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131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140</head> 141 142<body> 143<div class="container"><div class="header"><img src="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/images/mobilebanner.gif" alt="Water Heater Rescue: Know-How, Troubleshooting, Anodes graphic"><div class="LeftTopLinkInside"><span class="BlackLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/water-heater-welcome-page.html" class="whitetype">LOST? THEN CLICK HERE</a></span><br><span class="RedLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/water-heaters-101.html" class="whitetype">WATER HEATERS 101</a></span><span class="GreenLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/choosing-a-water-heater.html" class="whitetype">CHOOSING A WATER HEATER</a></span><span class="YellowLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/troubleshooting/troubleshooting.html" class="blacktype">TROUBLESHOOTING</a></span><span class="OrangeLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/troubleshooting/smelly-hot-water.html" class="blacktype">SMELLY HOT WATER</a></span><span class="BlueLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/commercial/water-heaters-in-apartments.html" class="whitetype">WATER HEATERS IN APARTMENTS</a></span></div><div class="RightTopLinkInside"><span class="OrangeLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heater-maintenance/water-heater-maintenance.html" class="blacktype">WATER HEATER MAINTENANCE</a></span><br><span class="BlueLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/troubleshooting/lingo.html" class="whitetype">LINGO: A GLOSSARY</a></span><span class="YellowLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/hot-water-heater-safety.html" class="blacktype">WATER HEATER SAFETY</a></span><span class="BlackLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/products/consulting.html" class="whitetype">CONSULTING</a></span><span class="GreenLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/site-map.html" class="whitetype">SITE MAP</a> | <a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/funstuff/funstuff.html" class="whitetype">FUN STUFF</a></span><span class="RedLinkBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/products/water-heater-anodes-for-sale.html" class="whitetype">PRODUCTS</a></span></div></div> 144 145 <div class="native_search_box_wrapper" style="position: relative;clear: both;"> 146 <input id="native_search_box" type="text" placeholder="Search WaterHeaterRescue...." /> 147 <span id='search_btn'>Go</span> 148 149<div id="search_wrapper"> 150 151</div> 152 </div> 153 154 155 156<h1 class="topicbar">Water Heaters 101 > Choosing a Water Heater</h1> 157 158 159<p class="intro">What 160 you'll find on this page: When it comes to buying a water heater, everybody wants a quick answer, 161 but there just isn't one. However, there ARE ways of navigating the maze.</p> 162<span class="subtopicbar">The Tough Question</span><br /> 163<div class="bodytype"> 164<p class="bodytype">Legions of people ask us every year to choose for them, and we won't do it. There IS no simple answer. No water heater is going to be 165 right for everybody and each person has to figure out which is right 166 on their own. But we can help you with that. </p> 167<p class="bodytype">There are a kajillion models and model numbers change all the time. We don't even try to keep track of them all. What we can 168 do, and what we try to do, is educate you about a subject that hardly 169 anybody knows anything about and set your feet on the path to finding 170the right water heater for you.</p> 171<p class="bodytype"> </p> 172<span class="subtopicbar">Longevity and Efficiency</span><br /> 173<p class="bodytype">If you've read 174 very much of our site, you'll likely know that we like to see people 175 buy a water heater that has an exposed, hex-head, magnesium anode 176 installed in it. That offers at least the chance of removing it 177 for inspection without totally destroying it. It also leaves room 178 in the hot port for what is known as a combo anode rod comprising 179 an anode, hot-water outlet and dielectric PEX-lined steel nipple.