40 gallon gas water heater

@walterjay, what are your thoughts on replacing a tank with a tankless unit? Have a 18 year old AO Smith 50 gallon that Is taking longer and longer to heat. Gets annual flushes and rod inspections and all is good so far. Have the ability to run intake/exhaust pipe to exterior wall without problem since unit is in the garage.
 
If you can risk a bit of water on the floor where it is located, I would wait until it fails. May get as much as another 5 to 10 years, you never know. If replacing your tank, I would replace with a unit that does NOT require an electrical supply. Although less efficient, the added complexity of those requiring powered vents with an electric supply impacts their reliability. I would also buy one with the longest warranty (12-years?).

For what it's worth, there is nothing wrong with Bradford White hot water tanks, other than they may be a bit more costly. A.O. Smith may also be worthy of consideration. My Kenmore is over 20 years old (probably jinxed it now) and still going strong. As a precaution I always turn the water off when going away for an extended period.
 
shortyb said:
@walterjay, what are your thoughts on replacing a tank with a tankless unit? Have a 18 year old AO Smith 50 gallon that Is taking longer and longer to heat. Gets annual flushes and rod inspections and all is good so far. Have the ability to run intake/exhaust pipe to exterior wall without problem since unit is in the garage.
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I am a bit on the fence with the tankless heaters. I neither like nor dislike them.

A lot depends on the application. If you do not have to upgrade your gas system/supply line that is a plus. The higher btu requirements of those heaters often require a supply line upgrade.

They do save some space and money but I am not convinced that in the long run you come out ahead. They require regular flushing with an acid to keep them working correctly. Also any breakdown is a bit more complex than a tank heater and repair more costly.

If you move forward with one I recommend only Rheem tankless based on my experience. They are pretty trouble free and have a good system for getting parts if needed. I have only had one Rheem give me trouble which says a lot. Other brands have had much more problems in my experience.

So it is sort of like do you prefer a solid V-6 engine or a dual turbo version of a V-6. Which will be a more simple and easy to work on and potentially less problematic option? Each has their pros and cons.

In short there is no perfect answer.
 
RaymondP said:
Bradford White hot water tanks, other than they may be a bit more costly
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I looked at those water heats on a local plumbing supply company's website (actually, it was Ferguson, which appears to be a nationwide company with local supply houses). The cheapest unit was $900, up to $2000. I don't know if their website is showing "retail" pricing and a plumber will pay less, but you or I will be paying that $900 and up prices, if they even sell to non-plumbers.
 
I like my Rheem heat pump type. It’s DIY friendly for the install, maintenance, and repairs. I’ve had two repairs in four years; one main computer panel (power surge zapped it good) but Rheem overnighted me a new one. Sub 5 minute repair. Second repair was a temperature sensor for the heat pump; Rheem sent me a new one. 5ish minute repair. Their support staff is excellent and can walk any homeowner through diagnosing and repairing the devices. The warranty is excellent; 10 years for parts including shipping and it is underwritten to cover DIY installation unlike some brands that require licensed plumbers.
 
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Jay3702 said:
Absolutely nothing but I’m guessing it’s at the end of its life.
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One can react or be proactive. To have a 16 year old water heater (as some have stated above)-especially if it's any where that can be flooded-is foolhardy. Ours was 11 years old-the average age when a water heater goes bad in Utah is 12-it was proactively replaced with a Rheem.
 
Tankless, too much complexity and failure prone IMO. Especially with hard water. A buddy went through 2 in 11 yrs on city water when a contractor doing a remodel sold him on the idea to gain a little more space.
Savings on operating costs, yes but bank that for replacement / repair costs IMO.
Buy the longest warranty tank, a few bucks more initially but most will outlast the warranty period and drain them periodically.
 
repairman54 said:
Tankless, too much complexity and failure prone IMO. Especially with hard water. A buddy went through 2 in 11 yrs on city water when a contractor doing a remodel sold him on the idea to gain a little more space.
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My friend has a natural gas Rinnai tankless water heater and absolutely hates it. Several times a year when wind gusts are high, the flame gets snuffed out and they get no hot water until it resets after clearing the fault code. Their plumber has reworked the exhaust flume twice, but it still occurs, just less frequently.

repairman54 said:
Buy the longest warranty tank, a few bucks more initially but most will outlast the warranty period and drain them periodically.
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This approach may or may not be the best financial strategy based upon the cost differential and the water supply quality in your locale. I installed an electric 40 gallon Rheem water heater in 2010 from Home Depot that is working perfectly today. It had a 6 year warranty ($429) compared to the premium Rheem unit with a 12 year warranty ($609).

