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Best water heater brand?
Posted on 4/24/23 at 10:43 pm
Posted on 4/24/23 at 10:43 pm
I have a Rheem from 2014 in my home and have had no issues since buying the house in 2016 but it’s time to get a bigger one. My instinct is to stick to Rheem since it’s done very well for me so far but are there other brands that might be better? I see Lowe’s sells AO Smith but I know absolutely nothing about that brand. Which is the best brand to go with?
7
Posted on 4/25/23 at 5:57 am to TDsngumbo
From what I have been told, there is no difference between the same line of heaters. Example the standard Rheem with a 6 year warranty is identical to the Rheem with a 12 year warranty. The extended warranty is basically built into the price.
A basic water heater is a pretty simple appliance. Tank, heater elements and thermostat control. Most parts are probably made by an outside manufacture.
Annual flushes on any brand is probably more important than the actual brand.
A basic water heater is a pretty simple appliance. Tank, heater elements and thermostat control. Most parts are probably made by an outside manufacture.
Annual flushes on any brand is probably more important than the actual brand.
This post was edited on 4/27/23 at 6:42 pm
Posted on 4/25/23 at 7:33 am to TDsngumbo
FWIW, the originals in my house were Rudd (=Rheem) when I changed them proactively last year - nearly 30 years old and still going strong without a single issue in all those years.
My BIL is a plumber and he installed Rheem to replace the older unit (1 of the 2 was changed to tankless). My unit was bought from a plumbing supply house at his cost (about $550 if I recall correctly - 40 gal, 50 gal was about the same price). It does have brass water drain valve and not plastic as you typically see in the big box store models but that can be changed out at the house during install if you want.
My BIL is a plumber and he installed Rheem to replace the older unit (1 of the 2 was changed to tankless). My unit was bought from a plumbing supply house at his cost (about $550 if I recall correctly - 40 gal, 50 gal was about the same price). It does have brass water drain valve and not plastic as you typically see in the big box store models but that can be changed out at the house during install if you want.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 9:39 am to CrawDude
quote:
nearly 30 years old and still going strong without a single issue in all those years
That's impressive. You want get that type of lifespan with the horse shite water heaters they make now-a-days.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 9:54 am to Arkapigdiesel
Surely some are better than others but much of it depends on where you live and the quality of water running through it
Posted on 4/25/23 at 12:39 pm to CrawDude
That’s good to hear. I bought a 50 gallon Rheem this morning. Hopefully I’m not buying another one until at least ten years from now 
Posted on 4/25/23 at 2:38 pm to TDsngumbo
Bought the same one , unfortunately it was in my attic. Getting old one out was not fun .
Posted on 4/25/23 at 3:52 pm to TDsngumbo
quote:
That’s good to hear. I bought a 50 gallon Rheem this morning. Hopefully I’m not buying another one until at least ten years from now
Replace the anode rod when appropriate and it will last WAY longer than 10 years.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 4:06 pm to notsince98
quote:
anode rod
Sorry, I’m ignorant to this. What is that? The heating element?
Posted on 4/25/23 at 6:58 pm to TDsngumbo
A gas Rennai on-demand is pretty awesome. Check them out. Why keep water hot when you're not using it? Go on-demand.
Posted on 4/25/23 at 9:15 pm to Tigre85
quote:
Bought the same one , unfortunately it was in my attic. Getting old one out was not fun .
Is it true they can just be left up there?
Posted on 4/25/23 at 11:07 pm to Bayou
My plumber suggested I move mine to the attic but admitted the cost would be high. He said most newer homes today have them there but it’s a recipe for disaster when it leaks. I chose to keep it out of my attic. Really don’t want that headache down the road.
Posted on 4/26/23 at 12:03 am to TDsngumbo
Rheem and AO Smith are two very good brands. Why not go with tankless?
Posted on 4/26/23 at 6:54 am to LSUDad
Because that would require me to have four additional 40 amp double pole breakers, which I have no room for.
