I read all the pros and cons about all the different brands of water heaters. It seems like everyone has an opinion about one brand or another. For example, one licensed plumber only sells and installs AO Smith. He swears by them. Yet, another plumber in the same community said he would not touch them with a 10 foot pole. He sells Bradfords. Consumer ratings websites also had differing opinions. Then, I read reports of consumers who purchased various brands. Again, all kinds of contradictory infro. Some loved their Sears, others reported some trouble. Same for Bradfords, and Rheems. All contradictory experiences. Indeed, there was not one brand that stood out from all the ratings, and conclusions. However, the warranty on the Sears is far superior to any other brand that I reviewed. AO Smith makes the Sears brand. My old tanks were State. They lasted 21 years. AO Smith bought State. I know that people have had problems with pilot lights going out. That is likely due to the "flame arrestors" required by the gov't. They have to be kept clean, and free of obstructions. AO Smith explains all of this in the manual. In the end, I concluded that A O Smith had to know what they were doing, being in the business for years, and selling huge numbers of tanks. The longer warranty played a large part as well. I could be wrong, but attempted to make the best reasoned decision possible.
