Water heater lessons

[whatline]

Our BW gas fired 50 gallon failed after 9 yrs. wasn't the tank but where the H-C nipples extend out of the tank. It was the 6 yr warranty version. Our original A.O. smith lasted 17 yrs. ...not sure why. The thing is a lot of members here myself included thought highly of BW. Looking thru compliant type sites I see a lot of negatives about BW, their warranty program in general and C S is terrible. As always buyer beware.

[frule]

Our BW gas fired 50 gallon failed after 9 yrs. wasn't the tank but where the H-C nipples extend out of the tank. It was the 6 yr warranty version. Our original A.O. smith lasted 17 yrs. ...not sure why. The thing is a lot of members here myself included thought highly of BW. Looking thru compliant type sites I see a lot of negatives about BW, their warranty program in general and C S is terrible. As always buyer beware.

Most likely the anode rod was depleted. Typically, the 6 year warranty versions have smaller diameter anodes.

[Bryan11]

In talking to local installers, I'm hearing water heaters are now designed to last the length of the warranty and no longer.

[woodhead]

I need a new one. The plumber on the job said AO Smith.  Thats all they install.



Al

[rudedan60]

I would consider a 50 gal AO Smith Condensing Gas.  I have no idea why people do not install them. My Gas bill this summer averaged only $20-23 a month. That is after the rate increase on the customer charge.  That is with 3 kids and 2 adults, and a gas cook top.  The price with Focus on Energy and Tax credit was only $200 more then the same as a regular 50 Gal water heater. I had one repair under warranty in 7 years. Otherwise we never run out of hot water. Dan

[Snipe Hunter]

I need a new one. The plumber on the job said AO Smith.  Thats all they install.



Al

Nothing wrong with AO Smith.

[doobes]

Except for their warranty coverage. You have to use one of their authorized repair companies and their aren't many of them and their rates are very high.

IIRC, there warranty is one year parts and labor and then ten year parts. Many reports I saw indicated that the labor costs to replace stuff was far beyond the cost of the parts.

I had my hvac guy quote one a while back. He was very surprised to learn that he was no longer qualified to do repair work on AO Smith heaters.

I got a Branford/White.

[vernonator]

I would consider a 50 gal AO Smith Condensing Gas.  I have no idea why people do not install them. My Gas bill this summer averaged only $20-23 a month. That is after the rate increase on the customer charge.  That is with 3 kids and 2 adults, and a gas cook top.  The price with Focus on Energy and Tax credit was only $200 more then the same as a regular 50 Gal water heater. I had one repair under warranty in 7 years. Otherwise we never run out of hot water. Dan

That's what I just re-installed after our Ruud 75gal died (12yrs old - leaking from the cold-in junction). So far its great, but it replaced a gas-condensing unit so I am not sure what the impact on usage will be.

[Gansett]

Just a FYI. a friend is a 3rd generation plumber. A big advocate of replacing the anode in w/h's every 3-4 years. According to him you have to give water something to 'eat'. Like the sacrificial anodes on boats, the Rid-X  / yeast put into system systems and the anode in the heater.

[frule]

Just a FYI. a friend is a 3rd generation plumber. A big advocate of replacing the anode in w/h's every 3-4 years. According to him you have to give water something to 'eat'. Like the sacrificial anodes on boats, the Rid-X  / yeast put into system systems and the anode in the heater.

It's really not even necessary to replace the anode at a given interval. Just check it. It can be difficult to loosen an anode the first time. After that, it only takes a few minutes to unscrew it an take a look.

The main difference between 6 year warranty water heaters and 12 year water heaters is the anode thickness.

Here is a terrific website about water heater care:
http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/