Water heaters - 6- vs 12-year/which brand?
Peter Werner
water efficiently. I want to pick up a new one, but good advice on
what to pick up is in short supply. Consumer Reports apparantly hasn't
rated water heaters in over 15 years, Productopia doesn't rate them
either, and waterheaterrescue.com gives fairly cryptic advice.
(Waterheaterrescue.com advises looking for a water heater that has "an
exposed, hex-head, magnesium anode installed in it" with "a
full-length outlet rod in the hot port", an insulation rating of R-16
or better, and as good of a recovery rate as possible. Any idea where
I can find this kind of cryptic information about a product?)
First, I'm wondering about the issue of 6-year vs 9- and 12-year water
heaters. Are the latter really better? I am willing to spend the extra
money on quality if there really is a difference. On the other hand, a
couple of people (including the plumber who I'm going to have do the
installation) tell me that there really is no important difference and
to just go for the 6-year model. Any advice?
I was also wondering about brands, basically Bradford-White (which my
plumber wants to sell me) vs Rheem vs AO Smith. Any one of these
better than the other in comparable models? Any advantage for buying
these under a "band name" like GE or Whirlpool?
Peter
D. Gerasimatos
Peter Werner <pgwern...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>I was also wondering about brands, basically Bradford-White (which my
>plumber wants to sell me) vs Rheem vs AO Smith. Any one of these
>better than the other in comparable models? Any advantage for buying
>these under a "band name" like GE or Whirlpool?
Bradford-White and AO Smith are what the people in the trades use. Rheem
is a large, reputable manufacturer. I'd go with the AO Smith or the
Bradford-White. My own water heater is a Bradford-White. If you want
specs then go to the web sites for these respective companies.
Dimitri
Oscar_lives
"D. Gerasimatos" <d...@soda.csua.berkeley.edu> wrote in message
news:b9rvvp$j7e$1...@agate.berkeley.edu...
Pros around here only use Rheem/Ruud for the last 40 years.
I'd go with a Rheem/Ruud.
Bob M.
natural gas water heater, all done by the local gas company. It had a 2 year
warranty which I extended to 5 years for some small amount. I religiously
drained stuff out of the tank via the drain valve and T&P valve for the
first several years, then got lazy and did it only once every few years. The
last time I did it, the T&P valve didn't shut off and I had to replace it.
In all fairness, it was the one from the old electric heater. Also there was
some white calcium-like material that came out of the drain, enough that I
actually hooked a garden hose to it and emptied half the tank one day to get
clean water out of the drain.
Now I am single and the heater doesn't work too hard, but it's still running
strong at 15 years. I've given up entirely on lengthy or additional
warrantees. Maybe I've been lucky but the repair costs, if any, don't add up
to the money spent for a better warranty.
The only thing I'd do different next time is put in a 50 gallon unit. I can
easily run out of hot water if I take a real long, hard shower, which I
enjoy once in a while.
Bob M.
======
"Peter Werner" <pgwern...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:13378f69.03051...@posting.google.com...
FireBrick
> The only thing I'd do different next time is put in a 50 gallon unit. I
can
> easily run out of hot water if I take a real long, hard shower, which I
> enjoy once in a while.
>
Bob
spotted could be the disintegrated plastic tube that gets the cold water
down to the bottom of the tank.
They cost pennies and are worth the effort.
Peter Werner
> Now I am single and the heater doesn't work too hard, but it's still
> running strong at 15 years. I've given up entirely on lengthy or additional
> warrantees. Maybe I've been lucky but the repair costs, if any, don't add
> up to the money spent for a better warranty.
When I refer to "6 year" vs "12 year", I'm not referring to different
warranty lengths for the same product, but different models of water
heater. What I'm asking is, "Is a 12-year water heater really better
than a 6-year water heater and worth the additional cost?"
Peter
George E. Cawthon
I think it may depend on brand. The brands of electric
heaters that I looked at were essentially the same within a
brand but with some minor differences like the drain valve
or amount of insulation. I got a 10 year vs. a 5 year
because I expected to have it for a long time (cost about
3/4 more for a 10 year). Stupid me, after 5 years I
switched to gas, so I could have save $150 bucks by buying
the 5 year guaranteed heater). Then of course, our electric
water heaters held the temperature perfectly while the gas
water heater thermostat has great variablity. Oh well. Buy
the cheaper guarantee, it will probably last as long as you
are in the house.
D. Gerasimatos
Peter Werner <pgwern...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>When I refer to "6 year" vs "12 year", I'm not referring to different
>warranty lengths for the same product, but different models of water
>heater. What I'm asking is, "Is a 12-year water heater really better
>than a 6-year water heater and worth the additional cost?"
Yes, it is better!
Whether it is worth it or not is for you to judge. In shopping for water
heaters I looked for a sweet spot where the price and the features meshed
well. It's like anything else. If you have money to burn then get the 12
year heater. It *is* better. The cheapest heater is cheap for a reason.
However, there is probably a happy medium for you so check out the specs
and the prices!
This question is like asking whether a Porsche is better than a Yugo.
