New Electric Water Heater

billt460

billt460

Joined
Mar 30, 2015
Messages
13,032
Location
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Last week I noticed my 4-1/2 year old A.O. Smith water heater started leaking. (There was dried rusty water stains in the bottom of the pan). So yesterday morning I set off for Home Depot, and bought a new Rheem with a 9 year guarantee.

Right off the bat the old A.O. Smith wouldn't drain. There was so much rust and sediment at the bottom, it just clogged the hose. I tried turning the water on, in an attempt to help force it out, but no luck.

So I had to take the thing out full of water. I can't put into words how much I enjoyed doing that. I managed to get it out of the garage, and on to the driveway. Then it was a royal pain getting it to the curb.

I'm guessing it was right around 320 pounds of water, (40 gallons), plus the heater itself. So let's call it 400 pounds. When I got it to the end of the driveway, I just let it fall over, then it drained pretty well out of the top fittings. My trash service allows 6 "special pickups" a year. They're coming next Tuesday.

So I have a hillbilly house to look at until then. Nothing like a old water heater sitting in the front yard. The rest of it didn't go too bad. I bought new connection hoses, and a new drain pan. All I have left to do is run the drain for the high pressure relief valve into the sink drain. And fit the drain pan outlet to accept a garden hose.

I got home with the new heater at 7:00 AM, and I was done, and putting tools away by 10:30. Today I hurt too much to do anything. At 72 I'm getting too old for this kind of crap. But I'm too cheap to pay a plumber. I figure with what I saved, I'll buy a new gun.
 
Yeah, today they're made from thinner, cheaper materials. And the brand names have sold out to overseas corporations.

A lot like all that "Bell & Howell" crap they sell on TV. I basically go by the guarantee. The longer the better. If this one lasts 9 years I 'll be happy..... Hell, if I last another 9 years I will be even happier.
 
billt460 said:
Last week I noticed my 4-1/2 year old A.O. Smith water heater started leaking. (There was dried rusty water stains in the bottom of the pan). So yesterday morning I set off for Home Depot, and bought a new Rheem with a 9 year guarantee.

Right off the bat the old A.O. Smith wouldn't drain. There was so much rust and sediment at the bottom, it just clogged the hose. I tried turning the water on, in an attempt to help force it out, but no luck.

So I had to take the thing out full of water. I can't put into words how much I enjoyed doing that. I managed to get it out of the garage, and on to the driveway. Then it was a royal pain getting it to the curb.

I'm guessing it was right around 320 pounds of water, (40 gallons), plus the heater itself. So let's call it 400 pounds. When I got it to the end of the driveway, I just let it fall over, then it drained pretty well out of the top fittings. My trash service allows 6 "special pickups" a year. They're coming next Tuesday.

So I have a hillbilly house to look at until then. Nothing like a old water heater sitting in the front yard. The rest of it didn't go too bad. I bought new connection hoses, and a new drain pan. All I have left to do is run the drain for the high pressure relief valve into the sink drain. And fit the drain pan outlet to accept a garden hose.

I got home with the new heater at 7:00 AM, and I was done, and putting tools away by 10:30. Today I hurt too much to do anything. At 72 I'm getting too old for this kind of crap. But I'm too cheap to pay a plumber. I figure with what I saved, I'll buy a new gun.
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You couldn’t spin the drain valve off once you got the water heater outside the garage? it would have at least made the trip garage to curbside easier.
 
tankless is good with lower demands + in your area water heaters have an easier time. quality costs + longer warrientiers = $$$. 77 YO soon but DIY when i can.
 
Understand your pain. Yesterday I had to pay about $400 to change all the expendable parts on one Kohler toilet. Wife and I can no longer do the bending, stooping and lifting involved in a DIY operation.
 
factorytuned2012 said:
You couldn’t spin the drain valve off once you got the water heater outside the garage? it would have at least made the trip garage to curbside easier.
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I took it off and practically nothing came out. It was one of those cheap plastic ones. The new one has a brass drain valve.

Once I got it to the curb, and tipped it over a lot of rusty water came out. That stuff was nasty and looked like redwood stain. I'm glad I didn't get it all over the concrete.

