I’m a Retired NYC Plumber. My Parents had a Copper Custom HW heater,installed new with the house in 1964. It was STILL running when my mom sold the House in 2004!!
Bought my house in 1999. Original Rheem hot water heater from 1986 was still working. Made a mental note to keep an eye on it. 2016 I finally replaced it. It was still working, I just felt like I was pushing it a little too far. Replaced it with another Rheem. It barely made 8 years before it sprung a leak.
@@jondoes7836 I bought my house used in 1979 and it had a Rheem that was already a couple of years old according to the previous owner but even then, it lasted 15 more years for me.
I love old appliances. I have a 1920 Detroit jewel gas stove, a 1942 GE refrigerator, and my home is heated with a 1971 Heil furnace. Sure, they're not as efficient as new ones, but they're dependable and easy to repair.
That $60 Sears water heater from 1972 is equivalent to $435 today. I just replaced my water heater last summer for about $700, the insulation is at least 3 times as thick and the burner/ignition is light years safer than the open chamber on that Sears unit. We had one of those Sears units back in the 1970s and you could put your hand on it and feel the heat, they really didn't pay much attention to energy efficiency.
I'm on your side of the subject too. When it comes to any gas burning heat source, priority goes to enhanced safety tech, modern materials, and engineering for efficiency, over ease of maintenance
Recently my landlord finally changed my turquoise water heater from 1965. It had so much sediment inside that it took 4 very strong men to even move it at all.
My hydraulic heat boiler from Weil McLane has serviced the home I live in every year since 1963. Each cast iron heat exchanger is still solid and burns perfectly. All that has been replaced that I can tell is the aquastat and the original coupling style pump replaced with a Taco direct drive pump. Every component is older than I am and while it’s at best 80% efficient I still rarely have a heating bill above $100/mo and I love water heat.
It wasn't at all common for those simple Sears water heaters with the tiny bit of insulation to last 50 years. My house had one in the 1970s and it probably lasted about 12-13 years before the tank rusted through and flooded the basement. It's mostly a matter of water quality, as noted in the video. As for the open combustion chamber, one of our neighbors' house burned after the pilot light in their water heater lighted fumes from a gas can they had stored in their basement (not smart, but not unheard of either).
You should probably realize how many people died, entire families, because of the way these old appliances functioned. It wasn't just from fire either. Older gas appliances wouldn't necessarily fail safe, so they might pump carbon monoxide into a house. They might have been more reliable, but there were some trade offs.
Used to get only a few years out of a new water heater, I did some investigating and learned about replacing the anode rod. I found that between the water softener and my daughter taking 45 min showers every day the Anode rod was completely gone in about 3 years. I now replace the anode rod when about 1/3 of it is gone and the water heater is going on 11 years now. Side note water softeners will *accelerate* the consumption of the anode rod, the reason being is the water softener removes the minerals that cause the hardness and the water is looking to replace those minerals, in this case the anode rod, when the anode rod is used up the water will attack the steel tank. As said in the video "the ions are hungry".
This is the first I’ve heard of this phenomenon and I appreciate your posting it. I’ve always been skeptical of the addition of water softeners and avoided adding that whole headache to my hard water system. We have a fully finished basement and multiple plumbers have said it would be a nightmare to try to isolate our outside faucets to avoid softening the water that goes onto the lawn so I’ve avoided having to add they hassle of a softening system despite my wife’s requests. I’m going to read up on the issue you mentioned as it makes sense - thx! 👍🏼
Good point. Problem is we have two baths upstairs & one downstairs and we really want to hit all of those (plus get the really hard water minerals we have out of the toilet bowls). Whoever built our house in 1971 fully finished the entire basement ceiling and plumbers have told us they couldn’t trace the pipes/plumbing as everything is totally hidden behind drywall ceilings. I’m a huge fan of keeping the utilities accessible in at least a portion of the basement, but the high school building trades class built our place back in the day - apparently that instructor really wanted to teach those kids how to drywall!
I used to get about 12 years out of water heaters. Had a Sears and then an AO Smith. Most recent is a Whirlpool Flamelock I installed in 2002. I had a lot of problems with the Flamelock. There was a one time thermal fuse inside the thermocouple. Whirlpool had a lawsuit and I filed the paperwork, but never got the settlement. Eventually Home Depot sold a retrofit kit for $35 which included a new jet, pilot, cover plus and adapter to convert from left hand thread to normal on the thermocouple connection. The retrofit has a resettable klixon instead of the bone head single use fuse. I am still using the 22 year old water heater. I plan to hold on as long as possible because all the new heaters are much more complicated and crazy expensive for what they do.
2022 , I pulled a leaky 80 gallon monster of an electric water heater that had a “Puget Power “ rental sticker on it . Was made in 1972 so it lasted 38 years until leaking for 2 years at end….. Showers were much better with the new , smaller 60 gallon heater that lowered power bill by 200% since we it was leaking and got downsized. Thanx for showing the inside .
It's good to see that they haven't really changed much besides just added safety. They used to have more fires and explosions with the old ones, and they'd fail annoyingly soon as well. Seems the ones from the past 30 years don't normally explode as much, which is nice.
The problem is there are too many monopolies. No competition means you can sell garbage and consumers have no choice but to buy inferior products. Its your government's fault by letting wall street do what they want. Gotta maximize profit to pay shareholders instead of providing decent products for the consumer.
