What water heater should I buy? - Pro Grade vs. Box Store
In this video, we delve into the age-old debate: Are water heaters from box stores truly the same as those from professional plumbing supply stores? To find out, we conducted a comprehensive comparison. We purchased an AO Smith water heater from a professional plumbing supply store and another from a box store, and then we meticulously examined each component, weighing them, and noting any differences.
Our journey began in Kansas City, where we obtained the AO Smith Pro Grade Heater from a plumbing supply store and enjoyed some famous barbecue. Next, we headed to Lowe's Home Improvement Store for the box store version, encountering some filming challenges due to store policies.
As we dissected the units, we discovered significant disparities. Despite claims that they are identical, our analysis revealed distinct variations in materials and construction. For instance, the pro-grade unit consistently weighed more, indicating potentially stronger materials. We observed differences in drain valves, control covers, burner assemblies, and more.
One notable finding was the presence of a metal cap on the back of the control valve in the box store unit, a feature previously absent and associated with frequent failures in older models. This change suggests manufacturers have made improvements, likely due to previous issues with box store units.
We examine the control valves, noting a slight difference in weight that indicates potential variations in internal components. Despite looking similar, these small differences can impact performance and longevity. We then move on to the anode rod, a crucial component for protecting the tank from corrosion. The pro-grade unit features a wider anode rod with a weld spot, indicating a magnesium material, known for better corrosion is protection compared to the aluminum rod in the box store unit.
Next, we weigh the empty tanks, revealing a substantial nine-pound difference between the two. While this might seem insignificant, it represents a significant percentage of the total weight and hints at the sturdier construction of the pro-grade unit.
To put their durability to the test, we pressurize both tanks until one fails. Despite exceeding their rated pressure, the pro-grade unit fails first, but in a controlled manner, with a weld seam cracking. On the other hand, the box store unit swells and eventually pops, indicating a potentially more dangerous failure mode due to the compromised glass lining.
Overall, this experiment highlights the importance of choosing a quality water heater, as the differences in construction can significantly impact performance and longevity. While box store units may offer cost savings upfront, the potential for early failure and safety concerns make professional-grade units a more reliable choice for long-term use.
If you're interested in learning more about the differences between these water heaters, including a detailed examination of their components and failure modes, watch the full video for a comprehensive analysis.
As always, thanks for watching! We aim to bring you plumbing videos in a way you’ve never seen before.
@lowes @HomeDepot @menards
This a great video from a retired plumber thanks for doing it safe travels
Glad you enjoyed it
I didn't think an hour long video on plumbing would be as informative as this turned out to be. Great work guys. This is going to save a lot of people money and time if they pay attention. Tldr: dont buy box store water heaters.
Thank you!
The hole on the burner is to prevent condensation from accumulating on top the burner and snuffing out the flame when the burner is on in a cold tank. It also prevents rust on the burner.
Best explanation I've heard so far!
I experienced a box store vs. buying from a local shop when buying my lawn tractor. I bought a Husqvarna lawn tractor from Home Depot. It has had nothing but issues, and it only has 17 hours on it. I took it in for service to a Husqvarna dealer, and he was showing me major differences between his that he sold and the one I bought from Home Depot. Same models. So I sold the one I bought from Home Depot and paid the additional 280 dollar differences, and I'm telling you there are no comparisons between the 2 Lawn tractors..
Yep!
How major were the differences ?
Agreed, but if you know anything about small engines, stick to Scag/Kubota/Exmark, etc. You rarely see landscapers use any of the junk Craftsman, Husqvarna, even Toro, they all use the same low quality parts and transmission.
I have been a general contractor for 33 years. I have only installed 3 tank water heaters in the last 20 years on my projects. Have installed over 100 Noritz tankless units. We had one heat exchanger leak in that time period. We had a replacement part from Noritz in 48 hours. (Was still under warranty)
Installed properly, and tankless units are pretty awesome.
Having a tank water heater in your home gives you access to 50 gallons or more of potable water in case of an emergency. Unless you're short on space, most plumbers I know prefer a tank unit.