Of course it is. Is it worth the cost? A Porsche owner would say it is.
Most people would say to buy something more sensible, but still better
than a Yugo.
Dimitri
D. Gerasimatos
'nuther Bob <no...@none.com> wrote:
>
>I think the point is that they are *the same* heater with most brands.
>That is, aside from the anode rod difference mentioned, they just
>charge you more money to cover the cost of the extra warranty. The
>only difference in the units will be cosmetic.
Obviously you have not read the specifications for the different heaters.
They are not the same.
Dimitri
Empty
tanks are the same for the 6 and 9 year gas heaters. The 9 year had a
higher BTU output burner and the dip tube had a 'nozzle' at the end to
make the tank 'self cleaning', but the tank itself was absolutely the
same. They even said the cost difference was really for the
additional warranty.
I didn't ask them about what you got with the 12 year tank.
D. Gerasimatos
Empty <Nob...@home.net> wrote:
>
>I have, for Rheem anyways. Even called them up. They told me the
>tanks are the same for the 6 and 9 year gas heaters. The 9 year had a
>higher BTU output burner and the dip tube had a 'nozzle' at the end to
>make the tank 'self cleaning', but the tank itself was absolutely the
>same. They even said the cost difference was really for the
>additional warranty.
If the burner and the dip tube are not the same then the water heater is
not the same! Sheesh!
Dimitri
Empty
To the original poster, typically the water tanks are the same (and
are so in Rheem's case with their 6 and 9 warranted models), the anode
rods are not. More anode rod material = longer tank life. These are
the items that affect the lifetime of a water heater. The rest of the
differences the Dimitri focuses on does nothing to extend the life of
the heater. They may help you take longer hot showers, and eliminate
the need to drain the tank to get rid of sediment, but in the end,
you've got the same water vessel.
D. Gerasimatos
Empty <Nob...@home.net> wrote:
>
>Wow, you've proven your point, they are NOT the same.
>
>To the original poster, typically the water tanks are the same (and
>are so in Rheem's case with their 6 and 9 warranted models), the anode
>rods are not. More anode rod material = longer tank life. These are
>the items that affect the lifetime of a water heater. The rest of the
>differences the Dimitri focuses on does nothing to extend the life of
>the heater. They may help you take longer hot showers, and eliminate
>the need to drain the tank to get rid of sediment, but in the end,
>you've got the same water vessel.
It's not only about the lifetime of the tank, although the better models
might have even TWO anode rods. It's about the features like efficiency,
presence/absence of heat-trap nipples, recovery rate, and noise. It's
also about build-quality when it comes to things like valves (plastic
versus brass).
On one name-brand water heater the 12 year model has all of the above
features and the 9 year model does not. The price difference is $30.
These are within the same product line, not crossing lines where
differences are even more drastic. Even the tanks are different
dimensions. To say that the heaters are the same and only the warranty is
different is a serious misstatement.
Dimitri
TomH
for the warantee.
D. Gerasimatos
TomH <tlh...@Nospamotmail.com> wrote:
>
>The point is that the main parts are the same, and you are mostly paying
>for the warantee.
I would consider the burner and dip tube to be "main parts" of a water
heater. What other parts are there other than the valve and the tank?
Dimitri
cetu...@gmail.com
But I'd get a water heater with the longest warranty possible. I do think they are better built.
Arthur Conan Doyle
cetu...@gmail.com wrote:
>I'm having problems deciding what to buy myself. Plumbers will tell you tha=
>t 6 year warranties are the same as 12 year ones but I tend to doubt that. =
>If you look at every single brand, you will find massive complaints about e=
>very single manufacturer so it's luck of the draw..but I'm sticking with a =
>12-year warranty water heater. Most likely the less bells-and-whistles the =
>better. JUST PRAY!
>
>But I'd get a water heater with the longest warranty possible. I do think t=
>hey are better built.=20
>
>
>On Tuesday, May 13, 2003 at 7:27:40 PM UTC-4, Peter Werner wrote:
>> The water heater in my house is 20+ years old and no longer heats
>> water efficiently. I want to pick up a new one, but good advice on
>> what to pick up is in short supply. Consumer Reports apparantly hasn't
>> rated water heaters in over 15 years, Productopia doesn't rate them
>> either, and waterheaterrescue.com gives fairly cryptic advice.
>> exposed, hex-head, magnesium anode installed in it" with "a
>> full-length outlet rod in the hot port", an insulation rating of R-16
>> or better, and as good of a recovery rate as possible. Any idea where
>> I can find this kind of cryptic information about a product?)
>> heaters. Are the latter really better? I am willing to spend the extra
>> money on quality if there really is a difference. On the other hand, a
>> couple of people (including the plumber who I'm going to have do the
>> installation) tell me that there really is no important difference and
>> to just go for the 6-year model. Any advice?
>> plumber wants to sell me) vs Rheem vs AO Smith. Any one of these
>> better than the other in comparable models? Any advantage for buying
>> these under a "band name" like GE or Whirlpool?
>> Peter