I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

Scott wrote:
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott


As someone else said, they're mostly pretty similar these days, only a
few different companies actually make the things.

Extended warranties are a scam, skip it.

Scott wrote:
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott



34 YEARS!!!!

That sounds like a world record for a water heater tank.

Can anyone here top that?

The price for the heater is right in line with what the big box stores
charge for 50 gallon electric water heaters.

If the installation price includes delivery and removal/disposal of the
old heater I'd say the price isn't too bad if you live in a high rent
part of the country.

Too bad you can't just handle the installation yourself with a buddy or
BIL, it's really not that big a project.

Re the extended warranty, I never go for them, there always seems to be
a "catch" if you have to use them.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

On 12/11/08 03:53 pm Scott wrote:

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Is that $170 for an extended warranty on the same unit, or for an
upgraded unit with, say two anodes instead of one, better insulation,
and a "smarter" control system?

With most of the brands I've compared, the 9-yr and 12-yr ones have
better features, not just a longer warranty.

Perce

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Scott wrote:
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

34 YEARS!!!!

That sounds like a world record for a water heater tank.

Can anyone here top that?

The price for the heater is right in line with what the big box stores
charge for 50 gallon electric water heaters.

If the installation price includes delivery and removal/disposal of the
old heater I'd say the price isn't too bad if you live in a high rent
part of the country.

Too bad you can't just handle the installation yourself with a buddy or
BIL, it's really not that big a project.

Re the extended warranty, I never go for them, there always seems to be
a "catch" if you have to use them.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.


Jeff,

Yeah, I guess it could be a world's record. I don't even want to know what the
tank looks like on the inside. The good news is that it never leaked.

The plumber just installed a Bradford White 50-gal electric, and it works great!
And tt should be a lot more energy efficient.

The price is right, too. And, yes, it included delivery and the disposal of the
old heater.

I'll skip the extended warranty.

Thanks again!
Scott

Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Scott wrote:
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

34 YEARS!!!!

That sounds like a world record for a water heater tank.

Can anyone here top that?

The price for the heater is right in line with what the big box stores
charge for 50 gallon electric water heaters.

If the installation price includes delivery and removal/disposal of the
old heater I'd say the price isn't too bad if you live in a high rent
part of the country.

Too bad you can't just handle the installation yourself with a buddy or
BIL, it's really not that big a project.

Re the extended warranty, I never go for them, there always seems to be
a "catch" if you have to use them.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.


Jeff,

Actually, the labor was only $175.00, so the total came to $545.00. That seems
very reasonable. And, their plumber did a quality job installing it.

Scott

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott


...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Scott wrote in :



Jeff Wisnia wrote:

Scott wrote:
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
waranty to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

34 YEARS!!!!

That sounds like a world record for a water heater tank.

Can anyone here top that?

The price for the heater is right in line with what the big box
stores charge for 50 gallon electric water heaters.

If the installation price includes delivery and removal/disposal of
the old heater I'd say the price isn't too bad if you live in a high
rent part of the country.

Too bad you can't just handle the installation yourself with a buddy
or BIL, it's really not that big a project.

Re the extended warranty, I never go for them, there always seems to
be a "catch" if you have to use them.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.


Jeff,

Yeah, I guess it could be a world's record. I don't even want to know
what the tank looks like on the inside. The good news is that it never
leaked.

The plumber just installed a Bradford White 50-gal electric, and it
works great! And tt should be a lot more energy efficient.

The price is right, too. And, yes, it included delivery and the
disposal of the old heater.

I'll skip the extended warranty.

Thanks again!
Scott


I don't even want to know
what the tank looks like on the inside.

I bet it's 98% solid with just a 1" path somewhere inside.

"Scott" wrote in message
...
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford
White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

That sounds like a pretty good deal. If it's a straight out and in job you
might consider doing it yourself depending on how comfortable you are with
that stuff.