I just had my 10-year-old Bradford White 50-gallon electric replaced 2 days ago, it was still working fine, however the hot water would not last as long as I remembered when it was new. I had another BW installed 50 gallons, electric and it seems fine. cost installed was 1900.00 OUCH! Also, when the water from old tank was being drained out it was dark and muddy like, then it turned to rusty water, so I guess it was a good idea for a new one.
I used to live a few miles from where the Bradford White water heaters were made and I had the same issue happen - my hot water suddenly wouldn’t last nearly as long as it originally did. The plumbing company I had back then only used Bradford White and they told me there was a period of time when they had issues with the dip tube breaking off after a short period of time (shortening the amount of hot water delivered per tankful) but that they had fixed the issue. The replacement B-W water heater they put in never gave me any trouble. Hopefully you get a long life out of your replacement.
I’m still using a 1965 Chrysler Airtemp Furnace & it works flawlessly. Also have a 1986 Kennore Refrigerator that runs like a tank & is still in mint condition.
Thank you for the simple and clear explanation. Here in the Chicago area I’m still on my 2nd WH in my 1984 built house. The 2001 Rheem 40 gal i installed is still in place, but yes I do have a new AO Smith in the carton in my garage. My WH sets 6’ from the floor drain in an unfinished basement so I’m not too concerned. When it begins to leak then I’ll change it.
The old 2001 water heater could easily be costing 10 dollars or more per month in additional energy compared to a new water heater with 2 inches of foam insulation. At that 120 dollars per year additional energy, if the old water heater lasts another year or three, that could add up to an additional $360 dollars or more in energy costs, especially if gas or electricity rates keep rising in the next few years. If the new water heater is paid for and already sitting in the basement, why not install it now and start saving some money? And, it can be scheduled to be replaced exactly at your desired time, when U feel like it.
Your warranty is getting shorter every day you wait. And if it’s bad right out of the box and you have had it very long you’ll have to fight them for a replacement.
My house (in Australia) had an electric water heater installed in 1970, Saxon brand, copper tank, indirectly heated instead of immersion heated and it lasted about 40 years before the non-pressurised tank sprang a leak. It was replaced about 17 years ago with a Dux brand vitreous lined steel tank electric heater which is still going strong. So far the anode has only had to be changed once in all that time.
My house has 2 water heaters because the house is so long. I installed two new Sta Clean units in July 1995, both are still working great, no thumping from mineral build up.
We bought our house at the beginning of 2019, and it came with a water heater that was made in 2013. At the end of 2022, the water heater began making strange sounds. I figured it was on its way out, and at the end of 2023, it finally sprung a leak. To make a LONG story short, I had to buy four water heaters before I finally got one that didn't leak right out of the box. (Talk about poor quality! I hope this fourth water heater lasts until we sell the house, I don't want to install another water heater again!) Also, the first two Rheems I tried were about $1K, and the third was about $800, so I wasn't buying bargain waters... funny enough, the fourth was an AO Smith that was about $700, and so far, it's lasted a year with 0 problems.
12/12/24, just bought a new Bradford White 50 gal short, power vent, gas, cost = $1700. The one it replaced lasted 16 years, installed 2008. The original Bradford White 50 gal short power vent lasted 21 years. I had no water softener, if you have an electric heater, you must have a softener or the electric elements will not last in this area. Cincinnati, Ohio area.
Around here the really old ones are made of copper or Monel. Those sell for big money because people will install them again and they never corrode and leak. A used 1940s water heater with a Monel tank will sell for more around here than a new one costs. And someone is guaranteed to buy it in a couple days.
Just replaced my 12 year old tank last Friday. Just like all appliances in a new house these days - they last about 10 -15 years. I replaced the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer last year. The refrigerator is still original. The stove better hang in there for a good long while - it wasn't cheap.
My house in Durham NC was built in '92; it still has the 2 original A.O. Smith 40-gallon low-boy electric water heaters in the crawl space. I've been paying Duke Energy $8 per month for each for `15 years, so I'm sure that I've paid for 2 water heaters by now. My water is treated municipal water, so its cleanliness has probably contributed to them lasting so long.
great video,thank you for posting...do you feel that the new gas control valves tend to over shoot?...also do you usually install expansion tanks on your hwh installs?thanks
the "baffle" can also be call a "turbulator" and is used to cause turbulence in the hot gas flow to improve heat transfer to the tube as the gas moves up through the pipe.
Just for reference, I have a 30 year old (1994) State brand 40G standing pilot water heater that still works fine. Yes, I do worry about it quite often but it's still going. I won't replace it for no reason. It's on a well, too.
We bought a water heater in '96. It worked till this past August. Bought another one same make and stuff I expect maybe 6-7 years. The old ones worked and lasted. A problem with the new ones is the blasted crappy Honeywelll gas valve. It creates nightmares. They know it and will send you a new one all you have to do is pay for it.
The Sears unit was likely made by Rheem, Rudd or AO Smith back in the day. It depends on the model number and the first three digits of that model number.
Bottom line. Things were made to last in the old days. Better quality materials. Pride and quality were number 1. Not maximum profit. Nearly everything made now is disposable junk!
Only in america do we insist on keeping a huge tank of water heated 24/7, leaking heat into the surroundings even when it's not in use. The reason is because it's the cheapest way to *buy the equipment* to have the service of domestic hot water, even though it costs more in the long term due to the inefficiency. *Actually developed* countries have long ago settled on tankless but here we are again, 50+ years behind.
