Home Depot Gas water heather (GE SmartWater SG60T12CVK)

[3456]

Hi,

Our water heater is a rental and likely close to the end of its life (installed in 1987). It is a GSW anda it has served us well (no failures).

I am seriously looking at buying instead of renting as the payback is less than 5 years. I am considering Home Depot as lifetime part and labor are included with this water heater. I suspect that both Home Depot and Direct Energy will charge about the same to bring the installation up to current code.

Is the above assumption correct? Any experience with these GE water heater and dealings with Home Depot for both initial installation and post-sale service when needed? What can I expect the lifetime of these new water heater to be?

Thanks...

[txv]

I think big box stores subcontract, but for a simple water heater changeout it shouldn't matter. (I would never recommend buying a furnace from sears or hd)

Home depot is probably cheaper than direct energy because the tank is sold at retail cost. (not too much of a markup)

DE probably does a 100% markup on the tank.

[3456]

Thanks TVS. Any experience on the GE tanks reliability? Thanks...

[TKG26]

DE tank prices include installation to current code. I believe HD tank prices are cash and carry(no install included) DE does not offer long warranty on there tanks though.

After installation price is pretty similar between DE and HD

[txv]

Home depot does install tanks (http://www.homedepot.ca/installation...r-installation) - well, they subcontract. The in store prices definitely don't include installation though.

They deal with carpets, roofing, etc the same way.

[TKG26]

Yep. They used to sub to DE at one point. So u buy your tank or bathtub or carpet.. then pay for installation extra...

[timlocke]

I must admit I would buy my water heater from the company who installed and services my furnace and a/c...if the price including installation was anywhere close. In saying this I am assuming a smallish local HVAC company.

[3456]

TKG26,

Thanks. I suspect that after installation, the final price will end up being similar between HD and DE but the clincher is that is I go with HD installation, there is a lifetime part and labor warranty included with this water heater.

Do you have insight in the reliability of these GE water heathers?

Thanks

[TKG26]

ya the warranty is a big deal.

Do you have a link to your tank? i cant seem to find it on HD or GE sites... Like to see what control it is using...

DE use 5-6 brands and i dont recall seeing GE ever used. I work in Ottawa and at least in this area i have not seen that brand. For the most part though the tanks are all very similar, it comes down to what controls are being used... The latest FVIR tanks (flammable vapor detection) all seem alot more problematic then the pre-FVIR tanks. Seems the controls are more temperamental. Then again dont get calls from people who have no problems! LOL

[3456]

TKG26.

Both the 50 and 60 gallons tanks are the same price. I can't find the 60 gallons on the web site but here is the 50 gallons one (http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ge-5...000-btu/903012). I am making the (maybe mistaken) assumption that both the 50 and 60 gallons tanks would use the same control.

Is there a concern of going too big with a water heater? The current one is 40 gallons (50,000 BTUs). We did run out of hot water a few times in the past.

Thanks

[txv]

A larger tank may use a little more gas to maintain the setting when there's no demand for hot water due to more tank surface area.

Otherwise, I don't think oversizing poses a problem, provided that the exhaust pipe is sized right.

[dns2]

Just out of curiosity how much do you figure you paid in rental fees and taxes over 25 years of rental payments ?

dns1

[TKG26]

3456: you wont have much problems with those tanks. Natural draft tanks are the least problematic of the bunch.. The control they use is used on other brands. I was posting about powervent tanks in my previous post.