The last water heater I had installed cost over $900 but I had to have some
upgrades done to the plumbing fittings too. Still I think that was a bit
high. They tend to screw you when you need hot water!

Olddog

Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?


Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

I don't even want to know
what the tank looks like on the inside.

I bet it's 98% solid with just a 1" path somewhere inside.


Depends on what the water is like. I checked out my unit when it was 13
years old, there was a little bit of crud sitting in the bottom but
hardly significant, less than a handful. Not much in the way of minerals
in my water.

"Scott" wrote in message
...


Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?


Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977.
The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water
heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the
sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

Do you have a water softener? I've heard those will lengthen the life of a
water heater.

Olddog

Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
waranty to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?


Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. The builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This
is the water heater that came with the house. We haven't touched it.
Never even drained the sediment from the bottom. It just kept going
and going...until last night when the thermostat stuck on, and the
relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

You big dummy!

You replaced a perfectly good water heater because a five-dollar part blew?

On Dec 11, 9:44�pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
waranty to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. The builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This
is the water heater that came with the house. We haven't touched it.
Never even drained the sediment from the bottom. It just kept going
and going...until last night when the thermostat stuck on, and the
relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

You big dummy!

You replaced a perfectly good water heater because a five-dollar part blew?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thermostats for gas fired water heaters are expensive, far more than 5
bucks

wrote:
On Dec 11, 9:44�pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:
Scott wrote :
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?
It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
waranty to 12 years. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Scott
...(34 year old) ...
Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?
Red Green,
Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. The builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This
is the water heater that came with the house. We haven't touched it.
Never even drained the sediment from the bottom. It just kept going
and going...until last night when the thermostat stuck on, and the
relief valve opened up.
And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record
You big dummy!

You replaced a perfectly good water heater because a five-dollar part blew?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thermostats for gas fired water heaters are expensive, far more than 5
bucks


I thought this was an electric water heater? Even then the thermostat
will be a lot more than $5. That said, if it's 34 years old, what will
fail next if he replaced that part? What I've observed with water
heaters is that once one part wears out, the rest are not far behind.
There's exceptions to the rule, but it seems he got his money's worth
and then some out of that thing.

On Dec 12, 12:16�am, James Sweet wrote:
wrote:
On Dec 11, 9:44 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:
Scott wrote :
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?
It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
waranty to 12 years. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Scott
...(34 year old) ...
Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?
Red Green,
Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. The builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This
is the water heater that came with the house. We haven't touched it.
Never even drained the sediment from the bottom. It just kept going
and going...until last night when the thermostat stuck on, and the
relief valve opened up.
And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record
You big dummy!

You replaced a perfectly good water heater because a five-dollar part blew?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

thermostats for gas fired water heaters are expensive, far more than 5
bucks

I thought this was an electric water heater? Even then the thermostat
will be a lot more than $5. That said, if it's 34 years old, what will
fail next if he replaced that part? What I've observed with water
heaters is that once one part wears out, the rest are not far behind.
There's exceptions to the rule, but it seems he got his money's worth
and then some out of that thing.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

around here some really old homes have gas stainless water heaters,
they live aabout 50 years, but no doubt are inefficent, and few would
spend enough to pay for one today, plus their recovery isnt as good.,

they are side arm heaters

a long life heater can be built.

sears sold and I believe grainger may still sell a lifetime electric
water heater, it uses a PVC tank .......

FWIW, I had two aunts who I am pretty sure had electric WHs that lasted
at least 34 years. One from each side of the family and about 2000 miles
apart-- my mother's sister in law in west Texas and my dad's sister in
upstate NY. Both were finally replaced. I think the one in Tx did have a
catastrophic failure (major leak), but as I recall the tank of the one
in NY was actually still ok, but a pipe going to the heater leaked, and
it broke off at the WH and could not be removed, at least easily, so
they just replaced the whole thing. Larry

On 12/11/08 08:58 pm olddog wrote:

Do you have a water softener? I've heard those will lengthen the life of
a water heater.