</p><br /> 180 <p class="helpfulred">Voice search is available with the Chrome browser</a></p><br /> 181<p class="bodytype">If you were 182 to buy a 12-year-warranty heater, likely the only difference between 183 it and a 6-year-warranty one would be extra anodic metal: either a larger-diameter 184 hex anode, or a normal one along with a <i>half-length</i> outlet 185 rod in the hot port. We'd rather see you put a full-length rod there 186 -- and save the premium you'd pay for the longer-warranty tank. 187 And installing it just involves screwing it into the hot port.</p> 188<p class="bodytype">We'd also want 189 you to install a sediment flush kit comprising a curved dip tube 190 and ball valve drain assembly if you live in a hard-water area, unless you're already using a water softener, which eliminates most mineral sediment buildup. 191 Installing these parts may seem daunting, but we make it easier for you with our <a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heater-maintenance/know-how-a-hands-on-guide-to-water-heater-maintenance.html">Know-How</a> page. Oh, and by the way: if you install the flush 192 kit, don't forget to <i>use it</i> once a year! Put it in your scheduler, 193 if you use one. The time slips by faster than you think! </p> 194<p class="bodytype"> </p> 195<p class="bodytype">There has been much talk and a certain amount of e-mail to us regarding instantaneous 196 water heaters, also known as tankless or point-of-use. If you install a well-insulated 197 tank-type water heater, you can equal the efficiency of these latter for a 198 great deal less cost and trouble. You'd think the instantaneous heaters would 199 be more efficient, but it's not necessarily true. And they're expensive and 200 finicky compared to the more common tank heaters. If you'd like to know more 201 about our thinking on this, go to <a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/tankless-water-heaters.html" target="_blank">Tankless</a>.</p> 202<p class="bodytype">There <i>are</i> specific circumstances where this type of heater is the preferable 203 choice, but in general, we suggest going with the simpler, easier-to-live-with, 204 tank-type heater.</p> 205<p class="bodytype"> </p> 206<span class="subtopicbar">Needs and Comparisons</span><br /> 207<p class="bodytype">Who needs what? <i>That</i> is the question! There are ways to rate one water heater 208 against another. But what does that mean relative to you? With fuel 209 bills going up, any logical person simply wants "enough."</p> 210<p class="bodytype">So before you 211 read the rest of this page, <b>here is a simple equation.</b> First 212 use a sizing program (see <a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/resources.html" target="_blank">Resources</a>) 213 to determine what your particular needs are. Then, on the one hand, 214 compare gallons, Btu input or KwH, first-hour recovery, insulation 215 thickness (if you can) or Energy Factor. On the other hand, throw in our maintenance parameters: 216 what metal is the anode made of? How thick is the anode? How many 217 anodes in the heater? Is there room for a second? Do you have hard 218 water, and thus, need a sediment flush kit? (People with water softeners can skip the flush kit unless their heater has an aluminum anode. Softeners eliminate mineral sediment, but the anode creates a different kind.) </p> 219<p class="bodytype"> </p> 220<p class="bodytype">Other factors 221 you're going to run into will include price, availability and installation options. The things 222 we think are important may not be important to you. At minimum, 223 you need to read <a href="replace-water-heater-anodes-to-extend-tank-life.html" target="_blank">Anodes</a>, and <a href="water-heater-sediment.html" target="_blank">Sediment</a>, With that, you'll 224 be well on your way to making a decision. But if you're 225 in too big a hurry to do that research, you should stand in front of a mirror and say, "You 226 dummy! Look at the lousy water heater you chose for me!"</p> 227<p class="bodytype"> </p> 228<p class="bodytype">If you're replacing 229 a water heater, the greater question is, "Did the old one work well 230 enough?" Now if the answer is "no," a good many folks would think, 231 "I have a 30-gallon, so I ought to buy a 40-gallon" or "I have a 232 40-gallon, so I ought to buy a 50-gallon." Don't think only in terms 233 of gallonage. Think in terms of Btu input or first-hour recovery. </p> 234<p class="bodytype">These terms 235 involve how rapidly a tank can heat water. A boiler that can heat 236 a whole apartment complex or skyscraper <i>sometimes has no storage</i>, 237 only a series of copper tubes running through a very hot fire. The 238 water is heated instantaneously. Some very powerful commercial water 239 heaters have very little capacity. For instance, a 75,000 Btu, 100-gallon 240 light commercial water heater is a good deal less potent than a 241 250,000 Btu, 65-gallon tank. </p> 242<p class="bodytype">First-hour recovery 243 essentially combines the hot water a tank can hold with what it 244 can heat in one hour. Used in conjunction with the yellow federal 245 energy sticker, it provides a means of comparing different tanks, 246 along with the other things we've mentioned.