Water heaters
Rheem Performance Platinum XG50T12HE40U0 Atmospheric Gas Water Heater, 50 gal
Prices are the equipment only — the appliance, before install labour. Every product in this catalogue currently has at least one real, seller-observed equipment price (see the SKU verification and price observation notes on each product). Get contractor quotes for the install itself, especially for anything needing new electrical circuits or condensate drainage.
Rheem's step-up atmospheric natural gas tank: 50 gallons, UEF 0.64, a 77-gallon first-hour rating, and a 12-year tank-and-parts warranty (versus 6 years on Rheem's value-tier Performance gas tank).
Our take
Platinum's pitch is straightforward: pay more up front and you get a 12-year tank-and-parts warranty instead of 6, more than double the coverage of the value-tier Performance gas tank sitting right next to it at Home Depot. What it doesn't buy you is more hot water or better efficiency -- UEF is a rounding error apart (0.64 vs 0.63) and the value tier's first-hour rating is actually higher, 85 gallons against Platinum's 77. If your household runs through hot water fast, the cheaper tank keeps up better. If you'd rather not think about this water heater again for over a decade, Platinum is the one worth the premium.
Best for
Households replacing a gas tank who want the longest warranty term available in Rheem's atmospheric line and are willing to pay for it.
Watch out for
The extra years of warranty don't come with extra hot water -- the cheaper Performance gas tank below actually has a higher first-hour rating. Compare both before assuming Platinum is the better tank, not just the better-covered one.
What sellers are actually charging
The lowest in-stock, full-equipment price we've seen is $929, at Home Depot, seen 2026-08-30. Every listing from the last 30 days, newest first, is below — prices change, click through to check before you act on any of them.
| Seller | What you get | Price | Stock | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Depot
big box retailer |
equipment system | $929 | in stock | 2026-08-30 |
Equipment price is not installed price. The listings above are what the hardware costs. Installation — labour, electrical, refrigerant lines, permits, removing the old system — is typically a similar amount again, and varies more between contractors than between brands. Where we have an installed figure it is labelled as such and comes from someone who actually installs.
What owners and installers report
Collected from trade forums, owner communities and video reviews. Every report links to the original. We synthesise and quote briefly — we don't republish other people's writing.
Reliability and failures
What breaks, when, and how often — from people several years in.
Thin evidence — too few independent reports to call this a pattern. Shown because it may still be worth asking your contractor about.
A source reports this reliability experience: It has exhibited this problem since it was installed, but for reasons I won't go into, it hasn't reached the top of my "to do" list until now.
“It has exhibited this problem since it was installed, but for reasons I won't go into, it hasn't reached the top of my "to do" list until now.” — colvosview, 2021-09-16T17:36:44-0400
Reported on the Performance Platinum line; size not stated — included here because it's the same family and counts toward the totals above.
https://www.plumbingforums.com/threads/rheem-performance-platinum-40-gal-water-heater-pilot-wont-stay-lit.19676/ · PlumbingForums.com · 2021-09-16T17:36:44-0400 · read it in context
A source reports this reliability experience: I’ve replaced more of those in the past 5 years than the prior 30 yrs that I’ve done repair.
“I’ve replaced more of those in the past 5 years than the prior 30 yrs that I’ve done repair.” — Twowaxhack, 2021-09-16T23:48:16-0400
Reported on the Performance Platinum line; size not stated — included here because it's the same family and counts toward the totals above.
https://www.plumbingforums.com/threads/rheem-performance-platinum-40-gal-water-heater-pilot-wont-stay-lit.19676/ · PlumbingForums.com · 2021-09-16T17:36:44-0400 · read it in context
Sources are linked so you can verify any of this yourself. We don't mirror content — Amazon in particular permits no republication of review text, so where we use retailer data we show the aggregate rating and link out. How we collect and weight this →
Compare against
Bradford White Defender RG250T6N Atmospheric Gas Water Heater, 50 gal
Bradford White's baseline pro-channel natural-gas tank, atmospheric vent, with the Defender flammable-vapor-resistant (FVIR) burner chamber. UEF 0.63 — confirmed as UEF, not an older Energy Factor rating, on Bradford White's own current spec sheet, though some retailers mislabel the same number 'EF'.
Rheem Performance XG50T06TC38U1 Atmospheric Gas Water Heater, 50 gal
Rheem's baseline atmospheric natural gas tank: 50 gallons, UEF 0.63, an 85-gallon first-hour rating, and a 6-year tank-and-parts warranty.
A. O. Smith Voltex X Split Heat Pump Water Heater, 47 gal
Outdoor CO2 split-system heat pump water heater introduced in August 2026, with a 47-gallon indoor tank and a model-specific UEF of 3.52.
GE Profile GeoSpring Smart Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater, 50 gal
GE's flagship heat pump water heater, relaunched under the Profile line with FlexCAPACITY mixing and Wi-Fi control. ENERGY STAR-certified at UEF 4.50 -- the highest efficiency figure in this catalogue at any size.
Before you buy this
Ask for the first-hour rating, not just tank size, and check it against your household's simultaneous demand — showers and laundry at the same time — rather than headcount alone. If it's a heat pump water heater, confirm the room has enough air volume (or a duct kit) that it won't spend winter on resistance backup, and that there's a real route for condensate, not just a nearby floor drain. Confirm the panel has spare 240V capacity. And if you're removing a gas unit that shared a flue with a furnace, ask what happens to that flue once your water heater's draft is gone — an orphaned flue can backdraft.