I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

Im in the market for a new 40gal water heater and am looking for
opinions on brands.....what is good and what is not so good. I dont
want to break the bank but i dont want flooded basement in 5 years
either

Also.....has anyone used the drip pans that are put under water heaters
to control drip? Are they worth it? Seems pointless but maybe im not
looking at it right. IF that sucker decides to go......it will overflow
that pan rendering it useless. IF installed properly the thing shouldnt
drip.

I could see if you had a slow leak....they would be worth it because
you could control the leak. Any thoughts?

Ill tell you i did find that it would appear that they dont make water
heaters like they used too. Most people i read about show failings
after 5 - 12 years with current water heaters. THe mongemery wards unit
i have in my basement is from 1978 and still working. I just want to
replace it before it goes...which cant be long at this point....shes
about 30 years old

I am just looking and researching before i run to sears with my tail
between my legs and buy junk (if kenmore is a bad brand.....i dont
know...heh...thats my question)

I would like to spend 250 - 400. I plan to install it myself.

I would rather not get the extended service junk because it just doesnt
seem worth it on a unit such as a water heater (they fail....thats what
they do). IF you buy quality.....your unit should last up to or beyond
the warranty....correct?

ANy replies are appreciated

Thanks

scale wrote:
I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

Im in the market for a new 40gal water heater and am looking for
opinions on brands.....what is good and what is not so good. I dont
want to break the bank but i dont want flooded basement in 5 years
either

I don't have any opinion on the brand. Really most all of them are
close to the same.


Also.....has anyone used the drip pans that are put under water
heaters to control drip? Are they worth it? Seems pointless but maybe
im not looking at it right. IF that sucker decides to go......it will
overflow that pan rendering it useless. IF installed properly the
thing shouldnt drip.

If it is located on the lowest floor and any water leaking out would be
directed by gravity to the drain then I would not (and did not) bother. On
the other hand I would use one if I had a worry. You also can add a
detection device to detect either a slow leak or a major one with a pan and
have it shut off the water to the heater. Of course that will not protect
you from other leaks. :-)


I could see if you had a slow leak....they would be worth it because
you could control the leak. Any thoughts?

Ill tell you i did find that it would appear that they dont make water
heaters like they used too. Most people i read about show failings
after 5 - 12 years with current water heaters. THe mongemery wards
unit i have in my basement is from 1978 and still working. I just
want to replace it before it goes...which cant be long at this
point....shes about 30 years old

The life of today's water heaters is not much different than 30 years
ago. Some areas due to the differences in the water supply will experience
short life and others will give long life. Not much you can do about that.


I am just looking and researching before i run to sears with my tail
between my legs and buy junk (if kenmore is a bad brand.....i dont
know...heh...thats my question)

I would like to spend 250 - 400. I plan to install it myself.

I would rather not get the extended service junk because it just
doesnt seem worth it on a unit such as a water heater (they
fail....thats what they do). IF you buy quality.....your unit should
last up to or beyond the warranty....correct?

I don't get the extended service - warranties on anything I buy. They
are all sold as money makers. Usually about 50% or your cost goes directly
to the people who sell it to you. Of the 50% that is left it is divided up
between profit for the company, overhead and even a little left over to pay
claims. If a product is more likely to have problems, then the extended
service insurance is also more expensive. They are not going to give
anything away.



ANy replies are appreciated

Thanks

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"scale" wrote in message
oups.com...
I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

SNIP

Also.....has anyone used the drip pans that are put under water heaters
to control drip? Are they worth it? Seems pointless but maybe im not
looking at it right. IF that sucker decides to go......it will overflow
that pan rendering it useless. IF installed properly the thing shouldnt
drip.

I could see if you had a slow leak....they would be worth it because
you could control the leak. Any thoughts?

Harbor Freight sells an inexpensive battery op water sensor which I have
placed at the washing machine, dish washer and the water heater. They
are loud and sensitive. With that in mind, I would still do the pan to
prevent
soaking into the subfloor, ading to your headaches and expense.


