The Aussie Plumber Podcast

The Marathon Tank of Water Heaters - Episode 001

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In this episode of The Aussie Plumber Podcast, James Hill, founder and CEO of The Aussie Plumber in Phoenix, Arizona, dives into the world of water heaters with a focus on the Rheem Marathon Electric Water Heater. Known for its durability, energy efficiency, and lifetime warranty, the Marathon tank is a game-changer for homeowners looking for a long-term solution to their water heating needs.

James shares the story of how he discovered the Marathon tank, compares it to traditional water heaters, and explains why its polybutylene construction makes it resistant to rust and corrosion. Learn about the importance of proper installation, maintenance tips, and how Phoenix's hard water impacts water heater performance. Whether you're a homeowner in Phoenix or just curious about innovative plumbing solutions, this episode is packed with valuable insights and expert advice.

Tune in to hear why the Rheem Marathon Electric Water Heater might just be the last water heater you'll ever need!

Key Topics Covered:

  • Traditional water heaters vs. the Rheem Marathon
  • The benefits of polybutylene tanks and lifetime warranties
  • Energy efficiency and insulation for cost savings
  • Maintenance tips and Phoenix-specific water quality considerations
  • The Aussie Plumber's white-glove service and expert installation

Book your service or learn more at booking.theaussieplumber.com.

Send us your plumbing questions.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:14:09
The Aussie Plumber
James, I got a question for you. How many? How many water heater brands can you name? In fact, let's play a game. Oh, we'll go back and forth. I'll start with American Standard.

00:00:14:12 - 00:00:17:05
James Hill
I would say, Bradford White?

00:00:17:07 - 00:00:19:27
The Aussie Plumber
And I would say A.O. Smith.

00:00:20:00 - 00:00:23:06
James Hill
I think the next one is Rheem.

00:00:23:09 - 00:01:02:16
The Aussie Plumber
Oh, it's, him. That's a good one. It's a really good one. In fact, but, you know, let's just start the podcast. Welcome to the Aussie Plumber podcast. In this episode, we talk about water heaters. And for this specific water heater, it's a marathon, not a sprint. We're going to be talking about the Rheem Marathon electric water heater, and this would be the Aussie Plumber podcast without the one, the only Mister James Hill, founder and CEO of the Aussie Plumber here in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona.

00:01:02:17 - 00:01:04:11
The Aussie Plumber
James, how are you doing?

00:01:04:14 - 00:01:06:29
James Hill
Good I may it's always good to be here.

00:01:07:01 - 00:01:39:03
The Aussie Plumber
James. The episode is titled The Marathon Tank of Water Heaters. It's a bit of a pun because the marathon tank that we are referring to in the title of the episode is a specific product from Rheem called the Rheem Marathon Electric Water Heater. Now, before we dive into the nuts and bolts of the episode, I'm curious to know the story behind when you first came across the Rheem Marathon Electric Water Heater.

00:01:39:05 - 00:02:04:25
James Hill
So the first time I really, come across the marathon water heater is when I first moved down to Arizona and saw the lifespan of the water heaters, and I was talking to a homeowner one day and she was getting sick and tired of replacing them. You know, every so often. So she asked, you know, is there any anything else out there where she could just have one water heater?

00:02:04:25 - 00:02:15:27
James Hill
So I done a little digging and found that the marathon water heater is probably the best bet, because that was her forever home.

00:02:15:29 - 00:02:31:25
The Aussie Plumber
That speaks volume to the product's longevity. Speaking of which, let's dive back a little bit and start with traditional water heater tanks, such as the homeowner who you served. And I assume this was, what, five, six years ago? James?

00:02:31:27 - 00:02:36:27
James Hill
Yeah, let's say five, six years ago was when I, served that homeowner.

00:02:36:29 - 00:02:59:10
The Aussie Plumber
Now, when it comes to the tanked water heater, there's really two ways that these things run. We know that the Rheem Electric, marathon water heater is exactly that electric. There are other electric models. In fact, most models are probably electric. But there are also gas run water heaters. Is that right, James?

00:02:59:12 - 00:03:11:19
James Hill
Yeah, it's always out of the two. We got electric and gas. It's a bit of a 5050 split down here in Phoenix. It all depends on the area and what was built at the time.

00:03:11:21 - 00:03:24:00
The Aussie Plumber
Got it. And the rear marathon electric water heater only comes in the electric model. They don't make a gas one. Is that correct?

00:03:24:02 - 00:03:33:18
James Hill
Yeah. That's correct. It's, You wouldn't want flames and plastic to close together. So, it's only electric now.

00:03:33:20 - 00:04:00:13
The Aussie Plumber
Those traditional tanks, those traditional tanks, the ones that you often see on the market, in fact, the one that you replaced out of that sweet ladies home who said, is there a more permanent solution to this? The tank that she had before going to the Rheem Marathon electric water heater? Tanks like those tend to last, what, 8 to 12 years?

