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Whirlpool Water Heater Error Codes
If you're looking for help fixing your Whirlpool Water Heater, look no further! Our comprehensive Whirlpool Water Heater error code guide will explain common issues, provide tips, and show you how to read your model's error codes.
CODE: E01
PROBLEM: Electrical power on with the tank empty or not completely full of water
FIX: Turn off electrical power at breaker. Open a hot water faucet in the house and then turn the cold water supply on to the water heater and allow time for the tank to fill with water. Once you see water coming out of the hot water faucet, turn the hot water faucet off. Restore power and then allow the water heater to run a system diagnostic. This typically takes 8 minutes.
CODE: E02
PROBLEM: Water temperature exceeded high limit
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF and then press the reset button located behind the control panel on the water heater. Flip the house circuit breakers to the ON position. If error returns, call a service technician for assistance.
CODE: E03
PROBLEM: Upper thermistor sensor failure
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Replace the electronic thermostat located behind the control panel.
CODE: E04
PROBLEM: Upper element failure
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Remove the control panel to access the upper heating element. Disconnect the upper heating element and measure across the element terminals for ohm resistance. Using a multi-meter, check the wires at the element and electronic thermostat for damage. The heating element should measure 5-25 ohms of resistance. Drain the water heater and then replace the heating element if it's defective. If this error condition continues, replace the electronic thermostat. Refill the water heater before you flip the house circuit breakers ON and restoring power.
CODE: E05
PROBLEM: Lower element failure
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Remove the lower cover to access the lower heating element. Disconnect the lower heating element and measure across the element terminals for ohm resistance. Drain the water heater and then replace the heating element if it failed. If this error condition continues, replace the electronic thermostat. Refill the water heater before you flip the house circuit breakers ON and restore power.
CODE: E06
PROBLEM: Electronic thermostat failure
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Next, flip the breakers to ON to see if error clears. If the error does not clear, switch the circuit breakers OFF and replace the electronic thermostat located behind the control panel.
CODE: E07
PROBLEM: Lower thermistor sensor failure
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Remove the control panel and check the electrical connections on the electronic thermostat. If the wiring and connections are okay, replace the lower thermistor sensor located above the lower heating element.
CODE: E08
PROBLEM: Energy smart module failure (ESM)
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Check the wires and the energy smart module (control panel) for damage. If this error condition continues, replace the energy smart module (ESM). You can override the ESM by unplugging the harness connector. The water heater electronic thermostat will continue to operate and hot water will still be available. Replace the ESM.
CODE: E9, E10, E11, E12
PROBLEM: Electronic thermostat (ET) error
FIX: Switch the two house circuit breakers dedicated for the water heater to OFF. Check the wiring at electronic thermostat for damage. Restore electrical power at the breaker. If this error code continues to flash, replace the electronic thermostat.
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Whirlpool Water Heater Error Codes
Whirlpool Water Heater fault codes
Whirlpool Water Heater diagnostic codes
Whirlpool Water Heater error symbols
Whirlpool Water Heater common faults
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 bought this piece of junk heater (serial no. 0804T411536) from Lowes and had their contract plumber install it in or about 2008. Since that time, I have had nothing but trouble with it. It just doesnt stay lit. Every plumber who works on it tells me that they have numerous problems with them and they cannot repair them - the customer has to get the part from Whirlpool. And today the woman I talked to told me that I had to pay the shipping charges, which vary according to how quickly one wants hot water! I personally find that a true rip off. If you cant guarantee the product you put on the market, then dont put it out there. I will never buy another Whirlpool appliance or shop at Lowes!
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.
The 12 year warranty, means nothing. The heater only worked for 30 months, and then its upper sensor fault code flashes, and the heater shut down. I called Whirlpool, and they have me use an ohm meter to help troubleshoot the problem. So if you are not handy, you are out of luck. They decided it was my control unit that is defective. They will send me the part free, but I have to pay shipping and installation. What a deal, and what kind of management would dream up of this. The heater is marketed as a 12 year warranty model (only on the tank). Would anyone, having been through this, buy another Whirlpool product?
I bought my 50 gallon gas water heater in December 2015. When kicks on it rumbling. I called warranty and they said We will send tech out but I will have pay the labor. Why do I want pay for a tech if the quality issue is the water heater. Need pay $180 for person come out say its defective. No sense to me. Then when they tell me need new water heater pay them for install. You can check my accounts I used to shop Lowes and will no longer do it because of this service.
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 **.
I bought Whirlpool water heater model #FG1H5040T3NOV about 5 years ago. Burner assembly was replaced two years ago and now, thermocouple was replaced yesterday.
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.
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!
After Hurricane Katrina, six years ago, the gas water heater in my house had to be replaced due to the house getting flooded. For the past six years, the pilot light and/or igniter for the gas water heater has had to be replaced if not once a year, twice a year because it will not stay lit. Each time, Whirlpool would send a new igniter and/or pilot light part and would reimburse me the cost of labor to have the part(s) replaced.Now, after six years and exhausted of fighting with Whirlpool to stand behind their product and make it right, they are finally giving me an authorization to get a new gas water heater. However, now they are telling me they will not cover the cost of labor for replacing the entire water heater. My plumber will have to pull the defective water heater out of my house, take it to Lowes, pick up the new water heater and install it in my home. And Im supposed to accept their not paying for the labor of replacing their faulty water heater? I questioned this and told Whirlpool they paid for labor for the parts to be replaced for the past six years. Whirlpool then said they would pay up to $100. This is not acceptable. I was reimbursed more than $100 for the labor to replace a part that fits in a shoe box. (Multiply $100+ times 6. They paid more than $600 over the past six years.) The cost to replace an entire water heater, picking it up from the store included, will cost more than $200, if not $300! I would not have to pay anything if the Whirlpool product was not defective!I told the manager I was speaking with at Whirlpool I wanted to speak with his boss or someone who had more authority than he did. He refused. I asked him, Was he telling me no I could not speak with someone above him? He finally said he would have someone call me.I believe I should be reimbursed for the entire amount of labor to replace the water heater since the water heater is a defective product and I have to have it replaced not by my choice but out of necessity and safety. If it is defective in one area, who is to say in trying to light the pilot light, one day it will not do something worse than just not light up. What if it decides to explode? Defective is defective and I feel my family is in danger from a defective product and it should be replaced at the cost of Whirlpool not mine.
