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Looking to buy a new water heater as the current one is on its way out.
When looking for a new water heater, what are some of the things to consider?
Our current water heater is 40,000 btu. Should the next water heater be the same or could it be lower?
Is install pretty easy to do or is professional install recommended?
I'm looking at a Kenmore 50gal from Sears and some others from Home Depot.
The recovery time for a water heater rated less than 40K btu (which is most common) is too slow for many... I looked for a heater in the 70K - 100K for rapid recovery.
I will repeat this again: AVOID water heaters sold at big-box stores. Their quality is horrible. Instead, call some local plumbers and have them install for you either a Bradford White or Rheem unit ONLY. No exceptions.
maybe you could give us one example of why those are better. HD and Lowe's have sold millions of them, and I don't see any complaints on this board and/or class action law suits. Haven't heard of any house fires either. Let me guess..you drive a GM Auto?
Looking to buy a new water heater as the current one is on its way out.
When looking for a new water heater, what are some of the things to consider?
Our current water heater is 40,000 btu. Should the next water heater be the same or could it be lower?
Is install pretty easy to do or is professional install recommended?
I'm looking at a Kenmore 50gal from Sears and some others from Home Depot.
Thanks
Do you know how shut off the water?
Do you know how to turn off the electricity?
Do you know how turn off the gas?
Do you know how to solder water pipes.
Do you know how to extend electrical lines?
Do you know how to run gas lines?
Do you have the tools for all of the above?
Do you have a way to remove the old tank?
Do you have a place to dispose of the old tank?
Not that you will need to do all the above (especially if not gas), but unless your answers are yes it might be best to hire a professional.
You should be able to agree on the price (or within $100.00) ahead of time. The $100.00 difference if some new piping/electrical needs to be run.
If you're handy, it's simple. Gas or electric? The hardest part of replacing the W/H is draining out the water from the old one. Once drained, it is light and easy to pick up. Most have flex lines runing from the wall pipes to the W/H. No soldering required, but not a bad idea to replace the flex lines. Hook up the gas, hook up thye water, trim or extend the exhaust, all very simple for the average handyman.
There are places that advertise in the Penny Saver for dented models. I got a $500 heater for $175 with a dent. It's in the garage, I can live with a dent for a few hundred bucks. That one has been installed for a couple of years with no problem.
One more thing to know. All grades of W/H's are the same, only the warrantee is different. If you buy the top model, it is EXACTLY the same heater as the cheapest model. They slap on a different decal, and give you a longer warantee for all the extra money. It's a con...!!
The Home Depot water heaters are pretty average in terms of performance and reliability. It's the Lowe's ones that have a horrible history and reputation, largely because they tried to put some fancy & unnecessary electronic stuff onto the heater.
All grades of W/H's are the same, only the warrantee is different. If you buy the top model, it is EXACTLY the same heater as the cheapest model. They slap on a different decal, and give you a longer warantee for all the extra money. It's a con...!!
Not true at all, that is a popular urban myth. Yes, some brands of water heaters are indeed built better than others. Look up JD Power's customer satisfaction surveys, and you can see that Bradford White and Rheem are rated #1 and #2, respectively. And yes, the Whirlpool units at Lowes are the worst of all.
The reason why Lowes and Home Depot sell millions of their water heaters is because many people seem to overlook buying one from a local plumber, and are unaware of the quality differences between different brands. The more educated people actually do their research and know that you should go with a Bradford White or Rheem unit.
Basicially, a similar situation occurs when many people buy airfares from Southwest without comparing from other airlines, since they are under the false sense of Southwest being the cheapest 100% of the time.
Not true at all, that is a popular urban myth. Yes, some brands of water heaters are indeed built better than others. Look up JD Power's customer satisfaction surveys, and you can see that Bradford White and Rheem are rated #1 and #2, respectively. And yes, the Whirlpool units at Lowes are the worst of all.
The reason why Lowes and Home Depot sell millions of their water heaters is because many people seem to overlook buying one from a local plumber, and are unaware of the quality differences between different brands. The more educated people actually do their research and know that you should go with a Bradford White or Rheem unit.
Basicially, a similar situation occurs when many people buy airfares from Southwest without comparing from other airlines, since they are under the false sense of Southwest being the cheapest 100% of the time.
You misunderstand what I was saying... Yes there are better brands of heaters.
I was saying within the same brand, which ever one you choose, they usually have three grades. All three grades are the same heater..!!
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