I've just been informed by the guys at www.waterheaterrescue.com that
the water softener we installed about three years ago has probably
*reduced* the life of our water heater.

Perce

"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in message
...
On 12/11/08 08:58 pm olddog wrote:

Do you have a water softener? I've heard those will lengthen the life of
a water heater.

I've just been informed by the guys at www.waterheaterrescue.com that the
water softener we installed about three years ago has probably *reduced*
the life of our water heater.

Perce


Did they say why? Logic (maybe flawed) says that the reduction in sediment
would extend the life. Could it be because of the trace amount of NaCl left
in the water?

I was told that the water softener eliminates the need to drain the water
heater too. Did they say anything about that?

BTW: I don't remember who told me this. Maybe I dreamed it.

Thanks

Olddog

olddog wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
...


Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?


Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977.
The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water
heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the
sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

Do you have a water softener? I've heard those will lengthen the life of a
water heater.

Olddog

Olddog,

Yes, we have a water softener, because the water from our well contains organic iron.

Scott

Scott wrote:

Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

I stand corrected! My wife just reminded me that our house was built in 1973. So,
our water heater is actually 35 years old. Man, that's gotta be a record.

Scott

"Scott" wrote in message
...


olddog wrote:

"Scott" wrote in message
...


Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote in :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?


Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977.
The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water
heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the
sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when
the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

Do you have a water softener? I've heard those will lengthen the life of
a
water heater.

Olddog

Olddog,

Yes, we have a water softener, because the water from our well contains
organic iron.

Scott

Wouldn't that make it hard water?

Olddog

On Dec 13, 5:45*pm, Scott wrote:
Scott wrote:

Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

I stand corrected! My wife just reminded me that our house was built in 1973. So,
our water heater is actually 35 years old. Man, that's gotta be a record.

Scott

Not really, those hot water heaters were built to last back then. You
may have to replace a heating element or thermostat once in a while
but the tanks were made to last forever.

On 12/12/08 01:03 pm olddog wrote:

Do you have a water softener? I've heard those will lengthen the life of
a water heater.

I've just been informed by the guys at www.waterheaterrescue.com that
the water softener we installed about three years ago has probably
*reduced* the life of our water heater.

Did they say why? Logic (maybe flawed) says that the reduction in
sediment would extend the life. Could it be because of the trace amount
of NaCl left in the water?

They say it's because soft water is more acidic, but I think they are
confused: AAUI, *naturally* soft water is often somewhat acidic, but I
can't see why softening water will change its pH to any significant
amount, if at all.

I was told that the water softener eliminates the need to drain the
water heater too. Did they say anything about that?

Heating hard water may well cause the dissolved material to precipitate
out and cake in the bottom of the tank. This reduces the efficiency and
may cause hot spots that eventually cause the tank to fail prematurely.

Perce

On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:25:05 -0800 (PST), JIMMIE
wrote:

On Dec 13, 5:45Â*pm, Scott wrote:
Scott wrote:

Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water
heater failed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand of water heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott

I stand corrected! My wife just reminded me that our house was built in 1973. So,
our water heater is actually 35 years old. Man, that's gotta be a record.

Scott

Not really, those hot water heaters were built to last back then. You
may have to replace a heating element or thermostat once in a while
but the tanks were made to last forever.


If it is a stone lined tank it could outlive you.

On Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:06:01 GMT, "olddog" wrote:



Yes, we have a water softener, because the water from our well contains
organic iron.

Scott

Wouldn't that make it hard water?