@@DoktorJavaYou do NOT save money with a on demand. The initial cost is higher. They waste water waiting for the fixture to get hot. If not installed properly they do not work. Hot water tank. Cheap to buy. Few parts to break and near instant hot water.
@@DoktorJava Homes outside of the U.S. are typically much smaller, where space is at a premium. They just don't have the room for the tank. Out of curiosity, I had an estimate to replace my electric tank water heater for an electric tankless. Without even taking into account the cost of the electric tankless itself, I would have had to spend nearly $5K to upgrade my electrical service to support the tankless. Ridiculous!
All homes should be built to accommodate the elderly and disabled. This will be better for everyone. Large wide doorways and hallways make using a cane, walker or wheel chair much easier. Bathrooms or wet rooms need to have flat floors and no shower hump or pan. A flat floor allows for easy access and drains need to provided. Easy to use lever door and faucet handles are easier for the elderly to grip and open. Main floors should include a master bedroom, restroom, shower, laundry and wide walk in closet with few steps to enter. Homes should be designed with aging in place in mind.
Was the old one glass lined? Does that make it last much longer even if the anode is used up? would a electronic anode make any difference on the accumulation of hard water deposits? Thanks a lot, Great Video!!
as a former manufacturer representative... hard water has minimal bearing on the 'standard sacrificial anode' (typical lifespan 3-5 years) ... a standard anode rod is designed to repair the (fractures) of the glass lining which degrade do the heating of water 'once depleted the heater has no internal protection and will fail... (higher temperature settings can degrade the lining faster do to water becoming molecular faster and slightly abrasive over cold water... hence why it is recommended to cook using cold tap water)... hard water (water with excessive mineral content) will deposit more mineral buildup on the bottom of the tank which will solidify over time causing longer warming times and removal of space so you then get less hot water... you can alleviate sediment deposits by draining your heater, typically recommend once or twice a year.. (not a full drain, just a few gallons to flush the bottom of the tank)... during that time it is also recommended to check the life of the anode and replace if required... these maintenance steps can drastically increase the lifespan of a heater... .... electric or powered anodes are meant as a (lifetime, no maintenance) rod and can help with limescale build up and 'hard water smell'... they do need power to operate and can cost substantially more than a 'standard anode'.... (powered anode.. approx. $100/$200 - standard anode... approx. $15/$30)... even with a powered anode it is recommended to do a sediment drain annually or bi-annually... .... I apologize for the long winded rant, hopefully it makes some sense and was in some way helpful...
Thank you for all the great info. Im considering switching my water heater to an electronic anode. Another users comment was that the electronic anode does not protect against the mineral part of the corrosion inside the water tank. What do you think? So glad you are available to answer questions. Keep up the great work!!
We has a sears water heater from 1970 and it lasted til 2001, after that even the Bradford whites only last 6-7 years tops ,now I tried an Ao smith professional we’ll see how that goes ,nothing will beat the sears !
You can do another video comparing the 1940's pure copper tanks with external heaters on the side, and the ultra modern all-plastic tank heaters of today with lifetime warranties.
I had so much flake iron in the water in the house we bought: 1 foot of flake iron in the bottom of the tank. So I took care of removing the iron and put in a 15 kw Stiebel Eltron on demand heater. $600.
I’m surprised the wall wasn’t thicker on the older heater. However the coating could still have been made cheaper than back in the day. I feel bad for you guys in Utah and California that you have to use those shitty low nox heaters lol. Here in AZ we get to still use the normal type exactly like the 2011 heater just with the thicker insulation and a slightly different gas valve.
I replaced my old water heater back in 2009, at GE manufactured under license from Redeem, bought at Home Depot, with a 12 year warranty. Dog-gone tank started leaking this year. What a racket Home Depot has going! Replacement here in CA required a low nox version that needs an electric outlet. Home Depot wants $2000 to replace a 55 gal version, city permits required! WTF for a water heater replacement?!!
I'm in manufacturing. I know things are cheaper to produce now. (Robotics, lasers, cad mills, 40yrs of Union-busting, global supply, rapid prototyping, stagnant wages...) We can just look at posted profits and then look at our paychecks and see that we're charging the same (Yes, adjusted for inflation. Often a bit less. Sometimes far more) for crappier, deliberately-harder-to-service products. More efficient? Certainly far more efficient. Was a redesign of the burner worth all that money? Probably not. Does it justify charging tgat much more? Mmmmm ... Maybe if it was a lifetime purchase it would. Running improvements don't cost all that much. Engineers are on staff, getting paid. You think they all just drink coffee and ignore quality control issues? Some do actually work. 90% of improvements are not big technical breakthroughs. Safer? Sure. Again, not that big of an impressive deal. Natural progression. Products evolve. Fun fact: I opened another window and looked up Rheem (at random) work reviews. Hot, long hours, mediocre pay, and (big shock) the usual random mandatory short notice weekends. Their big draw? Free cafeteria lunch. Just like every other "job" in America. If we wanted, we could make far superior products and treat our fellow citizens with respect. Workers and consumers alike. We, as a people, choose not to. We choose this path. The path of stagnant wages, extra work and lousy products. The path of maximum profit for a few. The path of "only a certified technician with a proprietary tool can service this unit, but only if you've got our exclusive monthly lifetime subscription service".
the 'sacrificial anode rod' in your heater is definitely degraded and your heater is on borrowed time... a $15 anode replacement may save you from a $500 replacement...
