Rheem gas water heaters
24 reports to CPSC, the latest made Dec 27, 2025. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Nov 5, 2026.
- 24reports to CPSC
- Dec 27, 2025the latest report was made
- Oct 21, 2011the earliest
- 0with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Rheem
- Maker
- Rheem Sales Company, IncMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Gas water heatersCPSC’s product type: Gas Water Heaters (code 118), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Plumbing & Bath
Other ways the reports write the brand (5)
“Rheam”, “Rheem Gas Water Heater”, “Rheem HIGH EFFICIENCY CONDENSING TANKLESS WATER HEATER”, “Rheem Performance Platinum” and “Rheem Performance Plus”
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 2 |
| August 2025 | 1 |
| April 2025 | 1 |
| December 2024 | 1 |
| November 2023 | 3 |
| September 2023 | 1 |
| November 2022 | 1 |
| June 2021 | 1 |
| February 2020 | 1 |
| December 2019 | 1 |
| November 2019 | 1 |
| April 2019 | 1 |
| February 2019 | 2 |
| January 2019 | 1 |
| October 2018 | 1 |
| February 2016 | 1 |
| July 2015 | 1 |
| February 2015 | 1 |
| November 2013 | 1 |
| October 2011 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- First aid 1 CPSC: Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional
- Hurt, no treatment 1 CPSC: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
- No one hurt 20 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
- No incident, no one hurt 1 CPSC: No Incident, No Injury
- Not said 1 CPSC: Unspecified
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily.
-
Hurt, no treatment Made Dec 27, 2025, sent to the company Jan 8, 2026, published by CPSC Jan 23, 2026
The product, in the report: Rheem gas water heater
I am reporting a severe safety hazard involving a Rheem gas water heater (Model: XG40T06EN38U0, purchased from Home Depot in 2023). On December 20, 2025, the unit began leaking water severely from the base. Shortly after, it completely stopped workingno hot water, and the power indicator light went out. This indicates water has caused an internal electrical failure, creating a serious risk of electric shock or fire.
To prevent flooding, I had to shut off the main water supply to my house. As a result, my household (including a minor child) has had no running water for days, unable to bathe or maintain basic hygiene. The manufacturer (Rheem) has only offered an insufficient $520 voucher and refuses to provide repair service, leaving us in an unsafe and uninhabitable condition.
- Model
- Model: XG40T06EN38U0
- Serial number
- M032000589
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Mar 5, 2023, about then
- Where
- West Covina, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 47, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
-
No one hurt Made Dec 27, 2025, sent to the company Jan 8, 2026, published by CPSC Jan 23, 2026
The product, in the report: Its a gas water heater from Rheem. Its model number is XG40T06EN38U0. I got it from Home Depot, and its gray, with a very complicated tube structure. Its designed with a lifespan of 9+ years. However, two years in, it has already failed, and is unable to be fixed. After hours of research, I found out that a leak at the bottom means that the machine is permanently broken
On December 24, 2025, the Rheem gas water heater (Model: XG40T06EN38U0) in my home suffered a catastrophic failure. It began leaking water severely from its base. Shortly after the leak started, the unit completely shut down: the blue power indicator light extinguished, and all hot water supply ceased. I have been without hot water since that date. Despite immediate notification, the manufacturer (Rheem) and retailer (The Home Depot) have failed to provide an effective remedy. Rheem offered only a partial voucher, shifting the cost and burden of repair onto me, while their return instructions conflict with Home Depots impossible requirement that the leaking unit be returned packaged and not leaking. This situation is not merely an inconvenience; it constitutes a serious and immediate safety hazard: 1Electrical Shock and Fire Risk: The sequence of failuresevere water leakage followed by a complete electrical shutdownindicates that water has infiltrated the units electrical components. This creates a high risk of short circuit, electrical shock, or fire whenever power is supplied to the unit. Attempting to reset or restart it is extremely dangerous. 2Risk of Gas Leak or Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: As a gas appliance, any internal malfunction (especially one triggered by water damage) can compromise the gas valve or combustion system. Attempting to re-light the unit without a professional diagnosis could lead to a gas leak or the production of lethal carbon monoxide (CO) gas. 3Structural Damage and Mold Growth: The persistent leak poses a risk of water damage to the homes structure and will lead to toxic mold growth, creating a long-term health hazard. 4Loss of Essential Service: The lack of hot water for hygiene, especially in a household with a child, violates basic standards of habitability and sanitation. In summary, the defective water heater is not just brokenit is a latent hazard. It requires immediate, professional disconnection and replacement by the responsible parties (Rheem and Home Depot) to restore safety and essential service to my home.