Bought a water heater on May 5th for 539.00 and was unable to get hot water all the time. After many days and dealing with Lowes which did not help and Whirlpool, I discovered that the unit I bought had no dip tube to bring the cold water to the bottom to be heated and thus provide hot water to the hot water outlet on the heater to the rest of the house. People at Lowes had no dip tubes and really have no knowledge of what is going on as the people at Whirlpool whom I called.
We purchased a Whirlpool Energy Smart Electric Hot Water Heater with a 12-year warranty from Lowes on August 30, 2010. The water heater stopped working and the green light was flashing three times. We contacted Whirlpool since it was less than two years old and they were very rude to us. They told us it was the sensors and we would have to change them out. We waited while they sent the sensors to us. We installed them and it still would not work. It continued to flash three times just as before. We contacted Lowes where we purchased it and they were extremely apologetic and said they would be glad to replace it if we could get an RA number from Whirlpool, but that many others have been having a hard time dealing with Whirlpool. We contacted the rude people at Whirlpool again. They said they were not surprised that the sensors did not fix it. We asked for an RA number so we could get a replacement (after all, it did have a 12-year warranty). Now we were days later with still no hot water. Now this rude technician said it was probably the control board. I asked him if we were going to have to be without hot water until we changed every part on the unit. At this point, we just took the hot water heater out, put it on the curb, and went and purchased a different brand. Whirlpool has lost us as customers for life. If their other products are as horrible as that hot water heater, I wouldnt take any if they paid me to. They were by far the rudest and most hateful people we have ever dealt with and life is too short to be treated that way. I predict they will be out of business in no time with the garbage they are putting out.
I was sold a gas water heater that had my water smelly like rotten eggs in less than 6 months. I bought it in January 2016 and by June the anode rod I am told was no good. The only thing Lowes could do for me was sell me 2 anode rods, one the plumber thought was bad. I also had to hire a plumber. I was eventually told I was out of luck because the area the old anode rod was in was too damaged to come out.
We purchased a water heater at Lowes. Our old water heater had an issue but we always had good water pressure with the hot water until we made the horrendous mistake to purchase at LOWES - the worst possible place to buy a water heater. They sent the water heater and we had to look for someone to connect the WHIRLPOOL WATER HEATER (the runaway water heater). When it was installed the water pressure at my home was so bad that only one shower can be used at a time. This never happened before with the old water heater, there was no pressure at all.We called LOWES the WORST PLACE TO BUY A WATER HEATER, they did not accept any responsibility and they sent me to the Technician that Lowes has in DENVER to fix the problem. This bad company (WHIRLPOOL) sent us a crooked technician who wanted to charge us $600 dollars to repair something other than the water heater. We did not trust this person and we called another technician who told us that the water heater is not working properly. There is no one at LOWES and NO ONE at the Whirlpool customer service who can help us with this disgraceful water heater.DONT BUY WHIRLPOOL WATER HEATERS. DONT BUY AT LOWES!!! They are crooks! They do not respond for their products. They do not want to exchange the damn water heater as HOME DEPOT would. Buy everything at HOME DEPOT! Run away from Lowes! They dont stand behind their products, they send you all the work and if you have something wrong with your purchase they will not help you.
I bought a Whirlpool water heater 5 years ago and after one year I had to replace the thermocouple every 3 months. Each time I call to complain, they would just send me a new thermocouple. I asked them several times to replace the item and they refused and just continued to send me replacement parts and refuse to honor their warranty. The water heater had some type of defect, but they still refuse to replace the item and did admit on the phone they have records of several parts that they sent.
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. .
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.
I have a whirlpool water heater. This is the third or 4th time that the upper sensor failure code has come on. Our water heater turns off all the time and we have to fire it back up. In the past few months, it has started pouring water out from the long tube on the side of it anytime we turn it on for more then 10 minutes. The last time we called a plumber, I was trying to get a quote on a tankless water heater. Ive been so fed up with ours and I thought that would be a better route to go. The plumber explained the negative sides to a tankless water heater and explained that our water heater was a really nice, really expensive and fairly newer model. I told him that I had just gotten it about four years ago. He said he could just fix that one. So after looking at it, he acted as if he didnt know what an upper sensor was and told me it was under warranty and that I should call for the parts. Every time we have called for the parts, they send the same box thing on the front of the heater and every time, it doesnt fix it for long before it says the same thing. And now, like I said, the water heater has now added the problem of pouring water out of it. I need help. I dont know what to do. Im tired of not knowing if Ill have hot water or if the water heater is going to pour out water. Im pregnant and worried that if we cant get this fixed Ill continue to have this problem along with having a baby to take care of. Please help.
I replaced a 15 -year-old propane water heater with an electric on 02/01/14, due to the high propane prices, $6 a gallon, and because I felt the heater should be replaced. After installing the electric water heater I filled with water purged all the air out, powered it up, went thru diagnostics and heated water to 120. After an hour I turned on the hot water at the kitchen faucet, hot water was there but not for long, water got cold,.I troubleshot the problem back to the anti-scald valve installed 15 years ago when I had a professional install the first tank. By placing my hand on the hot water line coming out of the tank, I found the water was indeed hot before the anti-scald valve, after the valve the water was cold indicating to me the valve was not functioning properly. I went to Lowes bought the parts to bypass and removed the valve, went home and in another hour had the problem solved! I wondered why I had to turn the temp upon the old heater to get hot water! I am very happy with my electric water heater, not only did Lowes have the last one in stock, it was on sale $100 off regular price, it is a digital controller type with water temperature setting on the front. I checked the temp at the water faucet in the kitchen. I had it set to 120, the water temp out was 119.8 on my digital thermometer. Water was too hot so I lowered it to 110, perfect temp for a hot shower. Even if the thing uses more electric than it should I still save because the fact of propane is so high I couldnt see spending $600 for 28 days of propane, versus $400 on a new electric water heater. I would rather pay a higher electric bill than feel I am getting ripped off with the propane dealers! Also there is absolutely no residual heat loss. This is well insulated even comes with pipe insulation!
In 2010 we had to purchase a new hot water heater. Went to our local Lowes store to see what they offered. We decided to buy a Whirlpool energy smart electric water heater. It was large, 50 gallon. We have a large family and didnt like running out of hot water so we thought this would be great. Worked fine until yesterday when I kept smelling an odor like something melting. Could not figure out where the smell was coming from until this morning I got in the shower and had very little hot water. Went downstairs and seen the water heater was not working. Got the user guide out to see if we could pinpoint what was wrong. It said no power to control board. I checked the breaker box and found no problems. I got a flashlight to look at the control board and discovered it had overheated and melt the top of it. Have been on phone with Whirlpool nonstop with just a recording. The heater has a lifetime warranty so Im trying to get the replacement part for it that will cost me $115 plus shipping. I am really concerned that with this overheating it did not trip the breaker. Grateful it did not start a fire and worried if we repair it will this happen again and possibly not be as fortunate. I have seen on this site of another complaint with the same problem. Shocked there hasnt been a recall issued. Be careful!
