Water Heater Recommendations?

16 years ago

We'll be replacing two gas water heaters; current units are 50 gallons each, both located in attic of one story house. We're looking for long-life and energy efficiency. Have only spoken to one plumber so far; his estimate to provide and install two 10-year Bradford-White heaters was approximately $2,550 to do both. Seems high to me...is it reasonable? When I asked over the phone about specs etc, he didn't have much to say...are all Bradfor-White heaters about the same (aside from size)? What other brands would you recommend? Home Depot carries GE...are they any good?

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Comments (6)

zl700
16 years ago
I will add that a large part of that price is getting the dirty, wet water heaters down from attic and getting new ones up which requires extra manpower and precautions from destroying your flooring.
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mrjones
Original Author
16 years ago
Home Depot and Lowes total prices (including extra for the attic and hauling old units away) are each around $1800 for both heaters. They carry GE and Whirlpool...is there a big difference between those and Bradford-White?
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My home sounds somewhat similar to yours, a large home (mine is 3676 s.f.), the house was plumbed with two water heaters, one at either end of the home (the home is rectangular 2-story). One tankless services the 3 baths (3 showers and 1 jacuzzi tub), the other services the kitchen, laundry room and 1/2 bath. I think whoever setup the plumbing in my house was smart in what they did. I don't see how one water heater is feasible with such a large home. I'm a big fan of tankless water heaters. I converted one of the tanked water heaters (natural gas) to a Noritz gas tankless water heater about 4 years ago and love it plus my gas bill went WAY down. This tankless is servicing the showers and jetted tub and does a great job. It's a 199,900 BTU unit. I'm about to convert the other water heater to tankless as well. I love the idea of the water heaters doing absolutely nothing (not using any energy) when no one is using hot water. I live in a cold climate and the water heaters have to work 24x7 to keep the tank hot, it is cold in the house during the day when no one is home plus the tank water heater I'm about to replace is in the garage where it is cold year round so think how much energy it uses. If you are at all open to entertaining two water heaters make sure and find out if the gas meter is sized to handle them plus whatever else you have on natural gas (e.g., furnace, stove/oven, clothes dryer, fireplace insert). I know people will say tankless unit plus install cost is high and you can keep replacing tank units since they need replacing every x number of years but I like the idea of dealing with the upfront cost then have a low natural gas bill for years.
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One thing zl700 didn't mention and jonnyp alludes to is- do you have moderately hard water, and has the unit been de-scaled? It could be controls, but scaling buildup would eventually cause pressure drop and/or poor performance (detected by the onset of cold incoming water). I don't know about the Takagi's, but the service mode on our Noritz has a bunch of data fields you can see on the display to tell how it's performing. I wrote a bunch down when troubleshooting directly with them early on. I would think there is enough info there to diagnose the problem, if the Takagi has a similar mode. I'd ask for my money back from the original tech and find someone else or ask for a free followup.
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No it's not my third thread about this. I started one previous thread specifically asking about condensing water heaters. And I didn't start the thread until I did a lot of independent research so as to not waste people's time with rudimentary questions. I've ruled out condensing water heaters so now I'm doing my due diligence on regular gas tank water heaters. Is that not allowed? I'm not a plumber. It's a learning process. That's why these forums labeled "advice" exist. I've received a lot of it on Houzz and I'm always grateful for it. I'm the type of person who researches (and maybe over-researches) every decision. It takes longer but I have fewer regrets. If there was no difference between water heaters (which you seem to be implying) then one would just buy the cheapest one with the fanciest marketing materials. But no. What makes a good water heater is a combination of specs, reliability and a company that is responsive to warranty issues (not all readily honor their warranties). I suppose this isn't a question any homeowner can authoritatively answer because they only have anecdotal evidence with a tiny sample size. I was hoping some pros who regularly service and install these could opine on the Bradford White vs Others question. BTW Home Depot has 8 residential gas tank water heaters 75-85 gallons on their website. At least one is in stock in a local store (maybe more, I only checked the closest store) and three others are available for same-day delivery. I'm sure the same can be said of Lowe's and I bet local plumbers can supply them on short notice as well. They aren't nearly as rare as you think.
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Thanks for that RJ. You are right about most of the things you mentioned. Gas tankless will use less energy, they take up less space and they do last longer - especially if you don't have hard water. There are downsides: They take longer for hot water to get to the faucet (5-8 seconds longer), they are often stupid expensive to retrofit, and gas supply, in particular, can be a problem. I don't consider the "tank" issue to be that much of an issue - because if a water heater opens up (catastrophic failure) it's not the 40 gal in the tank, it's the 12 gpm from the supply line that's a problem. What I didn't hear you mention was that you needed continuous hot water - which is one of the big selling points for a tankless heater. You can't re-use your existing vent other than the actual hole in the roof. You can't use the metal flue with either a condensing or non-condensing unit. You live in S. California. Water is an issue - so I'm not sure that running water while you wait for a tankless to get hot is a good plan. I think you should at least consider a hybrid electric heater. They pull heat from the space around the heater and usually cost less to operate even than a tankless gas. They are typically cheaper to install and will not increase the wait time for water. They pair very nicely with Solar (PV). They do use a tank though - so there would be no space savings. They do output cool/dry air which would be a bonus for you. BTW: There are probably significant rebates ($500-800) for installing a hybrid electric heater in your area.
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fahrenheit_451
16 years ago
mrjones,

The price is not bad considering they are to be installed in the attic. Bradford White makes a better than average water heater and sells only to contractors; is it better than both Whirlpool and GE. I recently had a 65 gallon Bradford White installed, and did the research before having it installed. Bradford White model numbers are long so you will need to get the complete number to find out all the specs on the Bradford White website: Spec Sheets, Manuals & Parts List.

However, all this being said, if I knew what I know now, I would have opted for this and wish that I had known about it before installing what we did: VertexÂ Power-Vent Gas Water Heaters
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mrjones
Original Author
16 years ago
By the way, I live in Dallas TX. Hot summers (especially in my attic!), reltively mild winters though it can get pretty cold at times.
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rgoldsmith77
16 years ago
I would consider a Rinnai gas tankless water heater. Way more energy efficient than a tank type and takes up way less space. Check them out at

www.foreverhotwater.com.
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squ1rrel
16 years ago
For your situation, the bradford whites are a better heater, with the addition that the installation and product will be backed by a plumber...I would definitely recommend against Whirlpool with all the troubles their gas heaters. Also, check that contract...they have an addendum for additional charges should they be needed.

Tankless may be a good option, when you consider 100 gallons of water sitting over your head...pans don't necessarily hold it all if you have a major leak. Dallas weather and municipal water means you may not run into some of the traditional Tankless issues.
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Water Heater Recommendations?

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