- Model
- XG40T06EN38U0
- UPC
- 020352677743
- Serial number
- M032000589
- Bought from
- home depot
- Bought
- Jan 10, 2023, about then
- Where
- West Covina, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 16, Unknown
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Aug 16, 2025, sent to the company Aug 20, 2025, published by CPSC Sep 4, 2025
The product, in the report: Rheem classic series professional 50 gal water heater
Had new water heater installed by [REDACTED] with 24 hour plumbing pros. After the install and payment i went to put my cat litter box in its normal place when i noticed the smell of gas. So i called the plumber who did the install, and informed him that i smelled gas. He let me know that he had bled the air out of the gas line and that it should dissipate. He came down anyway and checked the joints in the pipe. The smell i told him was coming directly from the right corner of the gas control valve. 6 days when we come home from work me and my wife smell gas. I have found threads on [REDACTED] with this issue on the water heaters gas control valves, so im taking time to report this issue. Product is Rheem classic series professional model number:PROG50-38U RH60 EC1-1 Manufactured 16June2025 Resideo gas control valve
- Model
- Prog50-38u rh60 ec1-1
- Serial number
- M242513951
- Where
- Payson, Utah: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Apr 21, 2025, sent to the company Apr 24, 2025, published by CPSC May 8, 2025
The product, in the report: 2020 Rheem gas water heater 50 gallon
The drain valve on my Rheem gas water heater with hot steaming water,malfunctioned and flooded my basement manufactured November 30,2020
- Model
- XG50T06PV42UO
- UPC
- ?
- Serial number
- 0482062540
- Bought from
- Home Depot. Iron Mountain,MI, Michigan
- Bought
- Apr 4, 2022
- Where
- Florence, Wisconsin: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 69, Unknown
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Dec 4, 2024, sent to the company Dec 6, 2024, published by CPSC Dec 20, 2024
The product, in the report: Tankless outdoor water heater (propane), RHEEM RTG-84XLP-3
Rheem tankless water heater electronics set themselves on fire and melted, did NOT trigger GCFI or circuit breakers while burning.
- Water heater was not even in use (residents gone for a week) when electronics set fire. Could have burned the house if not mounted on brick.
- Rheem RTG-84XLP-3
- Model
- RTG-84XLP-3
- UPC
- 600369700297
- Serial number
- W192400025
- Bought from
- Amazon
- Bought
- May 24, 2024, about then
- Where
- Eddy, Texas: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No incident, no one hurt Made Nov 29, 2023, sent to the company Dec 6, 2023, published by CPSC Dec 20, 2023
The product, in the report: Gas hot water tank purchased from Home Depot
Hot water tank melted on top
- Model
- XG55T06EC50U0
- UPC
- 020352641102
- Serial number
- Q241924360
- Bought from
- Home Depot, Ohio
- Bought
- Sep 14, 2019, about then
- Where
- Reynoldsburg, Ohio: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 51, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- No Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 27, 2023, sent to the company Jan 11, 2024, published by CPSC Jan 29, 2024
The product, in the report: 38 gallon, gas water heater
11/15/2023: The water heater made an explosion sound. He checked the laundry room and found a roaring sound from the burner compartment. He smelled a noxious odor but did not see any smoke. It also seemed like a poisonous odor. He turned the water heater’s control dial to low and shut the heater off.