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.
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!!!
I originally purchased a Whirlpool hot water heater in 2005. After numerous problems Whirlpool agreed to replace January 2010. With the new hot water heater, everything was fine for the first two years. Now about every 6 months, we are having the thermocouple and the igniter. Each time you order the part, the part is free but you have to pay $30.00 for shipping. I am tired of dealing with this. We have decided even though we still have a warranty left on the hot water tank we are going to purchase a different one and never ever buy another Whirlpool product. They do not stand behind their products.
I purchased a 50-gallon Whirlpool natural gas water heater (12 year warranty) from Lowes approx 2.5 years ago. Just before Thanksgiving, the pilot light started going out once a day, then twice a day. Now, I can light the pilot light in Pilot mode but as soon as I release the red button, the flame goes out. I called Whirlpool and received phone troubleshooting support resulting in a recommendation to pick up a new thermocoupler from Lowes which I did. While searching for someone to install (unfortunately Im not that handy), I ran into the thousands of complaints filed about the very same problem Im having over a number of years and right up to todays date. I called Whirlpool back and got the same song and dance. Theyd be happy to help me troubleshoot if I can get the required meters etc. to test devices, do draft tests, etc. They claimed the problems were fixed with the newer model that I have but certainly cant explain why I have exactly the same issue. What they are not willing to do is stand behind their product and get me hot water. Tried calling Lowes and got the response that I have to deal with Whirlpool. It appears that this newer BFG model is just as flawed as the older model and the warranty is pretty much worthless other than getting a few parts. I used to think that Whirlpool products were reasonably good, however, I will never purchase another.
Absolutely terrible product. Have had nothing but problems with it since I got it. After 4 months the pilot started going out every couple of days. Would have to vacuum the filter just to get it to light. They eventually sent me a screen to wrap around the bottom, that would only extend the interval to maybe a week instead of going out every few days. Now tonight it wont even relight! So tomorrow Im buying another heater and throwing this piece of junk out, a waste of $750.00 for two years of headaches. Dont, trust me. Dont buy this garbage of a water heater. And like others I bought it a Lowes, done with both of these stores!
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
My contractor purchased a Whirlpool NU50T61-403 water heater at Lowes. After several months the gas valve stopped working. Whirlpool sent a replacement gas valve which stopped working after a month. When I complained they offered to send another replacement, which I declined. They also offered to have it repaired by 2 firms which were very poorly rated on Yelp. Whirlpool stubbornly refused any other remedy. As I needed to resolve this right away because tenants were depending on having hot water. I replaced it with another hot water heater. In summary I wasted $570 for 9 months of use.
40-gal gas water heater - I own several rental properties and unfortunately put Whirlpool water heaters in them when the old ones go. It is because they are at Lowes and they are cheap. Today, another call came in from a tenant with no hot water. I called customer service and they determined I received the repair kit from an original design defect from back in the middle 2000s. Now 3 years later, it goes out again. Because I have already received the conversion kit taking thermal couple threading from LH to RH, I needed another part number to repair for a grand total of $160! The same part before the conversion kit was $60. I will never buy another Lowes/Whirlpool water heater for as long as I live. I own a hundred rentals and Whirlpool will never again see another cent for the junk water heaters.
Purchased my Whirlpool gas hot water heater. After 1 1/2 yrs, the blinking light shut off, called tech at Whirlpool, made me move hot water heater to outside. I moved it outside and when called back, I was then told to send 4 photos to prove that I moved it, in which I did that. He told me that still was not right... and still he would not help with reset. I live in my parents old home w/ water heater in bathroom for 50 yrs. No problem... it was vented thru ceiling to attic. Now it is outside, unlit, in a steel hub (as directed) and still not ok...I have no hot water and have not for 4 weeks now... Whirlpool sucks... never buy their hot water heaters. Had to pay a serviceman $750 to move heater, run cold/hot water lines and gas line and it still does not work... with NO HELP from Whirlpool. Now I am in process of buying an electric hot water heater and have to pay an electrician to run a 220... I am on fixed income and this stinks... biggest regret... WHIRLPOOL.
Bought Whirlpool 30 gal propane water heater in Feb, it lasted until May before the unit died. Paid for the extended plan warranty (NEVER do that!). Called support and they said they could send someone out in a little over a week (week with no hot water). The week goes by and on the day it was suppose to be repaired the guy calls and says his van broke down (this was a Friday, getting that early weekend). The earliest they can reschedule is in another week (over 2 weeks no hot water). Called Lowes to see if I can just return it (extended plan and all), no, you need a return code from the whirlpool customer support. Call the Whirlpool number again to ask for a return code, no, it is a repairable problem (even though no one will come repair it). Lesson learned, will never buy Whirlpool or anything over $50 from Lowes again.
Our water heater pilot light has started to randomly shut off leaving us with cold water to shower in on numerous occasions. We hired a local appliance company that we are familiar with to come out and look at it. The tech thought that replacing a part would fix it. It didnt (which I will take up with them). After doing what Whirlpool asked us to do it still is not working. I called them back to warranty the tank and the rep keeps repeating it is a limited warranty so basically I have to pay the service call and labor charges to look at, repair or replace which is going to cost nearly as much as it will to just buy a new one.
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.
Our Whirlpool water heater needs a burner assembly replaced. Second time within the warranty period of six years. Parts have to be ordered, so you will be without hot water for several days to a week. The worst part is reaching them. Between my wife and I, we have almost 4 hours invested in sitting on hold waiting for someone in three different calls. They never answer the phone. They give an option to call back. They never call back. Im so frustrated. No Whirlpool products ever again. Im sitting at my desk, hoping someone will eventually answer the Whirlpool line. I dont even have the part ordered yet after two days of no hot water. Who knows how many more hours I will need to sit here and listen to this music on hold. It is incredible in 2021 a company can remain open while offering this kind of customer experience.
I bought an American US Craftmaster water heater in October 2006. I have paid a plumber 3 different times to work on this and the pilot light will not stay lite. I used the replacement parts they sent, followed their technicians directions over the phone, etc. Nothing seems to work. Christmas was not pleasant at my house this year. I’m still taking cold showers.
