Apologize in advance, common question: gas water heaters

[oldberkeley]

I realize that many retail stores are selling the same water heater with a different label (very confusing for consumers!)

Anyway, is the GE 40 gal., tall, 36,000 BTU sold at Home Depot (Model#6G40T06AVG01) the same product as the Richmond with the same specs (Model#6G4036F1)? And if so, is it a Rheem? TIA.

 

[DonL]

I realize that many retail stores are selling the same water heater with a different label (very confusing for consumers!)

Anyway, is the GE 40 gal., tall, 36,000 BTU sold at Home Depot (Model#6G40T06AVG01) the same product as the Richmond with the same specs (Model#6G4036F1)? And if so, is it a Rheem? TIA.

Not sure the difference, but Rheem is correct. The Richmond is made in a different plant than the GE, as far as I know.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Dj2]

Water heater makers sell their water heaters under various labels, that's not new.
Rheem makes Richmond, Ruud and GE. AO Smith makes Reliance, Kenmore, AO Smith.
And so on.

 

[Terry]

I find it interesting that I've been pulling out fairly newish GE water heaters. They didn't seem to last very long. Plastic drains too.

 

[Jadnashua]

Using a plastic drain valve is a cost savings for the manufacturer, and therefore more common on brands sold at big-box stores where they try to have the lowest priced item available. Should you end up with one of those, nothing says before installation, you can't replace it with a high-quality, more robust one. But, since few people do the recommended draining, it only becomes an issue if it gets hit and cracks, or when it's time to replace, and no longer opens, making it harder to drain the tank. HD sells various versions of the GE WH, with various length warranties, and those with the longer warranty do have a brass drain valve. They also allow you to buy an extended warranty for the less expensive ones, that is still cheaper than buying the longer version directly, but you miss out on the little things like a better drain valve.