00:04:00:14 - 00:04:20:15
James Hill
Yeah, that seems to be the the sweet spot for, water heaters down here in Phoenix. It's, Yeah. Once to getting a bit of a beating from the water that we have down here 8 to 12 years, I would say, is pretty much the standard of how long you could expect a traditional style tank water heater to last.

00:04:20:17 - 00:04:28:24
The Aussie Plumber
Okay. So I would assume that the Rheem Electric Marathon water heater is the same deal, right? It's 12 years.

00:04:28:26 - 00:04:55:20
James Hill
Well, that's the beauty of a re marathon. So with a traditional tank, we're relying on the old school style, which is true and tested, but it does have its flaws. Being a metal tank, we all know the metal always has its day. A car rust out, water heaters rust out. And that's why the marathon's a great choice for homeowners, because it has a plastic tank so the plastic will never rust.

00:04:55:20 - 00:04:59:23
James Hill
And this is how they give you that lifetime warranty.

00:04:59:25 - 00:05:23:14
The Aussie Plumber
I see now there's a word here that I need to say about three times before moving on. Poly Bewdley potty building poly Bewdley in Poly Bewdley in there I think I got it so it was almost water heaters as you said, or made out of metal, but re makes their marathon tanks out of poly butadiene. What the heck is that?

00:05:23:16 - 00:05:48:06
James Hill
So it's just it's a plastic that can withstand heat pretty well and it's a pretty durable plastic. So don't think of plastic as being in like a plastic water bottle. Were a Gatorade bottle or something like this. This is a heavy duty plastic that that's built and designed for temperature fluctuations.

00:05:48:09 - 00:05:52:07
The Aussie Plumber
I heard that they're super durable. Is that right? James?

00:05:52:09 - 00:06:04:15
James Hill
You know. Yeah, it's I would say it is. It has an outer casing insulation and then an inner casing. So it's a pretty thick water heater. So it's it can put up with a lot.

00:06:04:17 - 00:06:33:19
The Aussie Plumber
On some of these water heater swap outs that you go, to do. James, you arrive at a homeowner's house who's had a old style metal water heater for a decade, maybe even over a decade. Might have to watch your fingers when you're lifting those things, because the bottom of those things get all rusted and all the corrosion, I assume, with this poly butadiene and these Rheem marathon electric water heaters, that's not the case.

00:06:33:19 - 00:06:35:20
The Aussie Plumber
Correct?

00:06:35:22 - 00:06:58:04
James Hill
I would say that is correct. With, standard water heaters, I would look at them as maybe an old car, and it's just been sitting outside for a while. And we all know that metal has its day and it's got rust and sure can, cut you or just stop peeling away with the poly beauty Elaine Tank on a marathon water heater.

00:06:58:06 - 00:07:11:05
James Hill
Now think of a new car. It's nice and smooth around the edges. It's. They've put more plastic into, like, the bumpers and things like that, but it's always going to be a nice smooth finish on a marathon.

00:07:11:07 - 00:07:30:29
The Aussie Plumber
Yeah. I was, thinking to myself, while you're making that analogy, that the Rheem Marathon Electric water heater would be like if a armored military tank was made out of poly butyl in plastic. That's how thick these are.

00:07:31:00 - 00:07:45:03
James Hill
Yeah. It's again it's it's it's thick and it's designed to do what it's meant to do. It's when you have a big company like that putting a stamp on it, that it has a lifetime warranty, you got to believe that they've done their research on it.

00:07:45:05 - 00:07:57:21
The Aussie Plumber
Now, what about the idea of pressure? Can the marathon handle pressure and for longer periods of time than than those traditional metal tanks?

00:07:57:24 - 00:08:17:08
James Hill
So the beauty of having, a plastic tank as well is we all know plastic will will move if it needs to. So with the metal tank, if your pressure was too high or you had a closed loop system, every time your water heater, heats up and cools down, it can, it contracts and it expands, which we all know.

00:08:17:08 - 00:08:35:23
James Hill
If you do that too many times with metal, that's when you end up can have an a leak. The the beauty of a marathon water heater. That plastic is designed to do that so it can handle pressure fluctuations. And that's again that's how they're going to give you that lifetime warranty.

00:08:35:25 - 00:08:59:20
The Aussie Plumber
James. Once upon a time here at my home, I had to replace something that was called an anode rod. Now, I still to this day have no idea what the heck this thing is. However, according to the Aussie plumber service men, it's kind of a big deal in water heaters. James. What what is an anode rod?

00:08:59:20 - 00:09:02:01
The Aussie Plumber
And why should a homeowner in Phoenix care?