The consumer arranged for a technician from the dealer to come out and check it. The technician said he was familiar with the problem and this product. He removed the burner and did not see any damage. The technician was also the same person who installed it.
He reassembled the water heater and started it, but the same exact thing happened (explosion sound and noxious odor). The technician immediately turned it off.
The consumer called the manufacturer and reported his concerns. The firm’s rep. told him to contact a licensed plumber and indicated that parts were still available if needed. The firm’s rep. did not make any offers to provide assistance or review the consumer’s concerns further.
11/17/2023: The consumer was having the water heater replaced when he called the CPSC Hotline to report this. He decided to go with a different manufacturer.
- Model
- PROG38-38URH62
- Serial number
- M181505566
- Bought from
- Jones Plumbing
- Bought
- Oct 15, 2015
- Where
- Unspecified: Unspecified
- Who was involved
- Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 24, 2023, sent to the company Nov 29, 2023, published by CPSC Dec 13, 2023
The product, in the report: Rheem Pro+G75 - 76N RH atmospheric draft natural gas hot water heater.
My Rheem 75 gallon natural gas residential hot water heater burner failed, causing the unit to overheat, melting insulation and triggering our low level carbon monoxide alarm.
UPDATED ON 11/28/2023: [I forgot to mention the same problem reoccurred on November 24th, 2023.
This was after we had replaced the burner unit at Rheem’s recommendation after it originally failed in October 2023.
Given that we had two failures, and that there are additional reports online [1], it seems that there may be a widespread issue.
[REDACTED]
- Model
- Rheem Pro+G75 - 76N RH
- Serial number
- Q212329733
- Where
- Bellevue, Washington: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 42, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Sep 13, 2023, sent to the company Sep 18, 2023, published by CPSC Oct 2, 2023
The product, in the report: Rheem 75 gal gas water heater - model XG75T12ST76U0
Rheem water heater Rheem XG75T12ST76U0 failed - seems the gas regulator may be allowing too much gas to go into unit. Tech who visited said they have seen multiple of this unit failing
- Model
- XG75T12ST76U0
- Serial number
- Q222304909
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Jun 27, 2023
- Where
- Portland, Oregon: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 28, 2022, sent to the company Dec 13, 2022, published by CPSC Dec 28, 2022
The product, in the report: Rheem Performance 40 Gal. Tall 6 Year 32,000 BTU Liquid Propane Tank Water Heater 020352641034
Rheem Performance 40 Gal. 32,000 BTU Liquid Propane Tank Water Heater. The water heater was show on receipt to be a LP gas water heater, the box indicated it as LP gas and the Labels over the gas inlet shows LP gas. The Manufacture Rheem said the serial number indicates it is a natural gas unit. This unit was installed in June of 2022 and worked until Nov of 2022. Upon inspection when failed there was soot all in the water heater and flue pipe. We believe we have been getting poisoning by carbon monoxide because we have been feeling ill. The flue pipe on the roof is black with carbon and this could have burned my house down. I have extensive pictures and documentation showing this problem and my fear is this is not an isolated incident by the manufacture and the may need to do some type of recall check and their plant procedure need to be reviewed and see how this mistake happened.
- Model
- XG40T06EC36U1
- Serial number
- Q132202468
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Jun 21, 2022
- Where
- Bryan, Texas: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 18, Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Other Relative
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheam, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
First aid Made Jun 22, 2021, sent to the company Jun 24, 2021, published by CPSC Jul 9, 2021
The product, in the report: Rheem [Gas] Water Heater
Went to relight the pilot light on my water heater and it blew up in my face.
- Model
- XG40T06EC36U1
- Serial number
- Q172091100
- Bought from
- The Home Depot
- Bought
- Jul 16, 2020
- Where
- Dayton, Ohio: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 40, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, First Aid Received by Non-Medical Professional
-
No one hurt Made Feb 12, 2020, sent to the company Feb 21, 2020, published by CPSC Mar 6, 2020
The product, in the report: Rheem Performance Plus Gas Tall Tank Water Heater-50 gal / 40k btu Model (XG50T09HE40U0) Serial M291810670 9 yr warranty Case: 1874814]-M291810670
I have smelled a faint gas smell from the unit since installed 7/30/2018. Scottsdale City inspector told me, “No Problem-they all smell that way”
Since the inspector is supposed to be the expert and the one approving a safe and properly installed appliance, I took his word for it.
