Whirlpool Flame Lock water heaters, reviews, troubleshooting, repair and support.

Users who are viewing this thread

Ervserver

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I received and installed the upgrade kit today, took me an hour. Most of that time was getting into clean out that filter good. What a sucky design. My water heater sits up off the ground a bit on some blocks built into the floor so the wrap around screen in the kit don't give full coverage but I installed it anyway. If I can get a couple more years out of this water heater I'm switching to another brand with a better design !! :cool:
 
Last edited:

djockers

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Short story...

I purchased one of these a couple years ago. I do recall replacing the Thermocoupler one time -- though I don't recall how long ago. No problems since then. I believe I contacted Whirlpool first, who directed me to Lowes for the replacement part and that I'd be reimbursed. I never followed up... but just as well, Whirlpool must have kept my info on file, because... Lo and behold out of nowhere, I received a Class Action Settlement proposal in the mail today. It came from the Court, not the lawyers.

So anyhow, your thread has been very enlightening for me -- to help me in the future on what I may need to do. Whirlpool is offering "us" several options -- they're leaving the "opt in" deadline open for a year. Here's a link to the Settlement:

http://www.waterheatersettlement.com/

I figure the readers of this thread could appreciate the news. I'll reserve my opinion for now -- and will allow those that have followed this story for so long to comment.

It sounds like they just want to make this go away -- with no admission of fault by you accepting the settlement... and you give up future rights.

Read the settlment carefully.

Dave
 
Last edited:

djockers

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
FYI, here's the breakdown of the settlement, from the link I included above:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Overview

A settlement has been proposed that resolves a class action lawsuit and claims against Whirlpool Corporation, Lowe’s HIW, Inc., American Water Heater Company, and A.O. Smith Corporation. The lawsuit alleges the “Flame Lock†and “Flame Guard†water heaters made and sold by these companies, equipped with single-use thermocouples, and sold from 2000 through 2006, are defective in that their thermocouples are prone to premature activation. The companies deny all allegations.

Settlement Benefits

If the settlement is approved and you are a class member, you may be eligible to receive an upgraded manifold door assembly for your water heater or reimbursement for a prior purchase of the upgraded assembly and/or reimbursement for a prior purchase of a replacement thermocouple or reimbursement for buying a replacement water heater after suffering multiple thermocouple activations. Please review the Notice for complete details regarding these benefits. To make a claim for settlement benefits, you must send in a completed Claim Form, postmarked no later than June 28, 2008

Request Exclusion, Object, or Comment

If you are a class member, you may request exclusion from the class or object to or comment in favor of the settlement. If you do not exclude yourself and remain in the class, you will be bound by any judgment, your claims will be released, and you will be eligible for the benefits of the settlement.

If you request exclusion from the class, you will not be entitled to any settlement benefits, will not be bound by any judgment, and none of your claims will be released. To exclude yourself, you must mail an exclusion request that complies with all requirements of section 8(C) of the full notice, postmarked no later than August 10, 2007.

If you wish to object to or comment in support of the settlement, Class Counsel’s application for attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses, or the requested incentive awards to the two representative plaintiffs, you must comply with all requirements of section 8(b) or 8(d) of the full notice, including filing your written comments or objections with the Court and sending copies of your comments or objections to the parties no later than August 10, 2007.

Please review the Notice for complete details regarding your rights.

Fairness Hearing

On September 10, 2007, at 1:30 p.m., a hearing will be held before the Honorable Andrew J. Guilford, Southern Division, 411 West Fourth Street, Santa Ana 92701, to decide whether to approve the settlement, award attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses to Class Counsel, and approve incentive awards to the two representative plaintiffs.

PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THE SETTLEMENT
 

GrumpyPlumber

Licensed Grump
Messages
1,521
Reaction score
57
Points
48
Location
Licensed Grump
master plumber mark said:
"everyone knows about this problem but the consumer"... ............"
Low*s knows, whirlpool knows, american water heaters know


they sell them because peopel think that they are
saveing a substantial amount of money over having a
plumber install one for them....

people dont factor in LABOR ISSUES into that cheap price
when they buy it.... so they pay through the nose
HD, Low*s are pawning "vent-free" gas fireplaces in my state...they're "legal", based on the fact that they're 40K btu or less, like a standard oven.
Most inspectors dislike them, based on the argument that they are used to produce constant heat..unlike an oven.
Guy calls me to install one...I tell him "You might want to consider a vented one...inspectors don't really like them."
He insists..."The guy at low*s said they're fine"
I told him that although the vented one is a bit more (also on labor) it's worthwhile to sleep at ease knowing a fixture isn't spewing CO directly into your living area.
Make a long story short, I humored him...got the permit for both gas and fire.
Gas inspector passed , fire dept laughed on the way out the door muttering under his breath "I won't pass one of those things in my lifetime."
He now owns a fully installed & legally un-useable vent free gas log.
(Use at risk....god forbid a fire occured...no insurance.)
The guy at Low*s offered him a full refund...well no, he didn't.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Ervserver

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
0
reading the settlement claim form they want to make us pay for any shipping charges, what a crock! a defective part and we have to pay shipping!!!
 