SNIP

I would rather not get the extended service junk because it just doesnt
seem worth it on a unit such as a water heater (they fail....thats what
they do). IF you buy quality.....your unit should last up to or beyond
the warranty....correct?

*Exactly* what Joe said on warranties. Riiiiiiiip-off.

ANy replies are appreciated

Thanks

scale wrote:
I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

Im in the market for a new 40gal water heater and am looking for
opinions on brands.....what is good and what is not so good. I dont
want to break the bank but i dont want flooded basement in 5 years
either

Also.....has anyone used the drip pans that are put under water heaters
to control drip? Are they worth it? Seems pointless but maybe im not
looking at it right. IF that sucker decides to go......it will overflow
that pan rendering it useless. IF installed properly the thing shouldnt
drip.

I could see if you had a slow leak....they would be worth it because
you could control the leak. Any thoughts?

Ill tell you i did find that it would appear that they dont make water
heaters like they used too. Most people i read about show failings
after 5 - 12 years with current water heaters. THe mongemery wards unit
i have in my basement is from 1978 and still working. I just want to
replace it before it goes...which cant be long at this point....shes
about 30 years old

I am just looking and researching before i run to sears with my tail
between my legs and buy junk (if kenmore is a bad brand.....i dont
know...heh...thats my question)

I would like to spend 250 - 400. I plan to install it myself.

I would rather not get the extended service junk because it just doesnt
seem worth it on a unit such as a water heater (they fail....thats what
they do). IF you buy quality.....your unit should last up to or beyond
the warranty....correct?

ANy replies are appreciated

Thanks


If you old water '78 heater is still working and
not leaking, your water can't be corrosive. If
your water is not corrosive, by the bottom quality
or perhaps a medium quality. It will likely last
15-20 years. The difference between the medium
quality and high quality is the cost of the
guarantee. So, $250-$300 for a heater sounds good.

The drip pan is code in some places, all it does
it contain some water when the heater starts to
rust out. So if you don't watch stuff carefully,
buy one and use it. If you watch stuff you will
start seeing rusty water spots when it starts to
go. And no, they don't suddenly burst and spew
water all over; possible "maybe" but highly
unlikely.

I assume you are talking about an electric water
heater. If a gas water heater, I would not get
the top efficiency model with a draft inductor
fan. It might save money, but it is far more
complicated and any money you save on gas is
likely to be spent in repairs and maintenance.

Get new hookup pipes if yours uses the flexible
(can be bent) copper hookup tubes.
Good luck.

On 6 Nov 2005 07:48:19 -0800, "scale" wrote:

I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

Im in the market for a new 40gal water heater and am looking for
opinions on brands.....what is good and what is not so good. I dont
want to break the bank but i dont want flooded basement in 5 years
either

Also.....has anyone used the drip pans that are put under water heaters
to control drip? Are they worth it?

I got myself one. I think it will be worth it.

Seems pointless but maybe im not
looking at it right. IF that sucker decides to go......it will overflow
that pan rendering it useless. IF installed properly the thing shouldnt
drip.

Huh?. It will just last forever?

What is it that fails when a water heater fails? If it's the heating
element, or perchance the thermostat, those you can replace. So after
you replace them, what will fail next. What is left?

I could see if you had a slow leak....they would be worth it because
you could control the leak. Any thoughts?

I think you have it backwards. The drip pans are bad when you have
slow leak, because unless you check the pan, you won't know you had
it. So you won't have any warning that the whole heater is about to
fail.

But when the leak gets substantial, that's whey they are good. Of
course you have to connect the pan to the sump or something.

Ill tell you i did find that it would appear that they dont make water
heaters like they used too. Most people i read about show failings
after 5 - 12 years with current water heaters. THe mongemery wards unit
i have in my basement is from 1978 and still working. I just want to
replace it before it goes...which cant be long at this point....shes
about 30 years old

I hear that most don't last that long, but we don't know that other
models like yours lasted as long as yours.