</p> 247<p class="bodytype"> </p> 248<span class="subtopicbar">What Brand Lasts the Longest?</span><br /> 249<p class="bodytype">Everybody's. 250 Nobody's. The vast majority of tank-type water heaters are all made 251 in the same way, regardless of manufacturer. A ceramic coating is 252 bonded to a steel tank. But it's an imperfect process and some heaters 253 get a better coating than others. That's one reason why one tank 254 will last a long time and one will last a short one.</p> 255<p class="bodytype">
255Get a thousand 256 plumbers together and some will say A.O. Smith is the best and Rheem 257 is the worst. Others will say Rheem is the best and Smith is the 258 worst. Everybody can't be right. What gives? Experiences. If one 259 plumber gets more good Rheems and bad Smiths, or more good Smiths 260 and bad Rheems, then he will get the idea that one is better than 261 the other. Same with homeowners. It's a cinch that if your last 262 tank lasted 20 years, you'll buy another like it and expect IT to 263 last 20 more years. Might not happen.</p> 264<p class="bodytype"> </p> 265<p class="bodytype">On the other 266 hand, if you maintain your heater as we advise here, it will last 267 the longest no matter who made it -- unless it's defective from 268 the start.</p> 269<p class="bodytype">Tankless owners 270 beware: if you have hard water, your units will need regular, expensive 271 maintenance or their efficiency will drop rapidly and they'll probably 272 fail altogether. This is a place where softened water will help 273 you. It's hard on the anodes of tank-type heaters, but kind to heat 274 exchangers in tankless heaters.</p> 275<p class="bodytype">And one more 276 thing: the brand that lasts the longest might be the Marathon, made 277 by a subsidiary of Rheem. It has a plastic-lined tank and a lifetime 278 guarantee. But it's also a lot more expensive than the others.</p> 279<p class="bodytype"> </p> 280<span class="subtopicbar">What Brand Is Most Reliable? 281</h2> 282</span><br /> 283<p class="bodytype">Everybody's. 284 Nobody's. This one covers several facets. As we said above, they 285 are all made the same way. That said, the federal government mandate 286 of FVIR systems on gas heaters caused the makers enormous headaches 287 and generated incredible bad will among buyers, who got stuck with 288 heaters that broke and had to be replaced or were chronically troublesome. 289 Those systems are NOT all the same, but the manufacturers have engineered past the worst of the problems, and we don't hear FVIR complaints so much any more. </p> 290<p class="bodytype"> </p> 291<p class="bodytype">It may be that 292 some are less prone to shut down, or do it less often because of 293 the size or position of their air screens. We do not have a complete 294 handle on this, so we can't tell you definitively this is so. It's 295 a big marketplace with millions of scenarios. Some people say Rheems 296 are less prone to dust-caused shutdown. Bradford Whites may have 297 a bigger air screen, and they were the first to offer a reset button, 298 but now other brands have that, too. But get used to dusting your 299 water heater if you want a hot shower.</p> 300<p class="bodytype">Traditional 301 electric water heaters don't have FVIR devices, but they do have 302 electric elements and thermostats that fail eventually. This is 303 function, as opposed to longevity, which is mostly glass lining 304 and anodes. Don't confuse the two.</p> 305<p class="bodytype"> </p> 306<span class="subtopicbar">Beware of Complexity</span><br /> 307<p class="bodytype">We're getting 308 into a time when some people are heavily promoting energy efficiency. 309 Often that goes hand in hand with complexity. Complex water heaters 310 have more problems than simple water heaters. About the only thing 311 that could have gone wrong with the 37-year-old water heater in my garage 312 in California was a bad thermocouple. It failed a few years ago. The brand new A.O. Smith in my house in Texas is much more complex, although I did put two anodes and a flush kit in it. It will probably outlive me.