Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 166 posts · 67 votes
What brands of power vent water heaters do you recommend? Not seeing great reviews on AO Smith (Lowes), Rheem (Home Depot + a knock off at Menards). Is Bradford White good?
How many gallons should I get? Currently have 75 - no idea how well it worked before. Is that enough? It's a big jump in price to 80 or 100 gallons.
Situation:I am finishing an almost-gut rehab on 3 units in Chicago. We didn't intend to replace the 75 gallon water heater but then the basement flooded during construction and the heater is done. I want to get away from the using the chimney and am thinking of power vent (don't ask why, but let's just say I'm not 100% confident on its ability long term and it's not something that can reasonably be lined).
Usage Specifics:Single shared water heater (owner pays for this gas supply separately); 3 units (floors 1 - 3); 8 Bedrooms (3 + 3 + 2); 3 dishwashers; shared laundry in basement.
Rental Property Investor · Fairmont, MN · Member since 2019 · 184 posts · 123 votes
4y
@Eric L. I will usually just hire a local and reputable plumber to do a project like this. They should have the experience and expertise to pick the best product for you. Talking to plumbers in my area, they all tell me water heaters, faucets, etc that you can buy from a box store have all internal components removed and replaced with cheaper components (so box stores can make money) that don't last as long. Licensed plumbers buy directly from the manufacture/distributor so in theory the water heater should last longer.
Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 166 posts · 67 votes
4y
@Lucas Miles I have a GC working on the full rehab but he's newer at small multi rehabs (has done many commercial rehabs) so I'm not 100% confident at his recommendation which is to just replace. I am curious to get the opinions of others about this long term given the amount of units.
Rental Property Investor · IL · Member since 2015 · 165 posts · 107 votes
4y
I just went through the process of getting quotes to replace water heaters, and for what it's worth it seemed most plumbers were quoting AO Smith. From my understanding they are the largest manufacturer in the US and this allows the plumbers to not only have the most competitive pricing but also get replacement parts on demand. Similar to how kitchen appliance manufacturers produce multiple brands under one roof, AO Smith manufacturers a lot of water heaters that sell under a different brand name.
I say all this to say that I ended up hiring a labor-only plumber and purchased the water heaters myself, one Rheem from Home Depot and one Richmond from Menards, which as you noted is manufactured by Rheem.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
4y
I feel your pain & in 30 years I have never had a "high demand" HW tank last longer than 5-7 years. They go at the most inconvenient time, flood the area & the removal/install is a painful 2 man job.
We have a 1960's era 7 unit & when the 5yr old 75 gal HW Tank decided to burst at the seams @ 5am the calls came in. Being Covid Dec 2019, I could NOT get a 75 gal anywhere, so I threw in a spare 30gal we had in the barn & picked up the only AO Smith 240NI Lowes had on the shelf. Trying to service each apartment with its own HW tank was impossible, but our rents more than compensate for all costs. Overall demand above the usual showers & faucets includes 3 dishwashers, 3 washing machines & 2 full sized baths.
With the 30 gal online & with a lot of tenant patience, I spent several days installing the AO Smith 240NI (the 3" PVC runs in an old hand dug basement with whole oak tree trunk rim joists made for a logistical nightmare).It immediately fired it up & NOT a single "no-HW" complaint since. I did install my own recirculation pump setup that has been very effective in cutting down on the proverbial wasted HW water wait & winter cold water sandwich phenomena. Gas bill has dropped about $98/month & the flow rate rarely exceeds 4GPM, with 90% of demand running @ 1.4GPM.
HVAC guys quoted me $3500 just for the install & my BIL had one installed last month for $7200, to replace two 75 gal HW tanks. So I did it myself (this is my 5th) & with the 240NI ($810), my recirc-system ($100) & ancillary materials, it ran about $1275. The oldest on-demand I installed replaced a 75 gal tank & is going on 8 years. It cost me $350 complete & has definitely paid for itself. Every 2 years I do a 10 min descale/flush of each system.
Now planning the next install in a large high end rental home we have. The current configuration is two (failing) 7yr old 40 gal (connected in-series) tanks that are constantly 'cooking' on HIGH heat.