BuzzDog

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I want to thank you guys for the information in this thread.

Last Sunday I got back from a week's vacation, and was welcomed by...NO HOT WATER!!! Oh well, I'm one of the lucky ones, as my Whirlpool FlameLock water heater worked for two years, eight months before the thermocouple threw in the towel.

I ended up shelling out $24 for overnight delivery of the "Manifold Door Switch Kit" (part number 6910813); however, I did NOT get the wraparound filters to go around the bottom of the unit. I agree with others that it's kind of stingy to charge shipping for this, but then again, the optimist in me is happy that a great deal of my water heater is now brand spankin' new.

I'm a reasonably handy do-it-yourselfer, and ended up getting the kit installed in a little over 30 minutes, including the time it took to clean the air grate. However, it bears mentioning that I had taken out the old unit the day before to troubleshoot, so I had an idea of how things came out, and went back in. Fortunately, I'm handy and fairly limber...I couldn't imagine what an elderly or otherwise less-than-fit person would have done.

Bottom line is that I'm glad to have this fix in place, but I wonder how long things will STAY fixed. Guess I'll end up changing this tank out to a Bradford White if it happens again.

Thanks again for the posts guys...it really made my task MUCH easier, and I'm back to taking HOT showers!
 

Statjunk

DIY Senior Member
Messages
540
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Cass said:
When you go to put the filter around the heater, over lap it and instead of trying to snap it together and pulling your hair out trying, just take a drywall screw or 2 and screw it through both filters and it will hold fine.

It also makes it easy to remove so you can clean the air intake that you can't get to to clean.

Good tip. I had a heard time putting on the wrap around filter. I unfortunetly installed on about a month an half ago. Sucks to be me.

So far no problems.

Tom
 

techboy

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Ok Guys,

I just picked up one of these units at LOW*S Yesterday and got the display for more than 50% off. I figured I got nothing to loose and before I install I called the hotline and ordered the conversion kit and the filter that wraps around the unit. To make access easier, I am going to put it on 2" blocks so I can go underneath and clean the screen once in a while. I was looking at the screen and noticed that it was about the size of a filter that you would find on a stove hood or microwave hood. I am thinking I might mount one of those as a pre-filter and see how that works before I take off the viewing window. I figure I have nothing to loose since I purchased the thing for $150 bucks, I should get $150 of hot water out of it!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Master Plumber Mark

Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
Messages
5,533
Reaction score
354
Points
83
Location
indianapolis indiana - land of the free, home of
Website
www.weilhammerplumbing.com
Dont bet on it.....

techboy said:
Ok Guys,

I figure I have nothing to loose since I purchased the thing for $150 bucks, I should get $150 of hot water out of it!!

I like that settlement aagreement that they reached with
the consumers..... its nothing but a joke.....


as far as your heater goes......if you are selling your house in less than an year from now.....and you only paid $150

you will probably be ok. Anything more than about 1 /2 years you will have troubles


I wonder what brand LOW*S is going to switch to next??http://www.weilhammerplumbing.com/galleryiii/
 
Last edited:

Swaged

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I've looked at the screen on the bottom of this water heater(B model-new).
I haven't seen a picture of the new wrap around filter.
Anybody got one?

What does the screen/filter/intake of the Bradford White look like?

It seems to me, that if new wrap around filter is securely installed, and fits tight to floor and heater, there would be no need for the existing screen.
Maybe just an adjustment to the size of the slots in the existing screen would be necessary.

I can't see the purpose of such a small slot, 1/64 x 7/32.
(Catching rust from above?)

Tim
 

Zookeeper

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
IA
My hot water heater gave up a couple of weeks ago & I was in a hurry, so I ran to LOW*s and picked one up with out doing any research. You guessed it, picked up the Whirlpool Flame Lock. So, from the get-go, I have had problems with the pilot going out because when the furnace kicks on, it robs the hwh of enough air (small opening that has been described/never had this problem with the old one). Now tonight, I have already had to replace the thermal couple.