The heater was bought in March of this yr, 2013! Already, it quit working! Error message... we got the replacement part after much hassle! It was replaced and still doesnt work! Its going on day 11! I am furious! The unit needs to be replaced and I get, Well, you have to pay for labor, etc. You have got to be kidding me! It has been in my house for 3 months! I will call the media, our local guy who investigates, if this is not replaced asap! I already know I will never buy anything Whirlpool and will tell everyone on my media not to either!
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.
I purchased a 40 gallon water heater at Lowes and installed about 3 years ago. A couple of weeks ago, it got an upper sensor failure code on the gas valve. It would heat by resetting (turning valve off, waiting a minute and then lighting) but after a few minutes, it would fail again. I called the customer service and they mailed out a new upper sensor. When it came a few days later (I paid for shipping), I installed it but the same failure code. Again, the only heat I could get was by resetting the valve several times before a shower. I called customer service again, told them what I did and they said, Oh, the problem is the gas valve then. So they mailed out a new gas valve unit. It then came a few days later and I installed it according to the enclosed directions to the letter. Still got the failure code and still had to keep resetting it to get any warm water before a shower.I called customer service again, told them what I did and he said, Well, did you flush the water heater with apple cider vinegar before you installed the new gas valve? I said, No, it wasnt in the enclosed directions to do so. He said, You should have done that and it would have worked. I will send out a new gas valve. At this point, I blew up. Two weeks with no reliable hot water. I told him I want a new water heater and he refused. I asked to speak to his superior. He said no. Dont ever get a Whirlpool product. Some other crappy company builds these turds.
I bought Whirlpool gas water heater on July 2009. It keeps going out. It is not working. I found out you cant even get parts for fixing it. The dealers told me its junk. I was told to buy a new one. Then, I found out its been in class action lawsuit. How did I get to buy it after it was recalled? I dont know what to do.
On December 21, it became clear that I needed to replace our 13-year old Rheem water heater. We decided to buy one from Lowes, 36 miles away and have a handy man install it. He installed the new Whirlpool 50 gal gas water heater with a 12-year warranty on Friday, the 22nd, but could not get it to stay lit. He called Whirlpool to troubleshoot. They said it could be one of two parts and that they would ship the parts on the Monday after Christmas. He asked who would install and they recommended a local plumber. He called that plumber but they indicated they did not do Whirlpool warranty work and would have to charge.On Monday, I called Whirlpool and was assured the parts would be shipped that day for overnight delivery. I confronted them about the local plumber not doing their warranty work so they set up an appointment with a company called A&E for Wednesday morning. On Tuesday morning, I called Whirlpool to get the tracking number on the parts and was told that they did not get shipped on Monday as promised but would be shipped that day, arriving by the end of the day Wednesday, too late for the appointment for installation.By Tuesday night, my wife got on this site and was appalled to read the numerous identical complaints. I decided that Wednesday morning that I would hire a plumber to remove the Whirlpool and install another so we would not have a lifetime of problems from Whirlpool. The plumber installed a different water heater. It started right up and we have had no problems since. I got an R or RA number from Whirlpool which I think they only gave me because the parts had not arrived on time and I returned the piece of ** to Lowes for a refund. Lowes has a seven-day return policy of these.
Note that most of the complaints are about gas water heaters, but the electric water heaters dont seem to be much better. Mine, barely made 4 yrs old and both elements and thermostat went. Had plumbers in for estimates in to repair - much cheaper to install a new one (No...not a Whirlpool!). Very disappointed in the product.
Purchased a 80 gallon Whirlpool Water Heater with a Life Time Warranty. When it overflowed because the system failed to detect the water temperature, called and they sent in the temp sensor (I paid for shipping). Had plumber replace it. One day later the same thing happened, called and they sent in a board. Same exact thing happened. By this time, Im without hot water for over 2 weeks in dead cold January on the East coast. They will replace the water heater but only a 50 gallon NOT the 80 because they no longer manufactured the 80. Option given by Lowes is to add a recirculating pump to give additional gallons. But, of course Whirlpool said NO. They only can give me the 50 gallon. What a ripoff!!! Please, please DO NOT purchase any product from Whirlpool. Now they change the same to A.O. Smith Signature Premier.
The pilot light on our hot water heater will not stay lit. We cant find the custom made Replacement Kit at any local retail locations, including a specialty appliance repair store, Lowe’s or Home Depot. So our only option seems to be waiting for the part to come in the mail. Meanwhile, my two little girls have no hot water in their home! Not because we couldnt afford to pay the gas bill, but because of the piece of junk hot water heater that we purchased and the lousy company that stands behind it!
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.
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 have a model FG1F4034T3NOV water heater that was a problem since day one. The pilot will not stay lit, and apparently, there was some sort of class action lawsuit due to a defective part that I missed out on because I didnt know about it. The telephone representative is quick to point out that it is out of warranty due to the date of manufacture and that it needs about $200 in parts because I cant find the receipt from 4 years ago, when I bought it from Lowes. The company flat out refused to do a courtesy replacement for parts or discount them.
Purchased a gas hot water heater from Lowes in October 2015. Installed the hot water tank and two months later started smelling a faint gas smell coming from around the Honeywell box. Called Whirlpool and they thought it was the gas valve and replaced part, but had to pay $30 for overnight shipping. Had plumber install new part and did not fix the issue. Called plumber back out and he found a small pin hole size leak behind pilot light. Patched the leak and still had a gas smell coming from around the Honeywell box. Called Whirlpool back and after some back and forth was able to get hot water tank replaced, since it was only two months old and should not need any maintenance that soon. Replaced water heater with new tank and this tank has a gas smell coming from around the Honeywell box as well. We replaced all our lines and even had the fire department check out our gas lines. Could not find anything. I am still baffled as to why this tank has a gas smell coming from the Honeywell box. I cant seem to find anyone else having this issue. Whirlpool or Lowes has not been any help. Ready to unhook it and buy another brand. Anyone have this issue?
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.
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 bought an electric hot water tank from Lowe’s less than 3 months. No hot water so I called Whirlpool. They give me service dept over 150 miles away. They will not come. I need hot water and need help. The hot water tank is half way in the attic and half in the closet.
