On my 4th water heater in 16 years

[Pepi]

First one, Rheem lasted 6 years, second one Rheem, lasted 6 years and blew the top off and flooded the back part of my home Replaced the Rheem with a Bradford White. I was told they are built like a tank. Just replaced it at 4 years ... leaking. Bradford White replaced it under warranty but I could not install it myself so this costed 150 for labor

Jesbus !!! any company make a good gas water heater nowadays/anymore

[sleewell]

that is honestly one of my worst fears as my jam room is very close to my water heater. i replaced mine when i bought the house and 4 years later am going strong. sorry to hear about that though, certainly not catching a break at all in that dept.

can you do one of those tankless ones? i cant bc i have a wood foundation but they seem really cool.

[Yarbicus]

We had to replace ours in 2001, about a year after moving in. Has run like a champ since. I check on the brand when I get home.

[ovid9]

I just had one put in a couple years ago. Cannot remember the brand off the top of my head. I'll try and check.

The water here is really really loaded with minerals so if it lasts 10 years I'll be happy.

[Pepi]

that is honestly one of my worst fears as my jam room is very close to my water heater. i replaced mine when i bought the house and 4 years later am going strong. sorry to hear about that though, certainly not catching a break at all in that dept.

can you do one of those tankless ones? i cant bc i have a wood foundation but they seem really cool.

I'm sure this Bradford White they put in today won't last that long. They're fucking junk. Next time I will put in a tankless. Just the wife and I so I'm sure it would do fine.

[ovid9]

I'm thinking mine is an A.O. Smith, but I really am not sure. I'll try and remember to look.

[Diocide]

What kind of water heaters are we talking about? Gas, electric?

If its gas or electric, it's planned obsolescence. They could make heaters that last a lot longer (and there are types that do) but they would cost more. They have to balance what people are willing to pay, with the construction of the tank.

What kind of heating do you have? If an indirect is an option, I'd reccomend looking into that. Tankless heaters are kind of overblown, and not really the end all be all they are purported to be.

If you must stick with a conventional gas or electric, get a 10 year warranty model. And also, don't buy them at home centers. Have a contractor get one at a supply house. The warranties differ from home centers.

[ovid9]

What kind of water heaters are we talking about? Gas, electric?

If its gas or electric, it's planned obsolescence. They could make heaters that last a lot longer (and there are types that do) but they would cost more. They have to balance what people are willing to pay, with the construction of the tank.

What kind of heating do you have? If an indirect is an option, I'd reccomend looking into that. Tankless heaters are kind of overblown, and not really the end all be all they are purported to be.

If you must stick with a conventional gas or electric, get a 10 year warranty model. And also, don't buy them at home centers. Have a contractor get one at a supply house. The warranties differ from home centers.

I will buy many many things from home centers but water heaters/furnaces/whole home AC units would not be on that list.

[Pepi]

The two Bradford White water heaters came from a supplier. It went out before the two that came from Menards. Even had a 7 year warranty on it.

You don't always get what you pay for

[marshallnoise]

If you have crappy water, your water heater dies sooner. They fill up with sediment and should be flushed empty every 6 months or so. Plus, if you have tons of calcium in your water, that also destroys them.

9 years is pushing it on most any water heater.

[PurpleTrails]

If you have crappy water, your water heater dies sooner. They fill up with sediment and should be flushed empty every 6 months or so. Plus, if you have tons of calcium in your water, that also destroys them.

9 years is pushing it on most any water heater.

I can't believe it, but I agree with marshallnoise. Expect to see pigs flying any minute now.

FWIW Pepi, I've actually had good luck just going to Sears and buying one of their mid-range water heaters. Never go for the cheapest models because they'll fall apart sooner.

[Pepi]

If you have crappy water, your water heater dies sooner. They fill up with sediment and should be flushed empty every 6 months or so. Plus, if you have tons of calcium in your water, that also destroys them.

9 years is pushing it on most any water heater.

I can't believe it, but I agree with marshallnoise. Expect to see pigs flying any minute now.

FWIW Pepi, I've actually had good luck just going to Sears and buying one of their mid-range water heaters. Never go for the cheapest models because they'll fall apart sooner.

You don't get my point. I had two of those cheapest builder grade units that both lasted 6 years each. I paid 600.00 bucks for the Bradford White that was suppose to be so great and would go at least 15 years. It lasted 4 years.

I also don't have shitty water. I'm on city water with a filter system and a water softener. The guy that installed my new unit told me he has a customer that was only getting around 1 year on his water heater. The last one he replaced for him they re-plumbed the unit with something beside copper. He said he is going on two years with this unit?

[PurpleTrails]

If you have crappy water, your water heater dies sooner. They fill up with sediment and should be flushed empty every 6 months or so. Plus, if you have tons of calcium in your water, that also destroys them.

9 years is pushing it on most any water heater.

I can't believe it, but I agree with marshallnoise. Expect to see pigs flying any minute now.

