How to handle labor costs when a warranty replaces a water heater
When a water heater fails prematurely and the manufacturer agrees to a warranty replacement, homeowners often get stuck paying expensive plumber labor fees for the swap. This happens because manufacturers typically cover only the defective part, leaving the customer to cover the unexpected installation cost all over again for a defective unit they didn't cause.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Using store credit for installation parts and replacement units
- 2Buying through a plumbing supply house instead of a big box store
- 3Filing a warranty claim for a replacement tank
- 4trying to fix the leaking condensation myself
- 5negotiating with the plumbing company or manufacturer to cover labor costs
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My rheem water heater leaked. The tech and Rheem customer support said it needs to be replaced. Do you have any recommendations?”source ↗
“The current water heater failed in less than 5 years so it’s still under warranty. But I want to get something better in terms of build quality.”source ↗
“Turns out the condensation is leaking again. The plumber came out again, worked with AO Smith, who determined it cannot be fixed (identical issue to the original) but again AO Smith is willing to replace the unit. But now my plumber is asking for me to cover the labor again.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 3Why do appliance warranty repairs take weeks or months?