Customer Reviews for Rheem Marathon 40 Gal. Tall 4500-Watt Double Element Non Metallic Electric Water Heater with Lifetime Warranty

Time will see how well it works. Just got it installed.

Had a professional plumber install and it appeared the valves on the unit were leaking. Rheem sent replacement parts and I had the plumber out a 2nd time to install. New parts also leaked. We think the water heater it self was made out of spec and just won’t hold water. Returned unit and had plumber put in one of their standard water heaters.

I got tired of replacing rusted out water heaters every 7-8 years so I decided to spend the extra money for one that won't corrode. Just a bit of a warning if you have any dimension issues with the height: I measured mine and found this one to be very similar to the dimensions of my existing one. The hot water is a normal connection and connected with no issues. However, the cold water inlet on this unit is 3 1/2" higher that the actual height of the tank. I opted to use the dielectric nipples which made it 5 1/2" higher. My old water heater was connected with 12" supply lines with a 7/8" compression fitting on the end to connect to my 3/4" copper feeder pipe and a 3/4" female connection on the other end. This left me with a 6" space to connect this water heater to the cold water inlet. It doesn't make that bend with out kinking shut. So, without re-plumbing my cold water feed I had to purchase a longer supply line to make a more gradual bend. I ordered it to be delivered to my home and it took 11 days to get it. No hot water for 11 days. My point is to factor this extra height in when planning for your installation. By the way, I admit to being old school when it comes to my plumbing. My entire home is sweated copper and I do not want to go with PEX at this point. Not to mention code requires 18" before you start with plastic. It's in and it works great! Good luck!

So far so good. Have had it only 4 weeks but no issues so far. I did have difficulty regenerating the lifetime tank warranty initially but eventually Rheems resolved the issue.

The experience went very well. Tiffany the manager helped out immensely.

I have not plumbed this tank in yet. I unboxed it and set it near the existing water heater. Inspecting the new all-plastic heater, I noticed the hot and cold inlet/outlet wiggles when I attempt to move it. Is this normal? I can’t seem to find any cross section diagrams on the construction online to know if this is normal. Rheem can you let me know how the inlets are sealed to the inner tank? Am I feeling a gasket or O-ring seal? I want to love it…but afraid it’s going to leak!

I like the features. Lifetime tank, No anode rod to replace, and Titanium heating elements that last 5 times longer than steel. Only complaint is Rheem installed the cold water intake on an angle. Maybe there is a reason for this, but the assembly looks silly since it's leaning to the right. So far 2 weeks and no leaks!

Happy so far with purchase!

The good: plastic body so it won't rust in the basement, lightweight so that it was easy to move into position, convenient cold and hot water connections on the top. I'm using this Marathon 50 gallon hot water heater in tandem with a Rheem Performance 50 gallon heat pump hot water heater. The heat pump water heater preheats the cold water and then feeds the Rheem Marathon which should maintain the temperature pretty well. I have both the Rheem hybrid and the Marathon set to 120 degrees F, but I might change the set points over time as I get some experience with the efficiency. I have the heat pump hot water heater set for 'heat pump only' mode so the preheating of the cold water is done exclusively by the heat pump. Its too early to tell how efficient this is, but even if I start with 100 gallons of hot water, I'm going to be good.

These water heaters are great, the last Rheem Marathon lasted me 17 years. You pay more for it initially, but it's better than replacing a steel water heater every seven years. That is the average in my area.

Larger than expected and expensive hope this one will last longer than my old conventional heater only got 4 years so we will c

All connections at top make easier To install. Looks and performs great.

Connecting the water lines to the unit required a special purchase and all connections required 3/4” pipes and or shark bites. After installation, unit has been OUTSTANDING!! No more worries with this unit.

I had a technical question. The agent had no idea for the answer. Luckily, I continued with installation and all went well

Easy to maneuver due to lightweight nature and easy install for those that have experience installing. My third Rheem install over the last 20 years and by far the easiest. Wattage is double what I had before, therefore, great hot water level even though less capacity.

So far it has worked perfect. No problems.

You cannot go wrong with these poly tanks. I own four of these and the oldest is 20 years old just replace elements in it. Cheap and easy and they don't rust out and leak

Te water heater is working very well.

So far so good. It is a bit higher in cost, but I am hoping that will last as long as my old water heater- nearly 35 years! Water is nice and hot, feels softer, no funky sulphuric smell and with All Around Maintenance installation it looks and feels safer in my home.

We realized our old water heater was 16 years old and decided to take a preventative replacement step. In doing some research I was very intrigued by the idea of a non-steel tank hot water heater and started looking into the Marathon. Interestingly, an HVAC installer who also wanted to quote water heaters noted this is what he installed in his house. Their quote for the install was VERY steep, and realizing I have a military discount at HD I decided to buy it and hire a handyman friend to do the install. As for the water heater, it works amazingly well! As I noted, our old 50 gallon worked fine (so we thought), but this one instantly works better out of the gate. Hot water is great and plentiful. And, with no anode, we can look forward to years of no issues with rust in the tank. Will it last a "lifetime", I have no idea. I do know it works well and the warranty was great. It also looks pretty cool. Bottom line is we have great hot water and I am very happy.

After only 6 months system failed and we have had no hot water for 4 days. They will not honor warranty to replace parts for free unless you have a digital power meter to use as they walk you through a diagnostic process. Make sure if you buy an electric water heater that you have a digital power meter on hand and ready to use when your system fails. It is impossible to get parts same day to repair. Rheem has the worst customer service and you will be left to deal with them with no recourse.

The heaters are very sleek and space-age looking. The plumber who installed said he had never had a problem with this model leaking.