Our friend’s gas water heater is kaput. Tne brand is Bradford White. It lasted 7 yrs. on a 6 yr. warranty. It must be a builders model. I can’t find a local dealer so she probably doesn’t need another one of those.

It’s a 40 gal. 48” X 22” dia. gas heater.

What mid-level quality brand would the knowledgeable plumbing guys here recommend?

I just had a small wet spot at the bottom of my electric water heater 40 gallon so any input on that would be great too. still works fine

im in Florida so im close to Lowes and Home Depot

water heaters are good for between 10 and 12 years

expect to pay about $1000 installed for a new one

I replaced the one in my house in NH that had a very small spot of water - when checked it was probably within a few months of a complete failure (which would have done a lot of damage to the basement) so I just swapped it out

I went with a Rheem from HD, but installation was more because 60-year old single-wall vent was illegal.

I installed my own Bradford White 40 gallon for about $600 which includes supplies and tools. $800-900 was the plumber installed quote.

A few days before Thanksgiving my wife told me there was no hot water on a cold morning. Checked it, and sure enough, no hot water. Ours is a gas water heater and around 12 years old. For sure out of warranty.

I did a check and there would be no immediate plumber support over the coming holiday period (unless you pay ransom level per hour charges). Heard from friends the going replacement price is from $1000 to $1400 bucks.

Figured what could I lose by taking a look at it? Water heaters are not rocket engines. Water heater has no leaks, clean water out of the bottom drain.

I pulled out the burner unit and found this-





I could have probably just soldered in another component but figured it was better to replace the whole unit. There were none available locally, (although Ace Hardware showed one in stock that we couldn't find). Took Ace Hardware a day to get the replacement burner assembly for $38.00 + tax.

I like shiny new things as much as anyone.
But if there is nothing wrong with the water heater shell itself sometimes it is worth taking a look at it-

quote:

water heaters are good for between 10 and 12 years

Tell that to my two neighbors who have the original heaters to their respective houses. Installed in 1922.

Ours was from 1908, and got replaced in 2007.

Sure don't make them like that anymore.!

New water heater energy efficiency standards took effect April 2015, so any unit built after that has to comply. However, if one doesn't want the latest, there are still older ones in the supply chain.

Since your friend's is less than 55 gallons, a newly manufactured one may be an inch or two larger and can likely be placed where the old one was unless it was in a very tight spot.

Our last gas water heater, a 40 gal. Lochinvar, lasted fifteen years. I had it replaced before we went on vacation because it was running on borrowed time. (Having your water heater schitt the bed while you're several hundred miles away, on vacation, would be no fun.)

After a consult with our HVAC people, we had them replace it with another 40 gal. Lochinvar.

It is my understanding a gas-fired water heater should get you ±12 years of service--depending upon duty cycle and water characteristics.

Ours was full of sediment at the bottom. Turns out I should have been draining it from the bottom once-a-year or so, to clear that stuff out.

(Hmmm... Come to think of it: I think that means it's overdue...)

I think it was about $850, installed.

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water heaters are good for between 10 and 12 years

Gas or electric? My limited experience is that similar quality gas units generally last longer, depending a good bit on water quality. YMMV.

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Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:

quote:

water heaters are good for between 10 and 12 years

Tell that to my two neighbors who have the original heaters to their respective houses. Installed in 1922.

Ours was from 1908, and got replaced in 2007.

Sure don't make them like that anymore.!

Could have just replaced the coils and get another 60 years out of it

I had a guy contracted through home depot come and give me an estimate for a 40 gallon water heater a few years ago. He looked at it, pulled out his iPad, consulted some chart and said, "yeah, let's see. Ok that's going to be about $1,400." I laughed in the guys face and told him to take a hike. "Well, don't shoot the messenger you know," he tells me. Whatever, see ya buddy. Freakin' absurd since the price of the water heater I was looking at at HD was around $5-600. So labor is ~$800? Jackass.

I knew the water heater was on its last legs but kept putting changing it off after that as I just didn't get around to doing it. About three months later while I was on the ship of course my wife called me and says there's no hot water. The heater finally crapped out.

I ended finding a guy that day through Home Advisor who quoted me $800 over the phone installed for a 40 gallon gas Rheem unit. I said, sold! He was there in less than 2 hours and had it swapped out in about an hour. Wife paid him $800 in cash. Beautiful. She was happy as a clam because she thought she'd be showering at the gym before work.

Screw home depot for sending that guy to my place. $1,400...I could've smacked the guy.

^^Now THAT is a water heater!!^^

I've got a $400/$500 Rheem from Home Depot because that's what I had instantly available when my last one sprung a leak.

I'm pretty handy, so installing it myself wasn't a problem. 30 minutes or so worth of work. The new heaters are a few inches taller than the old due to the additional insulation. Luckily the original heaters here were on blocks, so by setting the new heater lower to the floor it fit just fine to the original plumbing.

I would think $200 to $300 would be fair for the labor to install it if you were hiring it out.

Is it leaking? Assume so, if not, fix it.

Bradford White is the leader in the 'tanked' water heater industry. Might have been a fluke, or water conditions/usage might have shortened its life.

I'll go out of my way to get a Bradford White, especially if it is "light duty commercial" or better. If not, there is always the home center brands. I remember 20-some years ago GE put out a nice-looking product, available at HD.

Regarding the price to install a water heater:

The job is a liability which does not end after installation. Why price one's labor as a laborer does?

I'm surprised no one has advocated for a tankless unit.

Depending on the circumstances if your friend has a family and does a fair amount of laundry and if he anticipates being in the home for over 5 years I would definitely tell him to go tankless. It will save him money in the long run provided there are no complications installing it.

I would recommend a Navian unit or Rinnai.

A plan came together so fast it made my head spin. Some guys from church got wind of her plight; facing a three week wait for someone to install it.
One guy got her a good discount.
One is delivering it.
Two will remove the old one and get the new one up into the attic.
Another will hook it up and get it going tomorrow.
The heater was $384 and the rest is free.
She’s an old friend, a retired school teacher still having to do some substitute work to survive after just overcoming cancer. I’d say she deserved a break. The only problem was everybody wanted to get into the act.
Thanks for the information guys.

quote:

Originally posted by RAEIndustries:
I just had a small wet spot at the bottom of my electric water heater 40 gallon so any input on that would be great too. still works fine

im in Florida so im close to Lowes and Home Depot

For what it's worth, I just received a quote today for a new 40g RHEEM for $900-$950 installed.
My plumber, who I like, explained that this unit is not the same as those sold in the big box stores under the same name.

YMMV.

Good news.

So, was it leaking?