I am just looking and researching before i run to sears with my tail
between my legs and buy junk (if kenmore is a bad brand.....i dont
know...heh...thats my question)

I bought a sears because the distance between intake and output was
the same as my old one. It would have been easy to connect the new
one if I had been able to grind off the reverse-dimple inside the
connector.

I would like to spend 250 - 400. I plan to install it myself.

It was easy enough to put the HWH on the back of my LeBaron
convertible, take it home, use a hand truck to take it to the
basement, and even to connect it. The hard part was getting the old
HWH out of the basement, even with a girl helper.. Maybe I should
have cut it into pieces.

I would rather not get the extended service junk because it just doesnt
seem worth it on a unit such as a water heater (they fail....thats what

It's never worth insuring for a loss that you can afford to bear. Act
as a self insurer. That way you take the profit, and you can simulate
the overhead by getting a great sandwich and watching tv for lunch,
many times.

they do). IF you buy quality.....your unit should last up to or beyond
the warranty....correct?

I would suspect some good one's fail early. But by acting as your own
insurer, you are just as likely to make a profit on the policy as they
are. Once in a while you'll lose but the rest of the times you'll
win, and all told, you'll be ahead of the game. And there is no
hunting for all the papers, and no fighting with them about whether
you are covered or not.

ANy replies are appreciated

Thanks


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

On 6 Nov 2005 07:48:19 -0800, "scale" wrote:

I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

Im in the market for a new 40gal water heater and am looking for
opinions on brands.....what is good and what is not so good. I dont
want to break the bank but i dont want flooded basement in 5 years
either


The drain pans you describe are for when the wh is installed above a
finsihed area. It sounds like you have an electric wh, I prefer gas,
cheaper to run and faster recovery. When I do an install I make sure
to use Dielectric unions First joint after the heater on both the hot
& cold lines. I also prefer glass lined and foam insulated

Tom

No it is a gas water heater setup. Not an electric. I was also looking
at the home depot today and a few things hit me as weird. THe plasic
pan says it isnt made for gas water heaters. I take it this is code or
some sort of strange rule where you can only use a metal pan?

Also, i dont have shutoffs on or near my inlet pipe so once i do the
replacing of my water heater, IM going to go from my straight 3/4in
pipe into a shut off into another straight down into one of those
threaded copper fittings that screw right on the top of the heater and
then solder on the pipe to complete.

I dont know that i need to use the flex pipe. That stuff seems
cheap...maybe its just me but i dont know if i trust it

I was asking the clown at homedepot about screwing a copper fitting to
the galvanzied pipe that comes out of the top of the water
heater.......first he said it was fine but then i mentioned the metal
reaction between the 2 and then asked about the dielectric union and he
went on about how you solder that to the copper and then screw the
fitting to the galvanzied.....but then he said that you cant solder
brass to copper.....then about 5 minutes later he said you
do......needless to say....he didnt know what the heck he was saying.
He sounded very confused

My heater and my uncles are screwed with a simple copper fitting and
then that gets soldered to the pipes that come down. I dont see the
problem here since thats what people seem to have. I have read that the
2 metals are not compatible ....so i dont know what to think.

Any input??

I might rethink my flex pipe and use it due to the fact that i wont
have to be so precise with my measurements I can just compensate
with the copper flex pipe. I dont know. IM leary of the braided metal
flex hose.

I just want to be sure im doing this correctly before i screw it up

Thanks guys

scale wrote:
No it is a gas water heater setup. Not an electric. I was also looking
at the home depot today and a few things hit me as weird. THe plasic
pan says it isnt made for gas water heaters. I take it this is code or
some sort of strange rule where you can only use a metal pan?

Also, i dont have shutoffs on or near my inlet pipe so once i do the
replacing of my water heater, IM going to go from my straight 3/4in
pipe into a shut off into another straight down into one of those
threaded copper fittings that screw right on the top of the heater and
then solder on the pipe to complete.

