Hot water heater brands? Plumbing supply vs. Big box?

[pbm]

Originally Posted by NormanBuntz
I had a 40 gallon Bradford White gas unit bought from a plumber. It lasted only 7 years. There's better brands, like A.O. Smith and State.


I agree....I've had good luck with AO Smith and State....I have had an Indirect water heater (made by Dunkirk) since 2009....no problems and more efficient....it may take 20 or 30 seconds longer for hot water in summer (because the heat isn't 'ON'...it's quick in winter). I like it.

PS: I can't get over how much 'water heaters' have gone up in the last decade or more....

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by pbm
PS: I can't get over how much 'water heaters' have gone up in the last decade or more....


Did we have this discussion before? I think maybe 10 years ago I was paying $350-$400 for a water heater, now it's more like $450-$500. Not that big a deal, plus with the tariffs, the price of many metal items have shot up. I used to get refrigerators for $400-$450, now it's a tad over $525. You need to compare apples to apples. I've been buying mine from Home Depot for a long time. The ones the plumbers carry in stock always cost more than a Home Depot one and it's mostly marketing when they tell you theirs last longer. I've got a 19 year old water heater where I changed the rod when it was 12 years old that's still going. Specialty ones like power vent, 9/12 year heaters etc have always cost a little bit more.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Bradford White last one lasted 20 years. Had this one about a year now.

 

[caravanmike]

I just bought a natural gas 40 gallon Richmond (made by rheem) at menards. Working great so far! The old one was 16 year old General electric (rheem) bought at home depot. I never changed the and anode rod. Where are you guys buying anode rods? Online maybe?

 

[kschachn]

The Menards here in Southeastern Wisconsin have anode rods in stock.

 

[dja4260]

Originally Posted by kschachn
The Menards here in Southeastern Wisconsin have anode rods in stock.


I miss living down the street from Menards. I found the stores to be superior to HD & Lowes.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by caravanmike
I just bought a natural gas 40 gallon Richmond (made by rheem) at menards. Working great so far! The old one was 16 year old General electric (rheem) bought at home depot. I never changed the and anode rod. Where are you guys buying anode rods? Online maybe?


Yeah, you can buy them online. They're as low as $13.65 for the standard length of 44 3/8 and .9 in diameter. If you have a short water heater, you just cut it with a sawsall. I have many water heaters so I used to get a 4 pack. Shipping on Amazon really kills the price. If you get 4 or 8, you can get free shipping from a few other vendors. Maybe split them with a neighbor.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Rheem-SP11526C-900-x-44-3-8-Magnesium-R-Tech-Anode-Rod

https://www.zoro.com/rheem-anode-assembly-cut-to-fit-44x9-in-dia-sp11526c/i/G7604633

 

[caravanmike]

Thanks! My local menards does stock them here as well as home depot. I checked both and they were aluminum rods for around $24. I guess if I want magnesium i can use the links below. Is one metal preferred over the other?

 

[kschachn]

Interesting, the Menards here has both magnesium and aluminum.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by caravanmike
Thanks! My local menards does stock them here as well as home depot. I checked both and they were aluminum rods for around $24. I guess if I want magnesium i can use the links below. Is one metal preferred over the other?


Well Alzheimer patients have high aluminum levels so that's why magnesium is preferred. Also many water heaters came with magnesium, but you'd have to search your brand of water heater to see what they came with. If you have issues with your water, one type is preferred over the other.

 

[dja4260]

I just finished installing a new Bradford White 50 gallon tank. It was $437.xx, from a local supply house. The comparable Rheem and A.O Smith was at least $100 more, with the same warranty. The swap went smooth. CPVC is easy to work with.

I'll check the Anode rod at year 4. I feel like I have very forgiving water if the other unit lasted 27 years. I'm certian the previous owner of my home didn't service the unit.

 

[Supersonic]

Thanks all for contributing, 20 year anode rod swapped out, and it was down to about 4 scattered lumps. I use the 1/2 inch corded electric impact wrench to get it out, worked great.

 

[JustinH]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
Originally Posted by Donald
Have you considered tankless? It seems the rage.


I sell lots of house and I see lots of them. People must talk about them, but you don't actually see that many out there. Mostly in new construction in high dollar areas. Two problems with them, parts warranty, typically only 5 years. There doesn't seem to be one brand that everyone has, different brands everywhere so no assurance that the part you need, you will be able to find. Plus if you do the math, you don't actually end up saving that much in gas, they cost more to install especially if you need to upgrade from 1/2 pipe to 3/4 and it's harder to find someone who knows how to fix them. It's pretty easy to either DIY a water heater repair or just pick one up at Home Depot and have a handyman install it. You see more tankless loops off a boiler than you do a pure tankless system. But the tankless systems off a boiler have their drawbacks too, if you need a storage tank then it's almost as bad as needing a water heater but a storage tank will last longer than a regular water heater.

As for those 6/9/12 year water heaters, the difference is also the anode rod. The cheaper 6 year ones might just have a thinner rod, maybe just 5/8's thick and maybe shorter. The longer warranty ones have longer or thicker anode rods. I always replace the rod with the thickest one I can buy and that's usually the .9 inch ones.


We have a new build house, not high end at all. It has an entry level Rinnai tankless gas water heater in the garage. It is such a simple system, it direct vents out the side wall of the garage, and does a nice job. It has isolation valves, and will be easy to flush with vinegar on an annual basis.

It's summer but we used 2 units of Natural Gas last month, and we have all gas appliances, as well.

My last house had a tank water heater in a closet in the interior of the home. If you can do the conversion, look into a direct vent gas unit they are really nice.

 

[ZZman]

I had a 40 gallon Bradford White gas unit bought from a plumber. It lasted only 7 years. There's better brands, like A.O. Smith and State.

Funny that some get long life and others short. Seems to me water quality might play a big part?