Olddog
Yup - that's why he needs the water softener. (and could likely use
an iron filter too)

On Dec 11, 7:26*pm, Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-galelectricwater
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since mywater
heaterfailed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand ofwaterheater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is thewaterheater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Very interesting........... Our 52 gallon "Rheem" water heater from
1978 (30 years old - but you still have the record!) just went on us
the other night. Same thing with the thermostat sticking but luckily
I was able to catch it before the relief valve opened. Good thing it
didn't open as it would have made a big mess because it was never
piped down into a floor drain or sump. So we went to Home Depot and
bought a new 40 gallon GE (manufactured by Rheem) model. So we got it
home and I installed it myself. I was quite proud that when I got the
system filled back up there were no leaks in any of my soldered
joints! I turned the breaker back on and waited, and waited, and
waited but the heater never made a sound and the water was just as
cold coming out as it went in. So I double checked for power to the
heater and also rechecked my connections inside the connector box of
the heater and everything seemed to be right. Still no hot
water...... So I called the GE service line and the tech guy comes on
and says to troubleshoot I need a digital multimeter. I told him I
have an analog multimeter only. He says I need a digital meter to
troubleshoot. He said we need to check for resistance on the top
element and only a digital multimeter will do this correctly. Longer
story made shorter I finally asked him what about my warranty? He
said on homeowner installs that they will mail me a new element if I
can prove that there is a bad one. I said what about labor warranty.
He said on homeowner installs all they can do is mail me a new element
if I can prove there is a bad one. So I am stuck with a new Rheem
manufactured for GE water heater that doesn't work and I'm expected to
go and buy a new digital multimeter to troubleshoot the problem????
So I called Home Depot and they said if it doesn't work, to just bring
it back and get a new one. Fine, after all my extra care taking work
to install this one to just rip it back out and go get a new one....
I do know that things happen these days that aren't supposed to happen
but it just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.
Steve

Steve wrote in
:

On Dec 11, 7:26*pm, Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote
:

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-galelectricwater
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since mywater
heaterfailed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this
a pretty decent brand ofwaterheater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
warant
y
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. T
he
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is
thewaterhea
ter
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained
the s
ediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when
the thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Very interesting........... Our 52 gallon "Rheem" water heater from
1978 (30 years old - but you still have the record!) just went on us
the other night. Same thing with the thermostat sticking but luckily
I was able to catch it before the relief valve opened. Good thing it
didn't open as it would have made a big mess because it was never
piped down into a floor drain or sump. So we went to Home Depot and
bought a new 40 gallon GE (manufactured by Rheem) model. So we got it
home and I installed it myself. I was quite proud that when I got the
system filled back up there were no leaks in any of my soldered
joints! I turned the breaker back on and waited, and waited, and
waited but the heater never made a sound and the water was just as
cold coming out as it went in. So I double checked for power to the
heater and also rechecked my connections inside the connector box of
the heater and everything seemed to be right. Still no hot
water...... So I called the GE service line and the tech guy comes on
and says to troubleshoot I need a digital multimeter. I told him I
have an analog multimeter only. He says I need a digital meter to
troubleshoot. He said we need to check for resistance on the top
element and only a digital multimeter will do this correctly. Longer
story made shorter I finally asked him what about my warranty? He
said on homeowner installs that they will mail me a new element if I
can prove that there is a bad one. I said what about labor warranty.
He said on homeowner installs all they can do is mail me a new element
if I can prove there is a bad one. So I am stuck with a new Rheem
manufactured for GE water heater that doesn't work and I'm expected to
go and buy a new digital multimeter to troubleshoot the problem????
So I called Home Depot and they said if it doesn't work, to just bring
it back and get a new one. Fine, after all my extra care taking work
to install this one to just rip it back out and go get a new one....
I do know that things happen these days that aren't supposed to happen
but it just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.
Steve


Borrow one. You must know someone with at least a cheapie. If there's a
Harbor Freight nearby, they have super cheap ones not worth a damn. The
battery will probably cost more than the meter.

....but, it's digital. That's all he said you needed. Said nothing about
functions or impedence/resistance rating.

