Before you go out and buy something, wouldn’t it be nice to hear from someone who already owns the product? That way, you can see whether or not it lives up to the hype before you spend any money. Luckily, water heater reviews give you just that!
The key, though, is to do your homework. Water heater reviews can make or break your purchase. Sure, hearing from actual consumers can be a lot more helpful that just reading a sales pitch from a manufacturer. But, it is also important to get a good cross-section of reviews. That way, you can make sure that you are truly making an informed decision – and not basing your purchase on what one angry reviewer has to say.
Luckily, there is no shortage of water heater reviews on the world wide web!
Take a look around online, and you will see that there are water heater reviews for just about every product out there. You can get customers’ input on everything – including electric water heater reviews, gas water heater reviews, and tankless water heater reviews.
But, if you’re smart, you won’t just rely on the consumer water heater reviews you find; you should also look for water heater ratings.
What’s the difference between the two?
Instead of simply compiling a bunch of consumer reviews, water heater rankings are created and published by unbiased groups of experts – like Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and Associates, or a similar group. These experts will go over the details from the manufacturers, then try out several products for themselves to see if they really do live up to the hype. The results will be listed as a series of rankings. That way, you can compare several water heaters at the same time – and see which model performed the best.
In most cases, water heater ratings are done according to size. However, some sizes have more ratings than others. If you are trying to find these unbiased water heater reviews, the easiest ones to find are typically the 50-gallon electric ones. That’s because 50-gallon electric water heaters are some of the most popular units because they are the perfect size for families that have a couple of bathrooms in their homes.
Even if you are not interested in a 50-gallon electric model, these water heater ratings can give you an idea of what makes manufacturers different. It can be a good starting point for your research.
So, what do the water heater ratings have to say?
According to the expert water heater reviews and ratings that we found, Rheem, GE, and Kenmore all make solid 50-gallon electric water heaters. These companies all got high marks for their prices, their warranties, their easy installation, and their energy efficiency. According to the ratings we found, these companies do exactly what you expect a big company to do – provide a quality product from a quality name. And, for the record, Rheem came in at number one in a variety of ratings.
But if you’re reading carefully, you probably noticed that there is one big brand name missing from that list – Whirlpool. That’s because, in the world of water heater reviews, Whirlpool is somewhat of a wild card.
Look around at all of the water heaters reviews online, and you will find people who are happy with their Whirpool water heaters and people who aren’t.
Typically, Whirlpool’s electric models get high ranks in the water heater reviews. Consumers seem to like the fact that they are on the inexpensive side. Plus, they all come with a 6-year warranty that makes owners feel a little more secure. Reviewers are also happy to report that Whirlpool’s electric water heaters do what they promise – by providing hot water, while operating in a very efficient manner that doesn’t waste energy.
So, what’s the issue for Whirlpool in water heater reviews?
You can find it in many of the gas water heater reviews around the world wide web.
There are plenty of complaints about Whirlpool’s Flame Lock water heaters – the units that come with a special “combustion chamber” to prevent fires from sparking.
According to the water heater reviews that we found, there are plenty of issues with the thermocouples on these units, and a thermocouple is a vital part of a gas water heater. It is the piece of equipment that keeps the pilot light running properly. Thermocouples have sensors that can detect when the pilot light is operating at the right temperature. If the thermocouple senses that the pilot light isn’t putting out enough heat, it will shut off the unit’s gas valves. The end result? A pilot light that goes out, and a home without any hot water!
According to many of the water heater reviews that we read, Whirlpool has some thermocouple issues on its Flame Lock water heaters. When the thermocouples aren’t working properly, they can shut off the gas valves at the wrong time – knocking out the pilot light in the process. We read reviews from a variety of consumers who said that their thermocouples stopped working a few months after they bought their water heaters.
No matter what brand or size you’re looking to buy, reading a variety of water heater reviews is important. These reviews can give you extra insight that you never would have gotten just from listening to the manufacturers!