This thing is 7 years old. I guess it’s done. Darko, what about getting one at Home Depot and their home warranty?

So if you need a part like say a gas valve, you can't go to a supply house and get one and warranty it. It must be shipped from Rheem to your home.
If you have a leak, it must be uninstalled and returned to home depot with a licensed plumber, meaning you're paying time to have a plumber drive it to home depot, screw around with them for God knows how long, and reinstall a new one. Usually, it's more expensive than buying a new one.

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I got a quote from the company who originally installed the water heater and services my reverse osmosis system. They want $1,020 for the same 50 gallon Bradford w/installation.

Seems a bit much. I may just pick one out from Home Depot (skip their warranty, just go with the manufacture) and have a handyman install it. Rehm is a solid brand though?

Water heaters can be pretty simple to install.

Now, getting the old one out is a pain in the ass though.

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I am talking about the manufacturer warranty dude. Thats how Rheem does their warranty with products bought at Home Depot.
If you think 1100 is steep for a water heater install and haul I'm not sure what to tell you except it's 2021 now.

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Oh and is Rheem a solid brand?
Here's the deal. Rheem sells their cappy shit to home depot. The pro version with a much better gas valve (read thermostat) is only sold wholesale.
Home depot should be avoided at all costs IMHO. That's me man, just me. I deal with a couple of these a week and every time it's a nightmare. I had a customer on a Thursday night call in a couple weeks ago no hot water. Classic bad gas valve, 750 mvdc from the Thermopile, should be a pristine signal to power the valve but the pilot won't stay lit. The valve was bad.
Order it that night. We'll it was 5 years old and still under manufacturer warranty thus they ship the valve directly to the customer. I have a bunch of these on our shelves but I can't use one of mine and get reimbursed by Rheem unless it's a pro model. Anyhoodles they ship it Saturday and it doesn't arrive at the customer Home until Tuesday night. So they have it installed Wednesday. So if it were a pro version I could have put in the new valve in about 30 minutes Thursday but their dumb rules mean they had to wait near a week to get it repaired. Dumb.
So! Is Rheem solid?
They're nearly all identical dude.

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You're talking to a first-time home owner. I'm learning.

I know the Bradford lasted 7 years so I'll be fine with the $400 Rehm heater. A handyman can do the install. I'll save a bit of money.

Okie dokie. Best of luck to you. Avoid home depot. Please. Trust that I know what I'm talking about mate.

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I know you do man, I greatly appreciate the advice. I absolutely trust that you know what's up.

It sounds like there's a difference between water heaters you get wholesale (like the Bradford $1,020 quote I got from a local AZ company called Southwest water who I use for my reverse osmosis system) and a Smith water heater from Lowe's or Reehm from Home Depot.

It also sounds like if something goes wrong with a Reehm that you purchase from Home Depot, it's a big pain in the ass to coordinate a repair with their warranty (specific Reehm warranty because it was bought at Home Depot).

I've been in my home for a little over a year. I have no idea if the owner before me did an annual flush. I didn't know you had to that until doing some reading today. I've got a hot water timer and water softener in addition to the water heater. I'm leaning towards buying a Smith at Lowe's or Reehm at Home Depot, hiring a handyman to do the install, saving $400, and hoping the thing lasts 3-4 years without a problem before I move into a bigger home and start a family.

I completely understand you saying wholesale is the way to go though. I'm cutting corners doing it any other way. I'll think about it! I know it would be the right choice if I was in a home I knew I'd be in for a while.

Hard pass.

What’s your view on tankless? We’re planning to replace our old tank this year to hopefully beat the inevitable failure.

Our plumber is steering us away from tankless due to: i) his view on difficulty getting replacement parts if necessary and ii) he says it takes a while to heat the water (more an issue for sinks than showers). Do you have any strong feelings one way or the other?

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Do you have city water or well water?

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The states [state selects, smiths) are fine. Just don't buy home depot.

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Good old Lake Michigan water

Addendum: I only want tankless as I’d expect it to age into my kids’ teenage years, when I don’t want to be stuck with cold water from teenagers taking 30 min showers.

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Sweet. So a tankless is a fantastic option. You can get something ike 4 to 6 gallons per minute of 120 to 130 degree water. You do need an annual descale done and it costs around 230 bucks retail but for that 230 bucks you can get a kit and I can easily talk you thru the procedure. Or stop by and do it once while you take notes. Any asshole can do it. No special knowledge required.
Now, lifespan isn't too terribly dissimilar to water heaters. Maybe with LM water you're looking at 12 to 15 years with proper annual maintenance.
I'd recommend Navien. Their customer service is BEYOND top notch. They might be the most customer service oriented company I've ever encountered. I am a fan.
If you have 4 5 people in your house with great LM water a navien tankless is a fantastic option.
Replacement parts? They ship from navien to your house while under warranty.
If you were deep into maintenance I'd recommend buying a 30 dollar gasket kit.

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Beautiful, thank you sir, much appreciated.

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Copy that! One last question, is there a big difference between a 40 gallon tank and 50 gallon?

they dont make them like they use to. a water heater back in the day could last a good 20 years. Now their life span is about 7 -8 years. If you get 10 then youre lucky.

The one I was talking about earlier was a Bradford. Like I said, I was lucky it crapped out w/ 2 months left on the manufacturer warranty and they stood by their warranty no hassle.

It's about availability and recovery. So a 40 gallon tank is like 28 gallons of hot water, and a 50 is like 39 gallons of hot water. So figure out your showers GPM and see how many minutes of shower you have ok? Then there's recovery time. On an atmospheric tank ie natural draft a 40 gallon tank figure 30 to 40 GPH and 50 maybe 35 to 45.

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Darko, you're the man.

You were very lucky! I'm trying to contact a few handymen to see what kind of a wholesale deal they can get on another Bradford or something similar with a commercial sticker. Some of these Reehm and AO Smith 1 star reviews talking about leaks have me worried. You're right, they don't make them like they used to.

When you wanna really know why water heaters don't last like they used to just ask ol Darko.
Quick hint, no one changes their anode Rod anymore and second reason tanks are thinner to meet energy efficiency standards because of wussies in office.

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hopefully my renters haven't aged the newer heater i have at the home. They have 5 kids so hoping I got a few more years left with it when i move back.

But i'm definitely looking to go to tankless next time around.

Darko. You know anything about these Honeywell tank controllers I posted about earlier?

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Crest is correct on this. If you’re looking to save money, the install on a conventional water heater is pretty easy. You need a buddy and a dolly to get the old one out though.

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And if you can locate an AO Smith, take that over a Rheem as well.

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I'll go ahead and disagree on this.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
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I missed it and I'm not searching. What's your question again?

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If going tankless, then go with Rinnai.

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On stepdaughter’s HWT there is a white Honeywell control box. I guess it is electronic ignition rather than pilot and has some sensors for fumes etc. thing occasionally goes wacky and shuts down water heater. Had to rest a few times very inconvenient.

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