I was perusing the water heater threads of late, and thought I would put this here as a PSA...

Rheem Marathon. https://www.rheem.com/innovations/innovation_residential/marathon/

Lifetime Warranty.

I put one in, and it will be last heater that house will ever need.

Won't corrode. Won't burst. EASY on the electric meter. You may have to occasionally change the elements, but that's it.

If you have hard water, calcium, corrosion problems, etc, you'd be well served to get one of these. Not much more money than a standard water heater.





Thank me later.

I just looked at my gas-fired unlimited on demand water heater the size of a carry-on bag and thought, "No tanks."

Interesting.

Years ago some water heaters had a heater band around them. They lasted for ever.

Yeah, I should have mentioned "electric" water heater.

Checked into a tankless electric one, and they eat electricity like a fat girl eats cake. Gotta have huge amp feed to the house/electrical hookup for them too.

Rheem makes good water heaters. I've installed several.

How does it hold water since you cut it in half?

That thing is a beast.

I installed a Rheem that started to leak after 5 years so I called the appliance dealer where I purchased it. It turns out they don't honor the warranty unless the unit was installed by a licensed plumber. After a long battle they finally agreed to pay for the replacement unit or the installation charge, but not both. The unit and the plumber cost the same. If a plumber replaced it they would honor future warranty issues so I went that route.

After all that I called Home Depot to see how their warranty applies and they said the same thing. No plumber, no joy.

As much as I was ticked off at the time, I get it.

Looks like an atomic weapon

Tag

Does it have a clean-out port?

And I should have said to go tankless only if you have gas. If your house is electric, then that Rheem is the apex of water heaters.

A tank you buy at a big box store is good for maybe five years. Maybe. They are built to a price point, not a quality level. No reputable plumber will install one, which ought to tell you a lot.

I’d like to have one of these for my house, super water recovery time, never run out of hot water. This is 75 gallon heater

Home Depot advertises the Marathon residential model for about $1100. Better get one when you're young if ya want to amortize that cost.

Installing them myself helps lower the cost, But I can get 12-14 years out of a $300 unit. Lots of calcium in our water, it would help to drain the sediment every so often, but I just forget.

Yes. Shaped like a funnel at the bottom, so everything is flushed out.

All it has is more insulation, same elements but weird size that's hard to find, same thermostats but a unique inner tank that's known to burst.

Take note of their LIMITED life time warranty and then do your research and for christ's sake take time to read reviews.

It appears you pay about a grand extra for 10 dollars worth of insulation.


From Rheems own website.

Marathon water heater not worth the added expense

I have a large home, plumbed for 2 hot water heaters. After 15 years, one of two conventional water heaters began to leak. I decided to upgrade to a Marathon water heater, thinking it's lifetime warranty and energy efficiency would be work the 300% added expense. So I purchased 2 Marathon 50 gallon electric water heaters. One water heater failed, the "bladder" ruptured. After contacting Rheem, I was told to send the unit back and once it was received and inspected, I would be shipped a new water heater. Have you ever shipped a water heater before? Box? Shipping cost? It was a very unpleasant experience to say the least. Furthermore, I have not noticed any reduction in my utility bills and I can hear the water heaters "working" all the time; in other words, where is the efficiency? At over $1000 per unit, in my case $2000+ I haven't witnessed any savings and constantly worrying that the water heater will pop like a balloon again, flooding my house.



Not Worth the Trouble
I purchased the 50 Gallon Marathon from my Home Depot Centre in September 2018. The unit was very easy to install using Pex and an expansion tank. The unit worked for 2 weeks, then the lower heating element blew out. I did an electrical continuity check on everything, double checked the wiring diagram with the manual, all was good except the lower heating element. So I drained the tank, yes the element was blown out, see photo. Called warranty, but had to wait weekend, so went to Home Depot, they took an element out of a floor product and gave it to me. I installed it. The warranty element showed up on a Thursday, it was the wrong element, it was the upper, they're different. Called warranty to get lower, element, it came a week later. Gave it to Home Depot to repair their floor model.

