My new heat pump water heater failed after 3 months and nobody warned me about the backup

The compressor died on my $1800 Rheem unit last Tuesday and the tech told me the electric resistance backup is way too small for a family of four so now I'm stuck taking cold showers while I wait for a replacement part - has anyone else dealt with a sudden heat pump failure like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_singh391mo ago

3 months on a $1800 unit and the backup can't even handle a family of four? That's insane.

thomas1051mo ago

Hang on, is it really the unit's fault or did you just not read the manual? I mean, backup heat on a heat pump is usually just that - a backup, not a main heater.