GE (Rheem) or Bradford White...

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ssacrf

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I have been lurking at this forum for quite a while, and have learned a lot from other people's troubles...:eek:

It is time to replace my (approx) 14 year old 40 gallon A.O. Smith water heater (original to the house), and it seems pretty clear that the best choices are Bradford White or Rheem...so now the question:

Home Depot sells GE, which from what I understand is made by Rheem (are there any differences b/tw GE and Rheem) ... I am trying to decide between a 50 gallon nat. gas (12 year) at Home Depot vs. a 50 gallon nat. gas (6 year) Bradford White.

any thoughts?
 
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Cwhyu2

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If you can get Rheem do it the ones I installed in 1991 had 5yr tank and 1yr
controls.The longer warrenties cost more for the same tank as the shorter
warrenties.
 

ssacrf

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If you can get Rheem do it.

Thanks for the reply...I had been leaning toward the Bradford White --- is there a big difference between a Rheem from a supply house and a GE from Home Depot?
if so, what are the differences? :confused:
 

Master Plumber Mark

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what is the cost??

the 12 year GE is probably ok....

it probably cost about the same as the 6 year bradford...


the biggest thing we have notices is no one wants to
do the warranty service and reapir work on the GE units o
r the Richmond ones....

Rheem is very cheap about sending anyone out to service their low end lines....

so no one in our town wants to fool with them either

you can have service issues if the heater gives you troubles
 

ssacrf

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Thanks Mark; the Bradford White is almost half the cost of the GE, and from what I gather, it doesn’t make any sense (or cents) to go with the GE --- with proper maintenance I can expect the 6 year Bradford to last well past that, right?
 

ssacrf

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I really appreciate the replies...It has actually been easier to find a supply house that will sell me a Bradford that I can install myself...I can't seem to find any info on a local Rheem rep...(without going through an installer)
 
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hj

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Bw

I hope the supply house is charging you more than what they would sell it to a plumber for. If not, tell us his name so we can avoid going to him.
 

ssacrf

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I hope the supply house is charging you more than what they would sell it to a plumber for. If not, tell us his name so we can avoid going to him.

??? --- What should one pay for a 50 gallon natural gas Bradford White (6 year) :confused:
 

rgonyer

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I hope the supply house is charging you more than what they would sell it to a plumber for. If not, tell us his name so we can avoid going to him.

Why do you say this? As a plumber, aren't you selling your services? Why would you care if an individual can buy the heater at the same price as a plumber? If he can install it himself properly, great - if he can't then he hires you. Of course I would expect a volume discount if I was buying in quantity, but aside from that I don't understand.

I'm not flaming, just looking for insight.
 

Redwood

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Why do you say this? As a plumber, aren't you selling your services? Why would you care if an individual can buy the heater at the same price as a plumber? If he can install it himself properly, great - if he can't then he hires you. Of course I would expect a volume discount if I was buying in quantity, but aside from that I don't understand.

I'm not flaming, just looking for insight.

We expect a trade/volume discount....:D

bw_defender_label.jpg
 
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