My son mentioned he smelled it the other day too, therefore I called the gas company. They sent a technician immediately. He found there is a leak behind the thermostat unit where it connects to tank with a significant reading of 3000 PPM. He turned off gas.
I reported to Rheem where Home Depot directed me to call. Rheem representative is sending replacement part since unit is still under warranty, but I was required to pay $30.00 next day air shipping fee in order to get sooner than 4 days.
[REDACTED]
- Model
- XG50T09HE40U0
- UPC
- 0 20352 62840 0
- Serial number
- M291810670
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Jul 28, 2018
- Where
- Scottsdale, Arizona: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem Performance Plus, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Dec 1, 2019, sent to the company Dec 26, 2019, published by CPSC Jan 9, 2020
The product, in the report: Rheem 40 gallon propane tanked water heater
Hi, had a Rheem water heater installed on December 27th 2018. On September 20th 2019 the TRD device failed. Hired a plumber and he confirmed the issue and called Rheem to order. A new one was received, installed and failed within 15 minutes. Had a second plumber come out and verify install was correct including gas pressure and venting. Also noticed the burner appeared to have a leak in the supply tube under the burner. Contacted Rheem and had a new burner and TRD sent out. They last until yesterday November 30th 2019 when the third TRD failed. Appears to be some serious lack of quality control which causes fires from under the burner pan.
- Model
- PROG40-32PRH62
- Serial number
- M391813472
- Where
- Vacaville, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 13, 2019, sent to the company Jan 7, 2020, published by CPSC Jan 22, 2020
The product, in the report: RHEEM GAS WATER HEATER GRAY IN COLOR. LEAKING WATER FROM THE TOP. AROUND WHAT IS KNOWN AS ANODE ROD.
Purchased a Rheem Gas Water Heater from Home Depot on Monday 11/11/2019. I had a plumber install on 11/12/2019. Water is leaking from the top of the water heater, apparently around the anode rod area.
The product has a label to call for defectives etc, do not return to the store. Customer Service Rep said they would send out a tech the next day to service or repair, or replace the defective product.
Instead, we received an email claiming no techs are available to come out. They claimed we can hire a plumber and he could send a bill to them, or we pay the bill and they will reimburse us up to $125.00 within 4-weeks. We called a licensed plumber who services Rheem product and was told they don’t bill that way, we would have to pay them and we get reimbursed.
They charge a service fee of $130.00 for up to an hour labor and $100 per hour after. This is a brand new product that is defective and Rheem won’t fix it??????
- Model
- XG40S06EC34UO
- Serial number
- A241904827
- Bought from
- HOME DEPOT
- Bought
- Nov 11, 2019
- Where
- CHERRYVILLE, North Carolina: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 51, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem Gas Water Heater, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- Reports CPSC links to it
- 20191114-1E8D2-2147376578
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Apr 21, 2019, sent to the company May 2, 2019, published by CPSC May 16, 2019
The product, in the report: Rheem 40 Gallon Gas Water heater
April 18, 2019 woke up to NO hot water. Attempted to light pilot and water heater blew up! Stack pipe blew off and came close to hitting me in the head. I called tech support, they advised me to have gas company inspect water heater and check the gas pressure. Gas company came out gas and the pressure checked within specifications. Rheem customer service argued with me telling me that the pressure was too high, I placed a conference call with [REDACTED] the [REDACTED] gas technician and Rheem tech support. Gas company CONFIRMED pressure is well within specs with Rheem technical support. Gas company technician attempted to re light and pilot would not light. They suggested to REPLACE the water heater because of explosion was probably caused by leaking gas valve and has most likely dislodged the pilot assembly. The gas company condemned the water heater which was purchased less than a year ago and installed in June 2018. Rheem technical support was supposed to send me an Email for photos, Email never received. 5 Phone calls 2 emails and still no investigation or offer to refund or replace the defective product. We had to buy another water heater because of young child. This product is unsafe and could have killed someone.
