Customer Reviews for Rheem Marathon 50 gal. 4500 -Watt Tall Electric Water Heater with Lifetime Tank Warranty and 240 volt Connection

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.

Exactly what people with wells need, my last water heater lasted 28 years it was a Kenmore survivor, I think Rheem made it for them because it was basically identical to it. People with wells need a non metallic tank, PRO'S no corrosion and no sulphur water smell.

I've only had this heater for 2wks now. I've been wanting it for sometime but it wasn't at the top of my list seeing how costly it is. The first time I went in the shower after install (over 9 hrs) it was cold. I turned up the gauges from the typical setting and it was still cool the next day. I turned the temp up even further. Then HOT water (winter time btw) it only lasted 5 mins 🫤. I bought a 50 gallon because I'm going to put a jacuzzi in soon and I'm concerned if I'll have enough hot water to use it. I'm single and love alone so, this is not the reason why I'm running out of hot water quickly. VERY DISAPPOINTED AND OUT A LOT OF MONEY 😩

So far so good, only part I didn’t like was the installation through Home Depot wanted 1600. to install, went with another plumber for 600.

This water heater arrived in perfect condition and installed easily with no leaks or problems. I must say that the included instruction manual is the most thorough, logically-presented, well-written, mistake-free owner's manual that I have had the pleasure of reading in at least ten years. The sulfur smell of the water from my previous (14 year-old) conventional water heater disappeared immediately upon placing this anode-rod-free water heater in service.

connections much easier than old one. Increase in water pressure noted. Water much hotter!

I like the lifetime warranty and the energy efficiency of this heater. The tank is very well insulated.

I've installed two of these in the last year. One for my parents, and one at my own home. I work in the office at a plumbing company, and that's where I learned about this heater. Metal heaters are just nasty rust buckets. So far no issues, my last whirlpool metal tank heater lasted 12 years, so I'm assuming this will easily out last that one. The only downside is the lead time due to special order. It takes a few weeks to get, but it's worth the wait if you have time.

I was forced to pay $800 more than a Performance Pro Plus that failed (3) times. Rheem was nice. HD was nice, but my plumber still charged me to remove and install (3) of those. This Marathon does not include dielectric nipples, worth $6 at HD, so you might have to run out and get some while installing. I wish the elements were 5500 watt not 4500 watt. I guess the titanium fold-over elements work just as well at 4500 watts versus non-titanium 5500 watts. I wish there were a digital sensor showing I'd the element was heating. There are none. You have to test it with a volt meter. I hope it lasts 80 years as the literature says. Oh, the drain is brass, but tight fit, hard to get to when installed inside a drain pan.

Easy install. working great.

This is a wonderful hot water heater.