My decision was based on the previous Rheem manufactured (GE labeled) water heater with a 6 year warranty that lasted 13 years (1997-2000). For appliances, I believe simplicity equals reliability; hence, no need for complex WiFi or digital control features on a water heater.
 
Nukeman7 said:
My friend has a natural gas Rinnai tankless water heater and absolutely hates it. Several times a year when wind gusts are high, the flame gets snuffed out and they get no hot water until it resets after clearing the fault code. Their plumber has reworked the exhaust flume twice, but it still occurs, just less frequently.
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This sounds like an issue having to do with the exhaust getting sucked into the intake.....or some type of gas, such as vent from a service regulator. Send me some pictures of the setup, and I can advise on what to do.

Probably a code 11.

More times than not.....these issues have to do with installation envelope rather than a fault of the unit. They just cant go anywhere, and can be picky to environmental stimulus, but normally it is created condition.

I have bought, installed and warrantied 100s of Rinnai. They are the best out there.
 
burbguy82 said:
This sounds like an issue having to do with the exhaust getting sucked into the intake.....or some type of gas, such as vent from a service regulator. Send me some pictures of the setup, and I can advise on what to do.

Probably a code 11.

More times than not.....these issues have to do with installation envelope rather than a fault of the unit. They just cant go anywhere, and can be picky to environmental stimulus, but normally it is created condition.

I have bought, installed and warrantied 100s of Rinnai. They are the best out there.
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Thanks for the good advice and offer to help. (y) I believe he said they were getting a Code 10.

His wife got fed up with the situation and they recently replaced it with a conventional electric A.O. Smith 50 gallon tank water heater. The Rinnai unit was replumbed to only feed the utility sink in the garage workshop where the usage demand is infrequent.
 
BW heaters can be purchased by anyone from a plumbing supply house, but since they are big on the "pro" installation, a warranty claim from a DIY installation might carry some friction.

The last one I had installed, the guy said there wasn't much to be gained from paying more for one beyond the standard model with 6-year warranty.

Also left unmentioned is the quality of the water supply has an effect on the durability of the heater.
 
On thing I do on my Reem gas hot water tank is do a drain and fill each year to remove sediment from the bottom...
 
Still going strong after 25 years.

IMG_9425.webp
 
BrendanC said:
it is hooked up now, had to go back to the drawing board on vent routing and it was roughly 1am when that photo was taken on a saturday night.
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I assumed the photo was taken before you were done!

However I’m sure you can agree sometimes people do whacky things and if you don’t know the person, well you never know!

Nice job, I notice the control unit, Honeywell ours had one, worked well. Sold the house 2 years ago and drawing a blank on the heater brand🫤
I just know my neighbor/licensed plumber favored the brand and installed it on Christmas Eve when our 12 year old builder gas unit died.
 
alarmguy said:
I assumed the photo was taken before you were done!

However I’m sure you can agree sometimes people do whacky things and if you don’t know the person, well you never know!

Nice job, I notice the control unit, Honeywell ours had one, worked well. Sold the house 2 years ago and drawing a blank on the heater brand🫤
I just know my neighbor/licensed plumber favored the brand and installed it on Christmas Eve when our 12 year old builder gas unit died.
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it’s been rocking and rolling. our shower is probably 5 gpm and we can take steaming hot showers back to back or the wife can be filling the bathtub while i shower and you can’t notice. highly recommend pulling 1” into the house if your meter is that size and splitting to 3/4. shower runs off 3/4 hot and cold. i think it has like a 70ish gallons of hot water in first hour rating.
 
Nukeman7 said:
This unit is similar to my (electric) GE unit that lasted 13 years before I replaced it. Note that while it is labeled GE, the fine print on the bottom of "12 year" label states "Manufactured under trademark license by Rheem Mfg. Co.".
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never noticed that until I went down to look at it now. Hard water around here, electric ones don’t seem to last by neighbors experiences.
Friends have their water heater as part of the baseboard system, tank failed after 6 years and expensive to replace.
 
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