Thanks! I have a bunch of rentals that have gas water heaters. Coming up on 60 year old houses. I thought it was just Lowes. I bought a Kenmore heater and it's still in service. Not a moment's trouble. I bought a Lowes and I almost knew the repairman by his first name. Lots of trouble with the gas burner, control, and pressure valve. I bought a Home Depot unit for another house and it's also still in service. While it has never had a service call, it's tough to get it to fire up. I'll have to look up how long they've been in service. One I think is at 15 years. Probably time. I have a supply house near me. Great guys.
Thanks!
Very detailed and informative! I appreciate your effort. Probably explains why my Proline Plus Nautilus by American Water Heaters installed in 1992 is still working!!!
Exactly!
Good to hear. The proline plus Nautilus installed when I bought my house in '93 crapped out all over my laundry room floor after seven years.
@@weing :( I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe I just got lucky with this. Not sure.
Rheem has two lines of gas tank water heaters, Performance which can be purchased at HD and like the one we have, a Professional model that was installed by a HVAC/Plumbing company. Also in the USA (not the world) there are other water heater manufactures like Haier who makes GE, Bosch, Rinnai (Japanese brand) plant in Georgia. Thanks for the comparison. You learn something everyday.
Yes we might do the Rheem line next!
FANTASTIC job. That took a lot of hard work. Thank you.
Thank you very much!
You guys put awesome effort into this. Love it
Glad you enjoyed it!
One of the best educational videos on KZhead. Earned a sub. Look forward to learning more.
Welcome aboard!
Agreed!
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing. Now I have a strong selling point for pro grade tanks.
Love to hear it!
Great video! I am stoked to bring some light to my customers about our units vs box store units 🤙
That is awesome!
Excellent video. Learned so much and now know what to look for on quality.
Glad it was helpful!
Great timing. I’m a home handyman and planning on replacing my 10 years old 50 gal tank. Thanks for the info
Glad to help!
My box store heater had a control box fail so I called the 800 number and got the run around for 1-3/4 hours. Finley I hung up and called the manufacturer and ask for the COO with in 5 minutes I was told I would have my part with in 24 hours delivered next day air.
We hear that all the time.
What is coo 🤔
Good stuff! Great job 👍 They have a different tank lining also.
Yes they do
Finally someone proving what I have been saying I only buy from supply houses Its a big investment an extra 100 150 10 yrs or 20 years Aggravation and cost every 10 or 20 I'll take a little more for a lot more years EVERY TIME Thanks for this video
Good stuff!
Great and insightful video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Also, I noticed that the energy efficient is different from one heater to the other one was 300 and another one was 200. I noticed that right off the bat when you talk about the heaters.
Yeah those numbers are very inaccurate. They guess at your energy rates and your usage. We never trust those.
@@SmedleyPlumbing I thought those numbers were "normalized" ??? Otherwise, they would be useless? I agree with the OP that those look like subtly different water heaters! I would be curious to see a close-up of both stickers?
This video is really excellent. It is the video I was looking for with a detailed comparison. I’m a quality engineer married to a general contractor and evaluating our cost of materials. I wanted to understand if we are really getting better quality components at plumbing supply stores. Thanks so much!! Subscribing!
Thanks!
Fixin to buy one thanks for the info outstanding job
Glad to help!
31:08 Great video, but I do have to give you a little bit of a hard time. The reason the socket got stuck was because it was a non impact rated socket and a 12 point. 🤠👍 Oh yeah, Texas BBQ.... 💯 😁
Yeah I like to break things. Lol. Texas BBQ isn't bad either!
Great video well done,i learn a lot that i didn't know.
Glad it was helpful!
Great job. Definitely a difference with the tank quality.
I think so too!
Excellent video, as always. Confirmed alot of what I suspected. Tell Austin he did a good job on the editing as well.
Thanks! Will do!
Thank you. Very informative 👍
You are welcome!
dude this video totally helped the plumbing community
That's why we do it!
@@SmedleyPlumbing yeah dude that’s so awesome. I know it was probably expensive to make the video. Totally respect you guys. i watched a few commercials on purpose so hopefully it helps recoup some of your funds. I’ve recently started listening to The Void podcast as well. You guys have great advice, very entertaining, and it’s definitely helped me as an employee of a company producing more sales.
