Warranty Service - Are Some Better?

Hello All, I am new to the forum.

I have a 7 year old (and 2 months) GSW (John Wood) gas water heater which is showing signs of leaking at the top of the tank (damp and crystaline growth around input and output pipes). I notices signs of this problem many months ago but did not give it much thought. That I might still have a valid warranty on the tank did not occur to me. I can't think of the last time I might have made a warranty claim on a consumer product and I am not one to purchase the "extra" warranties offered my manufacturers or retailers.

A couple of weeks ago I was looking at the tank and decided that maybe I should have soemone look at the tank to get an opinion on it's condition. I dug up the paper work from the installation only to find to my dismay that the warranty had expired 2 months ago . Bugger! Should have taken action sooner. The installer took one look and pronounced it as requiring replacement. I am not very happy that the tank did not even last out it's warranty period and asked him if we could pursue a warranty claim. He told me not to bother but I called them anyway this morning only to get a very curt "out of warranty, my hands are tied". Hmmm, not impressed. No new GSW products for me! My installer now wants to put in a Rheem Professional which he claims carries an 8 year warranty. "So what" I am thinking, in my mind a product should well outlast it's warranty period - did I get a dud? I am pretty sure that the heater I replaced 7 years ago lasted the better part of 15 years. Is a Rheem the best I am going to find?

John

warranty

If you go to any plumbing wholesaler, you will see many water heaters that did not outlast their warranty. If it doesn't you get a new heater. If you go over the time period by a week, you get nothing. You have to understand that the only thing on a heater that has that warranty is the tank itself, but it is also the only thing the manufacturer cannot control, since its failure is caused by many factors, such as water quality, water temperature, water volume usage, etc., over which they have absolutely no control. The worst one is Sears Kenmore. They only provide the warranty to the original purchaser. Once the house is sold, even when it is a "lifetime" warranty, the warranty becomes voided.