- Model
- M241613876
- Serial number
- XG40S06EC34U0
- Bought from
- The Home Depot
- Bought
- Jun 11, 2018
- Where
- Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 60, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Feb 26, 2019, sent to the company Mar 20, 2019, published by CPSC Apr 3, 2019
The product, in the report: Rheem Performance Water gas water heater mod. XG40T06EC36U1 ser. Q521738542 mfg date. 27DEC2017
New Rheem water heater was purchased by seller prior to sale of house to us. So, we are the second owner. We have been in the house for less than a year. A noise was heard a week or so ago, then, a few days later, ny wife reported the water heater was leaning. The water heater is leaning at an angle and its base seems to be either ‘released’ at the rear or crushed at the front. It is very noticeably off-vertical. The platform on which it sits seems fine. Following as far back as i can reac, it’s possible to feel the base is not continuous and the outer part seems lifted out of the base.
Operation seems fine, but, being a gas appliance, I have concerns about longterm safety and integrity of the vent, etc.
item is ; Rheem Performance Water gas water heater mod. XG40T06EC36U1 ser. Q521738542 mfg date. 27DEC2017
- Model
- XG40T06EC36U1
- Serial number
- Q521738542
- Bought
- Apr 15, 2018, about then
- Where
- Pantego, Texas: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Feb 19, 2019, sent to the company Mar 25, 2019, published by CPSC Apr 8, 2019
The product, in the report: Rheem Water Heater model XG38T06EN38U1
Rheem water heaters (my model # XG38T06EN38U1) sold in California have a design issue resulting a delayed ignition explosions which can be heard and seen between the flue and water heater.
See my video of the issue.
[REDACTED]
As this issue started in year 2 of ownership, Rheem wouldn’t repair this issue for me, but only sent me a new pilot assembly to install myself.
Interestingly, this won’t fix the problem by itself, the fix is to move the pilot closer to the burner as shown in this video.
[REDACTED]
- Model
- XG38T06EN38U1
- Serial number
- M531509030
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Mar 14, 2016
- Where
- California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 26, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Jan 28, 2019, sent to the company Mar 1, 2019, published by CPSC Mar 18, 2019
The product, in the report: Rheem Tankless Water Heater
I purschased a Rheem Tankless Gas Water Heater at the Home Depot on 11/11/2018 and installed it myself. It was replacing another Tankless Gas Water Heater that I already had. Immediately after installing it, intermittently I would hear this loud popping & banging sound coming out of the water heater. It would only happen on ignition. Once the heater was running it was fine. And it only happens about 50% of the time. I thought well maybe this is the way this one functions as it was different from my last Tankless heater. But then it got worse; louder and more frequent. I called Rheem. They told my they thought I didn’t have the discharge vent constructed properly however I told them it was within the specifications listed in their installation manual. They told me I had the wrong instructions so I changed the discharge ventilation to meet what they said. That did not fix the problems. I called them back. I then had to get a certified plumber to come and measure the natural gas pressures for them. That cost me $99. It was then determined that the heater has a bad gas valve that is leaking natural gas into my house even when there is no call for the heater to heat water. It’s call “Bleed thru” as the gas is leaking thru a closed valve. That popping and bangin that I’m hearing is because of an excessive amount of natural gas in the combustion chamber being ignited when the heater turns on. MY HOUSE COULD BLOW UP!!!!!!!!!!!. Rheem in turn just sent me a new valve and it’s going to cost me almost $200 to have it change. They are only reimbursing me for$125 of it. That’s not the point. The point is they’re acting like it’s no big deal having natural gas leaking from the heater when it’s not supposed to!!! The heaters with this valve need recalled and checked to make sure they have gas valves that are functioning properly and aren’t leaking natural gas when they’re not supposed to!!!!!!!!! Having the valve changed on 1/30/2019 (the earliest the plumber could do it).