00:09:02:08 - 00:09:25:23
James Hill
So if you have a traditional steel tank, water heater, and all water heaters are going to have an entered rod, the and a rod is a sacrificial rod. Your water is going to eat away at that rod before it eats away at the tank, because it's a softer metal than the tank. So the good rule of thumb is to change your mount every 2 to 3 years, because we all know that you got to flush it once a year, which is good.

00:09:25:25 - 00:09:45:21
James Hill
Got to get that sediment off the bottom, and that's going to help it run better. But the unsung hero of a water heater is an anode rod. If you can keep up to date with changing that, it's going to help you. Water heater last longer. And fun fact about anode drugs is they use them on ships. They use them on submarines.

00:09:45:24 - 00:09:56:06
James Hill
We want to divert the water to eat away at that before it eats away at the thing that's important, which in this case is your water heater.

00:09:56:08 - 00:10:15:15
The Aussie Plumber
I assume most homeowners in Phoenix have been on a submarine, and you know exactly what you're talking about, James. But for those who have not, is it fair to say that an anode rod type material is found in an electric kettle?

00:10:15:18 - 00:10:33:04
James Hill
I do think that you're on onto something there. I just think what we're thinking about might be a little bit different. So and then and rod is there to preserve the water heater or in this case we're talking about a kettle. But a kettle would have more of a heating element to heat up the water.

00:10:33:07 - 00:10:39:27
The Aussie Plumber
Gotcha. In the anode rod in the heating element are two different things. Correct?

00:10:39:29 - 00:10:43:16
James Hill
Yeah. That's right. One does one thing, one does the other.

00:10:43:18 - 00:11:12:09
The Aussie Plumber
And correct me if I'm wrong, but the Rheem Marathon electric water heater doesn't seem to have the traditional type of anode rod that a an old steel metal tank water heater does, much like the anode rod that I had. The Aussie plumbers service man replacing my water heater. That was more of a traditional water heater, but the Re marathon electric water heater wouldn't have that type of anode rod.

00:11:12:09 - 00:11:13:23
The Aussie Plumber
Correct.

00:11:13:25 - 00:11:24:13
James Hill
That's the best part about a mate. It's they don't need it. They're not gonna rust out. So it's a plastic tank. No need for an and a rod.

00:11:24:16 - 00:11:44:15
The Aussie Plumber
Fascinating stuff. I'm going to move on to the efficiency of this product. And you know, James, in doing research for this episode, came across one of those YouTube reviewers and he actually cut open an old marathon tank, an old Re marathon. You wanted to show how thick the insulation is. And you know, you know, those bulky yet high coolers.

00:11:44:17 - 00:11:49:27
The Aussie Plumber
The thing was, as thick as one of those is that is that a good thing?

00:11:49:29 - 00:12:09:01
James Hill
That's what it's all about. Not only are they giving you a water heater, that's not going to rust out, but they're giving you one that's more efficient. So in most cases, depending on the size of the unit, the insulation can range anywhere from 2.5in up to four inches. So it's saving you a lot of money.

00:12:09:03 - 00:12:46:23
The Aussie Plumber
You know, I can't help but think of, one of those, you know, tradesmen from back in the day who brings his lunch pail to work. You know, those old, tin, lunch pails or those, you know, steel lunch pails nowadays they're bringing, you know, pelican suitcases or those big Yeti coolers to the jobsite. And I have to think, if we put two side by side and those old tin metal lunch pails next to one of those modern Yeti coolers that you can bring to the site, which ones are going to keep your lunch warmer longer?

00:12:46:25 - 00:13:00:07
James Hill
And I would dare say, damn, here in Phoenix, we all know that if we have, left the water in a steel container, you're going to be drinking hot water. So I'd be having a good bet on, the Yeti.

00:13:00:09 - 00:13:24:16
The Aussie Plumber
And now this transitions well into the idea of saving money on your energy bill. Because the less heat lost, thanks to those thicker, Yeti style cooler water heater tanks, means the water stays hotter, longer, and therefore, the less heating is needed over time. Is that is that accurate? James.

00:13:24:18 - 00:13:45:18
James Hill
Yeah, it's a good way to look at it because we always deal with heat loss and that's how you would figure out the efficiency. So if you think of a standard water heater not as much insulation. So it heats up, cools back down in between cycles. And if it hasn't got enough insulation, of course, it's to reduce the temperature faster.

00:13:45:18 - 00:13:57:24
James Hill
That's, the great thing about a marathon water heater is with that thick installation, it's kind of hold that temperature so it's not heating as often. And that's how you save the money.

00:13:57:27 - 00:14:11:06
The Aussie Plumber
All right. So these re marathon electric water heaters they're durable. They're efficient but no need to maintain them. Just plug and go. Or do they still require the regular maintenance.