On Dec 20, 10:02*pm, Red Green wrote:
Steve wrote :





On Dec 11, 7:26*pm, Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote
:

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-galelectricwater
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since mywater
heaterfailed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this
a pretty decent brand ofwaterheater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
warant
y
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. T
he
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is
thewaterhea
ter
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained
the s
ediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when
the thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Very interesting........... *Our 52 gallon "Rheem" water heater from
1978 (30 years old - but you still have the record!) just went on us
the other night. *Same thing with the thermostat sticking but luckily
I was able to catch it before the relief valve opened. *Good thing it
didn't open as it would have made a big mess because it was never
piped down into a floor drain or sump. *So we went to Home Depot and
bought a new 40 gallon GE (manufactured by Rheem) model. *So we got it
home and I installed it myself. *I was quite proud that when I got the
system filled back up there were no leaks in any of my soldered
joints! *I turned the breaker back on and waited, and waited, and
waited but the heater never made a sound and the water was just as
cold coming out as it went in. *So I double checked for power to the
heater and also rechecked my connections inside the connector box of
the heater and everything seemed to be right. *Still no hot
water...... *So I called the GE service line and the tech guy comes on
and says to troubleshoot I need a digital multimeter. *I told him I
have an analog multimeter only. *He says I need a digital meter to
troubleshoot. *He said we need to check for resistance on the top
element and only a digital multimeter will do this correctly. *Longer
story made shorter I finally asked him what about my warranty? *He
said on homeowner installs that they will mail me a new element if I
can prove that there is a bad one. *I said what about labor warranty.
He said on homeowner installs all they can do is mail me a new element
if I can prove there is a bad one. *So I am stuck with a new Rheem
manufactured for GE water heater that doesn't work and I'm expected to
go and buy a new digital multimeter to troubleshoot the problem????
So I called Home Depot and they said if it doesn't work, to just bring
it back and get a new one. *Fine, after all my extra care taking work
to install this one to just rip it back out and go get a new one....
I do know that things happen these days that aren't supposed to happen
but it just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.
Steve

Borrow one. You must know someone with at least a cheapie. If there's a
Harbor Freight nearby, they have super cheap ones not worth a damn. The
battery will probably cost more than the meter.

...but, it's digital. That's all he said you needed. Said nothing about
functions or impedence/resistance rating.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

wow no one mentioned that the lifetime of a water heater is moslty due
to the sacrifical anode inside it. . Once the anode corrodes away,
then the tank starts to corrode. THe best way to extend the life of
the HW heater and save energy is to turn the temperature down as low
as you can. Set it so that the shower temperature is just right with
the hot alomst full on and the cold almost full off.

On Dec 11, 5:44*pm, James Sweet wrote:
I don't even want to know
what the tank looks like on the inside.

I bet it's 98% solid with just a 1" path somewhere inside.

Depends on what the water is like. I checked out my unit when it was 13
years old, there was a little bit of crud sitting in the bottom but
hardly significant, less than a handful. Not much in the way of minerals
in my water.

I bought an old house and replaced the WH several lyears later. Have
no clue as to the age of the tank but it was a bunch. I cut it up for
a stock water tank. Only a bit of red sludge in it.

Harry K

On Dec 21, 12:18*am, wrote:
On Dec 20, 10:02*pm, Red Green wrote:





Steve wrote :

On Dec 11, 7:26*pm, Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote
:

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-galelectricwater
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since mywater
heaterfailed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this
a pretty decent brand ofwaterheater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the
warant
y
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and
to avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in
1977. T
he
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is
thewaterhea
ter
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained
the s
ediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when
the thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Very interesting........... *Our 52 gallon "Rheem" water heater from
1978 (30 years old - but you still have the record!) just went on us
the other night. *Same thing with the thermostat sticking but luckily
I was able to catch it before the relief valve opened. *Good thing it
didn't open as it would have made a big mess because it was never
piped down into a floor drain or sump. *So we went to Home Depot and
bought a new 40 gallon GE (manufactured by Rheem) model. *So we got it
home and I installed it myself. *I was quite proud that when I got the
system filled back up there were no leaks in any of my soldered
joints! *I turned the breaker back on and waited, and waited, and
waited but the heater never made a sound and the water was just as
cold coming out as it went in. *So I double checked for power to the
heater and also rechecked my connections inside the connector box of
the heater and everything seemed to be right. *Still no hot
water...... *So I called the GE service line and the tech guy comes on
and says to troubleshoot I need a digital multimeter. *I told him I
have an analog multimeter only. *He says I need a digital meter to
troubleshoot. *He said we need to check for resistance on the top
element and only a digital multimeter will do this correctly. *Longer
story made shorter I finally asked him what about my warranty? *He
said on homeowner installs that they will mail me a new element if I
can prove that there is a bad one. *I said what about labor warranty.
He said on homeowner installs all they can do is mail me a new element
if I can prove there is a bad one. *So I am stuck with a new Rheem
manufactured for GE water heater that doesn't work and I'm expected to
go and buy a new digital multimeter to troubleshoot the problem????
So I called Home Depot and they said if it doesn't work, to just bring
it back and get a new one. *Fine, after all my extra care taking work
to install this one to just rip it back out and go get a new one....
I do know that things happen these days that aren't supposed to happen
but it just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.
Steve

Borrow one. You must know someone with at least a cheapie. If there's a
Harbor Freight nearby, they have super cheap ones not worth a damn. The
battery will probably cost more than the meter.

...but, it's digital. That's all he said you needed. Said nothing about
functions or impedence/resistance rating.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

wow no one mentioned that the lifetime of a water heater is moslty due
to the sacrificial anode inside it. . *Once the *anode corrodes away,
then the tank starts to corrode. *The best way to extend the life of
the HW heater and save energy is to turn the temperature down as low
as you can. *Set it so that the shower temperature is just right with
the hot almost full on and the cold almost full off.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes; but washing dishes is supposed to be with water 'at least' 160
deg F!
Lower than that is not approved by the health dept. here!
At a local school the cafeteria was cited because the dish washing
water was too cold.
It came from the school furnace and had been turned low for the
school washrooms!
The school authorities then installed a separate hot water heater near
the cafeteria, set to above 160 deg. And the health dept. checked that
temperature during their next inspection.
Maybe if dishes are 'always' put through a dishwasher; OK? But less
than 160 deg. not really safe.

On Dec 21, 10:54*am, Bubba wrote:
On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:06:27 -0800 (PST), Steve
wrote:





On Dec 11, 7:26*pm, Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-galelectricwater
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since mywater
heaterfailed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand ofwaterheater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977.. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Very interesting........... *Our 52 gallon "Rheem" water heater from
1978 (30 years old - but you still have the record!) just went on us
the other night. *Same thing with the thermostat sticking but luckily
I was able to catch it before the relief valve opened. *Good thing it
didn't open as it would have made a big mess because it was never
piped down into a floor drain or sump. *So we went to Home Depot and
bought a new 40 gallon GE (manufactured by Rheem) model. *So we got it
home and I installed it myself. *I was quite proud that when I got the
system filled back up there were no leaks in any of my soldered
joints! *I turned the breaker back on and waited, and waited, and
waited but the heater never made a sound and the water was just as
cold coming out as it went in. *So I double checked for power to the
heater and also rechecked my connections inside the connector box of
the heater and everything seemed to be right. *Still no hot
water...... *So I called the GE service line and the tech guy comes on
and says to troubleshoot I need a digital multimeter. *I told him I
have an analog multimeter only. *He says I need a digital meter to
troubleshoot. *He said we need to check for resistance on the top
element and only a digital multimeter will do this correctly. *Longer
story made shorter I finally asked him what about my warranty? *He
said on homeowner installs that they will mail me a new element if I
can prove that there is a bad one. *I said what about labor warranty.
He said on homeowner installs all they can do is mail me a new element
if I can prove there is a bad one. *So I am stuck with a new Rheem
manufactured for GE water heater that doesn't work and I'm expected to
go and buy a new digital multimeter to troubleshoot the problem????
So I called Home Depot and they said if it doesn't work, to just bring
it back and get a new one. *Fine, after all my extra care taking work
to install this one to just rip it back out and go get a new one....
I do know that things happen these days that aren't supposed to happen
but it just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.
Steve