- Model
- ECOH200DVLN-2
- Serial number
- W391800691
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Nov 10, 2018
- Where
- Irwin, Pennsylvania: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unknown
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem HIGH EFFICIENCY CONDENSING TANKLESS WATER HEATER, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Oct 29, 2018, sent to the company Dec 12, 2018, published by CPSC Jan 30, 2019
The product, in the report: Gas Water Heater
I recently installed a Rheem gas water heater to as a replacement for an older heater. I attached the supplied draft vent hood to my existing 4 inch diameter flue. I performed the recommended draft test using a match and found sufficient draft for the operation of the appliance. After allowing the unit to operate overnight, I went to check the water connections for leaks. I observed that the plastic escutcheons and a plastic label on the top of the unit were melted. I contacted Rheem customer support and was instructed to perform the draft test again. Sufficient draft was present. While the Rheem supplied draft hood accepts a 4 inch flue, the opening for the flue gasses is 3 inches. It doesn’t appear that this restricts the flow of the gasses, but does appear to reflect enough heat to melt the plastic components on the top of the unit. I’ve temporarily replaced the Rheem draft hood with one that has a true 4 inch opening and the melting condition has stopped. The CO detector in the basement hasn’t activated, so I’m confident that the replacement draft hood is working properly.
- Model
- XG50T12HE40U0
- UPC
- 20352 62792 2
- Serial number
- A371809377
- Bought from
- Home Depot, New Jersey
- Bought
- Oct 4, 2018
- Where
- Glen Rock, New Jersey: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unknown
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem Performance Platinum, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Feb 1, 2016, sent to the company Mar 15, 2016, published by CPSC Mar 29, 2016
The product, in the report: Rheem Water Heater Model:22VR40FN, 40 Gallons
Over the past five months we have had a persistent problem with the Rheem water heater’s pilot light going out. As the enclosed chronology clearly indicates, your defective product caused us major inconveniences, and more importantly, the defect exposed us to a potentially dangerous situation. On Christmas Eve, the City of Palo Alto Utilities Department field service representative discovered the heater had a faulty ignition and turned off the gas due to the hazardous condition it presented.
Rheem customer representatives had assured us the problem of the pilot light’s frequently going out would be resolved by the replacement parts they sent us. When the pilot light problems continued even after installation of the replacement parts, your last customer representative said the problem may be with the utilities company and that we should ask the City to pressure test the gas flow. It was as if he absolved Rheem of any responsibility because all possible parts had already been replaced. As the chronology clearly shows, this was not the case.
Once the City of Palo Alto turned off the gas to the water heater, I lost all faith in Rheem and had the water heater removed even though it still possesses a long-term warranty. Assuring the safety of my family pre-empts any warranty. Since the replacement parts did not resolve the problem and continued to put us at risk, I am demanding reimbursement of $453 that I paid to have parts installed in attempting to fix the inherently defective water heater.
[REDACTED]
- Model
- Model:22VR40FN, 40 Gallons /
Water Heater - Serial number
- RHUNM311313091
- Bought from
- Barron Park Plumbing Supply
- Bought
- Oct 1, 2013
- Where
- Palo Alto, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Jul 28, 2015, sent to the company Aug 5, 2015, published by CPSC Aug 19, 2015
The product, in the report: 38-gallon gas water heater
On 6-17-15 a Rheem 38-gallon gas water heater that I had had installed in my home on 5-19-15 began to malfunction, making explosive noises. I called Southern California Gas Company and they sent a man out that afternoon. He tested the unit and showed me that there was a delayed ignition problem, with flames shooting out of the top of the unit. He said it was a hazardous condition and shut off the gas to the unit. I’ve since gone on line and found other complaints, including a video, about Rheem gas water heaters with the same delayed ignition problem. The model number of the unit is XG38T06EN38U0.