So my question is, has anyone tried to return one of these to LOW*s? Did they take it back? I mean really, it doesn't work, so they should accept it as a return. I don't want to uninstall it & haul it there if they are going to refuse. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

As you can see, this is my first post even though I've been roaming the site for some time, appreciate all the great advice on here.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Master Plumber Mark

Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
Messages
5,533
Reaction score
354
Points
83
Location
indianapolis indiana - land of the free, home of
Website
www.weilhammerplumbing.com
take it back

I have had a couple of peope raise hell
and they usaully will takeit back...

one lawyer had me take the 50 gal gas back to the front
door of Low*s for them when I changed out the heater
and then they threaten the manager of LOw*s to leave it there....


it really depends on how nasty you can be-have....


their is one fellow in town that actually took his water
heater and put it in the back of his pick up truck and put a
sign above it calling it a lemon and piece of junk

and then parked it near a Low*s entrance..


the sad thing about Low*s is that they are fully aware of
the class action lawsuit but simply dont care...
and keep dumping this junk on their customers..

they have also stopped carrying the repair parts due to
the liability and the agreement in the lawsuit.

Its a cheesey way to do people

http://www.weilhammerplumbing.com/galleryiii/
 
Last edited:

Zookeeper

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
IA
I figured I would just raise hell with the manager. I can usually get pretty upset & cause a scene.

Next is to figure out what to get. I'd get a Bradford, but I plan on installing myself. I'll figure out what to get & try to take it back this weekend.

Thanks,

Jesse
 

JorjaGirl

New Member
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Midland, TEXAS
Settlement from WHIRLPOOL!!!

I am presently repairing about 2 -5 of these dogs a month...
for an average of $200 with me supplying parts


go look at my web page to see what is wrong
with this brand of water heater.......


you got to clean the bottom of the heater screen
or all your troubles are in vain.........

These units need to be cleaned about 3 times a year
becasue they suck up lint and hair like a vaccuum sweeper...

its all there with actual pics of the problem.....

just scroll down to the WHIRLPOOL SECTION
with pictures
and its all there for the world to see

http://www.weilhammerplumbing.com/products/

IN MY HONEST OPINION
the people -that desigend this water heater at
AMERICAN WATER HEATERS are
totally incompetent morons......

someone, someday, is going to get seriously burned or killed
tampering with this brand themsleves

and then their will be a major RECALL, and LAWSUIT
and I hope that-- LOWES , WHIRLPOOL< and AMERICAN WATER HEATERS
who makes this piece of JUNK gets the pants
sued off of all of them..
for still selling them to an unsuspecting public...

(for about $100 dollars less than I can put a good one in for)


I am makeing pretty good money repairing them every week,
but I would rather seem them re-called and taken off the market

I have the same waterheater and called whirlpool warranty 877 # on the side of the tank. The recording stated something about the FG models....it informed me to go to website www.waterheatersettlement.com
 

ano

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I'm glad I caught this forum. I had purchased one of these water heaters and it was to be installed today. I went back to Low*s and cancelled it for a full refund. It also looks like the class action suite only covers 2000-2006 purchases, but it doesn't appear they have ever fixed most of the problems so would be out of luck.

I should have known something when the warranty on parts was 12 years, but the warranty on labor was only 1 year. Extending the labor warranty cost $79 more. At least HD includes the full labor warranty, but I'm not sure their models are much better.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

bdorom

New Member
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Whirlpool Flame Lock water heaters

Yes, I also have a 50 gal Whirlpool water heater series number starting with "FG"; guess what? Trying to replace the water heater's control box, I neither have hot water nor running water! The inept plumber Low*'s sent to install my water heater used a defective faucet.
It is very sad that American products such as the ones from 'American Water Heaters' [(800) 999-9515] ultimately result in distrust of what we produce in America. It is also scarry to think that outside America everyone may distrust "Made in the USA"...
I am now in a crusade to discourage people to buy Whirlpool and Lowe's products. I am looking now for a good Japaness or German water heater which I plan to install myself.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Dunbar Plumbing

Master Plumber
Messages
2,920
Reaction score
10
Points
0
Location
Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati Area
Website
www.KoldBreeze.com
What's hilarious

Is I told somebody that had a low*s water heater that they'll most likely won't get parts for it, that they are notorious for failure and sure enough....

He went out and bought another brand of heater.

Put it in 2 nights ago, had hot water before I even left. He took the water heater back and got a sizeable return......even though it was 3 years old.

I think they might be doing this more often than not to show proof when the big lawsuit comes that they were working with the customer in the situation of bad product.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Redwood

Master Plumber
Messages
7,335
Reaction score
13
Points
0
Location
Connecticut
If they won't refund I say give it back to them through thir front window and call it customer satisfaction!:mad:
 

Cass

Plumber
Messages
5,947
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Ohio
Low*s policy is they will take back anything they sell any time, period.

If you have the receipt they will refund the $$$ if you don't have a receipt they will issue a store credit.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks