(As originally published in the January/February 2004 issue of Consumers Digest magazine

Water Heaters ~ Avoid The Emergency Replacement Traps

By

H. Kent Craig


The next time you, the homeower purchase a new water heater, chances are it's going to be one of the most impulsive irrational decisions you'll ever make.

Most people purchase a new water because their long-running, seldom-thought-about current unit has unexpectedly, finally gone kaput.  Because you won't have hot water, research has shown that you won't go longer than 30 hours before doing something, - anything - to get your home's hot water flowing again.

The chances are you won't spend hours on the Internet trying to find the most fuel-efficient rated water heater. Nor are you likely to visit different big-box retailers like Lowe's or Home Depot or Sears to compare different warranties or Energy Factors -  those ratings on the annual cost for energy usage found on the big yellow tags on all new major appliances.  

Instead, you'll probably call a plumber to come take a look at your old unitr. If it's not a simple and economical repair - such as replacing a burned-out thermostat or shorted-out electrical heating element or clogged gas jet -  then you'll ask them for a price to install a new similar one.

And that's when you need to be careful. As many a homeowner can attest, there are contractors out there who try to take advantage of people when they are in "emergency" situations or are dealing with building and/or installation services. Plumbing companies are no exception.

Very Few Differences The water heater you  have in your home and as well as the one you will eventually will replace it with are very much based on a common design that's at least 100 years old. At the same time, modern  manufacturing methods utilized by every manufacturer - there are four that make the majority of units for the U.S. market (see All The Best Buys? Sidebare) - have made the appliances more economical. For example, the adoption of fused-glass linings means that storage tanks last for years upon years across the variety of makers.

As well, use of the latest components have just about universally raised energy-efficient levels to close to the max. The most energy-efficient gas water heaters are some 20 percent to 30 percent better than the least efficient. But among comparably constructed models, no matter the make, again, there is very little difference.

The energy-efficiency of electric water heaters is even more standardized. The heating elements used in all electric water heaters are virtually identical and take the same amount of electricity to heat the same amount of water in the same amount of time. So, Energy Factors are almost, if not exactly, alike.

Meanwhile, the water heater manufacturers have made their appliances safer by incorporating the same or similar devices designed to prevent catastrophic failures.

As a result of economics of scale within the plants and ruthless, cutthroat competition for your purchasing dollar, producers of water heaters as a whole sell very affordable products. The median price for gas water heaters is about $250 for a 30-gal. unit; $320 for a 40-gal. version; and $350 for a 50-gal. model. For electric products, the median price is $165 for 30-gal. capacity; $190 for 40-gal. systems; and $210 for 50-gal. designs. The prices you find in your area of the country, of course, may be higher or lower than these medians, which, by the way, do not take installation into account.

Nonstandard sizes, such as "low boy" (short-height) design or square-ish "tabletop" configuration (often installed within kitchen-cabinet space) will run $50 to $150 more than conventional models.

Some gas water heaters come with quick/high-recovery burners. That raises the cost across the board by $60 to $150 versus units with standard burners. Quick-recovery burners, with larger BTU-input, heat water more quickly, which is useful if a large family is depending on the system, (These burners do not use any more fuel than standard ones).

A power venting system - required by some local codes in certain circumstances - will add $150 to $300 to a gas unit's cost.

Most water heaters come with a 6-yr. tank warranty. The manufacturer typically tacks on $10 to $30 per extra year. Sometimes, you can purchase extended warranty separately. It's up to you to decide if a longer tank warranty is worth the additional outlay.

There is one facet of gas water heater design where you can obtain a possible price break. All residential gas water heaters of 30-, 40-, and 50-gal. capacities manufactured after July 1, 2003, must have an FVIR, or Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant, system built into it. This feature, which the industry voluntarily adopted out of safety concerns for the consumer, will usually add between $75 to $150 to the cost of a gas unit compared with one made before the deadline. Retailers can sell the older models if they still have them in stock, so if you can find a pre-July 1, 2003, gas water heater, grab it.

(Gas water heaters made before July 1, 2003, are perfectly safe; ones made after are just a bit safer in some situations where gasoline or other sources of flammable vapors might be present - which they shouldn't be to begin with.)

What does all this mean? It means that all water heaters you'll find for sale will have very similar features and prices tags. No matter which brand you buy, chances are 99 percent you'll be completely satisfied with your purchase. Furthermore, when it comes down to it, in this era of ever-increasing energy costs, the most energy-efficient water heater - no matter the make - will be the most economical to own and operate over the entire typical 12- to 14-yr. lifespan of the unit, with initial purchase cost being only a small relative part of the overall cost-equation of ownership.

So, when that day comes that you need a new water heater ASAP, and a plumbing contractor tells you that a certain model is better than another, you should be suspicious. Don't be fooled by trademarked, whiz-bang names for features. For example, the fact that the model has an anode rod to protect the tank lining or a patented means of preventing sedimentation from forming inside the tank should not serve as a determinant for choosing a particular model - nor as a reason for paying substantially more for it than another. Virtually all water heaters you can buy will have similar features and similar warranties and perform similarly, if not equally.

