New water heater

[os1kne]

I am looking to get a nat. gas water heater (with a tank). I currently have a 30 gal. Kenmore that is about 12 yrs. old that still works fine, but with a growing family I need more capacity.

I'm deciding between the Whirlpool and Kenmore with 12 year warranties (the 12 year tanks tend to have 2x the insulation of the others). The Whirlpool seems to be a tad more efficient than the Kenmore, but I've been impressed with the performance of my current Kenmore unit.

Anyway, does anyone have an opinion about which is better - or is there another brand that is better than both and priced competitively?

I'm not interested in going tankless. (I know the advantages, etc. but I'm going with a tank.)

Thank you.

[jAngiel]

I seem to remember about fairly new Whirlpool water heaters having a problem of the transducer going out prematurely. I had to replace one on my SIL's and then saw online when I was researching what may be wrong with it that it was a common problem. Whirlpool had decided (I think) not to do a recall but if someone had more than a couple incidents where they had to replace it they would replace the whole water heater.

After reading all that, if it was me, I would get the Kenmore. It could be that they are both made by Whirlpool, you would have to check the model numbers to see. But after reading all the posts by pissed off Whirlpool owners, I'd have to reconsider.

It wasn't that hard to fix but if I had to fix it (at my expense) while it was less than two years old, it would piss me off to. My SIL was selling her house and just wanted it fixed quickly and didn't want to mess with contacting Whirlpool.

Anyway... I'm sure there are other brands out there too. This is just the experience I recently had with a fairly new Whirlpool.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Who makes the Kenmore? That should give you an indication of quality. You may find that the Kenmore is made by Whirlpool.

I can't imagine there is a huge difference in quality amoung the mid-level natural gas (or propane) hot water heaters. Failure should be much less common than an electric HW heater. I would likely go with the most efficient model, particularly given energy cost trends.

[dlminehart]

For a lot of general information, including how to keep your water heater going virtually indefinitely (vs the "12 year warranty"), see Water Heater Rescue at http://tinyurl.com/yxfljo . These folks sell upgrade/repair kits, as well as providing free info.

[Pappy]

Look into A.O. Smith units. Generally carried in the plumging supply houses.

[maxparot]

I changed my hot water system this past summer. I was adding a solar water heater to the 40 gallon electric that was in use. Since the installers volunteered to change out the old electric heater at the same time I took them up on it. I found a GE 40 gallon on sale at HD w/ 12 year warranty. HD sells an extended warranty for the 12 year unit that makes it a lifetime warranty for $99 I had a 20% off coupon at the time so after all was said and done the deal came out with a net cost that gave me the warranty for free.

Usually I say no to extended warranties but this one includes the tank and we all know that sooner or later it will pay on a water heater. Since I live in the land of hard water I'm sure it will be sooner. But if you are planning to stay in your home long enough to let the warranty pay off then it is a good deal.

[scorrpio]

What is your overall heating setup? Do you have a furnace (air heating) or a boiler (hydronic)? If you have a boiler, you might consider an indirect-fired instead. I have a Weil McLain Plus 40 paired to a WM Ultra 105, and I am very happy with the setup. A 36 gal heater with 200 gph delivery rate.

[vaking]

I believe Kenmore is not a manufacturer but another Sears owned trade name like Craftsman. Products sold under Kenmore name are made by several manufacturers, for instance my fridge is made by Frigidare with Kenmore on the front. Many Kenmore units are made by Whirlpool. BTW - Whirlpool is the largest appliance maker in the world as far as I know.

[scorrpio]

http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml

A handy chart for 'who makes what'

[jhart]

Nice charts Scorrpio, thanks