@@robertburns236 thanks man!
What an awesome video! What product comparison box vs. pro grade is next? Thanks so much for your support of the Spirit of Opportunity and your local supply house at Kansas City Winnelson!
Who knows what we'll test next!
Wonderful video!
Thank you very much!
Bought a GE 30 gal electric from Home Depot 20 years ago, and the thermostat just failed this week. I figure 20 years was great service and it's time to retire the entire unit. I can do the job in an hour, milking it. Sadly, Home Depot no longer carries GE, so I'm gonna go with the AO Smith from Lowes this time. I was worried about the quality, but your video just convinced me that it would do the job just fine. Nothing personal, and I know everybody's gotta eat, but a licensed plumber would want $1500+ to do that job for me. Great video, and I thank you, even if it probably had the opposite effect you were hoping for. $900 per hour is more than anyone "needs" to make.
Gotta do what you gotta do!
I usually charge pretty high, but $1,500 isn't bad for a 30 gal
@@joeyyc8515, Hey I get it...but I can do the work myself so paying anything seems silly to me. Others aren't as fortunate and for them, I would recommend a good plumber for many reasons. So glad I didn't toss the old GE after all that though.....turns out the circuit breaker had an intermittent failure and once I replaced it......nice hot water. 😁 Tank looks good enough to go another 10 years easy and now I have an extra thermo. It may outlive me 🤣
I've got a 20 year old GE WATER Heater that I bought from Home Depot in 2004. It's electric and is still working just fine without any problems. It was made by Rheem.
Wow great thank you now I know where to purchase my water heater 😊
Exactly!
The trick is that supply houses often won't sell to consumers. Buddy of mine needed a furnace relay and Winnelson would not sell him one because he wasn't a contractor. He was a trained tech in a related field working in million-dollar machines that have their own HVAC systems. But they wouldn't sell him the part. He had to get one off ebay or something. Supply houses can be very strict.
They put a lot of money and time in to this video great job guys 😊
Thanks!
As a DIYer you have me looking for an upgrade kit for my box store water heater - so far I’ve sourced a better brass release valve and anode rod and I’ll probably just strap a bunch of hose clamps around the tank to keep it from puffing out. 😮😊
Ha! Or just buy a pro grade tank from a professional plumbing supplier.
I think you should have weighed the tanks at the end without any insulation on them. Just to give an example of the thickness of the metal or how many pounds of that difference was the actual tank/glass thickness. Overall great video. Lots of good information. Get the camera, man a gimbal.
Thanks for the tip
Excellent presentation. Thank you. Love these types of comparisons. That said, they both look like nice units. It is nice to see that if you spend more for the Pro-Grade unit that you do get some upgrades. The Box Store units can be much more affordable especially if you have a veterans discount at the Box Store not to mention the savings if you install it yourself. This reminds me of comparing Toyota and Lexus - are they both the same basic vehicle made by the same company - yes, absolutely. Are they both a quality product - yes, absolutely. Is the Lexus "nicer" with some enhanced features if you have the extra money to spend - yes. Will the Toyota work and be a quality product if that is what your budget allows - certainly. Does a serviceman selling and installing equipment always want to maximize the sale and reduce service calls over the lifetime of a project - certainly.
Great points!
Very nice video
Thanks
Fabulous video, but I can not believe that you ran the pressure test with the tanks right next to the pickup truck. I understand they had water in them, but still you were using a gas to pressurize them. One of the reasons the pro one might have failed first is if there was some leak in the box store version. Even though they were fed by the same pipe, resistance in the pipe might have resulted in a lower effective pressure in the box store tank, especially with all the distortion in the pipes you observed.
Yeah one swelled while the other cracked a weld. I would much rather a tank crack a weld than swell and burst.
Mitch getting shocked deserves a like and subscribe for sure
Little booger caught me by surprise! Lol
Thanks for doing this test! Kinda worries me that the T and P valve didn't release the pressure as thats it only reason for existence lol
We plugged the T&P port on both to focus the test on the tank only.
@SmedleyPlumbing ohh ok. Sorry I must have fast forwarded that part. You like to live dangerously haha
@@fortunatedad7695 there's an element of safety that comes with compressed water versus compressed air.