5 years and 11 months ago I bought a 50 gallon gas, Whirlpool hot water heater with a 6-year warranty from Lowes. The 2007 water heaters were on sale, so I paid $329 for it. Within 6 months, I replaced the gas valve, and a few months after that, the thermo-couple went out and I replace that. Each time I called Whirlpool and got return authorization numbers for the parts, I still ended up paying for the parts plus labor. A year after that, the igniter went out and I had that replaced. Last year (the day before Thanksgiving), the thermo-couple went out again and I had to have that replaced - and it cost me for the part plus the labor - even though I had a return authorization number. I also replaced the water line connections/hoses to the water heater at that time. The customer service rep for Whirlpool told me at that time if I had another problem with the water heater, they would replace it for free - and the warranty was good until Dec 31, 2013 (this year). NOTE: Every plumber that has come out to fix the water heater and replace the parts stated that they see a myriad of problems with Whirlpool water heaters. They said the parts like the thermo-couples, igniters, gas valves, etc are poorly built and they replace them all the time. On Christmas Eve 2013 (two days ago), the water heater started leaking from the top by the valves - and so much pressure had built up in the heater the new water hose connections burst, spewing water all over the heater closet. I called Whirlpool the day after Christmas (today). At first, they told me they would not replace the heater as it was not in warranty and then I told them what I was told by the service rep last year. She finally agreed that my heater is indeed under warranty and gave me a replacement authorization number but she told me my warranty did not cover labor. I called Lowes. At first, they told me I would have to remove the old hot water heater myself and bring it back to the store in order to get my replacement. I am a 59 year old woman and I take care of my brother, a disable veteran. Although I am in good shape and healthy, I dont have anyone to help me get the gas and water disconnected and help me lift it into my Suburban. The man at Lowes agreed to bring out the the replacement heater and pick up the old one at no charge, but I will still have to pay $299 plus the cost of new hoses to have it installed. By the time the replacement one is installed, I will have paid a little over $1200 for a $329 water heater. I could have installed a tankless one for that, but I cannot see spending that kind of money right after Christmas. If I have one issue with this replacement, I will install a tankless water heater - and it will not be made by Whirlpool or any of its affiliates. My recommendation would be to steer clear of Whirlpool and their products.
Pilot light will not lit. I called Whirlpool. They said they could ship me a replacement for $34 or I could go to Lowes and get one for free. Lowes said they were out of type C kits and they have not received replacement kits for 6 months. Lowes informed me about the recall for this part. If its a defective part, Whirlpool should be sending this to me for free. I will not be buying a Whirlpool water heater next time.
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 the Whirlpool model e2h50rd045v electric water heater to replace my failing gas water heater on July 21, 2014, and had it installed a couple of weeks later after a little over 3 years of use. The water heater is still working with no issues or major problems. I'm happy with the decision to purchase this water heater.
I purchased a 40-gal Whirlpool water heater model 40t91-403 last week and paid a plumber to have it installed. The old one (GE 40 gal) worked fine except for a leak. The new one used all of the old connections except the 2-inch in and out pipes. Same connections, hot, cold and gas. At first I got about a quart of hot water and then all cold. Whirlpool changed the valve and cold water pipe (inside the tank) and still the same. They are trying to tell me that the tank is fine - I have a plumbing problem. Two plumbers have told me different, but still they insist. Yes, I am upset. The old GE, even with a leak, performed better!
I bought a 6 year warrantied Whirlpool hot water heater Model N50T61-403, product number 0733318, at Lowes Home Improvement Center and for three years the pilot light fails to stay lit. I have talked with Whirlpool 1-877-817-6750, the number on the unit, many times. I went through the troubleshooting checklist and verified all requirements. I paid a plumber $150 to check it out and he said I needed a larger supply line and venting the closet door would help. I did this and pilot still goes out periodically. Whirlpool sent me a new gas valve and it cost me another $150 to have it installed. The plumber said everything is good. But the pilot is still going out. Called Whirlpool again and talked with them for 24 minutes. The woman on the line was telling me I needed a certain amount of oxygen for this 40,000 BTU model. She was giving me minimum requirements for square or cubic feet of house with 8 inch ceilings. Yes, she said 8 inch ceilings 4 or 5 times as we went over the requirements. I got so frustrated asking her what she was talking about and she hung up on me. I called back and asked for a supervisor and a different woman had me hold on, came back and said a supervisor would call me. I did get a call back and the supervisor wanted to send me another gas valve and a burner assembly. I told him the burner assembly is working fine and I have a new gas valve. I asked him to send me a $150 along with it to pay the plumber. He said they only warranty the parts. So, am I supposed to have $450 in labor plus my time in this product on top of the original cost? I said no thank you and asked him if he would accept this as a solution if he were the customer and he said this is not a personal discussion. I know his answer. I am never buying a Whirlpool product again. But now I need to buy a new, good brand, water heater to replace the Whirlpool piece of junk. Bad product, bad company, bad warranty. I got screwed by Whirlpool once but never again.
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 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?
I purchased a Whirlpool hot water heater several years back with every bit of the Bells & Whistles that Lowes could bestow on it paid for and documented on the tank; Limited Lifetime Warranty and Lowes Professional Installation. It failed after several years with multiple problems. First, the bottom heating unit failed at the same time, noticing a leak from the top heating units external cover where a supporting screw had popped out, leaking down to the floor. Not only was the Whirlpool 800 number a scham of silence, with no estimated wait time and after approximately 20 minutes, a rep picks up as I could hear their legal department on an alternated line instructing and listening in, then dropping off when those crooks felt I had been placated enough to go onto to the next sucker. I have all Whirlpool Gold & KitchenAid Superba appliances in my kitchen and never thought I would be saying this but I will never purchase another Whirlpool Appliance or shop at Lowes again!
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.
Hot water heater goes out. Try to relight it as instructed. Pilot light goes out as soon as I release pressure. Call tech support. After a 10min hold time, I was instructed to rest unit, wait 10 to 15 min and try again. Did not work. Called back and was told it was the thermopile. Had it shipped and replaced at $45.00. Still did not work. Was instructed to go thru the same process of lighting it, still did not work. Then I was given a ref# and was told that my PARTS was warranty and not labor. Okay now one time I was told I WILL BE CHARGED WITH A DIAGNOSTIC FEE OF $99.00 and still no hot water. Next step LAWYER.
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!
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!
