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40 Gallon Gas Hot Water Heater Reviews This comparison will review three affordable 40-gallon natural gas hot water heaters in the $300 - $399 range, including Bradford White, Kenmore and Whirlpool brands. There are many other great brands out there, including American Water Heaters and GE. However, not all of them offer 40g tanks that can be purchased for under $400.
Editor's Pick
Bradford White 40-GallonBradford White 40g MI-40T6FBN Gas Hot Water Heater Features: Avg. Price: $398 Learn More: More Bradford White Water Heaters 
Kenmore Power Miser TankKenmore Power Miser 9, 40 gal. Gas Water Heater Features: Avg. Price: $330 Learn More: More 40-Gallon Water Heaters
Whirlpool 40g Gas Water HeaterWhirlpool 40 Gallon Flame Lock Natural Gas Water Heater Features: Avg. Price: $335 Learn More: More 40-Gallon Water Heaters
Reliance LP 40 Gallon Gas Wate- Hourly BTU Input: 30,000 Avg. Price: $360 Learn More: Buy Reliance Water Heaters at Ace Hardware
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What research says Bradford White: There is no need to ever drain or flush these 40-gallon gas water heaters. There is a link below where you can get more information on the technology behind it, but Bradford White provides patented technology in their Defender Safety System series that drastically reduces carbon monoxide emissions and the chance of fire. This is a very important safety feature in any water heater. The online reviews for Bradford White are overwhelmingly positive. One popular consumer research website polled 300 contractors, which resulted in this brand being voted "Best Water Heater". However, there is a catch - You can't buy a Bradford White water heater at Lowes or Home Depot; they can only be purchased through licensed contractors, which is probably a big reason for their devotion to the brand.
Kenmore: A very affordable water heater from a trusted brand, the Kenmore Power Miser also has an important safety feature (CSA-certified energy cut-off). The First Hour Rating (FHR) is one of the most important features you should consider when buying a hot water heater, and the Kenmore scored the worst in this department among these three brands. The warranty is longer than the Bradford White units, but is limited. On paper, the Kenmore may seem like a great water heater for the money, but we read many reviews and customer complaints on several websites, and found that - overall - these consumers were not satisfied with the water heater. For instance, one customer says "I purchased the Power Miser 9 40 gal. unit to replace a PowerMizer 8 40 gal. unit that lasted 12 years without any issues. On the first day, I found the water went cold because the pilot light went out. I relit and water heated up. Later that day water was cold again, found same issue - pilot out. This cycle continued until I had a service person come out... I would recommend sticking with the open ignition area type if the unit if it is to be in a small confined space." Another consumer complained that his water would not be hot enough unless the thermostat was turned up all the way. Whirlpool: The 40-Gallon Flame Lock natural gas water heater from Whirlpool would be a steal at this price if it weren't for all of the complaints and the class action lawsuit. It (was) a trusted brand. Many people look at only the R-value to gauge energy efficiency. While the Whirlpool Flame Lock 40g hot water heater has a competitive R-Value for this price range, the real value comes from the First Hour Rate, which indicates that this unit heats up ten more gallons of water in the same time frame than the Kenmore. We would have given this brand the Editor's choice (if we didn't know any better) because they are much easier to buy than the Bradford Whites, and are very energy efficient and well-priced. However, the thermocouple complaints have us a little concerned. All-in-all, we would not say that the consumer reviews for the Whirlpool hot water heaters were very possitive. You should probably stay away from any company involved in a lawsuit over its product. The Reliance 6-40-HORT4 sold at Ace Hardware looks like a decent hot water heater for the price, but the quality and features don't stand up next to some of the others in this comparison. The only user review we could find on the Ace Hardware site was one start out of five, and we quote: "I have had a terrible time with this product. It will not stay lit and even though it is under warranty, the company has not helped. I have had two plumbers tell me they cannot see any reason why it will not work..." Bottom Line: At this price range you can't expect a top-of-the-line water heater. If you are going to go with a contractor to install it, ask about the Bradford White line. We would say consider the Whirlpool Flame Lock gas water heaters, but there was recently a major lawsuit against them because the thermocouples are allegedly prone to premature activation.