That was awesome!
Glad you liked it!
Great video. Now let's have an evaluation of the three pro grade tank water heater manufacturers. 🦾
It's not off the table!
There are differences as you have shown. With that said, I have a 32 year old water heater from Lowe's. Water quality and maintenance have more to do with long-term use.
You probably have lower water pressure as well.
Fun Video ! Try a Hydrostatic Pressure Test next time , I use that method to test tanks for leaks!! Its cheap and easy !
I'm listening....
Realized after watching a video on Anode Rod’s and the need to replace them 3-5 years. I had never replaced my water heater rod and so did some more research and ended up going with an electric protection anode rod. I have replaced it already however what is your take on these type of anode rod replacements? Even one plumber store talked to using this type of anode rode if they did the project. I did replace the anode rod myself and from various video’s, I used a 1/2 inch impact socket and impact wrench. Purchased a Ryobi 1/2 inch impact wrench and sockets on sale and it worked like a charm. The anode rod was on very tight over the 10+ years not replaced. Took a few attempts with the impact wrench but it broke it loose and I had may be 6-8 inches left (wish I could attach a photo), it did its job for sacrificing but was due for replacement. Now I used the impact wrench so I didn’t mess up the water lines or twist the water tank by using a breaker bar, definitely the impact wrench was a good choice. Nice video produced!!
Thanks!
Good video except for the irritating music. Six years ago I had a 30 gallon gas water heater replaced in a rental house. Very easy access to old heater. They charged me $1,800.00. Tenant said they were in and out in 1.5 hours. Looks like I was royally screwed. But, in my experience HVAC and plumbing businesses make a habit of over charging.
Forgive me if this seems overbearing but you sound impossible to please. You're complaining about the music that we have in our video and you're complaining about a repair that you had done years and years ago.
I would be curious about the thickness of the steel of the tanks. I expect that is where the weight difference is. The thinner steel would expand more under pressure, which is why you saw the differences in failure mode. So the box store model, with thinner lighter steel, expands and contracts more under pressure changes, breaking the glass lining. Once the glass is compromised the thickness of the steel doesn't matter much because corrosion of the steel is relatively fast.
We left with the same thoughts.
Applies to mowers as well, quality is on a different level. Especially for items being used daily. Spend the extra money for a commercial grade.
Exactly!
There are more than three companies that make tank hot water heaters. GSW is a big name in Canada. Located in Fergus, Ontario. Been in business for 150 years
Residential units?
GE and American Standard makes water heaters
@@JK-qe6qq Rheem makes both GE heaters and American Standard heaters.
The tank by itself are the same. The weight difference between the two stripped is the sheet metal outer case. The difference between the two is the quality of the components. The internal tank is the same across the line. A box store AO Smith comes in 3 models, 100, 300, 500. The tanks are all the same. What you are paying extra for is the warranty.
I would have to disagree with you on that one. I think our video proves that as well.
Yep, if it's made by AO SMITH, all the tanks are identical! I went through AO SMITH’s three-day school (5 years ago) and the factory in Tennessee. I can personally verify that if it's different, it's in the controls, drain valve, and stickers. You should see how those tanks are handled after coming out of the “glass lining process”. It is amazing how much rough handling they take. I questioned the engineer about it, he said you can bounce the tank and still not crack that lining it's that tough. I never worried about dropping one off the tailgate again. Oh yeah, change the anode rod every year!
@@TOOLMAN4hvac our findings would indicate differently. Significant weight differences and performance differences.
@@SmedleyPlumbingnot significant weight difference.
Aluminum is a superior anode. It lasts longer.
Thank you for the video! Any opinions on electric anode rods? I am in Michigan, have city water, have a softner, on my 5th water tank in 20 years. I have come to conclusion that my anode rod needs servicing more often but no contractor locally has ever suggested this as a preventative maintenance step. I had had 2 ao smith, ge and bradford white. Only the ge was "box store".
On theory, electric anode rods work well. I haven't seen a correlation between electrin anodes and longer tank life though.