Any chance you didnt push the red reset button on the heating element
thermostat?
Now you know why they don't pay homeowner labor.
Bubba- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Digital or analog. BS.
You don't need a meter at all if you know what you are doing. A spare
bulb, maybe a bulb socket and couple of wires to use as trouble
tracer.
If you are as unschooled in electricity as most of my neighbours go
find one who knows what they are doing and allow them to help you
trace it through.
It sounds like something simple. Unlikely for a brand new tank to have
a defective element!
Could happen but having replaced quite a few (including our own
personal ones roughly every ten years due to iron and other impurities
in the water etc.) since 1956, never had a new tank with a defective
element.
Our last one was bought in Dec. 2006 for around $200 (40 US gal.) ,
plus a new pressure relief valve, now located on the side of tank for
some reason? The tank, having the same dimensions etc. as the old one,
we installed ourselves. Total cost; tank, valve and sales taxes
around $240.

On Dec 21, 9:14*am, terry wrote:
On Dec 21, 10:54*am, Bubba wrote:





On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:06:27 -0800 (PST), Steve
wrote:

On Dec 11, 7:26*pm, Scott wrote:
Red Green wrote:

Scott wrote :

I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-galelectricwater
heater. I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since mywater
heaterfailed last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a
50-gal Bradford White today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a
pretty decent brand ofwaterheater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty
to 12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

...(34 year old) ...

Is that a typo?! You sure you weren't like in the hospital once and to
avoid worrying you because it went out someone had it replaced?

Red Green,

Honest! We live in Central Minnesota. We moved into this house in 1977. The
builder built the house in 1974 as his personal home. This is the water heater
that came with the house. We haven't touched it. Never even drained the sediment
from the bottom. It just kept going and going...until last night when the
thermostat stuck on, and the relief valve opened up.

And that's the whole story. Wow, this must be a world record

Scott- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Very interesting........... *Our 52 gallon "Rheem" water heater from
1978 (30 years old - but you still have the record!) just went on us
the other night. *Same thing with the thermostat sticking but luckily
I was able to catch it before the relief valve opened. *Good thing it
didn't open as it would have made a big mess because it was never
piped down into a floor drain or sump. *So we went to Home Depot and
bought a new 40 gallon GE (manufactured by Rheem) model. *So we got it
home and I installed it myself. *I was quite proud that when I got the
system filled back up there were no leaks in any of my soldered
joints! *I turned the breaker back on and waited, and waited, and
waited but the heater never made a sound and the water was just as
cold coming out as it went in. *So I double checked for power to the
heater and also rechecked my connections inside the connector box of
the heater and everything seemed to be right. *Still no hot
water...... *So I called the GE service line and the tech guy comes on
and says to troubleshoot I need a digital multimeter. *I told him I
have an analog multimeter only. *He says I need a digital meter to
troubleshoot. *He said we need to check for resistance on the top
element and only a digital multimeter will do this correctly. *Longer
story made shorter I finally asked him what about my warranty? *He
said on homeowner installs that they will mail me a new element if I
can prove that there is a bad one. *I said what about labor warranty..
He said on homeowner installs all they can do is mail me a new element
if I can prove there is a bad one. *So I am stuck with a new Rheem
manufactured for GE water heater that doesn't work and I'm expected to
go and buy a new digital multimeter to troubleshoot the problem????
So I called Home Depot and they said if it doesn't work, to just bring
it back and get a new one. *Fine, after all my extra care taking work
to install this one to just rip it back out and go get a new one....
I do know that things happen these days that aren't supposed to happen
but it just goes to show they don't make them like they used to.
Steve