@suipsycko I've always thought that rod could be completely consumed, but didn't think it mattered since I'm willing to replace the tank by it being 32 years old. But I'll put it on my list, order, & replace it myself. $15 for a few more years is good also. Thanks!
I have a Bradford from 2011 and it’s the low Nox version. I hated how the Honeywell gas controller gave out in 2017 and I ended up replacing it. Too much logic and something got stuck as the pilot won’t stay lit. Oh as an added bonus, the insulation on mine is 2 inches thick instead of 1 inch. The guy who installed it said that it was a way to eliminate the need for people to wrap their water heaters with a jacket for better efficiency
My son loves to tell me how dumb he thinks I am. I didn’t know what was in a water tank- so he found me ignorant. Thanks for posting this. My son will feel like I am educated. 🖕🏻
First of all older water heaters are lasting longer then new ones and the new ones are lined with a glass liner so what has changed in the metal that new tanks last less and start leaking sooner
Keep in mind that the rigid/spray foam has nearly twice the R-value as typical fiberglass 'batts'. Electric water heaters tend to have better insulation.... essentially because electric water heaters are less efficient than their gas/oil fired counterparts.
@@Argellus Sorry man, you are wrong! Don't get hung up on those EV ratings. That 100% rating is a measure of how well (or efficiently) that water heater converts energy (in this case, electricity) to heat! Advantage: Electricity. Gas/oil fired hot water heaters on the other hand loose some of their 'energy'.... right up the flue. But you HAVE to look at total operating costs (per year) and if you DO THE RESEARCH, you will find that natural gas is BY FAR the least expensive to RUN! I'm from a cold climate (New England), so please don't tell me that electricity is the most 'efficient'...because it's NOT!
The additional electronics cause unnecessary failures, which is by design. The manufacturers design their products to fail pretty much as soon as the warranty expires.
I have a tankless water heater. Brand shall not be discussed. The plumbers have just finished their fourth visit, under warranty, in order to provide me hot water.
I must have been lucky because i installed a Whirlpool water heater in 2004 i replaced it in 2023 and never did a thing to it in all those years No flushing and No anode rod just daily household use 24/7
The older the better. I got 50 years out of a 1970s model. That metal mesh can clog up. Ask me how I know. The new stuff just has more to break and don't last any time.
A water heater failure can severely damage if not destroy a million dollar home in a matter of minutes. How is it that consumers accept a less than 2000 day failure rate?
They use to make a stainless steel water heater. The design is very inefficient. Be great if someone did a flue exhaust temperature when new. Then as it ages you could tell the drop in heat transfer. I bet you waste more fuel by using it till a leak happens than the thing costs. Something to think about. And the crap about draining the sediment out. I don't see that stuff coming out.
Wasting energy wastes money. Short term thinking is what keeps people poor. The long term savings of an energy efficient house saves you money many times over. Short term thinking will keep your poor. It is a hard but necessary lesson to learn. Spending a little more upfront can pay dividends in the future.
I used two di-electric fittings. They have a plastic insert that stops the electric charge from entering the water heater. They are threaded, so replacing the heater is easy. After 15 years when I replaced the water heater. The anode rod was like new. The leak was in the area of the exhaust tube.
governments causing more problems than needed with regulations is what im hearing. if you have something like a catalyctic converter as he said. im going to assume rare earth minerlas and im going to assume thats why its closer to 1k
I’m a Retired NYC Plumber. My Parents had a Copper Custom HW heater,installed new with the house in 1964. It was STILL running when my mom sold the House in 2004!!
Bought my house in 1999. Original Rheem hot water heater from 1986 was still working. Made a mental note to keep an eye on it. 2016 I finally replaced it. It was still working, I just felt like I was pushing it a little too far. Replaced it with another Rheem. It barely made 8 years before it sprung a leak.
An AO smith just lasted a few months before 8. Lots of rust and nothing left on the Anode. Will replace the anode year 3.
yup, new furnaces are no different.
a 1986 Rheem water heater is one of the last water heaters made in Chicago. After that, they were made in Mexico.
@@jondoes7836 I bought my house used in 1979 and it had a Rheem that was already a couple of years old according to the previous owner but even then, it lasted 15 more years for me.
I love old appliances. I have a 1920 Detroit jewel gas stove, a 1942 GE refrigerator, and my home is heated with a 1971 Heil furnace. Sure, they're not as efficient as new ones, but they're dependable and easy to repair.
That $60 Sears water heater from 1972 is equivalent to $435 today. I just replaced my water heater last summer for about $700, the insulation is at least 3 times as thick and the burner/ignition is light years safer than the open chamber on that Sears unit. We had one of those Sears units back in the 1970s and you could put your hand on it and feel the heat, they really didn't pay much attention to energy efficiency.
I'm on your side of the subject too. When it comes to any gas burning heat source, priority goes to enhanced safety tech, modern materials, and engineering for efficiency, over ease of maintenance
Recently my landlord finally changed my turquoise water heater from 1965.
It had so much sediment inside that it took 4 very strong men to even move it at all.
My hydraulic heat boiler from Weil McLane has serviced the home I live in every year since 1963. Each cast iron heat exchanger is still solid and burns perfectly. All that has been replaced that I can tell is the aquastat and the original coupling style pump replaced with a Taco direct drive pump. Every component is older than I am and while it’s at best 80% efficient I still rarely have a heating bill above $100/mo and I love water heat.