@@SmedleyPlumbing any direct experience with the corro protect? My mom had well water with the really bad sulfur bacteria smell, the corro protect solve that in 24 hours. I just wish I could find evidence to see if Corro protect does well in the long run. And works well with softened water.
@@JLLG2 honestly never heard of it
@@JLLG2sulfer smell at high temp that goes away is a bad sacrificial(zinc?) anode hence the term "sacrificial." Might have an inferior anode product tho so maybe a "pro grade" anode tho.
Thank You!
You're welcome!
Didn’t get to watch closely and didn’t see the mythbusters episode, but if you use all air pressure things get a whole lot more exciting and dangerous with all air(gas). I assumed you used air to pressurize the water which is a ton safer. Also loved the video for what I did get to watch and hear(working) and seems super unbiased from my view.
That was the goal!
@@SmedleyPlumbing I was trying to cover all my bases, sometimes people beat up commenters pretty bad if something isn’t clear lol.
It's just like tires. The same exact model at WM has less plys than at a tire shop. If you look close, long number for the model is different but the big text is the same.
Yep
Please consider doing more comprehensive comparison videos of box store vs plumbing supply store for faucets, toilets, and shower trim using units from the same brand.
We totally will!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Good comparison. I will say the difference in the steel cover could be that one is shorter than the other. Takes a longer piece to follow the water heater than the gentle curve of the box store one.
Yes. But they are indeed different.
Had a home owner change out a gas water heater because it had water coming out of the bottom, it was in an open garage and it was just condensation not running water or leaking anywhere.
Condensation can happen on the first burn or if the water heater is run completely out of hot water.
i have a 45 gallon Rheem electric. it came from a box store, Lowes or Home Depot. the yellow energy sticker has the year of 1994 printed on it. im not sure but i think it was bought in 1995 or 1996. i've replaced bottom heating element twice, the top one 3 or 4 times. i know its getting time to replace it as it has some signs of corrosion around where the upper element screws in. i've not been looking forward to buying a new heater, but after watching you vid, when i do i'll get it from a supply house. i guess pushing 30 years with only 5~6 elements its been a good heater. i hope the next one is at least 2/3 as good. i use to flush it every couple of years, its probably been 10~12 years since the last flush. i never got much sediment out of it. edit; i forgot to mention, i adjusted both of the thermostats, running only the hot in my bath tub the temp is at 145 after about 5 minutes.
They very well may have been the same heaters back then. Not today though.
If you wanted to mount a pressure gauge on your heater where would you put it? On the hot outlet nipple?
Cold inlet. It will last longer.
I have 2 box store Rheem water heaters that are over 20 years old. I drain them annually and have never had a problem with them.
20 years ago they very well may have been the same water heater. But good luck finding anybody with 10-year-old water heaters that were bought from a box store and then have given them zero problems.
Many things were same, the drain valve was a big difference, this is about $20 more. This test showed me that the metal of the body of the tank is where your 9 lbs. difference in weight was. However the top, bottom and tube seemed to be thinner, and were the same for both. I have been in a water heater manufacturing plant, everything uses automatic welding machines. I was surprised on how many tanks were pulled off with leaks and had to be hand welded and retested. Testing was with air and then using a water line to spot leaks. The leaks were usually at a weld seam, like where the failure was. I have a builder grade water heater in my home, it’s a State Select 50 gallon, natural gas, that was new with the tract home I had built in 2003, makes the water heater, 20 years old. The only thing that’s different in my water than most others is my water temperature setting, it’s making water about 120 degrees hot. Most people have their tanks set too hot, and this causes the heater to fail a lot sooner. When you’re taking a shower you don’t use hot water that’s 150 degrees, you only need it to be a little hotter than your body temperature of 98 degrees, say 102-3 degrees. The more people you have the higher the temperature needed. Washers today don’t use a lot of hot water, so it’s not needed there either. PS: Info…..I live in a Chicago suburb, I do have Lake Michigan water (7.5 gains hardness). I was in this industry for 36 years and am currently retired. AO Smith bought State Stove, years ago.😅
Your builders grade is still better than the box store grade.
