Whirlpool Water Heaters Consumer Reviews - Page 4

CULLMAN, ALABAMA -- Never buy a Whirlpool Energy Smart water heater. 2 months after I installed it the electric thermostat goes out. After walking through tech support they tell me because I called Friday @4:00 I can expect my new part sometime on Monday. Leaving my family of 5 without hot water until then! As if I could schedule when their part would fail.

I asked if there was anywhere I could go to get the part? Jessie the tech support guy said well you could try looking around. I said, "Seriously? That's the best you can help me? What are we supposed to do until Monday?" His words of wisdom were, "I guess you'll just have to improvise." I spent nearly $1000 on this unit. What a rip off. If you are thinking about purchasing anything Whirlpool I would definitely reconsider.

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- I bought a fairly expensive Whirlpool BFG 40 gallon tall water heater in 2003. It had a 12 year warranty. After thousands of couplers were replaced, I griped enough to where Whirlpool gave me an updated model in 2006. Now I need parts for this piece of crap water heater, and the lazy technician at Whirlpool says that this is not my water heater. I read him the serial number and he says that my water heater actually belongs to a woman in another state.

He even suggested that I had stolen the unit. And he suggested that, "maybe you bought the water heater from a guy down the street, which is perfectly fine, but it is not under warranty." I think that other customer in question is scamming Whirlpool and getting parts for free using a random bogus serial number -- mine -- or when Whirlpool turned over to GE someone in the typing pool screwed up the numbers.

To make matters worse the lazy technical refused to connect me to a supervisor. He said I didn't have a supervisor issue. I said yes I do. I want to talk to a supervisor. He said NO... it's not going to happen. And I said "why not?" and he said... "because it's not your water heater." I have emailed Whirlpool asking for a supervisor to call me back, but of course, they haven't. I am taking my complaints to the BBB. Other than sue Whirlpool, there is no recourse, except to warn you all... do not buy anything from Whirlpool.

ACWORTH, GEORGIA -- Several service calls had to be made to a plumber due to this unit not working. The door assembly was shipped to me by Whirlpool. I had to pay "again" for the plumber to install this part. He's been here 3-4 times since I bought the unit. Last Wednesday, May 2, 2012 no hot water "again". The same plumber came out and said the door assembly had again gone bad.

Whirlpool was contacted on Thursday Morning and would not agree to do ANYTHING. They were given my plumber's name and number and I never heard back from them. I contacted Lowe's in Acworth, GA and they agreed to replace the hot water heater. So now I'm forced to pay for ANOTHER install. I requested that Whirlpool pay this expense, and their representative, ** said NO.

I intend to sue them for all monies spent on this lemon and due to this lemon, I will NEVER buy another Whirlpool product of any kind. I have told family and friends and they've agreed that due to the bad product and worse customer service, they will also stay away from purchasing anything made by this company.

Whirlpool certainly won't be hurt by me and me alone but I'll make sure that anyone I run into at Lowe's or anywhere else is even looking at a Whirlpool product will get an earful from me. This is the type of customer service that consumers don't have to put up with anymore. There are many resources on the Internet to get the word out and I intend to spend a great deal of my time doing just that. NEVER BUY WHIRLPOOL PRODUCTS! Very solid advice here.

I purchased a Whirlpool Energy Smart Water Heater, Model EE2H40RD54V, with the "computer, smart box" on top of the tank in 2006. Since then the smart box has quit four times and Whirlpool has promptly replaced the smart box "computer" board three times. The last time occurred yesterday, this makes it now 4 times in 5 years, and should I say that the design has some flaws? It is a shame since the "computer" does save energy but it has no reliability at all.

The heater has 9 years warranty and after that I plan to buy another, but not a Whirlpool. The first water heater, a Jackson, was in the house when I bought in new in 1976 and lasted until 2006 when I change it because the darned thing was 30 years old! It never gave me a problem and I wish I still had it. I hate to think what would have this unit cost if I had to call a plumber every time the "smart box" failed.

After my 2006 Whirlpool water heater quit heating the water and replacing both upper and lower heating elements, and replacing both upper and lower thermostats still only got lukewarm water..Called Customer service... Big Mistake... After verifying all voltages were correct to all parts and verifying that the installation was done correctly they could not recommend a repair fix to solve the problem...

This is when the warranty issue came into play... (6 year warranty)... they would not send a authorized Whirlpool repair person, nor would they authorize a replacement under warranty. They wanted me to start all over try this, try that, check this again, check that again. I could see I was getting the first class run around. Again, this was after they verified everything was within proper limits for all settings.

