Water heater brands

[green.bubbly]

I must admit that I have not purchased a new water heater in a long long time. geez, this things seem to be expensive for what they are.


I was looking online at HD and Lowes. They all seem to be either a 6, 9 or 12 year warranty. Any input on which brand is actually better and is it really worth to get a 12 year versus a 6 year? I see Whirpool and US Craftmaster at Lowes. Over at HD, they have the GE brand.

 

[Jay H 237]

I have never dealt with the box stores for them, so I have no info on those mentioned. The top two I have heard of are AO Smith and Branford White avaliable at plumbing supply houses. I have always had AO Smith natural gas units.

It's very likely that some of these box store ones, aside from GE, are rebadged from one of the bigger firms.

 

[millertime]

They're all the same and will start to leak 6 months after the warranty is up. Just my expierence.

 

[harvero]

I got my Rheem from amazon. Much better deal than anything local.

 

[EOppegaard]

AO Smith is what everyone seems to rave about around here. We actually have a GE Geospring Heat Pump water heater....has been working great for over a year now, and we have it set to only heat pump mode.

 

[Carl B]

Among my many "jobs" working my way through college - - I worked for a company in City Of Industry, CA building hot water heaters. Gaffer and Sattler {Sp??} built hot water heaters for Reem, Rudd, GE, Mission and several other "Brand Names". With the exception of the jacket colors - they were all identical. Gas or Electric.

The tanks were rolled and welded, tops and bottoms welded, pressure tested and at the same time leak tested. Then stood up on a base... a defuser tube was put in the cold water inlet and hung down into the tank. A sacrificial anode rod was installed suspended from the top and they moved on down the line.

The gas units got a length of twisted metal suspended in the center heating tube. Next they were wrapped with fiberglass insulation {the worst job on the line}. The sheet metal jacket was slipped over them and the top sheet metal cap snapped in place. Finally either the gas fittings or electric heating units were installed.

The only difference between the 4, 6, 8 or 12 year warranty units - were the decals that advertised the warranty - - - and the length of the anode rod suspended from the top of the tank.

Buy the lowest cost unit - then make sure you change out the anode rod every 2 to 3 years. Do it in 2 years the first time - then look at the condition of the old rod - and then change them out accordingly.

Oh.. and drainflush them every two years.. to allow the sediments that accumulate in the bottom of the tank to be removed.

FWIW,
Carl B.

 

[Hankdog1]

Some of the whirlpool tanks have a lifetime warrenty on the liner. Also they are made in Johnson City, TN for those that like American products.

 

[boostedgt]

They're all the same and will start to leak 6 months after the warranty is up. Just my expierence.

my grandmas was recently replaced, it was a monkey wards that she had installed when she bought her house in 1978 lasted until a couple months ago. the new one is bradford white

 

[6768rogues]

After my father passed away three years ago, we did some work to update his house. I replaced the original 1957 Bradford electric water heater. Over the years he replaced some elements, but it kept chugging along for over 50 years without leaking a drop. I think Bradford was marketed by WT Grant Company, who went away years ago. They don't make them like they used to.
As Carl implied, there are only a very few companies that actually manufacture water heaters.

 

[Norcal]

Some of the whirlpool tanks have a lifetime warrenty on the liner. Also they are made in Johnson City, TN for those that like American products.

Whirlpool* water heaters should be avoided at all costs, pure ****!!!! The GE water heaters at HD are built by Rheem. BTW, the State brand water heater in my house was installed in the early 1980's & is still going strong. I installed a GE for friends this year & so far has been good, & put another one in their rental years ago & it has been going great since, tenant set the house on fire in Jan 2002 & it had been in before the fire, BTW the WH is in a doghouse outside the house & it was untouched by the fire there was no structural damage but it was a total gut, got paid to wire the house twice, once 14 years prior, & then after the fire....

*There was a class action lawsuit over them a few years ago.

 

[jdaallen]

There are only two water heaters manufactures in the US and between the two of them they make all heaters out there. There is NO difference in heaters based on warrenty. A 5year, 10 year or 15year heater are the same heater. Your just buying an insurance policy with the longer times. I worked in a Bradford White distribution center once. The cardboard cartons that the heaters were packaged in had "cutout" doors on them. When we filled an order, you opened the "cardboard door" and stuck on the appropriate label for Brand and Lifespan. We had a wall of pigeon hole slots for labels of about 150 or so. There was Mongomery Wards, Sears, Century Hardware, Ace Hardware, and on & on. The only different heaters were gallons and gas or electric.

 

[cool0]

Something it is a useful one......

 

[Kevin54]

AO Smith here. Have always had good luck with them. Usually the old AO Smiths that have been replaced with new have had quite a number of years on them. Well past ANY warranty period

 

[thooks]

Bradford white all the way

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Marathon. Don't have one, but that will be the next one I buy.

http://www.marathonheaters.com/

Charles

 

[Dale B]

I got stuck in that Whirlpool fiasco several years ago, damn thing wouldn't stay lit even after 2 service calls by professional outfit . I got my money back from Lowes after a small argument , and bought a Bradford White from Ferguson plumbing supply , a contractors chain here in Ca. No trouble in 3 years so far. It was only $4 more than the box stores price !!

 

[38Chevy454]

Good timing here, my water heater just started leaking; my wife noticed it last night. Not exactly the Christmas present I was expecting...........

 

[hammlm]

Bradford White. Our house has two. I'm on the third GE in the one location, the Bradford White hasn't started to leak at all yet.

 

[JCoggin]

Stay away from the big box stores and go with an A.O. Smith or a Bradford White for a standard water heater. Personally I have a Rheem Marathon which is a high effiency unit that I have tied in to my geothermal heat pump.

JC

 

[Zeke]

I see relatively new heaters on CL all the time. When you need one, you need one. But I'm about due, so I'm looking. 80 to 100 bucks looks like it will buy a fairly good one.