Three weeks later, lower element goes again, same blow out. Repeated electrical check on everything, and actually tested the thermostats to make sure they would shut off when heated to demand temperature (used a hair dryer). They worked, I installed the upper element that Rheem sent me from previous mistake as I needed hot water. Called warranty, they sent another element, but ground FEDEX when I asked for overnight, needless to say, 10 days later, I received, yup, the wrong element!! Just got off phone with warranty to have correct element sent again. Sooo, I have the shorter upper element installed at the moment awaiting the new lower element. The upper is copper, the lower is titanium. I'm going to leave the copper in for now and see if it goes out. If it does, I'm returning this tank to Home Depot, getting a different tank. I don't know why it blows out lower elements. All electrical is good, home supply is sending 241 ACV, the elements are rated for 208-240 ACV / 4500 watts, the thermostats are set in the middle setting (medium temperature).

Length of Usage 1 month

Disappointed
Bought the tank in November of 2015 for a new home. We moved into the house in May 2016. It was fine for about one week, then the elements broke! Called Rheem and they sent us new elements (standard elements do not fit), but only after the plumber called, too. Took cold showers until the parts came 4 days later. Less than a week later the thermostat broke. Cold showers again!! Didn't bother calling. We were frustrated and sick of taking cold showers so we just had our plumber install a standard hot water tank. Very disappointed especially considering how EXPENSIVE it was to buy.

Length of Usage 1 week
Installed By Professional installer


A $1,000 LEAKER
I bought this product to replace my original Rheem Marathon which I installed over 26 years ago. The vacuum relief valve which Rheem says MUST be installed on the new tank is impossible to install so that it does not leak. After 10 months of service the tank started leaking from some internal point above the top thermostat. The water would run down the side over both thermostat housings. The leaking would stop periodically but would always start up again.

Length of Usage 6 months



Failed in 4 years.
I had this installed in my new house and after 4 years it is DEAD. The Warranty Page won't actually show you the warranty, and the warranty verification tool says it can't find the status of my hot water heater, even though the marketing department seems to be able to find its model from my serial number and send me marketing emails JUST FINE.

Length of Usage 1 year or longer
Installed By Professional installer
✘ No, I do not recommend this product.



More of the same there also...



From Amazon Reviews
Tammy Dunow
1.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
If your looking for a Tank that won't rust
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021
If your looking for a tank that wont rust this is the water heater for you however I just received the 50 gallon tank was easy to install then the work began No Hot water? So I'm thinking its a brand new water heater it cant be that so I ran all new wiring to the hot water heater still no Hot Water. Step two pulled the element out sure enough its broke where am I going to get an 1.5 element its Friday I cant go all weekend without hot water I finally find one it can be delivered Sunday put it in No Hot Water Step Three change the thermostat. Moral of the story is its a piece of junk and don't bother wasting your time and $1600 on it just so you can work on it you would be better off buying a cheap water heater and throw it out when its time to replace it! you could do that 4 times for what I just payed for this junk.
4 people found this helpful
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Cynthia A. Costa
1.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
The Thermostat Died After 1 Week
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2012
I did extensive research before purchasing this water heater. I wanted something to last longer than 8-10 years. Unfortunately, this heater died 1 week after being installed. I'm stuck with a broken unit and am out $900.00 plus the $700.00 spent installing it. I sure hope the company who sold me this can rectify the problem FAST or I will be demanding a FULL refund! Next time, I'll go locally.
36 people found this helpful
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Jim L.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Lifetime tank warranty, just try to collect
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2018
This heater works great but when it fails good luck getting warranty. The tanks are not warranted for life. Had an 85 gallon marathon start leaking around the top element. Plumber determined the problem was with the tank itself. There are many loop holes marathon will use to get out of the warranty. They sell the units as life time warranty on tank leakage. Do not be fooled, the tank does not have a lifetime warranty
25 people found this helpful
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thoughtsbecomethings
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016
We have the 85245 (85 gallon). We have replaced the bottom heating elements twice, top element once, and thermostats once. It was purchased in 2013. The bottom element died within a few months of ownership and the installation guy was very surprised. This time around the plumber doing the repair has no idea why it happened. There was very little hard water buildup on the bottom element. Top element was clean. It sounds like the thermostat overheated and burnt the bottom element and shut the tank down. From what I could gather, the thermostats communicate with each other. Just poorly built.
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Jim McAfee
1.0 out of 5 stars
Rheem may not honor warranty.. BEWARE!!!
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2021
I purchased a Rheem Marathon Water Heater, based upon it's lifetime warranty against leaking. It is made of a plastic material. It's supposed to be safe. The old house we bought had an old gas water heater in the second floor bathroom. So, having a non-leaking water heater is important to me.