This explains why I’m always in a perpetual state of replacing/repairing things. Give me the old stuff that works for a while.
Business is about profits not about having a reputation for building quality
It wasn't at all common for those simple Sears water heaters with the tiny bit of insulation to last 50 years. My house had one in the 1970s and it probably lasted about 12-13 years before the tank rusted through and flooded the basement. It's mostly a matter of water quality, as noted in the video. As for the open combustion chamber, one of our neighbors' house burned after the pilot light in their water heater lighted fumes from a gas can they had stored in their basement (not smart, but not unheard of either).
You should probably realize how many people died, entire families, because of the way these old appliances functioned. It wasn't just from fire either. Older gas appliances wouldn't necessarily fail safe, so they might pump carbon monoxide into a house. They might have been more reliable, but there were some trade offs.
He says in the video it's rare to find water heaters this old.
Used to get only a few years out of a new water heater, I did some investigating and learned about replacing the anode rod. I found that between the water softener and my daughter taking 45 min showers every day the Anode rod was completely gone in about 3 years. I now replace the anode rod when about 1/3 of it is gone and the water heater is going on 11 years now. Side note water softeners will *accelerate* the consumption of the anode rod, the reason being is the water softener removes the minerals that cause the hardness and the water is looking to replace those minerals, in this case the anode rod, when the anode rod is used up the water will attack the steel tank. As said in the video "the ions are hungry".
This is the first I’ve heard of this phenomenon and I appreciate your posting it. I’ve always been skeptical of the addition of water softeners and avoided adding that whole headache to my hard water system. We have a fully finished basement and multiple plumbers have said it would be a nightmare to try to isolate our outside faucets to avoid softening the water that goes onto the lawn so I’ve avoided having to add they hassle of a softening system despite my wife’s requests. I’m going to read up on the issue you mentioned as it makes sense - thx! 👍🏼
@@TastySurrealBowl You could just pipe the softened water directly to your showers and sinks.
Good point. Problem is we have two baths upstairs & one downstairs and we really want to hit all of those (plus get the really hard water minerals we have out of the toilet bowls). Whoever built our house in 1971 fully finished the entire basement ceiling and plumbers have told us they couldn’t trace the pipes/plumbing as everything is totally hidden behind drywall ceilings. I’m a huge fan of keeping the utilities accessible in at least a portion of the basement, but the high school building trades class built our place back in the day - apparently that instructor really wanted to teach those kids how to drywall!
Great video....always love old versus new comparisons
I used to get about 12 years out of water heaters. Had a Sears and then an AO Smith. Most recent is a Whirlpool Flamelock I installed in 2002. I had a lot of problems with the Flamelock. There was a one time thermal fuse inside the thermocouple. Whirlpool had a lawsuit and I filed the paperwork, but never got the settlement. Eventually Home Depot sold a retrofit kit for $35 which included a new jet, pilot, cover plus and adapter to convert from left hand thread to normal on the thermocouple connection. The retrofit has a resettable klixon instead of the bone head single use fuse. I am still using the 22 year old water heater. I plan to hold on as long as possible because all the new heaters are much more complicated and crazy expensive for what they do.
2022 , I pulled a leaky 80 gallon monster of an electric water heater that had a
“Puget Power “ rental sticker on it .
Was made in 1972 so it lasted 38 years until leaking for 2 years at end…..
Showers were much better with the new , smaller 60 gallon heater that lowered power bill by 200% since we it was leaking and got downsized.
Thanx for showing the inside .
It's good to see that they haven't really changed much besides just added safety. They used to have more fires and explosions with the old ones, and they'd fail annoyingly soon as well. Seems the ones from the past 30 years don't normally explode as much, which is nice.
The problem is there are too many monopolies. No competition means you can sell garbage and consumers have no choice but to buy inferior products. Its your government's fault by letting wall street do what they want. Gotta maximize profit to pay shareholders instead of providing decent products for the consumer.
Good luck convincing other people of that; most will call you a communist and dismiss anything you say after that errant deduction.
I just had my 10-year-old Bradford White 50-gallon electric replaced 2 days ago, it was still working fine, however the hot water would not last as long as I remembered when it was new. I had another BW installed 50 gallons, electric and it seems fine. cost installed was 1900.00 OUCH! Also, when the water from old tank was being drained out it was dark and muddy like, then it turned to rusty water, so I guess it was a good idea for a new one.
I used to live a few miles from where the Bradford White water heaters were made and I had the same issue happen - my hot water suddenly wouldn’t last nearly as long as it originally did. The plumbing company I had back then only used Bradford White and they told me there was a period of time when they had issues with the dip tube breaking off after a short period of time (shortening the amount of hot water delivered per tankful) but that they had fixed the issue. The replacement B-W water heater they put in never gave me any trouble. Hopefully you get a long life out of your replacement.
Very Informative. My area in Central California also requires Lo-Nox water heaters for the smog.
I’m still using a 1965 Chrysler Airtemp Furnace & it works flawlessly. Also have a 1986 Kennore Refrigerator that runs like a tank & is still in mint condition.
Thank you for the simple and clear explanation. Here in the Chicago area I’m still on my 2nd WH in my 1984 built house. The 2001 Rheem 40 gal i installed is still in place, but yes I do have a new AO Smith in the carton in my garage. My WH sets 6’ from the floor drain in an unfinished basement so I’m not too concerned. When it begins to leak then I’ll change it.