Sure, the pro grade should be better, but as long as your relief valve is working properly, it'll never see that kind of pressure. I also notice Lowe's sells different AO Smith 40 gal tanks with 6, 9, or 12 year warranties. I wonder if the 12 year Lowe's heater is the same as the pro grade.
Relief valves fail closed all the time. It's a very common issue we see. Also, the thinner metal shows wear and stress much sooner. That's why we see so many box store tanks fail within a few years.
Around 1990 the company I worked for asked Bradford White the difference between water heaters with different warranty lengths, their answer was the price difference represented the increased cost of the longer warranty. No difference in construction. This was done to answer a customer question.
Pro grade is simply advertising logo for the wholesale house.
Did both water heaters have the same warranty? The Lowe’s near me sells A O Smith water heaters with 6-year, 9-year or 12-year warranties.
Yes both tanks were 6-year warranty tanks.
I wanted to see the inside of the tank and see what the steel gauge was.
We talked about why we didn't do that towards the end.
Still wanted to see it. I wanted to see the internal build too. @SmedleyPlumbing
@@TractorWrangler01 gives us something to do in a future video!
I used to plumb in cali.. bradford white best stuff 👌
At least they stay out of the box stores.
You had a problem with the anode rod because you should have used a 6-point socket.
It was also a chrome socket
Bought a home in a new community. The water heaters started failing 2 years later.
It happens for sure. Typically a high water pressure issue when they fail that soon.
Love the shirt. Same goes with the faucets. Box stores use inferior materials.
Thanks!
My guess the hole on the burner is for condensation when you first start up a unit in the water is very cold
Yeah that's what somebody else suggested and it makes perfect sense
Energy guide are way different between the two Box store $227 and Pro $ 320. But box store saving you more money per year. Why?
The energy guide ratings are wildly inaccurate.
That energy guide is the government lying to you.
Here in Australia DUX and Rheem are a very good quality HWS heaters 👍 Au
Pro grade Rheem units are great here in the states too!
I really would love to know about tankless water heaters.Who's the best just like you did this test
We can do that one in the future!
I bought a Rheem water heater from Menards, i had 3 gas valves fail. The manufacturer did ship each time and knew when the problem was fixed for good. Only thing is, i work for free, a plumber would have cost hundreds in labor. I use an expansion tank too. I fixed a friends water heater needed a gas valve, cost 160 on Amazon. Plumbers quoted 600 to 2000 to fix. One said her pipes were 1/2 inch and needed replaced. Its still working a year later. The next failure was her furnace, was just the flame sense rod connection.
Yeah professional repairs cost but it's worth it to have it done properly with warranty and to not worry about box store problems.
@@SmedleyPlumbing i guess so. I can do myself, its easy but now i know i get inferior supplies. I bought galvanized nipples at menards for commercial toilets in my building. The lowes ones i bought last many years, the menards ones rusted in 2 years. I understand its electrolysis and I am going brass but they look identical and from same company. Its all China though. Floods get expensive.
@@markanderson350 yeah we see box store fittings and valves fail pretty fast faulty often.
@@SmedleyPlumbing yes so maybe i will shop at plumbing supply companies but maybe they wont sell to me. We have a problem with plumbers selling out to big out of state companies using the family name but now being very expensive.
@@markanderson350 a few have for sure. And good for them for building a sellable business. That's the goal from some. Build it big and sell it so they can retire.
I like videos like this but there is just one thing I'm always left with, and I don't know how it could be answered, well actually who'd keep the data. In essence there are thousands of plumbing repair folks out there, all across the United States and even Canada. But regardless of the appliance, be it water heater, refrigerator, washer/dryer etc etc where the appliance gets repaired that a database kept of mfg, repair, age, etc etc etc etc so that when you're shopping you could search the mfg'er with the best record, of course that also requires when a new unit is bought and installed. I've replaced a water heater with a Rheem and I was happy with that. I think I'm soon to be replacing my current one in my next house. I'd happily spend 200 - 400 more if I had some sort of confidence that said money was spent on a mfg'er that built a better product. Nice video.
We love State water heaters. They serve our customers well.
@@SmedleyPlumbing Not sure I've heard of State water heaters. My experience is mostly CO. Now Iowa but I've not spent much time around water heaters in Iowa.
