I have a GE Smartwater 40 gallon water heater that was installed in 2004. A few days ago, the hot water outflow became very weak and in just one day, hot water throughout the house is down to a trickle. I called a plumber to diagnose the problem and he came to the conclusion that the water heater is the problem and needs to be replaced. I contacted Rheem (GE) about warranty and they told me that it is still covered BUT do not believe that the water heater is the problem and will not replace it because of this. I explained to GE the trouble shooting steps that the plumber made to come to this conclusion. The plumber tested the inflow of cold water into the water heater tank and said this was normal. Next, he removed the outflow pipe to check the pressure on the hot outflow nipple on the water heater and water was coming out very slowly. He replaced the outflow nipple with a brass free flowing nipple with no restrictions and the outflow of hot water was still slow. Even after explaining this to GE Rheem, they still do not believe that there is a problem with the water heater. :wall: In addition, I've already flushed out the water heater completely to see if maybe sediment may be causing some sort of blockage. After speaking with 8 different GE Rheem Technicians and 1 manager, they all tell me the same thing that the water heater is not issue. They said the water heater is basically an empty tank with and inlet and outlet nipple. I was told that if there is flow going into the tank, there should be flow coming out. The only thing that would prevent outflow is blockage at either the inlet our outlet nipple. After the plumber checked the inlet/ outlet nipples, he determined this was not the problem and that there is something happening inside the water heater that is causing this. But of course, GE Rheem will not accept this explanation no matter who tells them. Does anyone else have any other suggestions on what the problem might be or who I should believe? Thanks.

I have been kicking the idea around about buying and installing a solar hot water heater. Problem is there are a bunch to chose from and I'm not sure which one to buyas far as brand. Living in the southeast I know i"m going to need one that can stand some freezing temperatures. If there are some out there that have already installed one I would like to know what you have and how it performs. Going totally solar is a little rich for my wallet and the ROI would be many years, I think it may not be worth the investment until the solar panels are cheaper, but enough rambling on. thanks gk