The old 2001 water heater could easily be costing 10 dollars or more per month in additional energy compared to a new water heater with 2 inches of foam insulation.
At that 120 dollars per year additional energy, if the old water heater lasts another year or three, that could add up to an additional $360 dollars or more in energy costs, especially if gas or electricity rates keep rising in the next few years.
If the new water heater is paid for and already sitting in the basement, why not install it now and start saving some money?
And, it can be scheduled to be replaced exactly at your desired time, when U feel like it.
@ very good point and I gain floor space. Thank you
Your warranty is getting shorter every day you wait. And if it’s bad right out of the box and you have had it very long you’ll have to fight them for a replacement.
@ yes understood, thank you.
My house (in Australia) had an electric water heater installed in 1970, Saxon brand, copper tank, indirectly heated instead of immersion heated and it lasted about 40 years before the non-pressurised tank sprang a leak. It was replaced about 17 years ago with a Dux brand vitreous lined steel tank electric heater which is still going strong. So far the anode has only had to be changed once in all that time.
My house has 2 water heaters because the house is so long. I installed two new Sta Clean units in July 1995, both are still working great, no thumping from mineral build up.
We bought our house at the beginning of 2019, and it came with a water heater that was made in 2013. At the end of 2022, the water heater began making strange sounds. I figured it was on its way out, and at the end of 2023, it finally sprung a leak. To make a LONG story short, I had to buy four water heaters before I finally got one that didn't leak right out of the box. (Talk about poor quality! I hope this fourth water heater lasts until we sell the house, I don't want to install another water heater again!)
Also, the first two Rheems I tried were about $1K, and the third was about $800, so I wasn't buying bargain waters... funny enough, the fourth was an AO Smith that was about $700, and so far, it's lasted a year with 0 problems.
12/12/24, just bought a new Bradford White 50 gal short, power vent, gas, cost = $1700. The one it replaced lasted 16 years, installed 2008. The original Bradford White 50 gal short power vent lasted 21 years. I had no water softener, if you have an electric heater, you must have a softener or the electric elements will not last in this area. Cincinnati, Ohio area.
Around here the really old ones are made of copper or Monel. Those sell for big money because people will install them again and they never corrode and leak. A used 1940s water heater with a Monel tank will sell for more around here than a new one costs. And someone is guaranteed to buy it in a couple days.
new ones are garbage. AO smith barely lasts 8 years. Same with the neighbor. We are going to change anode rods every 3 years now, who knows.
Just replaced my 12 year old tank last Friday. Just like all appliances in a new house these days - they last about 10 -15 years. I replaced the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer last year. The refrigerator is still original. The stove better hang in there for a good long while - it wasn't cheap.
Hope it is not induction...
I will take the one from 1972!
Very well done, guys!. Thank you for your hard work on this, most educational. Subscribed-
My house in Durham NC was built in '92; it still has the 2 original A.O. Smith 40-gallon low-boy electric water heaters in the crawl space. I've been paying Duke Energy $8 per month for each for `15 years, so I'm sure that I've paid for 2 water heaters by now. My water is treated municipal water, so its cleanliness has probably contributed to them lasting so long.
great video,thank you for posting...do you feel that the new gas control valves tend to over shoot?...also do you usually install expansion tanks on your hwh installs?thanks
Just replaced my mothers last week, it was installed in 1971……..kenmore.
the "baffle" can also be call a "turbulator" and is used to cause turbulence in the hot gas flow to improve heat transfer to the tube as the gas moves up through the pipe.
Cmon now, cut open that new one and lets have a look!
Just for reference, I have a 30 year old (1994) State brand 40G standing pilot water heater that still works fine. Yes, I do worry about it quite often but it's still going. I won't replace it for no reason. It's on a well, too.
I owned a house that had a old Homart Water heater it was from the 50's.
Nice video gentlemen!
are there any electric units 80 gal that come with a cleanout? I heard a rumor this exists but can't find any thanks!
We bought a water heater in '96. It worked till this past August. Bought another one same make and stuff I expect maybe 6-7 years. The old ones worked and lasted. A problem with the new ones is the blasted crappy Honeywelll gas valve. It creates nightmares. They know it and will send you a new one all you have to do is pay for it.
The Sears unit was likely made by Rheem, Rudd or AO Smith back in the day. It depends on the model number and the first three digits of that model number.
Always buy a commercial model. It will have real brass and material differences from cheap residential
Bottom line. Things were made to last in the old days. Better quality materials. Pride and quality were number 1. Not maximum profit. Nearly everything made now is disposable junk!
Only in america do we insist on keeping a huge tank of water heated 24/7, leaking heat into the surroundings even when it's not in use. The reason is because it's the cheapest way to *buy the equipment* to have the service of domestic hot water, even though it costs more in the long term due to the inefficiency. *Actually developed* countries have long ago settled on tankless but here we are again, 50+ years behind.
@@DoktorJavaYou do NOT save money with a on demand. The initial cost is higher. They waste water waiting for the fixture to get hot. If not installed properly they do not work. Hot water tank. Cheap to buy. Few parts to break and near instant hot water.