</p> 313<p class="bodytype">Power-vent heaters 314 have controls and a fan that can fail. Heat-pump electric water 315 heaters have an air filter that MUST be cleaned or the energy-saving heat pump stops 316 working and you're back to a very expensive resistance-type heater. Condensing gas water heaters are super-efficient, but are 317 power-vent by nature, and have an acid condensate that users ignore 318 to their peril.</p> 319<p class="bodytype">Odds are, you 320 know more about your car than your water heater, even though the 321 car is far more complex. There are answers to all your questions 322 here, but you have to read a little to find them. Read and learn.</p> 323<p align="right"><b><i>-- 324 Randy Schuyler</i></b></p><br /> 325 <p class="helpfulred">IF YOU FOUND THIS PAGE USEFUL, TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT WATERHEATERRESCUE.COM</p><br /> 326 327<div class="BottomNavBar"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/water-heaters-101.html" class="redtype">Back to 101</a><br> 328<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/index.html" class="redtype">Home </a>|<span class="redtype"><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/site-map.html" class="redtype"> Site Map</a></span></div><div id="indexfooter"><div class="fullphoto"><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Water-Heater-Rescue-476286099154987/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/images/Index page/facebook.jpg" width="36" height="36" alt="Facebook icon"></a><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/waterheaterresc/pins/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/images/Index page/pinterest.jpg" width="36" height="36" alt="Pinterest icon"></a><a href="https://x.com/home/WaterHeaterResc" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/images/Index page/logo-black-sized.jpg" width="36" height="36" alt="X icon"></a></p></div><p><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heater-maintenance/water-heater-maintenance.html">Water Heater Maintenance</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/troubleshooting/smelly-hot-water.html">Smelly Hot Water</a><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/troubleshooting/troubleshooting.html">Troubleshooting</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/replace-water-heater-anodes-to-extend-tank-life.html">Sacrificial Anodes</a>|<br><br><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/water-heaters-101/powered-anodes-solve-smelly-hot-water.html">Powered Anodes</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/water-heater-rescue-privacy-policy.html">Privacy Policy</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/water-heater-rescue-contact-us.html">Contact Us</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/water-heater-rescue-about-us.html">About Us</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/products/return-policy.html">Return Policy</a><br><br><a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/resources.html">Resources</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/news-about-water-heaters.html">News About Water Heaters</a>|<a href="https://www.waterheaterrescue.com/general/site-map.html">Site Map</a><br><br></p><p>©Copyright 1995-2026 by Water Heater Rescue</p></div> 329</div> 330</div> 331</div> 332 333 <p> </p> 334<style type='text/css'> 335#search_wrapper .gs-snippet, #search_wrapper .gs-snippet * 336{ 337 font-size: 14px !important; 338} 339#search_wrapper .gs-title, #search_wrapper .gs-title * 340{ 341 font-size: 16px !important; 342} 343#search_wrapper div.gs-title 344{ 345 height: auto !important; 346} 347#search_wrapper .gsc-url-top, #search_wrapper .gsc-url-top * 348{ 349 font-size: 11px !important; 350} 351.gsc-url-top 352{ 353 margin-top: -15px; 354 position: relative !important; 355} 356div.gs-snippet 357{ 358 height: auto !important; 359 max-height: 4em !important; 360 min-height: 1em !important; 361} 362.gsc-table-result 363{ 364 margin-top: -1.5em; 365 position: relative; 366} 367div.gsc-result 368{ 369 padding-top: 0px !important; 370 padding-bottom: 0px !important; 371 box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px #ffffff !important; 372} 373</style> 374
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