Given I live alone and have very low hot water usage, Dana recommends I get a well insulated standard electric tank over gas, given that standby loss is more important than cost of the source.
Does any of the following make any real difference?
- 9 year warranty with 2 ½ inch foam insulation and 1 anode rod. Or 12 year warranty with 3 inch foam insulation and 2 anode rods.
- Anode rod aluminum versus magnesium.
- Overheat protection in GE literature, not in the other brand's lit (Kenmore).
I can’t tell if Kenmore (A.O. Smith or State I heard) is a good deal or not. But GE (Rheme) at Home Depot seems no better in internet reviews. Brands like Bradford White are not available to the public.
I'm favoring Sears on its 9-year tank that offers a full 9 year warranty - parts, labor, replacement install if needed, but then I see a plastic valve at the photo bottom, not brass, so wonder if it is cheaply made.
http://www.sears.com/kenmore-38-gal...4232926000P?prdNo=12&blockNo=12&blockType=G12
Does any of the following make any real difference?
- 9 year warranty with 2 ½ inch foam insulation and 1 anode rod. Or 12 year warranty with 3 inch foam insulation and 2 anode rods.
- Anode rod aluminum versus magnesium.
- Overheat protection in GE literature, not in the other brand's lit (Kenmore).
I can’t tell if Kenmore (A.O. Smith or State I heard) is a good deal or not. But GE (Rheme) at Home Depot seems no better in internet reviews. Brands like Bradford White are not available to the public.
I'm favoring Sears on its 9-year tank that offers a full 9 year warranty - parts, labor, replacement install if needed, but then I see a plastic valve at the photo bottom, not brass, so wonder if it is cheaply made.
http://www.sears.com/kenmore-38-gal...4232926000P?prdNo=12&blockNo=12&blockType=G12