The Society of Plastics Engineers  recently presented its annual Consumer Award to the MARATHON LIFETIME RESIDENTIAL ELECTRIC WATER HEATER. The product design award was given to Water Heater Innovations, Inc., the Eagan, Minnesota-based manufacturer that produces the Marathon exclusively for Rheem Water Heating.

Sponsored by the SPE Product Design & Development Division, the award paid specific tribute to the incorporation of a new polyurethane-based resin system in the Marathon, which features a seamless, blow-molded polybutene storage tank wound in fiberglass filament and encased in a molded, polyethylene outer shell. The new-generation resin is used to make the multiple layers of filament-wound fiberglass that gives the rust- and corrosion-proof plastic tank its superior strength, permitting the lifetime warranty.

“The polyurethane resin system is not only more cost-effective, but also stronger than the styrene-based polyester system it replaced, resulting in an extremely durable tank,” says Jim Otto, director of sales and marketing at Water Heater Innovations. “As a consequence, the Marathon is better positioned to compete against conventional, glass-lined water heaters, particularly when it comes to meeting the demanding sanitation requirements of commercial food-service applications.”

The Marathon Lifetime Residential Electric is available in sizes ranging from 15 to 105 gallons to meet a wide variety of residential and light-commercial applications. The nonmetallic tank requires no anode rod, further eliminating “smelly-water” problems, while the tank’s bowl-shaped bottom allows complete sediment drainage

RHEEM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, headquartered in New York City, is a leading worldwide provider of home comfort systems including water heaters, heating and air conditioning equipment, pool and spa heaters, and boilers.