I've got a Whirlpool that I bought about five years ago from Lowe's. I've
since found they don't have a very good reputation among professional
installers. I just replaced my gas control thermostat because I had cold
water and turning the knob all the way to hot didn't turn on the gas. It
wasn't made by Whirlpool, but by one of the big name gas control companies
who's name I can't remember now. Another person in our office had the same
thing done to hers recently. She paid a plumber to do it under the
warranty -- part was free, labor was >$100. I could have had my part paid
for under warranty but given Lowe's had them in stock for $60 I didn't
bother with that time/hassle.
The interesting and troublesome part of the repalement was that the bottom
of the tank was full of light, fluffy bluish-white material that kept the
water from draining. It wasn't the hard granules that I've typcially
drained out from water heaters, but looked and felt like large soap flakes.
I hadn't drained the tank the last 3 years or so becuase the valve dripped
after I did it. We had a water softener fail about a year ago so maybe
that's part of what caused this. Anyone have any idea what this is?
After replacing the valve and cleaning the foreign material its back to
normal. It has a 9 year warranty but if I have any more trouble I'm just
replacing it. We have city water and our last heater lasted about 13 years
before the tank started leaking. I figure 10 yrs is typical for a water
heater.
Ben.....
On Wed, Dec 11, 2013 at 12:17 PM, Randall <TR3driver@ca.rr.com> wrote:
> > Are there any truly good, durable, natural-gas-fired
> > conventional water
> > heaters made nowadays? It appears that most of the major
> > brands come from
> > two main conglomerates:
>
> I don't know who actually made it, but the GE brand heater I got from Home
> Depot about 12 years ago seems to be holding up well. I
> get some rusty sediment when I open the drain valve every few years, but
> not very much and it likely comes from the cast iron pipes
> leading to the house & heater.
>
> There is a hex head for the anode, but I've never tried to change it.
> Probably should do that some time. There's a sticker on the
> side that says to call GE for support, but I've never called them.
>
> When you hook the new one up, be sure to get the flexible lines with the
> insulators at the heater end. They'll help block any
> galvanic currents that can eat up the heater. Both this house and my
> previous house didn't have them when I moved in.
>
> Randall
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