There was a leak after 5 years due to a faulty water drain valve. Marathon sent me a new one, and I paid a plumber to do the repairs. That was the only problem we had from this unit... until catastrophic failure.

When it failed, debris clogged the water pan, and did not allow the drain to remove the overflowing water. On top of that, water was shooting from the top and bottom. It was a complete failure. So, I called a plumber, and a mitigation company to clean up the mess, which was massive.

We originally purchased our Marathon water heater though a local plumbing supply house (Guy Gray Supply Company). They went out of business. Home Depot picked up the Rheem line of Marathon water heaters. No one else carries it anymore, not within 100 miles!

I called Rheem, and over the course of several days, they approved the warranty to replace the unrepairable water heater, that did hundreds of dollars damage to our kitchen below. However, there was a catch. They asked me to return the water heater to where I bought it, which is no longer in business.

I have tried everything. I've been placed on hold for 40 minutes at a time. I was told Home Depot would not honor the warranty, because it wasn't purchased through them. My plumber has attempted to call and leave messages with Rheem. SILENCE....

I am at my wit's end.

DO NOT BUY A MARATHON WATER HEATER and expect it to protect your home from catastrophic water damage. Do not expect Rheem to respond to warranty complaints. When you call, you will speak to a phone operator from INDIA. If you are able to communicate with them, they will take your information, and put you in regulatory HELL.

If you buy a Rheem Marathon water heater from AMAZON, you might want to ask yourself how they will pick up the old water heater. I bet they won't.

Be warned.

James R. McAfee, Jr.
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marylandmom
1.0 out of 5 stars
Replace anode rods and your heater will last longer .
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2018
As a Plumbing Contractor one of my customers purchased this heater from the local utility . After several replacements we installed a Standard Heater with a 10 yr warranty .You will always have problems with this heater because of electrolysis. That's what State Industries tried to do about 20 yrs ago. A lifetime tank and and they don't make them anymore . Elements would short out and heaters constantly leaked . They replaced them until they quit making them. Then they gave you 6-10 yr warranty heater. After they went up state couldn't keep the paperwork straight any more so Now One of my customer who loses heaters every 3 yrs is still paying for replacements. She is on a well and refused water treatment to help the problem.
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Beachy85
1.0 out of 5 stars
I would not recommend Rheem products they do not stand behind
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
I would not recommend Rheem products they do not stand behind them. I have brand new water heater that does not work and they refuse to replace it.
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Tim Agan
1.0 out of 5 stars
Nightmare water heater
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2016
Good idea but has some serious element problems. Elements are very expensive and last 2-3 years. Hard to find the right elements and usually takes days to get them while you have no hot water. Supply houses do not carry the parts and will tell you not to buy one. I agree.
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Taylor Marine
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth the money
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2011
Just installed a new Marathon 85 gallon unit yesterday and already had to replace defective lower thermostat. RHEEM customer service techs are useless and without question some of the most obnoxious people Ive dealt with. The upper element also has a very slight leak so their going to replace that as well but I have to do that myself. If I didnt have some experience working on these things I would be out several hundred dollars paying someone to fix it. This unit has a manufacture date of Feb. 2011 so they are obviously still using the same junk thermostats. Paying a thousand dollars for a water heater and having to replace parts on day one is totally unacceptable. This thing is real close to being ripped out and going back to where it came from. If your not good at fixing things I would avoid this brand and take a real hard look at the hybrids, if this goes back I may try that route. In the end the lower thermostat finally quit working and allowed the temp and pressure to rise high enough that the t&p safety vavlve popped. Good thing there was a floor drain close by.