FWIW Pepi, I've actually had good luck just going to Sears and buying one of their mid-range water heaters. Never go for the cheapest models because they'll fall apart sooner.

You don't get my point. I had two of those cheapest builder grade units that both lasted 6 years each. I paid 600.00 bucks for the Bradford White that was suppose to be so great and would go at least 15 years. It lasted 4 years.

I also don't have shitty water. I'm on city water with a filter system and a water softener. The guy that installed my new unit told me he has a customer that was only getting around 1 year on his water heater. The last one he replaced for him they re-plumbed the unit with something beside copper. He said he is going on two years with this unit?

I don't know what to tell you, because I have two houses (one a rental) on hard city water and I am getting about 9-10 years on a mid-range water heater. Last one I put in the rental about 3 years ago, had to replace the one on my house maybe 7 or 8 years ago.

Things like washers and dryers certainly don't run as long as they used to, though. I think the average on them used to be 13 years, now you see 8-9 years before they totally crap out.

[100 watt]

When we were re-building my bathroom after my home was flooded, I was thinking about encasing the closet my hot water heater is in (roughly 3' x 3 ' ) panels like are used for stand up shower stalls, in the event of the hot water heater busting up. I wish now that I had done it. It could have been easilly done..just a bit costly. I think it mighta been worth doing, just in case.

I still dont have my laundry room completed yet. I've found rolls of PVC rubber mat (probably 1/8th inch thick) that I want to put down over the sub flooring, before I put the vinyl flooring down. That would be some extra protection for the sub flooring, in the event of a washing machine water hose failing.

I never wanna have to tear out floors ever again. I had 1 ft of the ohio river standing in my house lol. gutting a house down to the floor joists is a MOTHERFUCKER of a time ha ha. I burned up 7 or 8 sawzalls, just cutting out the old sub flooring. My house was built in the 80's, so it had a layer of plywood, and a layer of MFD over the top of it. I couldnt tell you how much I spent just on blades lol.

[Axe]

I don't know about the States, but up here in Canada most people I know rent theirs through utility companies. I pay $15 a month and I never have to worry about repairs or buying a replacement.

[100 watt]

I can replace mine prety much by myself..but have to call a plumber to solder the pipes back together. I can do it, but trust a plumber's work more than mine. Luckilly, I have an AWESOME plumber. if he sees things that are about to go south, he'll fix them while he's there & usually doesnt charge extra for small things . (replacing a small valve, etc). Does some really neat & clean work too.

[Pepi]

Any of you guys ever build a home DON'T have let them put the furnace or water heater in the house. THEY BELONG IN THE GARAGE! Learned my lesson on this one

[VTM]

Like marshallnoize said flush out your water heater every 6 months. If you're not comfortable doing this yourself hire a plumber so you don't end up damaging your water heater.

I think someone may have mentioned this but some utility companies offer a warranty plan above and beyond the factory warranty. I've never really checked into it so they may be a total ripoff, but worth mentioning just in case. I go through Xcel Energy and I know they offer something like that.

[Diocide]

Any of you guys ever build a home DON'T have let them put the furnace or water heater in the house. THEY BELONG IN THE GARAGE! Learned my lesson on this one

It's tough to do that in the colder climates... Also, a lot of times people try and enclose mechanical rooms, which need a certain amount of air space, ventilation etc...

You didn't answer any of my points earlier, but I'll ask one more question, do you every check your anode rods and/or change them? They're instrumental in water heater longevity.

[Pepi]

Any of you guys ever build a home DON'T have let them put the furnace or water heater in the house. THEY BELONG IN THE GARAGE! Learned my lesson on this one

It's tough to do that in the colder climates... Also, a lot of times people try and enclose mechanical rooms, which need a certain amount of air space, ventilation etc...

You didn't answer any of my points earlier, but I'll ask one more question, do you every check your anode rods and/or change them? They're instrumental in water heater longevity.

Been reading about the anode rods in water heaters. I always assumed the rod would last for years (WRONG). Looks like I will be changing mine every two years. Thanks

I also wonder how I came to this searching for anode rods LOL

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnKtlTXF2Rc[/video]

[Diocide]

Any of you guys ever build a home DON'T have let them put the furnace or water heater in the house. THEY BELONG IN THE GARAGE! Learned my lesson on this one

It's tough to do that in the colder climates... Also, a lot of times people try and enclose mechanical rooms, which need a certain amount of air space, ventilation etc...

You didn't answer any of my points earlier, but I'll ask one more question, do you every check your anode rods and/or change them? They're instrumental in water heater longevity.

Been reading about the anode rods in water heaters. I always assumed the rod would last for years (WRONG). Looks like I will be changing mine every two years. Thanks

I also wonder how I came to this searching for anode rods LOL

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnKtlTXF2Rc[/video]

Hell, if you have some really aggressive water, you might need to change them more often than two years. Check it after a year or so and see how it's doing. Use that as a gauge as to how often you might need to change it.