Great video learned a lot my water heater should be replaced it is 50 gal. Electric. I will be purchasing a pro grade I live near Toledo ohio . Can you recommend a pro store in this area. Thanks again.
Look into Winnelson or Ferguson.
The big box stores will typically have a good better and best option for those water heaters, which of those three did the AO Smith from The Big Box store fall under? Not saying that there isn't a difference just wondering if you got the middle option or the highest option from The Big Box store if the comparisons wouldn't have been more similar
We compared two 6-year warranty units. The box stores typically have 9 and 12 year warranty options but we wanted to compare the most similar units as possible.
Did both units have the same warranty on the tanks ?
They do. But one will be lucky to make it to the warranty period and the other will easily surpass it.
I'll never buy another box store water heater. We bought a Rheem from a box store when the unit that came with our house failed at end of life. Six months later, in December just before Christmas, it failed. We called the box store for warranty service. After run around from the box store, the installation company, and Rheem we were without hot water for 6 weeks! Finally got a refund out of Rheem (only because we insisted after they sent the wrong part for repair). We then bought one from a plumbing supply store. It's been running like a champ going on three years now. Never again going to subject myself to heating water 1800s style for everything for 6 weeks. Couldn't believe how indifferent Rheem was to our situation! They actually wanted us to wait longer (2 more weeks) while they sent the part our plumber had requested in the first place for the fix, after they initially sent only a portion of it, taking two weeks. I'll never again buy anything with the Rheem brand. Couldn't pay me enough.
Yep! Pro grade all the way!
I purchased a Bradford White water heater. It lived just beyond the warranty period and started leaking on a weekend. This bunch doesn't tolerate no hot water, not even to wait until Monday. A quick trip to HD and a Rheem gas water heater was soon calming the troops! That Rheem has performed flawlessly and has outlived the Bradford White pro grade heater by a couple of years to date!
I think watching the entire video would be cool if I were a plumber and cared enough, but do you think you could also do a 10-15 minute video on the topic? I think a lot more people would end up watching it.
Ask and you shall receive kzhead.info/sun/htiKgpydeXWYZ2g/bejne.html
One thing I hate about control unit on my big box store water heater is the flashing light produced and beeping sound produced while operating. Not everyone's water heater sits in a garage. Some sit in a closet in living space. So that sounds and light pollution is unwelcome. The control was produced by Raytheon. My water heater is a different brand. Still I wonder if the pro grade units behave the same way.
Yeah water heaters are becoming less silent. You can hear electric water heaters sizzle and heat pump water heaters are noisy too.
About 15 yrs ago a good friend needed a water heater and purchased "brand X" from the blue box store and after one day of operation the pilot failed and as per the the manufacturer they recommend to replace the thermocouple and found out that the blue box store had proprietary parts "LEFT HAND" thermocouple threads I never herd of this well it's true after 3 days finding the proprietary t-couple to fit the Proprietary Honeywell gas valve we Uninstalled this mess and returned it. I purchased one from a local wholesale supply house and parts can be had readily. The blue box store no longer sells unique to them water heaters but I still won't buy from them.😊
Yep. That was the first major indicator that the box store units are not the same.
John wood used a left hand thermocouple too back in the day
@@RockoRocko-rz7kx thank goodness those days are gone.
Does the Pro Grade unit have a longer warranty?
They both carry a 1 year labor and 6 year parts warranty. But the box store unit will be lucky to make it to the end of the warranty period.
But did you take the heater back to Lowe’s? Pulled it out of the box like that
I should have!
Your experiment compared one example of each heater which is a very small sample size. Is it possible that the installed heater components could depend upon what was available on the day of manufacture? Would a manufacture or manufacture rep would be willing to provide any insight to the difference in the product lines? (Especially if they saw your video.) It would be informative to know any differences in order to make an informed purchase decision. The Energy Guide labels are designed to be comparable and list assumptions such as cost of gas on the label and list the therms used annually. Differences between the labels need to be explained and not glossed over.
I look forward to your comparison video where you navigate these topics as well as ones you haven't thought of yet.
You should do another video with the other brands to see if they follow the same strategy.
