Douglas Hansen Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 We're replacing the water heater with a larger one. Any particular brand we should choose? It will be a gas-fired 50-gallon storage-tank type. Thanks
kurt Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 My experience with GE, Lochinvaar, AO Smith, Rheem, State....they all look and feel the same nowadays, near as I can tell.
Jim Katen Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I see more old Rheems than any other brand. My 1992 American is still going strong. I just changed the dip tube and anode rod a couple of months ago.
John Kogel Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 We send the old tanks to China and now we are buying that old steel back as new units. So all bets are off as far as brands go, IMO. I find in my country nothing used to last longer than a Giant, made in Quebec.
kurt Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I see more old Rheems than any other brand. I agree with that, but I don't know if it's due to Rheem quality or the fact that plumbers got a good deal for selling them so they pushed them over over brands, i.e., there's simply more of them out there. At least, there is in Chicago.
Marc Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I just replaced my State with a Rheem. The State was a disappointment, lasted only ten years. We've good water here and 30 year old water heaters are not uncommon. No anodes here, never seen one. My new Rheem doesn't look like my old State at all. Ports are all in different places and dimensions different. It runs out of hot water sooner though, despite same water capacity and element rating. Thinking of adding another one, exact same model, in parallel. Marc
Les Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I have AO Smith tanks. At home I have two 50's that are 14yrs old and have been flawless. I also have couple of 40's that are 18+yrs old at office. I suspect the same unit(s) has several other labels. For me, I want a unit that is no trouble at all. AO Smith would be my choice. PS: Like Kurt we see equal amounts of Rheem/Rudd and AO Smith.
kurt Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I think Les is right on the labeling part. I also suspect a lot of these things are just re-badged units from the same manufacturer/supplier.
davidlord Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Replaced my gas fired storage type a year or so ago with a tankless Rinnai. Not cheap but well worth it.
Scottpat Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I think AO Smith makes States and a few other brands.. They have a large factory in Ashland City TN which is near Nashville.
Les Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Hey David, Why do you like the Rinnai? I can't seem to wrap my wallet around one. Two forty gal in series is nearly perfect for family and only $900 +-.
Bill Kibbel Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I think Bock is probably the best. I think the best of the inexpensive is Rheem.
Tom Raymond Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 BIL has an AO Smith in his house that has been going strong for 43 years. 3 miles down the road I am on my third Rheem in 13 years.
fyrmnk Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 The Rheem customer service is phenomenal, at least for the tankless anyway. I would assume it's good for tank also.
davidlord Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Les, Several reasons I like the Rinnai. 1. Endless hot water. 2. Only runs when hot water is in use. 3. No tank for bacteria and gunk to collect in. 4. Takes up very little space. 5. So far flawless operation. The only negative I can find is the cost.
Les Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 Les, Several reasons I like the Rinnai. 1. Endless hot water. 2. Only runs when hot water is in use. 3. No tank for bacteria and gunk to collect in. 4. Takes up very little space. 5. So far flawless operation. The only negative I can find is the cost. Do you think it cost less for the amount of water you use? BTW, we are one step ahead of a cream can on the wood stove!
kurt Posted January 27, 2015 Report Posted January 27, 2015 I ditched tankless. Long wait to get hot water to the 2nd fl., and use at the kitchen is aggravating because turning the water on and off repeatedly (like one does at the kitchen sink) results in what the industry calls the "cold water sandwich"....the sensors get messed up (or something) and it takes a while to get the hot water rolling again. Maybe that's just the early generation models, but I found it aggravating. Also, the water bill nearly doubled.....no one gets out of the shower, they just stand there. I've got a 12" rain head running a lot more than 2.5 gpm which is part of the problem.
plummen Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 I think Les is right on the labeling part. I also suspect a lot of these things are just re-badged units from the same manufacturer/supplier. Exactly.I had to change a gas valve for a state water heater the other day,Bought a gas valve for a Richmond from menards.Exactly the same part.
davidlord Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 My wait time for hot water with the tankless is the same as it was for the conventional unit and I haven't experienced the "cold water sandwich". There has been no noticeable change in our water usage.
David Meiland Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 We had a Takagi circa 2006. It had a 3 second wait time before it fired, and another 3 seconds to get fully hot, so it added 6 seconds to delivery time. It had the cold water slug issue, mostly bad for rinsing dishes. Have they eliminated these issues from newer models?
kurt Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 I was an early adopter. Bosch. Maybe they've figured it out. 6 seconds I can easily deal with. We were waiting 90 seconds-2 minutes. It was ridiculous. Lots of wasted water. The cold water sandwich part....if they figure that out, I may go back in. In my perfect world, I'd be in brand new with a circulating loop and fully insulated pipes. Then, it's probably perfect.
David Meiland Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 I don't know what the ideal solution is. In most houses there is one water heating appliance for all applications, and we live with the long wait times, wasted water, heat loss from piping runs, various recirc schemes, etc. The main issues are at sinks, where the cold water slug is a problem and the faucet might not even flow enough to cause a tankless to kick in (ours had a 5/8 GPM threshold). I have installed small electric tankless units inside the sink cabinet on a few jobs recently and they are pretty satisfying in terms of performance. You have to run a huge wire from the panel, and you have to spend some money to avoid buying a cheapo heater, but if you can afford it, it works.
ghentjr Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 Late to reply, but Bock is probably the choice.
Les Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 John, Bock is kinda pricey? I have limited experience, but an oil fired one was $2400.
Nolan Kienitz Posted January 28, 2015 Report Posted January 28, 2015 There are only a few W/H manufacturer's left in the USA. So many products are 're-branded' for the applicable vendors. The W/H age files that are in the TIJ Library break some of those down. Below is a cut/paste from InspectApedia and their information relating to USA-made W/H's. Not the best layout for easy viewing, but still ... data is data. ===================================== United States Water Heater Manufacturers & Distributors Mr. LeMarr points out that presently in the U.S. the remaining actual manufacturers of domestic hot water heater heaters are American, A.O. Smith, Bradford White, and Rheem companies, though their products may be branded among the many names listed just above. LeMarr also informs us that water heaters made in Japan and China are entering the U.S. market. Whenever we have updates to this water heater age and identification chart we'll post the latest version of it here. Water heater label-brands currently distributed in the U.S. include Ambassador water heaters, American water heaters, ACE water heaters, A.O. Smith water heaters, Apollo, Aqua Temp, Aqua Therm, Best water heaters, Bosch water heaters,Bradford White, Cafos, Champion, Crosley, Energy Saver, Envirotemp water heaters, GE water heaters, Glascote water heaters, Golden Knight water heaters, GSW, Hotpoint water heaters, JC Penny, Jetglas, JW or John Wood, Kenmore water heaters (Sears Brand), Lochinvar, Lowes, Mainstream, Maytag water heaters, Montgomery Wards, Knight, PermGlas, Reliance water heaters, Revere, Rheem water heaters, Rheem/Rudd/Richmond water heaters, Rinnai, Security, Shamrock water heaters, Standard water heaters, State/Reliance/Sears brand water heaters, Thermo-King, Vanguard water heaters, US Craftsmaster, US Water Heaters, and Whirlpool water heaters. URL to above source: W/H Manufacturers/Brands
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