Posted on 4/26/23 at 7:51 am to TDsngumbo
Surprised no one mentioned a Marathon water heater.
Posted on 4/26/23 at 8:14 am to CrawDude
I’m in the market for a new hot water heater as well. I’ve been looking at the reviews on the Rheem they sell at Home Depot and there’s a surprising amount of negative reviews. Seems like most of them steam from problems with the plastic drain valve. Seems like a no brainer to just replace it with a brass one before installing it. Is this what your BIL(plumber) recommended?
Posted on 4/26/23 at 8:50 am to Arkapigdiesel
quote:
You want get that type of lifespan with the horse shite water heaters they make now-a-days.
That pretty much applies to almost ANY appliance you buy now. About 10 years ago I had to replace my 25 yr. old washing machine and decided to go with the Whirlpool Cabriole model washer and dryer set and put my 25 yr. old dryer to the curb with a sign that said "Works" and it was gone in a flash.
Long story short, the washer went south in 7 years and needed replacing----SEVEN YEARS. I called a guy that has a business in N.O. selling used washers and dryers up on Metairie Rd. and told him what I had and I'd drop it off to him so he could salvage parts and he told me to just put it to the curb with the dryer. At the time he dealt with older, more simple machines without all the electronic crap newer ones have.
Since Katrina I'm now on my second side by side refrigerator, wall oven, washer/dryer and dishwasher.
Oh, but the electric 40 gal. water heater installed in late 05 is still doing great.
Posted on 4/26/23 at 8:56 am to TDsngumbo
quote:
Sorry, I’m ignorant to this. What is that? The heating element?
The anode rod is a sacrificial element that corrodes away to prevent your heater tank from corroding away.
The anode rod is about $20. If you dont have a water softener, an anode rod will last about 6 years (hence the 6yr warranties). If you have a water softener, they will last closer to 2 years. They take about 3 minutes to replace most of the time. You just unscrew the old anode rod out the top of the tank and screw in the new anode rod.
As long as you replace the anode rod before it is depleted (should be inspected yearly, which also coincides with yearly tank emptying/flushing), the tank will not corrode or fail. It wont prevent heating elements from failing if they get covered in sediment but that is the point of the yearly tank flush.
Doing that simple maintenance will extend the life of any water heater well into the decades.
As another note, I believe the 12 year warranty water heaters have 2 anode rods to extend their life. I personally like to get the 6 year and just maintain it better.
This post was edited on 4/26/23 at 8:59 am
Posted on 4/26/23 at 9:19 am to Agrippa
quote:
I’m in the market for a new hot water heater as well. I’ve been looking at the reviews on the Rheem they sell at Home Depot and there’s a surprising amount of negative reviews. Seems like most of them steam from problems with the plastic drain valve. Seems like a no brainer to just replace it with a brass one before installing it. Is this what your BIL(plumber) recommended?
Well my BIL being a plumber gets all his materials from plumbing supplies house and I suspect those water heaters have a few additional upgraded features often not found in the big box store tank water heaters like the brass drain valves, but yes he would not install a tank water heater without a brass drain valve, he’d add one if the water heater had a plastic valve - I asked him this specifically while I was assisting him. The added cost is minuscule relative to the risk down the road.
He told me though only twice in his 40 years career was he hired to change out a water heater (attic), where when he opened the plastic valve to drain the tank and the valve shattered and of course flooded the ceiling and items below.
FWIW, the 2 Rudd tank waters they replaced, 30 years old, had plastic drain valves and they were fine but he was extremely careful with them when we connected a hose to them to drain the tanks before replacement.
Posted on 4/26/23 at 9:51 am to CrawDude
quote:
FWIW, the 2 Rudd tank waters they replaced, 30 years old, had plastic drain valves and they were fine but he was extremely careful with them when we connected a hose to them to drain the tanks before replacement.
You would think with a water heater in the attic, you could find a faucet on a lower level to drain it so you didn't need to even use the drain valve on the tank until it was already mostly empty.
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