- Model
- XG38T06EN38U0
- Serial number
- M151512932
- Bought from
- Fast Water Heater Company, California
- Bought
- May 18, 2015
- Where
- Los Angeles, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 69, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Feb 10, 2015, sent to the company Mar 18, 2015, published by CPSC Apr 1, 2015
The product, in the report: Gas Water Heater
The consumer stated that he purchased the water heater and had it installed.
The consumer stated that immediately the pilot kept going out on the water heater. The consumer had to constantly re-light it more and more over the past two months.
The consumer stated he went out for sometime. When he came back he had to re-light the pilot twice a day.
The consumer stated that there was black soot coming out of the water heater.
The consumer called the retailer. They informed him that this was normal.
The consumer stated that eventually the pilot stopped lighting. The consumer contacted the manf at that point.
They sent out a technician from Superior on 2/4/15. The technician was asked to take pictures of the chimney and exhaust. The consumer stated that Rheem attributed the soot problem to not having a chimney liner and the right pitch to the exhaust line.
The technician from Superior stated that Rheem will send out replacement parts (TDR and burner) due to the heavy soot. The consumer stated that he received a call from the technician two days later asking about the parts and if they have come in yet. The technician called Rheem to find out and he was informed that since the consumer does not have the right pitch and chimney liner, they will not provide any replacement parts.
The consumer stated that this water heater was a direct replacement from a previous one.
The consumer contacted the manf and spoke to a supervisor on 2/5/15. They agreed to send the parts as long as the consumer does not hold them liable for any more warranty repairs.
The consumer has a 7-10 years warranty on the water heater. The consumer was sent the TDR but not the burner since it was on backorder.
Technician #2 from Superior was at the consumer’s house again on 2/9/15 for few hours taking the product apart and putting it back together. The technician kept running into the same issue with soot regardless of what he did.The technician ended up taking the product apart for the 4th time and found a manufacturer defect. He found that they did not install an orifice in the gas line. The technician stated that this is a safety defect which could have caused his house to burn down. The only thing that saved from the house fire was the TDR that popped over 500 degrees.
The technician proved that it wasn’t the pitch or the chimney liner causing the issue. The technician called Rheem. Reluctantly, they agreed to replace the water heater and reinstall it.
This unit will be at the consumer’s house for about 10 days. They cannot install a new heater for 10 days due to their work load.
- Model
- XG50T06EC38U0
- Serial number
- RHLNA341403440
- Bought from
- Home Depot, Michigan
- Bought
- Dec 31, 2014, about then
- Where
- Bloomfield Hills, Michigan: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 43, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
Not said Made Nov 6, 2013, sent to the company Nov 15, 2013, published by CPSC Dec 2, 2013
The product, in the report: Rheem Hot Water Tank - Gas Type Model Number: 22V40FN Serial Number: rhunm171212666
Please read below email thread:
-----Original Message----- From: [REDACTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2013 08:04 To: ‘TechAnalyst@rheem.com’ Subject: FW: Rheem Consumer Website - Water Heating - Customer Service
Dear Rheem,
I contacted you in March for warranty service on a gas hot water tank that was less then a year old. See the message after this one below for the original details.
The plumbing company that provided the warranty service did a great job. However, the serviceman and I concluded that it was entirely possible that the Rheem Hot Water Tank has a serious design flaw. Let me explain.
The unit had a failure of the thermostat. However, after changing the thermostat the secondary problem of the burner not igniting properly did not go away even though the unit was now regulating the water temperature correctly.
When the thermostat tripped the gas valve to open and ignite the burner the unit did not ignite in a timely manner. What happened is that much more gas than normal had to accumulate before the pilot ignited the gas. Basically, it created a small contained explosion inside the unit. You could hear it and sometimes see the entire unit shake.
The serviceman ordered a new burner unit. It arrived and he installed it. The same thing happened. He pulled it out and inspected the floor of the unit and all the air paths.
