aggie_wes said:
GE, Rheem, Rinnai, A.O. Smith.... Any of these better than the others? I've never heard of A.O. Smith but that seems to be what Lowes sells.
You can do it yourself. I am 71 and generally replace mine on various properties we own, including two water heaters that are in attics. I doubt I would attempt a new installation where there previously was not a water heater, but replacing one isn't a big deal.
As to brands, I offer the following comments. I have had three (I think three, possibly four) State Brand water heaters, gas, not electric, malfunction. Water leaks through the gas control valve. The second time it happened, the plumber told me about this being a known defect and told me that State knows it is defective but manufactures them anyway. He said State is good about replacing the gas control valve though, i.e., call and they will ship a replacement.
So I called them, asked if it was true they know the part is defective. She said something along the lines that there have been issues with them but never would admit it was a known defect. She asked how high the water got in the pan. I have very large pans, like 7" or 8" deep and I told her I did not know, didn't really pay any attention. She asked if I thought it got over the burner and I said I think it is likely it did. She said then you will get a new water heater. I got a voucher and went to a plumbing supply place and they loaded one up for me which I turned around and sold within a week. I told the buyer of the issue but he didn't care, it was going in a garage. I had gone to Home Depot and gotten a Rheem and installed it.
All the plumbers in my area (I have dealt with four different ones) push the State Brand so that tells me they get incentives to do so, despite the known issue. The very last State Brand water heater I own went out, six months out of warranty. The plumber gave me the number for calling State to check on the warranty and as it turns out, State and A.O. Smith are tangled up together. That would cause me to not ever want to buy an A.O. Smith water heater.
Maybe by now all the issues have been resolved but I didn't want to take a chance.
Good luck on your project, sorry to hear about the damage.