Purchased 9/23/2013 on 5/20/2014 no hot water. Called Whirlpool, unit has a 6 yr warranty. Brian advised me no one close to our area to service. He told me to contact a local plumber, they would pay for parts and $75.00 in labor. I attempted a couple of calls and could not find a plumber that was willing to come out and let us pay just the difference, after parts and $75.00 in labor and them bill Whirlpool for the remainder. They wanted between $225.00 and $300.00 plus parts. Lowes where we purchased the water heater told me to call Whirlpool back and get an RA# and they would be happy to exchange the water heater. I called Whirlpool and they (Leigh) refused but did say they would pay 200.00 in labor plus the cost of parts. The unit was only $231.23, but they would rather pay upwards of $300.00 than just let us get a new one. I asked Leigh if this made sense to her, she said it did. I guess Im just ignorant because it doesnt make sense to me. Whirlpool COULD NOT even find a plumber that would come out to our small town to do repairs under their OUTSTANDING WARRANTY. I have laughed at these people and cried over this whole situation. I can honestly say I will NEVER buy another Whirlpool product and will let everyone I know and even some I dont know (lol) how horrible this experience has been.
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.
Whirlpool hot water heater - The water coming from the faucets when it is hot is red. Therefore, I contacted Whirlpool and was informed that the anode has failed. The anode is not covered because, according to this company, it is not considered a working part. It baffles me that the anode is not a working part since it keeps the tank from rotting. I have only had the hot water tank for three years and this part has failed causing my hot water to be red. Since this company contradicts itself, I either have to live with red hot water (rust) or replace the part on my own. Unlike your company, Lowes has customer service. They apologized and will be paying for half of the expense for the part. Unfortunately, I still must pay for an employee to replace the part. This whole situation is absolutely ridiculous. I will never be purchasing another item from your company and in addition to that, I will tell everyone I know to avoid this company at all costs. You should strongly consider revising this policy before you lose all of your customers.
I purchased a water heater Model # UG1H50400TBN, Serial # 0913T400920, from Lowes in Corona, CA. 05/07/2009 for $528 plus tax. I have replaced the following parts: 02/10/2010 Thermostat Valve, 07/23/2010 Thermostat Valve (2nd time), 08/10/2010 Burner assembly, 02/10/2011 Thermocouple, 02/17/2011 Thermostat Valve (3rd time), 12/17/2014 Thermocouple (2nd time) and 03/20/2015 Burner assembly (2nd time).Today I called WHIRLPOOL Customer service (877) 817-6750 because my water heater water is warm. I told the tech support agent that the pilot light was on so we agreed that it was the thermostat valve AGAIN. He wanted $30 for overnight delivery and I refused to pay. Now I have to go out and buy this part because Whirlpool like the Banks is too big to fail and they have license to RIP-OFF the consumer without penalties. Whirlpool has all of information and they can verify everything I wrote here just by the serial number.
We moved into our house about 5 years ago. We didnt know how old the heater was so 2 years after moving in, we replaced it with a Whirlpool Electric Water Heater. (2009) Last August, (2 1/2 years after installation) we found our carpet soaked in the room adjacent to the water heater and discovered it had been leaking into my finished basement for who knows how long. We contacted Whirlpool and they said they would replace the heater but I had to pay for the install because it was over a year. Mind you I had just paid 300 bucks 2 1/2 years before to put that one in. So I paid another 300 bucks to have a plumber come out and install this one. I had extensive damage to my basement, rug, walls with mildew and possible mold from the water. I went through my homeowners insurance and had almost $5000.00 worth of damage.So about a week ago my husband calls me downstairs and guess what, my brand new rug that I had replaced 11 months ago due to a leaking Whirlpool Water Heater was soaked again. This heater, 11 months old, leaked yet again!!! Needless to say Im beside myself, especially when I call Whirlpool and they will replace it, again, but who the hell wants to have damage to their finished basement every year??? When I called and asked them to pay for the damage this time because I cant possibly put another claim in with my insurance in less than a year for the same thing, they just say that they will have the labor charges dismissed as a courtesy. As a courtesy??? I said its been less than a year so they owe me the labor charges; she said no that it goes by the original warranty from 2009. What??? Thats utterly ridiculous and how is it possible that they can get away with this. That has to be against some state statue or law, to use the previous warranty on a defective product. So now Im left with about $2000.00 worth of damages this time to my brand new refinished basement all at the hands of Whirlpool. I had to get another one of their heaters because they wouldnt even give me the money for the heater so I could buy a different kind. I will NEVER buy a Whirlpool product again and Id advise to anyone who will listen to spend a little extra to avoid this hassle!
Just like a lot of other people, I bought a Whirlpool hot water tank because of the good name. And just like the other people, my tanks pilot light will not stay on, it will be on for a few days and then you get up and no hot water.
I purchased a Whirlpool electric water heater from Lowe’s in 2007. It lasted 2 years until a faulty weld on the tank started leaking and flooded my basement. Whirlpool did replace it. However, my second water heater did the same exact thing in a different location on the tank after 2 1/2 years. It also flooded my basement.I am now on my third Whirlpool water heater in 5 years and the one I have now has a bad thermistor. It has cost me about $225 each time the water heater has been replaced. In my opinion, these Whirlpool water heaters are junk and their quality control needs to get out of the break room and start doing their job. Never will I purchase another Whirlpool appliance.
We have had a Whirlpool hot water heater for 6 years and 14 days. Note the 14 days. It has been nothing but trouble and we have called the company repeatedly for help. It finally stopped working altogether 14 days after the warranty ran out. Thank you Whirlpool for nothing! It had a filter on the bottom of the heater that constantly had to be cleaned which was next to impossible. We had to buy a special brush to try to reach it. My husband had to take it apart several times a year and clean it to keep it running. Whirlpool should have replaced it within the first year but instead offered many suggestions about cleaning and etc. so they would not have to replace. Today it is out of my house for good and I would advise anyone reading this to beware! Horrible product!!!
19 gallon Electric Whirlpool water heater Model #e1f20us015v - Purchased this water heater from Lowes to provide hot water to small apartment with no kitchen for my son, built in my garage. Had unit professionally installed within 1 foot of bath to provide hot water for shower and sink in bath only. Hot water lasts only 5 to 6 minutes and takes approx. 2 hours to recover. My son cannot even take a normal shower! ntacted Lowes who was unable to help and told me to contact Whirlpool. Contacted Whirlpool after my model number would not even come up on their website. I asked tech what was the normal expected amount of time before hot water depleted. She did not know. I asked what was the normal recovery rate. She did not know. I asked for information on the energy rating. She said there was no information available. I asked how I could receive a refund. She said that they could only send a plumber to check unit and that nothing would be done if it was heating water. I asked to speak with a supervisor. She said none were available and said one would call me. I never received a return call. VERY DISSATISFIED with Whirlpool on this issue. It appears my only recourse is to purchase a new water heater and scrap the present one.