Luckily we got a good heavy rain last night. It washed a lot of it away.
 
Thermo1223 said:
Just using this as a reference but any full port valve will do. The new brass valve is not a full port. Flush it every 6 months and get a powered anode rod installed and it will last 20+ years.
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I've never been a fan of "servicing" water heaters by flushing or replacing anode rods. For one thing they're a royal pain to remove. You can tweak your plumbing and generate leaks by using a breaker bar. And an impact gun vibrates everything to the point that alone can cause leaks.

Most of today's water heaters are like modern televisions. They are for the most part disposable. By them, use them, replace them. I'm lucky in that my water heater is in the garage. I have very easy access to get them in and out. So it's easier to just replace the thing.

Flushing for the most part only removes a small portion of the sediment, because you have no way to agitate all the crap that is laying at the bottom of the tank. Many plumbers advise against it as well. It's just not worth the aggravation and expense.

I like this guy. He's got a lot of experience and he gets right to the point.

 
JeffKeryk said:
I installed a tankless last time. So far so good.
Water heaters used to last 20 years, or so it seemed. No longer...
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Depends on the brand, hard water and If you check the annode rod. Some newer hot water heaters say they are self cleaning, not sure how that works though.
 
For what it's worth, in the last 40 years or so, I have replaced a total of 4 water heaters in 4 different homes, in 2 different states. 2 were gas fired, and 2 were electric. 2, (including this one I just replaced), were fed off a water softener, and 2 were not.

From what I have experienced, there is really no difference in longevity. At least nothing I could say pointing one way or the other. I've come to the conclusion that your better served buying the longest warranty you can get, at the best price.

Personally, I doubt very many water heaters today will go 20 years. You might, "get a good one" that does. But it's going to be the exception, and not the rule. I would say that mine on average have lasted 4 to 6 years. And that is with just 2 people living in the home.

More people equates to more water being run through the unit, which leads to a shorter life. And as was mentioned above, unfortunately quality has taken a back seat to the bottom line.
 
What are the build quality differences between 6,9 and 12 year warranty electric water heaters that are otherwise identical in appearance, capacity, etc...?
 
Cropduster172 said:
What are the build quality differences between 6,9 and 12 year warranty electric water heaters that are otherwise identical in appearance, capacity, etc...?
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Good question. Answer, I have no idea. You would have to buy one, chop it up, and start measuring thicknesses, coatings, and such. And I doubt that information is even obtainable from the manufacturer.

I base my choosing on, for the most part, these companies are going to set their warranties based on the failure rate of their products. And adjust the warranty times accordingly.

So a unit with a longer warranty, (say 9 years over 4), is going to be built to last at least that long. The company is betting it will, because they have to pony up if it doesn't. This is not based on any type of, "scientific fact". Just my opinion.... Longer warranties usually = better products.

Is that a guarantee?.... Well, yes.
 
billt460 said:
Good question. Answer, I have no idea. You would have to buy one, chop it up, and start measuring thicknesses, coatings, and such. And I doubt that information is even obtainable from the manufacturer.

I base my choosing on, for the most part, these companies are going to set their warranties based on the failure rate of their products. And adjust the warranty times accordingly.

So a unit with a longer warranty, (say 9 years over 4), is going to be built to last at least that long. The company is betting it will, because they have to pony up if it doesn't. This is not based on any type of, "scientific fact". Just my opinion.... Longer warranties usually = better products.

Is that a guarantee?.... Well, yes.
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Bradford -White has a good reputation for longevity but are only available to licensed plumbers as I understand it. Although I'm sure there's a way to purchase one otherwise.
Had one in our beach home that was 25 years old before I replaced it. Previous owner was a contractor/developer. I replaced it with a 40 gallon Whirlpool from Lowe's which is likely a rebadged AO Smith.
I did replace the anode rod twice in 10 years...not for preventative maintenance, but because the hot water smelled like rotten eggs without the zinc anode rod. It took 2 fully charged batteries on my Ryobi impact driver to break free. I put Teflon tape on it when I replaced it the first time. 10 years and going strong still/
 
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