Replacing a "Richmond" tank...brand recommendation?

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Scott_R

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Hi all - haven't posted in a while because...thankfully, the plumbing issues have been minimal.

I moved about 18 months ago into a house with a "Richmond" water heater - only installed 3.5 years ago. I figured this and the boiler (6 years old) were the only things I wouldn't be replacing in the near future...wishful thinking! The hot water heater tank is leaking.

I think this heater was a Home Despot cheapo...I'd never really heard of or investigated "Richmond" before. Rheem/Richmond will exchange it for me, for a new one, if I show up at a distributor...which is more $$$ in gas/drive time than the thing is worth. The one place I can't just exchange it is H-D....naturally. The plumber who installed is not returning calls. Shocker. Maybe he was just an HD sub.

I am not interested in another big-box store heater, and unfortunately, there's no natural gas available (and propane is crazy expensive).

So, I'm looking for a recommendation: AO Smith, Bradford White or State? I haven't had to replace a DHW tank in over ten years, and the last time I dug in, State (a tenn. product) was OK, but that was a Nat. Gas. tank. I'm going with the local real distributor, though I'll be doing the swap myself. I don't mind paying for a good product, I'd really rather not have to do this in less than ten years!

Thanks!
 

SHR

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I hate HD and would love to join you in bashing their water heater, but they have not stocked Richmond branded water heaters for over 12 years. So not from HD unless it was a specialty heater special ordered. Rheem branded some of their retail special order heaters "Richmond". Richmond was sold at many big box stores including Menards. If you have one in your area check it out.
 

Scott_R

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So, my local Home-Depot lists a couple of different Rheem models, but no Richmond. That was a guess.

The issue is this: there are no Menard's around here. I'm in Virginia, and I believe the closest Menard's is in Ohio...so, not driving there. This was the warranty solution though: take the tank, the exchange code/number and go get a brand new one. Interestingly, the Richmond/Rheem helpline suggested this might have come from Menard's, but then mentioned a place in WV (again, further than I'm driving for a new tank).

I really only want to do this job once - I care more about that than the cost of a tank by itself. Ferguson's has the 80g Bradford-White for a reasonable price, in stock; Rheem lists Noland as an option for their pro series and they're nearby (enough).

I appreciate the feedback!
 

Cacher_Chick

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The average house around here has a 40g heater, so I would need justification for installing one a great deal larger.
One thing that must be considered when shopping for a replacement is the height of the existing heater vs. height of the flue connection to the chimney. A taller heater may not permit the necessary pitch of the flue.
 

Scott_R

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My wife is a bit of a water hog...she likes a 30 min shower in the morning...yes, wasteful, but not worth the argument.

This is an electric unit - we don't have access to nat. gas (or I'd switch everything in a heartbeat), only propane, so I'm going to replace with electric. Fortunately, this is in a basement space with lots and lots of room. The 80gal I looked at will fit pretty easily.

However, after putting a plastic yogurt container (empty) under the relief valve downtube, it appears the seep is in my relief valve, not the tank itself...so I may only be replacing that valve.
 

FullySprinklered

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Somewhere along the way you might want to check your pressure. You can buy the gauge off the rack right next to the T&P valves in HD.
 

hj

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The Richmond heaters Home Depot sells are large commercial units. One problem with Rheem/Rudd rebranded heaters such as GE, Hotpoint, Richmond, Vanguard, etc. is that they do NOT service/replace each other so you need a distributor who handles the brand to replace it. Good luck with the "less than 10 years", because around here electric heaters have a life of about 8 years, regardless of which brand you buy. That is why we HAVE to run the discharge pipe to a "safe" location where it will not cause damage, (or give a false leaking water heater indication).
 
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