Home owner bought a whirlpool water heater from Lowes. After the first year, the pilot started going out frequently. Tenants were left with no hot water repeatedly over weekends, etc. Changed numerous thermo-couplers, cleaned the screen below, but it continued to happen. I’ve paid plumbers for several service calls, which amounts the cost in excess of the price of the water heater.
I purchased the Whirlpool Flame Lock water heater (model BFG1F4034T3NOV) in May of 2008. Within a little over a year, it stopped working. I was able to get the manufacturer to send out a repairman and install a new kit. It worked great for 2 years. Now, here I am again with the pilot light going out daily. So I went to Lowes and purchased the thermocouple, and a friend installed it. We still have to light the pilot light twice a day to have hot water for showers.
Be very careful when you buy this heater. It will go bad within a short time, and you wont have any hot water heater. You call Lowes, they wont take it back, they will tell you to call Whirlpool who may send you a part or send someone to fix it. No hot water for many days. Again, after a short time, it will stop working and by the time you get it fixed, again no hot water for a long time. This is the pattern with this piece of garbage. So you get disgusted, rip the thing apart and take it to Lowes for a refund.. Sorry Dude, they wont take it...it is stated in their receipt or on the literature that came with the heater. Your best bet... put a bunch of dents in the heater and tell them it was damaged when you opened it... Lowes will be obligated to refund the money. With so many complaints on Consumer Affairs and other web sites, why is Lowes still selling this heater and no other brand??? Maybe Superbowl tickets or a trip to Hawaii for the buyers...who knows...but one thing for sure, since Whirlpool does not respond to these complaints, I will guarantee you that their other products will suffer in sales because, I for one, will not buy another Whirlpool product.
This product is JUNK!! We replaced out hot water tank 1-07-11. Worked good for almost 9 months. Then the pilot light keeps going out. We have replaced everything three times already. Now we cant get it lit for nothing. Its blinking 7 times!!! This should not be happening. When you call Whirlpool, you always get some smart ** rep trying to solve your problems over the phone, telling you what its doing. Excuse me, your not here with it, I am. I even had the plumber on the phone, he got so mad at them, he handed me my phone back and said he is not dealing with stupid. They have no clue what they are talking about!! Its crap that we have to pay $30 for them to express mail a part when its the middle of the winter and we have no hot water. Im at my wits end with this hot water tank. Im ready to sue their butts. Sounds like to me by reading all these reviews, a lot of people are having the same issue. We need to do something about this. They had a suite against them but not for my water tank. They were replacing the parts. Ive spent over $1000 from buying it new, having it installed and paying for repairs on the hunk of junk!!!What can we do??? We need to take a stand against Whirlpool. We need to exchange information and contact an attorney and make them pay!!
3-4 years ago, I had replaced my hot water heater with a Whirlpool, which was purchased at Lowes. On 10/23/11, I awoke to a flooded basement from the said water heater. When I entered the basement, I was able to verify that the water was spraying right from the casing of the unit. Who knows how long it had been spraying, but the place was a complete mess. The water was about 10 inches deep and many things were ruined. I proceeded back to Lowes and purchased another exact unit. This morning I awoke to the sound of what seemed to be water bubbling, only to enter the basement and see exactly what I saw just three weeks previously... another flooded basement from water just pouring out the side of the unit. This is an obvious defect in craftsmanship. Now I find myself with a flooded basement, no hot water, and a decision to make. Do I fight for another replacement or give up on the brand? A replacement water heater will solve my lack of hot water but for now, the question is for how long? Not to mention the cost and time spent with the clean up I did twice.
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.
I purchased a home in March of 2013. When I bought the home, I noticed it had a new Whirlpool 50-gallon gas 6th sense hot water heater model number ND50T122-403. It was newer and I thought it was a good selling point and would last many years. The original owner had purchased the heater in March of 2011. Three months after I moved in, the control valve went bad - 4 flash eco lockout. I called Whirlpool. They sent out the replacement part. I had to pay for shipping express delivery. Since then the control valve has gone out 2 more times, a total of 3 times in one year. On the third time, they gave me a return number for a replacement. I dont even want this heater for free. I am still required to pay for installation and additional installation parts. This product is terrible. Save yourself a headache. Do not buy this product!
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.
Received power bill and it had doubled. Went straight to water heater. Bought water heater 02/11/2011 and 12/25/2013. The brain they call it on top of the heater has a screw that has blown through the metal plate.They do not sell this type of heater at the stores so this must be a problem with all this type heater.
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.
Here is my TERRIBLE experience: After only eight months it started to fail intermittently. Within weeks, it failed completely. I pay someone to come out and look. We get a part from Whirlpool. Pay extra to express ship it. 2 days later, pay to have it installed. Still doesnt work. Express ship another part. 2 days later, pay again to have it installed. STILL doesnt work. Express ship ANOTHER part. 3 days later - it STILL DOESNT WORK!!!!! Then they closed - wait another day. Now they authorize a complete replacement. Wait till Monday to PAY to have this one uninstalled. Haul it upstairs, into my car, back to Lowes, so I can get a new one. Haul it home. Pay AGAIN to have it installed.I was without hot water for 10 days and paid about 4 time the cost of the heater in labor to get through this MESS. I talked with Customer Service to get some help with how terribly unfair this was. Warranty Only Covers parts - should have bought the extra warranty... Silly me - I thought Whirlpool was a reputable and reliable brand. Boy was I WRONG!!! DO NOT PAY EXTRA FOR THE NAME - NOT WORTH IT!!!!!! I also dont recommend paying extra for the Energy Efficient. Its added electronics that just give it more to go wrong. Plain and simple is the lesson for the day!!! And after the hours of frustration with their customer service - Ill NEVER buy another Whirlpool product as long as I live!!!
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.
Long story short, we replaced a very old Whirlpool water heater with a new one a couple of years ago... We have had nothing but trouble. First, pilot light wouldnt stay lit. Found out that it was defective.... Whirlpool DID offer a no cost conversion kit. Had to pay shipping and installation costs. Have had the plumber out four more times to try to ANYTHING to keep it lit.... No luck. He even spoke to a Whirlpool tech on the phone and followed his advice. I have filed an online complaint with Whirlpool and the site stated that I would hear back within three working days. Guess what.... no reply. I have four other Whirlpool appliances that I love, BUT as they wear out, I will NOT consider Whirlpool.
