electric water heaters

Bryan Hochheiser

We have been installing 50 gallon 10 year warrenty A O Smith electric water heaters for a long time without a problem. The cost was higher but it was sold as a better product. Now we are having the tanks fail on heaters installed 2-3 years ago. The changes i've noticed are water connections are now just threadlets on the tank. There were nipples possibly with an additional anode on the older tanks. The anode on the plug on the tank is gone when inspecting a failed tank. One other diff. is they stopped supplying pipe insulation with the heater. A small item but it is something if installed neatly the customer would notice and comment on. Anyone care to comment on what electric water heaters they like?

kevin

wow...

what is the water like there? Seems like a very short time, to have problems.kpc

Heatermon

We use the \"Professional\" line

from Rheem Manufacturing (It's also available as a Ruud product). The units have the thicker anode rods (like the 10 year products) a good low watt density lower element for longer life, a "self cleaning" system and the water inlets are left open so you can install what works best for you (we use brass nipples). They also include both a T&P and the 2 pieces of 3/4" pipe insulation with every unit. The best part of their program is that the units are sold as a 6 year product, but if the heater is installed by a "licensed" plumber and a registration card is sent in to the manufacturer, they will increase the tank warranty to 8 years AT NO COST. You can even sell them an upgrade kit (consists of an extra hot water nipple anode and some stickers for the heater) that will increase the warranty by 4 more years to 12. We've used both the gas and electric models since the inception of this program in 1995 and have been pleased with it so far. They will even register you to their "Proformace Club" and will give you points and prizes based on the number of registration cards that are sent in from your customers (we fill them out and send them in ourselves). It's a great way to distinguish yourself from the "common" water heaters and get a little better product out there to your customer. Now, for what it's worth, if the anode is gone from the plug of your A.O. Smith heaters, you either had a bad connection to the plug and the anode fell off, or you have REALLY active water that is eating the anode at an accellerted rate (soft water maybe?). If it's anode rods breaking off from the plug, then changing anode rods (or water heater manufacturers) will solve the problem. But if the water conditions are such that this is how fast the anodes are being eaten, then you better change out the anodes annually until the harsh water conditions change (get it tested and see!) or else the new brand of water heater will also fail. Anode rods should be checked regularly to see how fast they are being eaten away and you should be able to remedy this situation depending on the inspections. Good luck.

Heatermon

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Bryan Hochheiser

well water

hardness varies, ph most are acidic, iron in some. I do think the water is part of the problem but I don`t think it is the whole problem.

Bryan Hochheiser

soft water

Heatermon I cant blame my water softners because I also am having problems on untreated water. I bought The Water Heater Workbook from books and more (it`s not exactly what I was expecting) What do you mean by active water, 100 proof?

ta finnegan

Tankless

When I change out ANY water heater now, I try to convince the homeowner to go tankless.

Check out www.seisco.com

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Newt Loken

tankless

Interesting tank/water quality issues. Thanks. One comment on going tankless is I believe it "spikes" the utility, especially if everyone does it. I think gas tankless is a great idea, otherwise you have a 3-4" hole up the middle = high heat loss. Electric tanks are superefficient in comparrison. That spike I mentioned adds to the utilities peak load (or commercial customer)which makes them either buy more expensive power somewhere else or build more expensive generation. Sorry for the diversion.
Newt

Heatermon

Active water

is a general term we use for Agressive water conditions that negatively affect plumbing systems. Conditions like hardness, acidity, salinity, and other factors can damage plumbing in certain incidents. Assuming that you have been using A.O. Smith 10 year products for a number of years (10+) without any problems, then something has changed recently to cause these heaters to fail. I can't speak to A.O. Smith as I sell their competetors' products, but I can tell you that I am not aware of any changes in the way any of the major manufacturers produce these electric water heaters. The fact that the "sacrificial" anode rod is gone from the heaters you see failing indicates that "something" is either eating away the rods at an accellerated rate, or the rods are difective and are falling off the plug. I would suspect that they are being eaten away very rapidly and you need to determine why. Something has had to change in the chemical makeup of your water to get it to become this aggresive. Now all you need to do is find out what it is and why. An easy case for Sherlock Holmes, but I'm afraid he isn't available so you'll have to put on your cap, grab the magnifying glasses and try it yourself . It may take awhile, but the answer is out there. Good luck.

Heatermon

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Bryan Hochheiser

agressive water

I work most in Carroll and Baltimore county Maryland. Most of my customers have well water, either municipal or private wells. Most of it is acidic and hard. Plumbing fixtures (brass and copper),boiler coils, water heaters and well tanks do not last. My customers that draw water from Baltimore City`s water system which is mostly treated reservoir water can have plumbing fixtures 100 years old or more. Its interesting.

ta finnegan

Scale - hard or mineral rich water.

The SEISCO units do not scale out the magnesium and calcium you usually see in other water heaters. The reason is because each chamber only heats the water a certain amount in order to achieve 120 degrees out. No boiling, no scale. Sure helps extend the life of the units 25-30 years in most cases.

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