John said:We purchased our Whirlpool Flame Lock hot water heater on July 16, 2007 and had it professionally installed. We lost hot water on January 6, 2008. When I went to find out why we did not have hot water, I found the pilot light was out. I also found the water heater unit was leaking from the bottom of the unit, so it was not a plumbing issue. Whirlpool and Lowes took care of the return quickly and easily, but now that it is installed, the replacement unit pilot light will not light. I can see the igniter spark through the window and the gas is on, but no dice. Now that I see all of the on-line complaints about this model of water heater, it doesn't look good. JD in Phx said:Thanks - some very useful information. I had installation quotes on the Bradford White (private contractor), a Whirlpool (Lowes), and a G.E. (Home Depot). I originally eliminated the B-W because it was higher than the other two quotes. Now I can see why - it seems like a much better heater. For about $60 more, it looks like I'll be getting a better product, and supporting a mom 'n pop plumbing business instead of a huge corporation, too. Dirk in Kzoo said:I purchased a Whirlpool 40 gal LP gas flamelock water- heater from Lowes and installed it myself. No problems at any time, and 5 months later it operates perfectly--steady temperature and very fast recovery. A good value. Tammy henderson said:we have a reliance hot water tank bought at mathison Cheryl Wood said:Don't buy Whirlpool!!!!!! They fail after about 1-2 years old and the fix does not work!!!! kms250 said:The Bradford White unit listed on this page is everything you said it would be, it's a fine water heater! It heated the water in a very short period of time and has excellent output and performance! Thank you! Gary said:I have discoveered that the whirlpool 40 gallon gas tall water heater has a 27 inch closed end dip tube. At first I knew that it was a limited production mistake. After talking to the engineering dept. at American water co. I learned it is not a mistake. After many customer complaints aboout a serious lack of hot water the dip tube issue was discovered, but not resolved. other manufactures have dip tubes of similar length, but are open ended. since the tube is so short, and closed ended the cold water comming into the water heater enters about mid level. This configuration makes the lower half of the hot water in the tank less useful. upon further investigation I found that the tall 40 gallon water heater marketed under the American brand has a 34 inch dip tube. Dont be fooled by the gama first hour rating for the whirlpool 40 gallon gas water heater. the rating may not be based on real life performance, especially when trying to fill a normal bath tub. With the water heater set a 130 degrees I have only been able to fill the tub half way. After installing a 34 ionch open ended dip tube for experimental purposes, I could fill the tub. Sadly it is not permitted by the manufacturer to use any dip tube other than the specified 27 inch closed end tube. The reason given has to do with a higer potential for temperature stacking. This does not explain why the American model can use a 34 inch dip tube. Please note that even with the 34 inch tube, there is still a lack of performance because it is closed end. with a closed end the incomming cold water is not directed toward the bottom which would help the hot water in the bottom of the tank to rise to the hot water outlet. It was not until I discovered the problem with the dip tubes in American/Whirlpool water heaters that I appreciated the hydrojet design in the Bradford White. it provides excellent performance and safety Darron said:I recently had a BW replacement water heater go (leaking around the bottom purge valve) on me. Because it was past the 6 year warranty on the original one - that was already replaced - they would not honor any sort of warranty or make any concessions - although two of their products leaked under typical residential use, each within their 6 year warranty time. I will not purchase another. Craig said:I installed a State water heater thirty years ago and it has never given me problems, nor have I ever flushed it out. I am replacing it this week only because of its age and to get one more energy efficient. The plumber I'm using deals with Bradford White so I'm hoping this will be the last water heater I will buy, since I am on the verge of turning sixty. Dan said:After my previous water heater failed after 31 years, I installed an A. O. Smith Promax gas water heater. After just 19 days, the pilot light started going out on the Promax. For the next seven months, the pilot continued to fail and I had to relight it. The pilot failed sometimes every few days, sometimes every day or sometimes four times a day. Eventually, every time we needed hot water, I had to relight the pilot. The plumber returned five separate times to try and fix it. No luck. An A. O. Smith Authorized Technician came and worked on it. He also failed to fix it. I