May 2012 UPDATE: I bought this unit from Keidel Plumbing supply in Cincinnati OH and I have to give them credit for trying to make this thing work. They sent out a company twice to troubleshoot it, and when it was deemed defective they paid a contractor to come out and replace the entire unit. The new units lower thermostat was still off about ten degrees from where it should be but this time it did lower the temp properly. Cheap Chinese made electronics. If I had purchased this from Amazon or Home Depot Id have to do all the replacement work myself so keep that in mind.
58 people found this helpful
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Tom B.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Thermostat/Heating Element Failed
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2010
We purchased a Marathon MR50245 water heater from BGE Home in Jan 2008. In Sept 2010 it failed. Last week, the hot water was steaming hot for an evening and then the next day the water heater quit. It sounds like a repeat of A. K. Shorey's problem. The technician is supposed to come in a day or two to fix it at a labor rate of $99 per hour.

I purposely bought the Marathon water heater thinking thinking I could have a trouble free water heater for the next 15 years. Looks like Marathon has a product defect and durability is a big issue with this water heater.

It is now four days later and the Marathon (sic) water heater has been repaired at a cost of $219 for labor. Our failure and repair exactly duplicated the experience of A. K. Shorey thus indicating a systematic design/quality problem. If Marathon (sic) is supposedly offering a quality, durable water heater, why do they insist on using inexpensive and failure prone thermostats? Since a water heater is such a simple electrical device, why can't they install quality thermostats and heating elements that do not fail after 33 months. The cost to Marathon may be several dollars more but it would prevent customers like me from having a broken water heater for a week (cold showers), spending two days awaiting BGE Home repair people and having to lay out $219 for labor.

Based upon my experience, Marathon (sic) is not a premium and quality water heater. Marathon has certainly not earned their brand name.
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RJL
1.0 out of 5 stars
Another thermostat problem
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2012
Bought a Marathon in 2008 - our thermostat went bad and caused both the upper and lower elements to short out. All had to be replaced at a cost of $370.

Too disgusted to say any more.
26 people found this helpful

Built like a Boston whaler...
With a cattle tank heater inside...

Internal tank is composite too?

You might still get some calcium deposits I imagine..

I believe that’s actually a *hot* water heater.

Sounds a lot like the old Pentax composite pressure tanks. Didn't end pretty.

Do it heat water or just remove the cold?

AOSmith

I've installed a few and the company I used to work for installed many. I only remember 1 warranty issue.

For the comments in the reviews batching about usage costs, they are failing to realize that the benefit of the Marathon is much less standby loss. They heat the same way, so if one has a household that goes through a lot of hot water, energy consumption isn't going to change much.

A word of advice to anyone who has to replace an element on a Marathon; be sure to cool the tank down by depleting it of hot water before draining the tank, otherwise you run the risk of collapsing the (hot) tank under vacuum.

Winner,winner

I'll pass on A.O.Smith every chance I get. Same for their other labels. Rheem, Lochinvar or B.W. for me.

Looks like a good idea. We keep our heater in the pump house and in the winter its the heater for that area. Since its propane it runs even with power outage and keeps things from freezing. In the summer no need for insulation as thats defeating the purpose a bit. Takes less heat to keep it warm since that pump house gets hot in the summer.

I see what you did there...

They also make good air conditioners.

Trane on the A/C

If you want to pay 3-5 times as much for it.

I've got Rheem units I installed in houses I own that I rehabbed 15-20 years ago.

Tag

How much routine maintenance do you on demand heater owners have to do?

I have to put a new water heater seems like every 3 or 4 years in my rentals. I don’t what the hell bad JuJu renters put on them.