We might do one for Rheem units
We purchase Bradford White and rarely have any issues. USA made.
Yeah Bradford is a solid unit for sure.
If you’re going to be increasing pressure that high I would strongly recommend wearing some sort of protective face/head gear.
I see my comment was Immediately deleted when I compared your proper methodical analysis to the liars in the medical pharma unscientific methodologies. Why is that? Algorithms of gUgal? Or channel producer?
It's not deleted. But safety third!
Will a plumbing supply store sell a prograde water heater to a homeowner/do it yourselfer? Are they only sold to plumbers?
Most will. Only a few only sell to plumbers.
Is this the same with tankless hot water heaters? Is there “box store” and “pro grade” models?
Absolutely
@@SmedleyPlumbing holy jeeze - thank you for the reply - so….a few plumbers have told me “oh you can’t get what WE can get, you’d have to buy the unit through us” - is that also true in most places, y’think?
@@Mike965x you'd definitely want to go through the plumber for the whole thing with a tankless. That way they warranty the unit too.
@@SmedleyPlumbing none of them will tell me how much they’re paying for the unit (one did, and it’s $700+ markup) so I was going to buy the exact same unit at HD and pay a plumber to put it in. Plumbers are asking 6k for a tankless install these days, 2yrs ago it was $3500 in this area. :-/
@@Mike965x yeah tankless are something that needs to be completely left to the professional. Even purchasing the unit.
Could not get a vent kit fm AO Smith for "their" heater I bought fm bigbox.
This is my shocked face 😮
I AM KINDA bummed your not doing the Liberty area. I said my water heaters an Bradford White that is a 6 year tank on its 32 years old and its never had service done to it, I am not doing anything to it. But it would be a good one to cut open and measure the tank thickness and compared to a newer 2024 unit. I would love to have a copper unit Other then pressure it should last a very very long time if i have no differnt type of metal problems. But no one makes a copper unit. They do make stainless steel units. More carbon content in the metal and stainless almost never rust if its real stainless steel.
We totally service the Liberty area! Give us a call!
I can see there is no bias or media-type hype here? All in all, other than the Watts safety valve on the box store tank, which I trusted forever, and the brass ball flush valve and magnesium sacrificial rod on the pro tank which are musts for me, there is no difference in my eyes. I've seen the A.O. Smith manufacturing line at work. Is the brass ball valve and magnesium rod worth $150.00 more?
Is the massive weight difference of the tanks alone and the fact the box store tank swelled enough to pop the jacket that tells me more than anything.
What about air source hot water heat pump?! Also, what about Corro-Protec electric anode rod.
I like the heat pump water years in the right environment. The jury is still out on the powered anode rods. In theory they work, but I don't see units with a powered anode rod outlasting traditional units in the real world.
So replace the drain valve and upgrade the anno rod if you want to magnesium. Come on not scientific enough You would have to weigh all of the phone that thin metal housing break it down to find out if there really is more weight in the metal if the metal is thicker and then it really comes down to the weld quality which as we can see in your video the pro grade weld went bad before the box store. So the conclusion is even if you have better materials it still comes down to human error or if they're using machines to do the welds comes down to human error on calibrating the machines. The only way to truly know is to have a running tally of maybe 5 years 10 years on failures of pro-grade versus box store. Then you will have some statistics. Good video good effort not enough for convincement 👍
As a plumber of over 20 years, we have the real life results to know that box store heaters don't last as long. This video shows why. The swollen tank told us more than anything else.
Nice work. Hated the background music droning on and on tho
Noted
What was the purchase price for Joe consumer for each tank?
We talk about that within the first few minutes fnthe video.
@@SmedleyPlumbing don’t know how I missed it but I would pay extra for the better materials, good video thanks
As long as its installed and properly maintained it will last a long time. My Westlake Reliance 40 gallon gas water heater is 27 years old and going strong.
It's highly possible that 27 years ago they were indeed the same units.
Great video but longevity of a water heater is about maintenance and what kind of water you have. Either one will be just fine. Change that anode rod and keep it drained & flushed.
Our many years of experience watching box store units fail faster on a consistent basis would say otherwise.
Are they the same serial number or model number heater ?
They are not