‘Don’t do it!’: Home expert issues warning against pricey water heaters from Home Depot

If you're shopping for plumbing supplies at Home Depot, you should stay away from these brands.

At least that's what the TikTok account Twin Home Experts (@twinhomeexperts) recommends in this viral clip. Their video, which has accrued over 17,000 views, seems to be supported by anecdotes from others online, too.

The TikToker begins their video with a warning on plumbing items the retailer sells they just don't trust. "Home Depot plumbing products I would never put in my home," Twin Home Experts pens in a text overlay.

First, he begins with the chain's heaters. "Starting off with the Home Depots rain water heaters." Then, he goes onto explain his reasoning as to why they're so bad. "The gas control valves fail and the warranty is a nightmare." He pans his camera back to reveal the brand he's referring to is a Rheem heater.

Gas control valve issues

Others have also complained about Rheem's offerings via Home Depot online.

Long Island Plumbing YouTuber Mikey Pipes published footage from a service call he attended for a Rheem water heater. In the video he references "8 flashes on [a] gas control valve" for the heater and that it isn't pushing out any hot water.

Additionally, Redditor @jchinchilla posted to the r/plumbing forum about issues they had with their Rheem heater.

Similar to Mikey Pipes, they too had a flashing lights error (but it was 7 as opposed to 8). They also mentioned gas control valve failure and that Rheem sent them a new combination control thermostat. Shortly after installing the component, however, the heater failed on them. After contacting Rheem customer support again, they were informed they would need an entirely new heater. This was problematic for them as they didn't have enough money to replace the part.

Then, on the Terry Love website's forum, it seems there was another Rheem customer who had issues with their gas control valve. In the discussion, they mentioned Home Depot doesn't sell the gas control valves in its stores. This consequently made repairing the heater a frustrating experience.

Additional product warnings

In his video, Twin Home Experts continued to discuss other Home Depot offerings from the plumbing section that he thinks consumers should avoid.

"Heading down the aisle to the appliance part section. And that's the rubber washing machine hoses," he says, showing off a blue hose on camera. According to the social media user, this item is going to cause more problems for DIY-ers than solve them. "These are more prone to burst, causing massive flooding."

There were even more products he warned against purchasing. "Heading down aisle 16 to the plumbing fixtures. And that's the Glacier Bay two handle shower valve," he adds. At this point in the video, he says the $99 offering runs too hot, potentially causing injury to users. "You can get scalded and burn your a**."

He finishes his video cautioning viewers about a final product they should be wary of. But that's mainly because he says rival retail chain Lowe's offers 12 months more of product coverage.

"And the last and final one is the Home Depot garbage disposals," he says. "You're better off buying it at Lowe's. Cause they'll give you an extra one year warranty."

@twinhomeexperts Dont do it! Home depot plumbing products NEVER install in your home! #homedepot #buyingtips #homeownertips #plumbing #productreviews ♬ original sound - Balkan-Tours.ro

TikTokers give their two cents

Commenters offered their own suggestions for Home Depot heater products to avoid. One person said that rubber hoses, in general, are a bad idea for heaters. "Braided steel hoses are the only way to go."

And when it came to heaters, folks had a lot of opinions. One TikToker said that all gas valves on water heater brands are now the same. "That gas valve looks like the same Honeywell gas valve that’s on every water heater now," they claimed.

Another echoed this statement, adding that the state of water heater offerings are pretty grim these days. That is, compared to the way they were manufactured in the past. "Guys water heaters aren’t made the same anymore all cheap," they argued. "Doesn’t matter if you buy it from big box or a plumbing supply house. Want a water heater to last put in filtration and prv and electric anod."

However someone else countered, stating that Rheem's product offerings aren't all that bad. Instead, they listed other companies they recommend staying away from: "I have no problem with Rheem water heater. ao Smith is a nightmare Bradford white when they get 2 years old."

Interestingly enough, however, Twin Home Experts said that they recommend Bradford White products over Rheem.

One person said that shopping at Home Depot for plumbing supplies is generally just the wrong move. "Starting off don’t shop at a box store for plumbing parts go to a plumbing supply store," they argued.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Home Depot and Rheem via email and Twin Home experts via TikTok comment for further information.

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