Several electric tankless water heaters exist on the market today, and one of the more popular point-of-use models is the Rheem RTEX 13. If you are interested in this model, the following will go over everything about this tankless water heater. This includes discussing all of its features, its general specs, the pros and cons, and even user opinions to help you have a better understanding about it before you make a decision as to whether or not it’s the tankless water heater you need.
Rheem RTEX 13 Tankless Water Heater Overview
The Rheem RTEX 13 is an electric, tankless water heater designed with the intention to help small homes. Its style is compact, making it provide a small footprint so that you can better install it where you need it to be. This can make the heater especially ideal if you live in an apartment setting, even a studio apartment.
Even though it does run on electricity and does not have a Star Energy rating, it will generally not run up your electric bill considering its size. Adjusting this water heater takes little effort thanks to the external digital control with LED display. In general, it can offer around 4 GPM. However, this rate may go down depending on the temperature. No matter, you can still run an effective amount of water from even a low-grade faucet.
Since it is an electric model, there are a good number of parts required when it comes to installing it. Even so, installation tends to be relatively simple, more so if you have done something like this before. However, in the face of the simplicity, it is still recommended that you have a professional install it. This way, there is no chance of you voiding out your limited warranty.
Additional features about this tankless water heater include self-modulating power control, copper immersion heating elements that are threaded for simple replacement, and a temperature range that goes from 80ºF to 140ºF. If you are interested in this brand, you can also look at the Rheem RTGH 95DVLN 9.5 GPM water heater.
Rheem RTEX 13 Tankless Water Heater – Specs
- Dimensions: 4″ x 9″ x 13″
- Weight: 4lbs
- Color: Silver
- Certifications: ETL, UL, and CSA-listed
- Installation: Indoor | 240 volts | 13 KW | 3ft electric cable
- Energy Star Rated: No
- Display Type: LED
- Drain Type: Copper heating elements
- Water Connection: ½” NPT included | side ½” compression connections
- Batteries Required: No
- Warranty: 5-year limited
Rheem RTEX 13 – Pros and Cons
Users’ Opinion
Dozens of users who have either had the Rheem RTEX 13 in the past or currently use the machine have a number of opinions about their experiences. In order to better help you decide whether this tankless water heater is the right choice for your home, we decided to analyze three user comments:
Positive: This reviewer spoke highly of the product, mentioning how much they enjoyed the digital way to adjust everything. A factor such as that speaks largely on how user-friendly the tankless water heater is. The reviewer also praised customer support as they mentioned an older model dying, which the company promptly replaced.
Neutral: With this reviewer, there is talk about issues getting the hot water to one particular faucet. Though the reviewer said they’d purchase a new knob to see if it corrected the problem, another user commented voicing concerns about having the same problem.
Negative: This reviewer talks about the true downside to this product, and that is that it only works best one faucet at a time. They do, however, make note that even with it working one at a time, it does what it is supposed to do, which is to heat up the water.
Conclusion
The Rheem RTEX 13 is a compact, yet powerful point-of-use electric tankless water heater. It may experience some fluctuation in terms of flow when adjusting the temperature, but overall, it is generally consistent in the amount of heat it sends out to an individual faucet.
As to its verdict, this is a tankless water heater we’d recommend if you live in a small home or apartment that doesn’t have many people vying to use the hot water at once. It works best for small, simple situations. In case you’ve used it, let us know how you feel about the RTEX 13 in the comment section.
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