They don't sell directly to consumers because they believe in supporting the pro's and want the job done correctly. Bradford White | FAQs
It is gas. And I'm just not comfortable doing this myself. I know my abilities and limitations.
Yes indeed...ao owns most..including american water and thus te lowes..lie kenmore,,you never know who made it..best to look and seewhere made..Lochinvar produces Bradford white and they(lochinvar)were just purchased by a.o. Smith.
So basically you looking at the Chevy, gmc, Buick, Cadillac water heaters with most residential units.
Gas powered tankless units are great but stay away from the electric units unless you love an outrageous electric bill.
Glad to see you got your water heater installed after all.
I'll say this and you can take it for what it's worth but when I built my house I had an AO Smith installed and 3 years later the thing leaked water all over my house and caused over $18,000 in damage. They replaced it with another AO Smith and 2 years later it was leaking the same way but fortunately it didn't happen at 2 a.m. so I caught it in time before any major damage. I remember the plumber saying that AO Smith and Bradford White where some of the best and to stay far away from the units sold at Lowe's/Menards etc. Well after the second failure I decided to go to Lowe's and purchase one of those crummy Whirlpool units. That was about 5 years ago and I haven't had one single problem yet and actually I think it heats the water better. I think I paid about $150 for the Whirlpool which was alot cheaper. Oh and I've always had a water softner hooked up and drained the water heater a couple time a year as advised so there was no excuse for those Smith's to leak. Poor craftsmanship in my opinion. I think plumbers recommend what they sell so that they can charge you inflated prices for crappy products.
Let me set the record straight, I do not do this kind of work myself. ...snip
Even the pros have to do it a first time. Easy to check for leaks and depending on the setup you are only talking about one gas connection and 2 water connections
I thought about that too, till I did the research. It was way too expensive and way to complicated to install by me. I don't think my wife and I would get the kind of returns and comfort from it.
I ended up buying a 30 year Richmond gas model after my old one burst on Xmas eve.
there are a couple models that are warrantied for "lifetime" but don't think I ever seen a 30 year warranty on a water heater.
there are a couple models that are warrantied for "lifetime" but don't think I ever seen a 30 year warranty on a water heater.
I've never seen 30 years either.
...but anecdotally, My Mom and Dad moved into their house in 1962. At about the time they moved in, My Dad traded a refrigerator for a water heater. That water heater, used when installed in '62, is still the water heater they use. Granted, it's electric, which stresses the water heater less with less abrupt temp. changes...but 50+ years.
It's my understanding that water heaters fail due to corrosion that begins or accelerates once the anode has been consumed. Is it possible your folks have a water softener or something that would condition the water to minimize that anode wear and scale build up in the bottom?