I can make them last 10-12 years here at the house. I drain the the chunky lime slush out about every 2 years.

My father in law has had the same water heat for 20 something years and never flushed it he says. I believe him, they can’t even get to it because they are hoarders.


I just buy the $400 ones and DIY them.

I flush my two with vinegar annually. They are soon due.

Same here, I looked at my Stiebel electric tankless and thought the same thing. Juice is reasonable here in God's country.

Screw a water heater needlessly cycling wasting my money. SMH at the prehistoric tech....

+1

Thanks for sharing that.

Tag

It's not Home Depot or the place you bought the water heater, it's the manufacturers warranty. I am going through this with a pool pump. My pump and motor took a chit so I want to upgrade to a VS pump. The factory warranty is 3 years if pro installed, 1 year if self installed. It is really nothing to do the swap but the estimates I got are $3-400 that just stick in my craw since I know they will be in and out in less than an hour.

What is the installation difference on an instant gas tankless vs a gas tank heater. I'm about due. Last time they told me it would cost a lot more to install a tankless. I was broke at the time so went back with the cheap tank.

1200 bucks for a 50g is a lot of kaching. i can buy 3 of the ones that last me 10 years for that. plus i put the quick disconnects on mine so no more sweating fittings and such. but that one is probably more efficient that whatever i use. too lazy to go look.

When we built our house, our electric company had some sort of deal where you could get the small one for free, or the big one for $100. I got the big one. We can wash dishes, clothes, and all 4 of us take a shower and never run out of hot water. It’s been in the basement 18 years and still going. I’ve replaced the top heating element twice. Other than that it has been trouble free.

I was planning on flushing my water heater every year when I replaced it. Things happen, and I never did.

That was 26 years ago, and it's still working fine.......Sears (AOSmith).

My brother's ranch house on demand water heater took a dump during the blizzard.

They discovered that today.

Not sure what froze inside that, but something did.

Too bad Rheem just filed bankruptcy. So much for lifetime warranties.






































I made that up. I don't know anything about Rheem.

Most likely it was a low spot in the piping that held water inside the heater itself, and it froze there. That's what I'd bet my money on.

Posted this on the other thread.

Our electric Co-op subsidizes these Marathon water heaters.
(Not hot water heaters, they heat cold water, not hot water)

My cost is around $230, and they are 80 gallon.
We can buy one every seven years.

We had one go to [bleep].
Not sure the chain of events, but it leaked and the thermostat
stuck open.

Went through the electric company. They gave me one to install
and contacted Rheem. Told me if it was warranted their would be
no Bill. If not, they would need to Bill me $230 because I hadn't
had it for seven years. No Bill, all covered.

One big, very big, warning.

You can not just drain one of them.
If you do it hot, they can be damaged.
You have to cut the power, then run your hot water until
it gets cool. Then you can drain it.

I didn't know that, and flushed my old one.
That may have led to it's failure a couple years later.
I told them that, but it didn't concern them.

Does it have replaceable elements like a typical electric hot water heater?

They are replaceable, but are unique to these.
Expensive too. I think about $50.

The Co-op carries them too.

Havent needed to replace one.

Should buy one, just to have.

$1545 On Amazon

I installed one of the water heaters that work like a heat pump. Dropped my electric bill about 40-50$/ month

Years ago i bought a State Duron water heater. Lifetime warranty. They broke/leaked every year. I replaced it 9 times in 11 years. I would show up at plumbing supply and they would grab another one for me. I had to pay a $10 warranty charge each time. After the 9th one [bleep] out, i just bought another brand at Home Depot. Lasted 7 years.

$504.00 for a Bradford White Nat 40 gallon tall atmospheric vent. Standard burner, $7.00 in parts to install.

Years ago i bought a State Duron water heater. Lifetime warranty. They broke/leaked every year. I replaced it 9 times in 11 years. I would show up at plumbing supply and they would grab another one for me. I had to pay a $10 warranty charge each time. After the 9th one [bleep] out, i just bought another brand at Home Depot. Lasted 7 years.