water heater advice needed

[matyoka]

Thanks for all the great responses. As an update, a local Plumbing company came out and installed a newer version of Bradford White water heater the following day. Warranty deductible was $50 and the company charged $199 to replace it. The warranty DID NOT reset with the new unit and will expire in 2013. All in all, I could not be heapier with the outcome. Yes, it cost me $275 with tax but definetly better than the $748 quote I got from Home Depot. I hope this helps!!!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by matyoka

Thanks for all the great responses. As an update, a local Plumbing company came out and installed a newer version of Bradford White water heater the following day. Warranty deductible was $50 and the company charged $199 to replace it. The warranty DID NOT reset with the new unit and will expire in 2013. All in all, I could not be heapier with the outcome. Yes, it cost me $275 with tax but definetly better than the $748 quote I got from Home Depot. I hope this helps!!!

Now that you don't have much warranty, inspect/replace your anode rod(s) every year or two and your tank will last forever. Once the anode rod goes, the tank will not be far behind and anode rods go quickly with soft water. Your owners info should discuss how to do this or have a handyman do it.

Interestingly my own "9" year conked out last week too. It was a GE and they gave me a new one which I installed myself. The anode rods were totally gone in the old one. It was 5 years old. I never bothered checking the rods.

[matyoka]

Ponderosa,

The subject of the anod rod was brought up and unfortunately the water tank rests on an elevated platform, 20 inches from the garage ceiling. However, according to the technician, there are flexible rods available these days which can be installed without taking the whole tank off the line. Apparently these rods usually extend the life of the tank significantly(up to 20-30 years???).

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by matyoka

Ponderosa,

The subject of the anod rod was brought up and unfortunately the water tank rests on an elevated platform, 20 inches from the garage ceiling. However, according to the technician, there are flexible rods available these days which can be installed without taking the whole tank off the line. Apparently these rods usually extend the life of the tank significantly(up to 20-30 years???).

Height! I never thought of that. My electric is low, though so I have no excuse.

A six year heater has one and a 12 years, two. That is the main difference unless you have digital features that track your usage etc. The GE (Rheem) tech I talked to claimed that you could greatly extend tank life by keeping on top of the anode rod condition. I've never done that. It was a bear getting the ones out of my old unit. All that was left was a rusty wire. I had to use my air wrench and they took some serious hammering before they broke loose. So it might not be a job for the average homeowner, particularly if it's gas and there is no clearance.