If you take a look through our Facebook or Instagram pages, chances are you’ll see plenty of water heater content. Rheem, AO Smith, Bradford White, Ruud, many of these names may very well sound a little familiar. As a local plumbing business that offers both residential and commercial services, water heaters are simply something we deal with on a daily basis. Whether it be installing new units, repairing existing ones, or simply providing some routine maintenance, your water heater is something you need to work consistently.
For those that have followed some of our prior blog posts, you may know that a common theme entails general tips that any homeowner can find value in. Household plumbing systems consist of a number of different components and unless you know what to look for, it can be challenging to stay on top of everything. As you can likely guess based on the opening paragraph, this week’s blog is going to be all about water heaters. We’ll walk you through some of the most-common questions we hear from customers about them and provide an answer to those inquiries.
What maintenance do you need to do on a water heater?
As we often say, one of the smartest ways to get the best return on your plumbing investment is through acting proactively, as opposed to reactively. While not all plumbing emergencies can be prevented, the truth is you can get a lot more years out of the various components with some routine maintenance. And for the sake of this blog post, it’s safe to say that statement is true with your water heater.
Considering most water heaters are located in the basement, possibly even in an unfinished part, chances are you’re not getting eyes on it very frequently. They certainly are something that is easy to forget about until something goes wrong. What maintenance items might you consider in regards to the water heater? One of the more well-known maintenance tasks involves flushing the sediment build-up at the bottom of your tank. Long story short, when sediment build-up occurs, your water heater has to work harder and it’ll inevitably take a toll on the unit itself. Just as I mentioned that water heaters can go unnoticed for months (or even years) on end, it’s never a bad idea to routinely take a look around the unit and check if anything is awry. In addition to searching for any noticeable leaks, this would be a good time to test the T&P valve to ensure it’s working properly as well.
In the end, water heaters typically work as expected 99% of the time. However, they definitely aren’t built to last forever. While they’ll all eventually need to be replaced, performing some simple maintenance tasks (as evidenced above) are terrific steps to getting the maximum years out of your heater.
How long do water heaters last?
Based on the section above (and possibly from your own personal experience), you likely now understand that water heaters can last a wide range of years. There are a handful of variables, such as maintenance, brand of water heater, type, usage, and size, that can be impactful in just how long they end up lasting. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t provide a rough ballpark estimate of what you could expect to see. To make this as straightforward as possible, we’ll separate these estimates into two primary categories: storage tank water heaters and tankless water heaters.
For your traditional storage tank water heaters, you can generally expect to get 10-13 years. We’ve seen heaters last much longer than this, just as we’ve witnessed ones break down earlier than 10 years. It is simply dependent on some of the variables mentioned above.
On the other hand, you also have tankless water heaters. While they do come at a higher price tag, these have become increasingly popular in recent years. In addition to a number of other benefits, tankless water heaters almost always last longer than their storage tank counterparts, as you can expect to get 20-plus years out of your tankless water heater.
What are the best brands of water heaters?
Another question our team routinely hears is in regards to the actual water heater brands. While customers likely are familiar with the water heater brand they currently have installed, most are unaware whether or not that’s a good brand, as well as if they should use the same brand for their replacement. In these situations, it’s typically best to rely on the opinion of your local plumbing professional. Any residential plumbing contractor should have more than enough experience not only installing these units, but also understanding which brands actually provide the best return on your investment and last the longest.
Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, it’s safe to say that we have a few different brands that we primarily recommend to clients. Many of these are household names in the water heating world and have been around for more than a few decades! Having said that, here are a few of our favorites:
- AO Smith – One of the oldest companies in the water heater industry is AO Smith. Established all the way back in 1874 as Charles J. Smith-Machinist, they’ve operated in quite a few different fields over the years and consistently been at the forefront of innovation. In fact, did you know they’re also a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange? Nonetheless, when it comes to water heaters, you can always count on diverse product lines and reliable units with AO Smith.
- Rheem – Founded back in 1925, it’s also safe to say that Rheem has been around for a while too. Rheem water heaters are widely popular and used throughout the country. Also, in Rheem’s family of brands is Ruud, which you’ll likely see from time-to-time on our Instagram feed as well!
- Bradford White – Our final water heater brand that we’ll highlight is Bradford White. As is the case with two companies mentioned above, Bradford White has also been around for quite some time, having been founded in 1881. By the way, did you know that we are an approved contractor in their network? Click HERE to check out our listing.
Water Heater Services in Kansas City
Whether it be repairs, replacements or even routine maintenance tasks, water heaters are something we receive calls on each and every week. Residential, commercial, gas, electric, power vent, 40-gallon, 80-gallon, you name it! Throughout this blog post, we walked through a few of the most common questions we hear about water heaters. To sum it up, a great way to look at water heaters is to understand how important it is to install a quality brand and keep tabs on it with routine maintenance. Simply following these two easy steps will ensure you not only get the maximum years out of the unit, but also don’t have to worry about any unnecessary repairs.
Are you in the market for a new water heater and looking for a free quote? Well, if you live in or near the Kansas City area, our team at Stine-Nichols Plumbing would be more than happy to help! To speak with a member of our team, feel free to fill out the form HERE or give us a call at (816) 348-3481. We look forward to working with you!