Brent Blevins
New Member
Looking to replace twin RUUD Guardians (P2-50F1) plumbed in series. They were built and put into service in 2006. The second WH has a small amount of water in the pan so it appears to have developed a leak and the pilot light will not light. I am a little OCD and just feel like I should replace them both. With that in mind, I have a couple questions...
First question:
Which heater??? I am no plumber but have read the first 45 pages of this forum. I understand each brand is a crap-shoot on quality/longevity. I have read about all the warranty issues for the Home Depot Rheem models and that concerns me. I was looking at the two models below from HD:
Pretty sure it is the same unit from top to bottom with a different sticker...
I called a local supply house that sells to the public and they have a Bradford White Model RG250T6N for$380 and then an extra $150 for the magic sticker that changes the warranty from a 6-year warranty to a 10-year warranty. I didn't see a whole lot of comments on BW versus Rheem. Thoughts? Is the Reem better or should I just buy the BW that has local (and immediate) parts availability? Is the magic sticker worth the $150?
I can also get a Rheem Pro G50-40N-RH62 for $489 from another local supplier.
Second Question:
Again, I am no plumber... I am going to do the work myself because all of the parts I need to do the job are available with the Shark Bite fittings. I can use the stainless steel flex hoses to connect to the existing hard copper lines or replace the hard copper as needed. I can replace the gas lines and use pipe dope on the connection.
What I have a problem with is the thought of installing the thermal expansion tank. It just seems unnecessary. Everything I have read indicates that the bladder fails over time and at that point, they serve no purpose. It makes me wonder how many of those tanks are installed that have failed that will never be replaced. Our water heaters all worked fine before someone came up with what I see as a new income stream for suppliers and plumbers alike. I don't mean that to be insulting, just the way I see it. So the question is, why should I install one?
First question:
Which heater??? I am no plumber but have read the first 45 pages of this forum. I understand each brand is a crap-shoot on quality/longevity. I have read about all the warranty issues for the Home Depot Rheem models and that concerns me. I was looking at the two models below from HD:
Pretty sure it is the same unit from top to bottom with a different sticker...
I called a local supply house that sells to the public and they have a Bradford White Model RG250T6N for$380 and then an extra $150 for the magic sticker that changes the warranty from a 6-year warranty to a 10-year warranty. I didn't see a whole lot of comments on BW versus Rheem. Thoughts? Is the Reem better or should I just buy the BW that has local (and immediate) parts availability? Is the magic sticker worth the $150?
I can also get a Rheem Pro G50-40N-RH62 for $489 from another local supplier.
Second Question:
Again, I am no plumber... I am going to do the work myself because all of the parts I need to do the job are available with the Shark Bite fittings. I can use the stainless steel flex hoses to connect to the existing hard copper lines or replace the hard copper as needed. I can replace the gas lines and use pipe dope on the connection.
What I have a problem with is the thought of installing the thermal expansion tank. It just seems unnecessary. Everything I have read indicates that the bladder fails over time and at that point, they serve no purpose. It makes me wonder how many of those tanks are installed that have failed that will never be replaced. Our water heaters all worked fine before someone came up with what I see as a new income stream for suppliers and plumbers alike. I don't mean that to be insulting, just the way I see it. So the question is, why should I install one?
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