Which model water heater?

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Khayes

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I'm getting ready to replace my old hot water heater. Help me decide between GE, Whirlpool, Kenmore, or none of these. All are 50 Gal., natural gas, 12-yr warranty, with costs and installation in the same ballpark.
Thanks.
 

Gary Swart

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Whirlpool heaters are no good. The GE/Rheem are very good. Who knows what manufacturer makes the Kenmore.
 

Ian Gills

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I have a Kenmore and it is not bad. 16 years old now and still going without any rust.

Yeah, it will need to be replaced soon and I will replace it with something better, but let's face it. Water heaters are hit and miss.

You can buy a new one from any brand and it could go duff in a year. We all know people who have had experience of that.

Out of interest, what would I expect to pay for someone to replace my existing 30 gallon gas water heater with a 30 gallon Bradford White. Ball park figure, assuming no complications like the need for an expansion tank which of course there will be?
 
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Livin4Real

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Our local electric company SCIREMC has a member meeting every year and if you attend the meeting you can buy a brand new 50 gallon Rheem electric for $53. We just went to it a couple weeks ago and picked one up, you can get one every year if you want, can't beat that! Our one that's installed now is from the meeting a couple years ago, it's a Rheem and we haven't had any problems with it.
 

Tom in Dallas

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Whirlpool!!!!

Whirlpool!!!!

Made the mistake of buying a whirlpool water heater about two and a half years ago. Got the letter earlier this year concerning the thermocouple, stating that if I send $8 for shipping they would send me the $15 thermocouple in case mine went out. Figured that mine had been working fine for 2 years, plus it didn’t seem to make sense to pay $8 for a $15 part that I might not even need (at the time). Then I received info concerning a ‘class action lawsuit’ involving a faulty THERMOCOUPLE, so it was no surprise last night when I went to take a shower and had no hot water! Stopped by my local Lowes on my way home from work and guess what! Not only do they not have the part, they had pulled them all off the shelf and no longer stock them. So after spending about an hour on the phone with a phone tech in India, I got my replacement part ordered, cost me $18 for shipping and it’s supposed to be shipped ‘next day’. I had no idea that whirlpool / lowes was selling a known defective product (JUNK).
Anyway, I guess I’ll clean out the air inlet and install this new part, and use the heater until it dies again.
Question: I live in Dallas, TX, where can I get a good water heater? Or a Bradford White??
 

theelviscerator

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I just put in this unit and I swear it's the old style burner..

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...Water+Heaters&sName=Natural+Gas+Water+Heaters

I replaced a 22 year old kenmore in working condition, because the sizing was the same....

I did NOT want the new burner assy, since it costs more, and is more susceptible to failure....

It has NO lint filter or any parts I don't see on the 1985 model it replaced...
 

Cwhyu2

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I replaced a 20 yr old 30 gal kenmore with a40 gal rheem that was 1 yr old.
Used and for free it still working fine 12 yrs later.
 

Tom in Dallas

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cwhyu2 said:
I replaced a 20 yr old 30 gal kenmore with a40 gal rheem that was 1 yr old.
Used and for free it still working fine 12 yrs later.

Don’t think I’ll have that kind of luck with new water heaters. Definitely want to go w/ pro-grade WH next time around, as opposed to buying the home depot/lowes special, made who knows where from parts manufactured in some third world country!!
 

Cwhyu2

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I would go rheem or bradford/white.You need an expansion tank installed
at the same time as to keep your warrenty valid.Try aplumbing supply and ask for pro grade W/H allthough they are usually
reserved for plumbing contracters.
 
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Got_Nailed

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Our POCO gives out State water heaters.
40 gallons $40
50 gallons $50
They had one bigger but I for got what it was.

I got 2 40 gallon tanks. As I was about to leave I sad something about the lower elements if they were the cheap ones and the dude said that hew was selling the water dogs for $10. I jumped on 2 of them.

I do not like state water heaters but for spending $100 for 2 40 gallon tanks is not too bad.


As far as what to get I would go for the Bradford out of a plumbing supply house and get an expansion tank with it.

bw_defender_label.jpg
 
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Got_Nailed

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Thank you hj I did forget about that. In the towns I work in you have to have an expansion tank on every water supply; well and town water.

We have so many local codes that no one else ever deals with. I do know that the first of the year we will be using the 2008 NEC the rest of the state is planning on switching in 2009 or 2010.
 
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