I dont know that i need to use the flex pipe. That stuff seems
cheap...maybe its just me but i dont know if i trust it

I was asking the clown at homedepot about screwing a copper fitting to
the galvanzied pipe that comes out of the top of the water
heater.......first he said it was fine but then i mentioned the metal
reaction between the 2 and then asked about the dielectric union and he
went on about how you solder that to the copper and then screw the
fitting to the galvanzied.....but then he said that you cant solder
brass to copper.....then about 5 minutes later he said you
do......needless to say....he didnt know what the heck he was saying.
He sounded very confused

My heater and my uncles are screwed with a simple copper fitting and
then that gets soldered to the pipes that come down. I dont see the
problem here since thats what people seem to have. I have read that the
2 metals are not compatible ....so i dont know what to think.

Any input??

I might rethink my flex pipe and use it due to the fact that i wont
have to be so precise with my measurements I can just compensate
with the copper flex pipe. I dont know. IM leary of the braided metal
flex hose.

I just want to be sure im doing this correctly before i screw it up

Thanks guys


I have never seen a problem with mixing iron and
copper fitting and we have hard water. If you hve
a 28 year old heater you don't have corrosive
water. Others will tell you what you have to do,
but for me I would just hook it up and forget it.

And, I would use the corrugated copper hook up
pipes. If you look in the ends you may find that
nylon actually prevents contact of the copper with
the next fitting. If possible, bend these pipes
to fit and don't fiddle with them.

The braided metal flex hose is fine if they have
the stainless steel braid. Of course you don't
use those with a water heater.

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 07:53:19 -0600, Trekking Tom wrote:

On 6 Nov 2005 07:48:19 -0800, "scale" wrote:

I know this has been asked 1000 times and i researched it a bit but
couldnt come up with any real useful opinions.

Im in the market for a new 40gal water heater and am looking for
opinions on brands.....what is good and what is not so good. I dont
want to break the bank but i dont want flooded basement in 5 years
either


The drain pans you describe are for when the wh is installed above a
finsihed area.

That may be where they are required, or where they are always used,
but they seem to me to be a good idea even for an unfinished basement.

One usually has slight leaking before the major leaking, but in my
case, another leak caused the basement to be wet already, and I just
thought it was drying unusuallly slowly. The big leak took me totally
by surprise..

But I could have been on vacation for two weeks, or just not gone down
to the basement for two weeks, and the big leak would have gone all
over the floor and into the finished next room, damaging the floor
tile and getting sucked up by the rug and the boxes on the floor of
the closet, like it did.

The next big WH leak will never overflow the pan**, and I'll know
about the leak when I have no hot water. That's good enough and
preferable to having another wet basement.

**It has 1 1/2 or 2" pipe going straight to the sump and its pump.

It sounds like you have an electric wh, I prefer gas,

I would like to have gas too, but ny n'hood doesn't have it.

cheaper to run and faster recovery. When I do an install I make sure
to use Dielectric unions First joint after the heater on both the hot
& cold lines. I also prefer glass lined and foam insulated

Tom


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

On 7 Nov 2005 06:04:04 -0800, "scale" wrote:

No it is a gas water heater setup. Not an electric. I was also looking
at the home depot today and a few things hit me as weird. THe plasic
pan says it isnt made for gas water heaters. I take it this is code or
some sort of strange rule where you can only use a metal pan?

Also, i dont have shutoffs on or near my inlet pipe so once i do the
replacing of my water heater, IM going to go from my straight 3/4in
pipe into a shut off into another straight down into one of those
threaded copper fittings that screw right on the top of the heater and
then solder on the pipe to complete.



The important parts of a dielectric union are the plastic back washer
and the rubber washer the keeps the 2 metals a part.
I have done it both ways with and without Dielectric unions, never
again without.
Those flex pipe attachment kits are much more likely to spring a leak
compared to copper piping....
You can cut the copper to any size you want so how can you not hit
your target ?

Tom


PS. those guys at HD are the ones who cannot make it in the
trades.......