Finally, after they decided there was nothing more they could assist with, they said there was nothing else they could do... Sorry... wish we could help you. So if you buy a Whirlpool appliance, and it lays down under warranty time, expect to throw it away and go purchase a brand new one as Whirlpool will not assist you past giving you the run around and passing you off to person after person... Bet your bottom dollar my new water heater will NOT be a Whirlpool... nor will any other appliance I purchase in the future.

I purchased a Whirlpool 50 gallon hot water heater in 2007. One year later, after the 1 year full warranty they offer had expired, the pilot light kept going out and sometimes would not stay lit at all. I called Whirlpool and they sent me a replacement part for free which I paid my plumber to install. Off and on for the next two years the same problem occurred.

Last month, after many cold showers for me and many cold baths endured by my children, I called my plumber and told him to remove this piece of junk from my garage. I could not get the pilot light to stay lit at all. This is the same problem that occurred two years ago. I am very disappointed in Whirlpool and will never buy another Whirlpool product again. My plumber installed a Rheem.

Soon after the initial purchase and install of this water heater (Dec 31, 2007), the control valve needed to be replaced. Customer service (in India) had me go through a troubleshooting procedure resulting in a manufacturing defect diagnosis. Control valve was sent free of charge, installation of the control valve was reimbursed upon receipt of defective control valve and statement of service provided by my plumber. Three days without hot water is never fun.

Just yesterday (Dec 14 2009), the pilot light would not stay lit. This morning I came onto this site only to be scared to death that I was going to have to buy the family a new water heater for Christmas. I emailed Whirlpool Service and called the customer service in India. "Paul" was very helpful, and after a short troubleshooting procedure, quickly gave me an authorization number for a service tech in my town to come out and assess the situation, equipped with replacement parts, all covered under warranty in the case of a manufacturing defect.

Since my pilot light would stay lit until after the burner cycled off, I waited before calling the local service tech wanting to more carefully assess the behavior of the water heater. Meanwhile, I had described in the email that the burner was displaying yellow and orange flame and this got the attention of a Whirlpool tech. He called me no more than four hours after the email had been sent and had me clean the vent underneath the water heater with a dry toilet bowl brush. Problem solved.

I purchased this water heater from Lowe's in Nov, 2008. It has shut off several times and just last Friday it quit (Dec 04, 2009). I checked the supply current and the elements and all was OK. The heater would only turn on momentarily and then turn off. It has the automatic box on top. I called the service number provided by Whirlpool and was connected to a female representative whom I could hardly understand due to a heavy accent. She told me to reset the controls and see if it would come on. It came on momentarily and she said, "It is OK now."

It turned off again. I called Lowe's and they said they no longer replace defective water heaters. So, we are without hot water for the weekend and I will have to try another call their service on Monday. I wish I had never seen this water heater. $400.00 for junk!!!!

My pilot quit working and I called Whirlpool and got a Whirlpool of foreign speaking gibberish. Then told I have to wait for a kit to be delivered in a day and a half. It is cold and I need a shower. So I called the local Lowe's where it was purchased and told the woman the situation and she said to come get the kit, it's free. Why have Whirlpool when Lowe's will take care of it. (Bless Lowe's, I need hot water). Whirlpool needs to make quality to last the amount of time listed on their warranties. OR send out a note that your water heater will give out half way through its warranty and send a kit soon after.

Flame Lock Troubleshooting Tip: I purchased a Whirlpool Flame Lock Water Heater a couple of years ago, and soon after I bought it - the ignition circuit for the burner died. Called Whirlpool and they sent me a new flame lock igniter assembly (minus about $35 S&H). The new part worked for a little while, but the burner frequently started back going out. My electronics background helped me to troubleshoot my problem down to a defective roll-out switch. Called Whirlpool, they me a lengthy procedure that was basically just press the little white button on the roll-out switch back in...

I found that I would frequently have to press the roll-out switch reset button back in until it stop working finally. As a result, tried jumpering the 2 leads on the roll-out switch. What you know??? IT WORKED AS ADVERTISED!!! Jumpering the roll-out switch should help you isolate if it is the problem or not (for testing purpose only). This is not a post to encourage you to by-pass your water heater's safety interlocks, but merely a tip to help you troubleshoot a potential problem. This can especially be useful if your water heater dies in the cold weather season like mine did. Hope this tip blesses you and your family. Happy Troubleshooting!