@@DoktorJavalol ok
@@DoktorJava Homes outside of the U.S. are typically much smaller, where space is at a premium. They just don't have the room for the tank. Out of curiosity, I had an estimate to replace my electric tank water heater for an electric tankless. Without even taking into account the cost of the electric tankless itself, I would have had to spend nearly $5K to upgrade my electrical service to support the tankless. Ridiculous!
You didn’t even watch the video did you? Nothing in it supports your rant. Exposed flames and house explosions - yep, good ol’ fashioned “quality”.
Very interesting. Thanks for making this video. It was cool to see inside.
All homes should be built to accommodate the elderly and disabled. This will be better for everyone.
Large wide doorways and hallways make using a cane, walker or wheel chair much easier.
Bathrooms or wet rooms need to have flat floors and no shower hump or pan. A flat floor allows for easy access and drains need to provided.
Easy to use lever door and faucet handles are easier for the elderly to grip and open.
Main floors should include a master bedroom, restroom, shower, laundry and wide walk in closet with few steps to enter.
Homes should be designed with aging in place in mind.
This has WHAT to do with water heaters? I am likely older than you and don't care.
@@danhillman4523 Easy access includes access for repairs and installation.
No that would drive up home prices even more because it would cost more to build and use more square footage
Was the old one glass lined?
Does that make it last much longer even if the anode is used up?
would a electronic anode make any difference on the accumulation of hard water deposits?
Thanks a lot, Great Video!!
as a former manufacturer representative... hard water has minimal bearing on the 'standard sacrificial anode' (typical lifespan 3-5 years) ... a standard anode rod is designed to repair the (fractures) of the glass lining which degrade do the heating of water 'once depleted the heater has no internal protection and will fail... (higher temperature settings can degrade the lining faster do to water becoming molecular faster and slightly abrasive over cold water... hence why it is recommended to cook using cold tap water)... hard water (water with excessive mineral content) will deposit more mineral buildup on the bottom of the tank which will solidify over time causing longer warming times and removal of space so you then get less hot water... you can alleviate sediment deposits by draining your heater, typically recommend once or twice a year.. (not a full drain, just a few gallons to flush the bottom of the tank)... during that time it is also recommended to check the life of the anode and replace if required... these maintenance steps can drastically increase the lifespan of a heater...
.... electric or powered anodes are meant as a (lifetime, no maintenance) rod and can help with limescale build up and 'hard water smell'... they do need power to operate and can cost substantially more than a 'standard anode'.... (powered anode.. approx. $100/$200 - standard anode... approx. $15/$30)... even with a powered anode it is recommended to do a sediment drain annually or bi-annually...
.... I apologize for the long winded rant, hopefully it makes some sense and was in some way helpful...
Thank you for all the great info.
Im considering switching my water heater to an electronic anode. Another users comment was that the electronic anode does not protect against the mineral part of the corrosion inside the water tank.
What do you think?
So glad you are available to answer questions. Keep up the great work!!
We has a sears water heater from 1970 and it lasted til 2001, after that even the Bradford whites only last 6-7 years tops ,now I tried an Ao smith professional we’ll see how that goes ,nothing will beat the sears !
You can do another video comparing the 1940's pure copper tanks with external heaters on the side, and the ultra modern all-plastic tank heaters of today with lifetime warranties.
Were is the dip tube on the Sears heater?
It was hidden behind the flue, it exists but video didn't show it. It was also way shorter.
I had so much flake iron in the water in the house we bought: 1 foot of flake iron in the bottom of the tank. So I took care of removing the iron and put in a 15 kw Stiebel Eltron on demand heater. $600.
It would nice to find some new old stock 😅😅
I’m surprised the wall wasn’t thicker on the older heater. However the coating could still have been made cheaper than back in the day. I feel bad for you guys in Utah and California that you have to use those shitty low nox heaters lol. Here in AZ we get to still use the normal type exactly like the 2011 heater just with the thicker insulation and a slightly different gas valve.
I replaced my old water heater back in 2009, at GE manufactured under license from Redeem, bought at Home Depot, with a 12 year warranty. Dog-gone tank started leaking this year. What a racket Home Depot has going! Replacement here in CA required a low nox version that needs an electric outlet. Home Depot wants $2000 to replace a 55 gal version, city permits required! WTF for a water heater replacement?!!
Long story short: government regulations make everything more expensive and overly complex.
Anyone know where you can get a saw like that?
It's a stihl concrete saw, also used for rebar sometimes. Not cheap at all
I'm in manufacturing. I know things are cheaper to produce now. (Robotics, lasers, cad mills, 40yrs of Union-busting, global supply, rapid prototyping, stagnant wages...) We can just look at posted profits and then look at our paychecks and see that we're charging the same (Yes, adjusted for inflation. Often a bit less. Sometimes far more) for crappier, deliberately-harder-to-service products. More efficient? Certainly far more efficient. Was a redesign of the burner worth all that money? Probably not. Does it justify charging tgat much more? Mmmmm ... Maybe if it was a lifetime purchase it would. Running improvements don't cost all that much. Engineers are on staff, getting paid. You think they all just drink coffee and ignore quality control issues? Some do actually work. 90% of improvements are not big technical breakthroughs. Safer? Sure. Again, not that big of an impressive deal. Natural progression. Products evolve. Fun fact: I opened another window and looked up Rheem (at random) work reviews. Hot, long hours, mediocre pay, and (big shock) the usual random mandatory short notice weekends. Their big draw? Free cafeteria lunch. Just like every other "job" in America. If we wanted, we could make far superior products and treat our fellow citizens with respect. Workers and consumers alike. We, as a people, choose not to. We choose this path. The path of stagnant wages, extra work and lousy products. The path of maximum profit for a few. The path of "only a certified technician with a proprietary tool can service this unit, but only if you've got our exclusive monthly lifetime subscription service".
