Choosing an electric water heater brand?

coyote556

Can any of you pros recomend a good brand electric water heater? I have been looking at state, bradford white, and A.O. Smith. I was leaning toward A.O. Smith, but then heard one guy say they were not too good. I cannot seem to figure out which would be the best and last the longest. If there are other good brands I am missing, please let me know. thanks ahead of time.

bigMikeB

I have hard the best luck with State, AO Smith used to be better in the past.

coyote556

any recomendations on a supply house where I could order one?

Southlake_Ed

I have 2 50-gallon Bradford-White units (gas) and they work great. Good recovery is assisted by their perforated column centers or something like that!

I paid pros to put them in and they carried this make.....I researched it for a couple of days before allowing them in to do the installs. All went well and I feel like I got my money's worth at about $1200 for the pair installed. This included one in an attic with a very narrow stairway and new pans with full copper piping, all sweated etc. I could NEVER have done that job myself.

Marlin

Go to your local plumbing supply and get one, they should have it in stock and most offer delivery if you need it. Do not go to Home Depot, Lowes, or Sears, the reduction in quality is not worth the savings.

All the brands you listed are fine. I rarely see problems with water heaters that haven't yet reached their life expectancy (ten years). Most go well over that period. Those that I do see are typically from a box store. Brands like Kenmore and Whirlpool should be avoided. They make good washing machines but I would never install one of their water heaters.

DeeTee

Recently I've been pleased with a Rheem (GE makes them I think) I bought. I don't mind buying at the big box stores since I've been satisfied with what they offer. And you have to balance it with the amont of time you're planning on being at a place and whether or not you are paying someone to do installs. You need to find the best value for you.

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Marlin

GE is another company that should keep itself out of the water heater business.
You should really know what you're looking at when shopping at a box store. A lot of people get drawn in by lower prices but don't realize how much quality they're sacrificing for a 10% discount. Take their faucets, most (even brands like delta) use cheaper cartridges, and chromed plastic instead of brass.