All Best Buys? Four manufacturers produce nearly all of the "tank-type" water heaters for he U.S. marketplace. There is little variation between units of comparable size and warranty. The water heaters make it to market under the manufacturers' labels or other brands. American Water Heater has a major contract to produce water heaters for sale under the Whirpool brand at Lowe's. A. O. Smith makes water heaters that carry the Maytag, State, Reliance and Penfield brands as well as the Kenmore label for Sears. Rheem-Ruud's water-heater production goes beyond its own namesake models to General Electric-branded units sold at Home Depot. Bradford-White sells its water heaters only to licensed plumbing-service firms and contractors through trade wholesalers. While it's traditional at Consumers Digest to offer readers a set of recommendations in the form of Best Buys, we refrained from doing so for water heaters because of the aforementioned close similarity between products. There simplu aren't substantial differences between brands of water heaters that make one value-superior over any other. On top of that, the manufacturers do not publish prices at which they suggest their "retailers" sell the units. Rather, each engages in what it calls "regional pricing", which means that through various arrangements with retailers and plumbing wholesalers, a given model of water heater can have a double-digit  difference in price either greater or cheaper from one region of the country to the next. Manufacturers, for their own competitive reasons, refuse to disclose what these "regions" are and/or other details that would help you figure out where what the price- points actually are. The only way you can truly determine a "best buy" or what the best-value water heater for you, is to call around to big-box retailers with pen and paper in hand and take notes. (If you want a Bradford-White, you'll have to ask a plumber if they can obtain one.)

Your Call On The Install When your water heater does give up the ghost, even if you have a regular plumber, you obviously could call two or three others for estimates as well as retailers to see how much they charge to have one of their plumbing subcontractors install one.

But there's good reason for letting a plumber you've used before - satisfactorily - do the job if at all possible. Plumbers, like elephants with pipe wrenches, have long memories. First, no plumber will take offense when you tell them you'd like to get another couple of quotes for replacing the water heater: they know that as long as they're in the ballpark with others' quotes, you'll probably go with them. Perhaps more important, giving your "regular" plumber as much of your business as you can will help keep you on their "preferred  customer" list, meaning when your pipes are frozen or your main sewer is completely clogged and you really need them in a hurry, they'll be there for you.

If you do decide to go with a package deal of water heater and installation from a retailer such as Lowe's or Home Depot, keep in mind the plumber who installs your new water heater will be chosen "pot luck" for you by the retailer. Retailers' employees seldom do the actual work. Almost all installations are subcontracted out to local, fully licensed plumbing contractors who install your unit for a fractional percentage of what the store charges you for its labor. But in general, you needn't worry about the qualifications of the plumbing subcontractors, because it doesn't take the proverbial rocket scientist, or even a world-class Master Plumber, to install a water heater.

Or, if you're a true do-it-yourselfer who is comfortable with disconnecting the water pipes and electrical or gas service from your old unit and reconnecting same, you can save yourself the cost of labor by doing all the grunt work yourself. But consider that the job usually takes 2 to 4 hours - to disconnect, drain and remove the old unit, install the new one and reconnect the gas or electric service.

Please keep in mind that many local municipalities that never used to inspect water-heater-replacement jobs now frequently require whoever does it -plumber or homeowner- to obtain a plumbing permit (and an electrical permit if installing an electric unit) as well as then having the new work inspected.

Is this because of safety concerns for the public? Some argue no and say cash-strapped cities and counties saw this as a quick-and-easy cash-cow.

So, you better check and comply with your local laws before having a new water heater installed. Some places offer "bounties" to municipal employees - sanitation workers picking up old water heaters from the curb, for example - for catching violators as a means of helping enforce these new regulations. Fines for getting caught can run into the hundreds of dollars.


Back In Hot Water After installation of your new unit, you can comfortably forget about your water heater until something eventually goes wrong, which should be years down the road.

"What?" you ask, "Don't all water heater manufacturers recommend that you do yearly maintenance, primarily flushing the tank out?" Yes, they do, but the truth is that almost no one ever does. Consumers Digest has personal experience with water heaters in operation for over 20 years that never had their tanks flushed. The reason: low mineral content in the water supply.

Unless your water is unusually mineralized or aggressively hard, flushing out  your water-heater tank is a good idea but not really mandatory. If you do have "aggressive" water, then not only do you need to flush out your unit yearly but also pull your anode rod out to make sure it doesn't need replacing. Not doing so could mean shortened tank life.

So, the next time you wash your hands or do the dishes or take a shower or do the laundry, think of perhaps the most unsophisticated major appliance in your home and how much you take for granted the simple luxury of having unlimited hot water at your disposal - and of how, when that appliance needs replacement, you really can't go wrong selecting a new one.

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