There was a MINOR and FINE amount of dust clinging to the small square (about 2x2 inch) section of air holes in the bottom of the unit. The holes were NOT BLOCKED, just some dust around the aperture of the holes. He took a powerful shop vacuum and sucked all the air paths as clean as he could get them. He but the burner back in and the problem went away.
The hot water tank is in the same place and on the same stand and the two previous hot water tanks. Each one lasting about 8-9 years. Nothing else has changed.
We live in San Francisco in what is called an City Flat. The hot water tank is in the old ice room off of the kitchen. In that room is also the washer and dryer. The serviceman hypothesized that fine dust from the dryer was being sucked up into the hot water tank. The new design with the small holes acting as flame arrestors are getting restricted by dust clinging to the edges of the small holes.
This is an engineering design malfunction.
It has been but six months and the “explosions” are started again. They are doing so even though I have added outside air vents to increase the air capacity to the room and also we have been cleaning the room much more often to vacuum up as much dust as possible.
What is going on is the law of unintended consequences. You have re-engineered the air path on these units to deal with garage-gasoline flame propagation issues and have created another problem.
We cannot move the hot water tank or the washer and dryer. Please advise on what Rheem is prepared to do to deal with this engineering issue. It is not reasonable that every six months I have to take apart, or call a plumber, to pull the burner and vacuum the inside of unit for fine dust out to keep it from building up dangerous amounts of gas before it ignites.
I look forward to talking with one of your engineering staff to address the problem.
Thank you, [REDACTED]
************************************ Original Service Request ***************************************************
-----Original Message----- From: Tech Analyst [mailto:TechAnalyst@rheem.com] Sent: Friday, March 15, 2013 07:29 To: [REDACTED] Subject: RE: Rheem Consumer Website - Water Heating - Customer Service
[REDACTED],
Thanks for contacting us! If you are having trouble with your unit and need one of our service providers to come out please contact our technical support team between 7am-7pm cst at 1-800-432-8373. They will be able to create a file for your unit as well as set service up.
Regards, Tech Analyst
-----Original Message----- From: [REDACTED] Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2013 11:30 PM To: CustomerService Subject: Rheem Consumer Website - Water Heating - Customer Service
Name: [REDACTED] Company: Country: United States Address: [REDACTED] Model Number: 22V40FN Serial Number: rhunm171212666 Contractor/Plumber Name: NA Contractor/Plumber Phone Number: NA
Our old heater died and so we went to our local shop and purchased this hot water tank about 9 months back. Took no time to install and looks better than the Box Store Special we put into a summer house a few months earlier.
In the last few days it seems as if it is not heating water like it should. I turned it from B where it has been to C and waited for it to come on and it did not. It did a minute later make a very odd sound and the unit shook. I turned it back to B.
Are there any recalls on this unit or other things?
I will call for an authorized Rheem plumber in San Francisco as I am sure the thermostat is acting up.
Please advise.
[REDACTED]
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- Model
- 22V40FN
- Serial number
- rhunm171212666
- Bought from
- Balboa Plumbing & Electrical Heating Supply, California
- Bought
- Nov 1, 2013, about then
- Where
- San Francisco, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Unspecified
-
No one hurt Made Oct 21, 2011, sent to the company Feb 7, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 22, 2012
The product, in the report: Rheem Power Vent Natural Gas 40 gallon Water Heater (Model 42VP40SFW, Serial Number 0810901053).
I have a Rheem natural gas water heater (Model 42VP40SFW, Serial 0810901053) that was installed in September, 2010. When the water heater is set at the mark indicating 120 deg. F, the water temperature is 140 deg. F. I have been unable to set the water heater to give a water temperature less than 125 deg. F. Two replacement gas control valves have been professionally installed on the water heater, but the water temperature still cannot be controlled to a safe level.
- Model
- 42VP40SFW
- Serial number
- 0810901053
- Bought
- Sep 16, 2010, about then
- Where
- Roscoe, Illinois: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 49, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Nov 5, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.