Any chance you didnt push the red reset button on the heating element
thermostat?
Now you know why they don't pay homeowner labor.
Bubba- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Digital or analog. BS.
You don't need a meter at all if you know what you are doing. A spare
bulb, maybe a bulb socket and couple of wires to use as trouble
tracer.
If you are as unschooled in electricity as most of my neighbours go
find one who knows what they are doing and allow them to help you
trace it through.
It sounds like something simple. Unlikely for a brand new tank to have
a defective element!
Could happen but having replaced quite a few (including our own
personal ones roughly every ten years due to iron and other impurities
in the water etc.) since 1956, never had a new tank with a defective
element.
Our last one was bought in Dec. 2006 for around $200 (40 US gal.) ,
plus a new pressure relief valve, now located on the side of tank for
some reason? The tank, having the same dimensions etc. as the old one,
we installed ourselves. *Total cost; tank, valve and sales taxes
around $240.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I did my own troubleshooting with my 20+ year old analog cheapo
multimeter and determined the top element had an open circuit - ultra
high ohms to infinity. In comparison, the lower element had about 6
ohms (RX10). So I called the Home Depot (electrical & plumbing depts)
and told them what I had. They said I could either return the whole
heater unit or just bring in the element and they could test it and /
or replace it for free. I figured it's much easier to take out the
element and go that way first. I was amazed to find that the top
element was "fried" when I took it out..... I am absolutely certain
that I had the tank full and the hot water lines full up to the 2nd
story of the house (heater sits in the basement) before even
connecting the wires to the heater and when I turned on the breaker
for the first time there was no sound at all coming from the heater.
When we took the heater from the shelf at the store it appeared the
top of the box had been opened. We asked the clerk about it and she
told us that people are always opening the top of the boxes to look
inside or whatever. When we got it home, we pulled the box apart to
get at the heater to remove it from the box and we noticed the plastic
baggy that had been wrapped around the heater was laying in the bottom
of the box - under the heater. That should have been a red flashing
light right there but without thinking any more about it at the time
we just took it into the basement and did the instal. That heater,
without any doubt in my mind, was bought by someone else who screwed
up the heater probably by not filling it completely with water and
fried the top element. They then just brought it back to the store
and it was put back on the shelf. I brought the fried element into
the store and without questioning they gave me a new element. I
installed the new element, filled up the heater exactly as I first did
and when i turned on the breaker I could immediately hear that little
hissing sound. Within 20 minutes we had all the hot water we could
use. Moral of the story: Don't ever take a product out of a store
that noticeably has had its container opened!
Steve

On Dec 11, 4:31*pm, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Scott wrote:
I'm replacing my aging (34 year old) AO Smith 52-gal electric water heater.
I looked at the GE brand at Home Depot. But since my water heater failed
last night, I called a plumber, and he's installing a 50-gal Bradford White
today ($360.00 + $250 installation) Is this a pretty decent brand of water
heater?

It has a 6-year warranty. They want another $170 to extend the waranty to
12 years. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
Scott

34 YEARS!!!!

That sounds like a world record for a water heater tank.

Can anyone here top that?

The price for the heater is right in line with what the big box stores
charge for 50 gallon electric water heaters.

If the installation price includes delivery and removal/disposal of the
old heater I'd say the price isn't too bad if you live in a high rent
part of the country.

Too bad you can't just handle the installation yourself with a buddy or
BIL, it's really not that big a project.

Re the extended warranty, I never go for them, there always seems to be
a "catch" if you have to use them.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

1974 to 2008, Replaced it because over the years it had filled with
gunk from the well. I washed it out a couple of months ago and put it
in my shop and it still works. Now I have a hot shower in my shop so I
can clean up before I come in. Wife is very happy.

JImmie