Purchased a new Whirlpool water heater from Lowes. Two days into the reset switch kept tripping, Whirlpool wanted me to wait for someone to repair it. Lowes exchanged it for me. When I called Whirlpool service myself, Jessie was in technical support could have careless about my business and was dismissive about any issues or concerns I was having. This will be my last Whirlpool product ever.
This same problem occurred about a month later so I called Whirlpool. They sent out an entire new thermostat assembly which took me about an hour to install. The hot water heater has worked correctly ever since.
This product is unsafe and should be recalled. It has aluminium wires that connect the unit to the 220 Vol Power source. Aluminium and copper wire dont mix. I took a shower and was getting ready to leave for the day when I went into my garage to smell burning plastic and wires. I traced it to the hot water heater and discovered the wires in the Energy Smart were melted and burned. I checked with Two Electricians who told me that the wires in the unit can not handle the high heat and melt. If you have one get rid of it. Had I left for the day I would have lost my home, cars and pets. If anyone would like to see this unit I still have it and photos.
I purchased the unit in May 2012. Right out of the box on the first day, the tank was leaking water from where pressure relief valve screws into the tank. Whirlpool replaced the part from my local Lowe’s store which I had to go get on my dime and install myself to solve the problem. Its now the 2nd week of January and the water heater is dead. I didnt even get 8 months out of this water heater that has a 12 year warranty. The electronic thermostat died, and I will be going 3 to 4 days without hot water until Whirlpool can ship me another thermostat. Nothing like taking an ice cold shower in the middle of winter. Like I said, buyers beware!
I have the same pilot light problems as everybody else. I pulled the burner unit out, and cleaned, and blew everything out, and took a wire brush to the openings on the floor of the unit. I called customer service, and was asked about ventilation. I didnt mention that the heater still didnt work, even when the door to the tin water heater was removed, so venting is not the likely culprit. She authorized a repair that will likely do nothing from the comments I see.The real problem with their customer service, is the apparent stupidity of the computer system. She asked me for the model and ID number. I had to cut through the extra insulation blanked on the tank to get it. However, when I gave it to her, she then asked me if I was ** and if I live at **. If this information was already in the computer, why couldnt there be a search by my name and address, to get the model and serial number. Obviously, I had registered the water heater in the past. Isnt being able to get this information the reason to register in the first place?Now, I have to replace the extra insulation, all because of a stupid inability to create the necessary searches in their customer database. Yes, I could have written the numbers down, but why have the customer registration at all, if it isnt to be used for anything, other than data mining of the customer base.
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 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 a Whirlpool 50 gallon gas hot water heater 3 years ago. I have 3 daughters all in school age. When my old one finally quit due to tank failure and out of warranty, I went to Lowes and bought a 6 year warranty hot water heater costing around $600. Now I figured you get what you pay for RIGHT! WRONG! So about 2 years ago the pilot light started to just go out on occasion, a bit of an inconvenience but there was no default code warning me of any other issues. So typically we just relight it. I called Whirlpool to get help with this issue, but they wanted me to pay for a technician to diagnose the problem. Um isnt that what the warranty is for? I said dont bother. Im not paying $150 for someone to tell me what I already know. Ill just keep relighting it myself. So finally the pilot light goes out for the 100th time but this time I go to reignite it and BOOM! It sounded like a twelve gauge shot gun going off in my face! Then it flutters flames into the chimney of the hot water heater. Scared the crap out of me at first. But it finally stopped and run fine. Well Im laying in bed a few nights later and woke up to a loud thumping noise, I go down stairs and it stops. The following day Im in the kitchen and THUMP THUMP THUMP BURP BURP BURP. Run over to the hot water heater closet and theres the flames shooting out of the gas valve into the hot water heater then BOOM! Its out! The valve unit finally took a crap I guess. I call Whirlpool again to get my warranty - this time it definitely needs to be replaced. So the guy tells me the parts are covered in the warranty but a technician needs to look at it first and the technician Ill have to pay.. Excuse me but what the ** did you just say? I have to pay for a technician to look at your failing part? No I dont think so! Just send me the part - Ill replace it myself. Im a millwright electrician by trade. I specialize in power plants and refineries. Im sure this little gas valve wont be a problem. I spoke with these idiots on a Friday and he said I could have it ground shipped for free and it should be here in 5-6 days or pay extra for quicker delivery. What the hell did he just say? I could pay extra for quicker delivery on Whirlpools faulty part? ** whirlpool should be saying Well have the part overnight to you.Now since it was a 3 day weekend theres no sense in me paying $40 to have it delivered 3 day because it still wouldnt arrive until close to the five day. So I just looked to see where my damn part is because it shouldve been here by now according to the guy on the phone. NOPE! Its set to be delivered in 5 more ** days. DONT BUY A WHIRLPOOL PRODUCT. THEY DO NOT PRACTICE ETHICS.
Gas control not working. I have replaced the thermostat twice in three years. Now, the hot water tank pilot will not light. The igniter works; a new thermostat has been properly installed, and the pilot will not light. The gas is on, and the tank has functioned. I just want a new gas control.
For many years, I have worked on and tested water heater thermocouples. I have a lot of experience with this. I have checked around many of the wholesale supply houses to find a simple part needed for this brand/manufacturer appliance. Johnstone Supply, a national wholesale distributor, Grainger, etc. cannot get these parts. You must call Whirlpool and wait on the phone and give the operator the full story about what you found and how you tested the water heater only to be told you dont know what you are talking about. I was told that if the pilot lights and stays lit for even several minutes, that it is not the thermocouple but the gas valve and they will not sell me the part and recommend either I purchase a whole gas valve assembly and revised thermocouple or they would not sell me anything.Then I got told that I am on a waiting list to be called for availability of the parts at some time within the next 24 hours. Or just buy a new water heater from us with a warranty. Really? This is why you should not even have wasted your time with these people and move on to a better future. I asked,Can I purchase a box of thermocouples for this type of water heater with a left hand thread? The answer to this was, No, we will need the serial # for each unit that has had any part put on it. Move on, I say. This was a big waste of time by me, the plumber, and my customers happiness.
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 bought a Whirlpool water heater a few years back and have had nothing but headaches replacing the thermocouple every 1 to 3 months. The last one only lasted for 4 days. I did have a small flood in my basement well after the problems began. There are no visible signs of water damage to the unit, but Whirlpool has dropped my warranty completely. They sounded like they intend on not helping me anyway.