Excellent video......find a Clayton & Lambert, Alumilux sometime. I still see on now and then......aluminum tank and outer jacket flue tube
You didn't show the differences in the burners.
Good info. If someone asks me about water heaters I can tell them to watch this video.
My water heater is from 1993 & it still hasn't started leaking. I'm not replacing it til it does. I'm cheap 😭
the 'sacrificial anode rod' in your heater is definitely degraded and your heater is on borrowed time... a $15 anode replacement may save you from a $500 replacement...
@suipsycko I've always thought that rod could be completely consumed, but didn't think it mattered since I'm willing to replace the tank by it being 32 years old. But I'll put it on my list, order, & replace it myself. $15 for a few more years is good also. Thanks!
I have a Bradford from 2011 and it’s the low Nox version. I hated how the Honeywell gas controller gave out in 2017 and I ended up replacing it. Too much logic and something got stuck as the pilot won’t stay lit.
Oh as an added bonus, the insulation on mine is 2 inches thick instead of 1 inch. The guy who installed it said that it was a way to eliminate the need for people to wrap their water heaters with a jacket for better efficiency
My son loves to tell me how dumb he thinks I am. I didn’t know what was in a water tank- so he found me ignorant. Thanks for posting this. My son will feel like I am educated. 🖕🏻
I like gas tankless. No anode rods to replace, lower gas bill, and compact size.
I had a water heater go six years.
First of all older water heaters are lasting longer then new ones and the new ones are lined with a glass liner so what has changed in the metal that new tanks last less and start leaking sooner
I replace one at work from 1978 in a RENTAL. literally built like a tank
Why hasn't the insulation thickness increased? You'd think that would be the number 1 way of increasing efficiency.
Keep in mind that the rigid/spray foam has nearly twice the R-value as typical fiberglass 'batts'. Electric water heaters tend to have better insulation.... essentially because electric water heaters are less efficient than their gas/oil fired counterparts.
@@sc_marauder492 electric water heaters are nearly 100% efficient.... vs about 60% for gas. FYI
@@sc_marauder492 Electric water heaters are MORE efficient than gas, although in many areas they cost more to run. Do not confuse cost with efficiency
@@Argellus Sorry man, you are wrong! Don't get hung up on those EV ratings. That 100% rating is a measure of how well (or efficiently) that water heater converts energy (in this case, electricity) to heat! Advantage: Electricity. Gas/oil fired hot water heaters on the other hand loose some of their 'energy'.... right up the flue. But you HAVE to look at total operating costs (per year) and if you DO THE RESEARCH, you will find that natural gas is BY FAR the least expensive to RUN! I'm from a cold climate (New England), so please don't tell me that electricity is the most 'efficient'...because it's NOT!
@@darrellhay Exactly!
The additional electronics cause unnecessary failures, which is by design. The manufacturers design their products to fail pretty much as soon as the warranty expires.
we repaired our old heater. it lasts for decades.
My stove is from 1972, I will never replace it.
Awesome!!
I have a tankless water heater. Brand shall not be discussed. The plumbers have just finished their fourth visit, under warranty, in order to provide me hot water.
3:41 No need to confuse things with hundredths or thousandths of an inch.
0.1" is one tenth of an inch. Same as 0.100"
Electronics are the same as i remember TVs and microwaves lasting 20+ years! Good luck with alot of that anymore
55$ in 1972 is the equivalent of nearly 700$ in todays dollar….thats not cheap.
I must have been lucky because i installed a Whirlpool water heater in 2004 i replaced it in 2023 and never did a thing to it in all those years No flushing and No anode rod just daily household use 24/7
The older the better. I got 50 years out of a 1970s model. That metal mesh can clog up. Ask me how I know. The new stuff just has more to break and don't last any time.
A water heater failure can severely damage if not destroy a million dollar home in a matter of minutes. How is it that consumers accept a less than 2000 day failure rate?
They use to make a stainless steel water heater. The design is very inefficient. Be great if someone did a flue exhaust temperature when new. Then as it ages you could tell the drop in heat transfer. I bet you waste more fuel by using it till a leak happens than the thing costs. Something to think about. And the crap about draining the sediment out. I don't see that stuff coming out.
Wasting energy wastes money.
Short term thinking is what keeps people poor. The long term savings of an energy efficient house saves you money many times over. Short term thinking will keep your poor. It is a hard but necessary lesson to learn. Spending a little more upfront can pay dividends in the future.
You should have started with wiping out the gas-powered metal saw
Point one zero of an an inch is a tenth of an inch, not one hundred thousandth of an inch.
any water heater can last 20 years plus if you change anode rod every few years....
I used two di-electric fittings. They have a plastic insert that stops the electric charge from entering the water heater. They are threaded, so replacing the heater is easy. After 15 years when I replaced the water heater. The anode rod was like new. The leak was in the area of the exhaust tube.
governments causing more problems than needed with regulations is what im hearing. if you have something like a catalyctic converter as he said. im going to assume rare earth minerlas and im going to assume thats why its closer to 1k
Hopefully yer not smoker with that respiratory rate
The new heat pump water heaters are the way to save money