling back again, the lady, a real nice lady, helped me. I will never buy another Whirlpool product again, and if anyone is smart, they will stay away from them too. Hateful, hateful CSR. Beware.

I purchased for over a thousand dollars a whirlpool propane hot water tank. Three months later the safety heat thing that turns it off is defective yet I have to pay for shipping on this. Then again every three months. Its been a year and a half and the damn thing just blew up and almost took my house with it. I paid for a product that works not one that needs replaced yearly. But do they care? Nope. 2 weeks before someone can even look at it. I plan on reviewing until whirlpool isnt purchased by anyone again. This is a brand that was supposed to be quality, instead its just a scam!

Whirlpool water heaters are a disgrace!!!! I have never been so dissatisfied in my life with a product. I bought this water heater 11/2017. Three months later, it was not working. Whirlpool sent an igniter and I had a technician to put it on. This was a short fix because it broke down 2 weeks later. I called customer service and of course they gave me the runaround. I will never ever buy another Whirlpool product. This company is the worst.

I bought a Whirlpool water heater in 2009. I paid $588.46 at Lowes. Turns out it is in a class action lawsuit for faulty thermocouple. I was given a coupon from Whirlpool for 2 new thermocouples as part of the class action lawsuit. The thermocouple goes out on it every 1-3 months. You never know when youre going to have a cold shower getting ready for work in the morning. I literally could have bought a new water heater for what Ive spent on thermocouples the last few years. The last two times it went out, I had to replace it twice within 1 day. Im sick of replacing it and have decided to install a new hot water heater. I am disgusted with Whirlpool and tried to contact them about it but have gotten no response. I will never buy another Whirlpool product and would not recommend them to anyone!

My Whirlpool gas hot water heater will not stay lit. The thermal coupling has been replaced by my plumber. It did not help. This tank is defective. The product details are as follows: model # FG1F4949S3NOV, product # B07330262, and serial # **.

My 3 year old water heater failed and the service line would send us the part but the install was my responsibility. Shipping was free but would take 3-5 BUSINESS days. Whole has a week to wait with no hot water, $35 for expedited shipping (which took 2 days), $175 for the plumber (authorized by Lowes (1star also) for installs). 2 days later the unit is cold again... Plumber comes back, plays with wiring and gets it fired up again. Says if there is a problem again to refer the techs to the plumbers office for new tank. Well now Whirlpool says they will only take the word of their own plumber AUTHORIZED HEATING 24 hours wait for a service call. You will be the 1st job Wednesday morning. Wednesday 930 call from AH we are backed up. Hope to be there between 1 and 4 pm. How did you get backed up if I was 1st job? Never again will I buy Whirlpool and nothing from Lowes as well. Still no hot water day 3 second time in 2 months.