00:14:11:08 - 00:14:35:22
James Hill
So we know it doesn't matter. Right. Because it hasn't got one. What I would still always recommend is just flushing it every couple of years. So I don't think it needs to be flushed once a year like a standard water heater. But I'm still a believer of getting that that sediment off from the bottom just to keep everything moving freely and keeping it as as healthy as we can.

00:14:35:24 - 00:14:55:22
The Aussie Plumber
The Rheem Marathon Electric Water Heater plays well specifically in Phoenix, Arizona's climate due to the harshness of the water here. Does that make a difference with the different style of water heater, or is that more of a water filtration issue?

00:14:55:24 - 00:15:15:15
James Hill
I do believe that everyone should have some sort of water treatment here, because one, we're lucky to have water down here, two where we get it the water from also packs a bit of a punch, and the city of Phoenix does a great job of servicing the water and giving us great water, but it still packs a punch with some hard minerals and things like that.

00:15:15:17 - 00:15:34:12
James Hill
With a traditional style tank style water heater that is going to show it in the live stream with a with a rain marathon, water heater. We don't really have to worry about that. I would always still recommend some sort of water treatment that.

00:15:34:15 - 00:15:49:06
The Aussie Plumber
The Aussie plumber is at an Ace Hardware. A homeowner approaches the plumber and says, Hello Mr. Ozone plumber. What water heater do you recommend I buy? What's your answer, James?

00:15:49:08 - 00:16:16:09
James Hill
There's a couple of questions I always asked every homeowner but dealt with how long you been in the home? Because I like just to know that they know their home as well. And also, is this your forever home? Some people are planning on moving in a year, and maybe the investment for, Marathon Water Heater might not be the best bet that a lot of homeowners that we deal with, they are in their forever home, so this is always a great option.

00:16:16:09 - 00:16:22:29
James Hill
I would highly recommend the marathon water heater. This would be your last water heater.

00:16:23:02 - 00:16:58:10
The Aussie Plumber
There you go. You've heard it from the Aussie plumber himself. The Rheem Marathon electric water heater is Aussie plumber approved, and it's always good to have an expert on your side in when making these investments in your in your home. James. I just want want you to break down the entire scope of the Aussie Plumbers Water Heater service for a homeowner who might be in the market for one, what is it that the Aussie plumber offers from start to finish?

00:16:58:17 - 00:17:03:20
The Aussie Plumber
From what I've experienced, it's quite the white glove treatment.

00:17:03:22 - 00:17:29:18
James Hill
Yeah. And honestly, that's that's what we're known for. Hey, it's, we're always here to serve all of our, plumbers go out with the idea that they have plumbing advisors. So they're there to answer any question and and give you the best guidance you can make the right choice for your home, your budget, and your family. So when we come to a water heater that looks like it's getting towards the end of its age, we always ask the good questions.

00:17:29:18 - 00:17:47:02
James Hill
When was it serviced by servicing? Remain flushing and changing the anode rod and asking, do you know what I mean? Under is we want them to have a clear understanding of, okay, this this water heater you have now might have had a short life and it's time for a new one, but this is how we can protect it.

00:17:47:02 - 00:17:52:10
James Hill
So you can extend the life and get the longest out of that appliance.

00:17:52:13 - 00:18:15:14
The Aussie Plumber
Homeowners in Phoenix, you want to know that your water heater was installed properly, installed correctly. James can tell you horror stories of times he's went out to local community homes and asked who installed this thing, and how important is it to have it properly installed.

00:18:15:17 - 00:18:43:03
James Hill
So there's there's a good reason why, good trusted plumbing companies a licensed. It's because we we we know how things need to be installed and there's no guessing games. Unfortunately, the biggest thing I see with with water heaters and why they don't last is they would never set up properly to begin with. Or sometimes even the venting is not done right and which in turn is a very, dangerous thing for you and your family.

00:18:43:03 - 00:18:55:03
James Hill
So it always pays to have a licensed professional come out, assess it, and give you their recommendations so it's safe for your family.

00:18:55:06 - 00:19:30:28
The Aussie Plumber
Booking dot the Aussie plumber.com is where you can book your Aussie plumber service online or you can give the Aussie plumber a call directly in (602) 820-5551. That's (602) 820-5551. If you want to call the Aussie plumber at (602) 820-5551. Booking dot the Aussie plumber.com is the online booking portal. And James, what do Maricopa County homeowners say about the Aussie plumber?

00:19:31:00 - 00:19:35:11
James Hill
They only say a couple of words, mate. Crikey, that's great service.

00:19:35:13 - 00:19:36:14
The Aussie Plumber
We'll see you next time.

00:19:36:18 - 00:19:37:07
James Hill
Thanks mate.