The most significant difference is lifespan. If you are replacing a tank that you feel is pretty much new, you see this firsthand. Water heaters that are not self-cleaning are to have a service life of less than 8 years. Brands that offer 9- and 12-year tank warranties make those units self-cleaning; therefore, this standard does not apply to 9- and 12-year units. Bradford White makes self-cleaning tanks with a 6-year warranty, so they can offer a warranty upgrade. If your old tank lasted 20 years, you may not feel a warranty is important to you, but without proper research, you may purchase another tank in just a few years.

Water heaters are more complicated to install. With new safety requirements, hot water tanks are built with sensors and devices that can shut down the water heater until changes are made to allow it to operate in its ideal conditions. This can be very frustrating for the do-it-yourselfer or handyman who doesn't understand why the water heater keeps shutting off or, worse yet, won't come back on.

New water heaters are larger. The same capacity water heater will have a larger footprint now. Often, homeowners need to downsize to physically fit a new tank into the same location as the previous one. We have methods to improve the performance of smaller units, enabling them to supply even more hot water than older, larger-capacity models. If you find yourself in this situation, don't worry; we can help.

Hot water tanks are more expensive. The research and development of these new water heaters is astounding. Consumers often look at this the wrong way. These manufacturers completely changed how hot water tanks work and operate while keeping much of it the same. By using the same location and the same type of exhaust vent/gas line/electric wire/water pipes, a tank replacement is much less expensive overall than if the manufacturers had just chosen the easiest design to build. Don't look at these new tanks and think they are just so expensive. Tank manufacturers invested an unknown amount of money, effort, and time to make a less expensive replacement option possible while still meeting NECA's strict standards. Without the effort put forth by these tank manufacturers, everyone would have no choice but to replace their tank with a tankless unit or one that costs more than a tankless unit. Manufacturers even banded together to push back on NECA standards for the final stage. Stating the price point would be unfair to consumers if the original efficiency levels set in 1987 were kept in place.