installed a camera at the heater viewing window, and videotaped the pilot failing to try and help find the problem. No one bothered to look at the tapes. Over seven months, I had to relight the pilot 63 times, at 10-15 minutes per relight. Not an easy job for an old man at all hours of the day and night in a cold and dark cellar. A. O. Smith, of course, blames me for the Promax failure. They say my cellar is too humid for its flame arrestor. What the precise humidity, atmospheric pressure, temperature, noise level, etc. should be for this thing to work, they won’t say. I discovered (too late) from several plumbing websites that the real problem with the Promax is its Corderite ceramic disc flame arrestor. All incoming air for the heater must pass through this ceramic disc. The problem is, this disc is about the size of a saucer, and lets in little air. In addition, the openings in the disc itself are small and clog easily. The solution, A. O. Smith says, is to clean (vacuum) this disc top and bottom regularly. To do this the burner must be removed, not a job the average customer can or would want to do. Calling a plumber ‘regularly’ (every three months? every month?) is expensive and irritating, considering that your old heater may have lasted for decades without any attention at all. A. O. Smith will not give me a refund. I am out almost $1,000 for this measly 30 gallon heater. After seven months, I replaced the Promax with a Bradford-White heater. The Bradford-White has a stainless steel flame arrestor, the full diameter of the heater, so it lets in plenty of air with no clogging. Especially if you have a dirt cellar floor as I do, perhaps you can save yourself the trouble and expense I had. Stay away from A. O. Smith, buy a Bradford-White. Luis Gomez said:I have a small 5 unit apartment building. I had Bradford White 40 gal install on 11/05. One stopped working after 1 year(the old one lasted over 10 years). Since it was an apartment building BW did nothing. I bought a replacement from Homedepot. No problems. Now the second unit has stopped. BW is a crap company making crap water heater. Do not buy any Bradford White water heaters. And the plumber was no help. Basically he told me he was to busy with real accounts to fix the water heater. Never called him again. April said:I bought a Reliance LP 40 gallon last year, and I am having trouble with the pilot light staying lit also. I had a technician come out, and they found nothing wrong with it. Every couple of months, I battle with this thing. I constantly relight until it finally takes and stays running like it should. Don't buy it! You get what you pay for. Peter said:
Polly said:I am about to replace a 20-year-old 40-gallon Rheem (rated to 5 years!) with another Rheem/GE from Home Depot. Never drained the tank or had any maintenance performed on the old one in 15 years living here. Pilot light never went out. Great water heater! ronnie said:I have to disagree with the bradford. I had one installed when we had our home built 5 years ago and we have had nothing but trouble. If the wind blows the pilot goes out. Yes, the contractor has been out several times and now they claim the warranty is up(typical). I say stay away from bradford. Jim said:Rheem is the best water heater you can buy for your money, but stay away from GE water heaters from Home Depot. They are made buy Rheem, but they are made cheaper and don't last as long. Getting any warranty work done through GE/Home Depot is a nightmare. Go with the Rheem Fury not the Pro. Stay away from the tankless, way too many problems , and too much $$$$$. Ernie said:if you are considering the Whirlpool Gas water heater, my suggestion is Run Don't Walk Away. I've had to repair mine 4 (four) times in the last4(four)months, with the last repair only lasting 1 (one) week. Ian said:Kenmore Power Miser 6 is a hunk of junk. CR said:Thanks to all who have in put their reviews on gas hot water heaters. It was very use full information. I will not buy Bradford White, Whirlpool, I like GE which is working since 21 years, without any problem BB in KC said:Have the original builder grade Bradford-White and only drained once in twelve years and no problems, no leaks, no pilot light going out. 50 gal unit. Solid performance. Elliot said:I work for a fairly large plumbing contractor in New York. We have dealt with all brands for repairs but we carry and install AO Smith and State water heaters. There was a MAJOR problem with the gas valves on the GCVA model heaters. The replacement valve is covered under warranty by the manufacturer including labor but it has been a major inconvenience to our customers. Outside of the gas valve problem the only other issue is keeping the flame arrestor plate clean to allow proper air intake for combustion. I would definitely put a State heater in my own home without a question. Ronni said:I have had a Bradford White hot water heater for 15 years now and still going strong. After reading these reviews, I know what I am buying...another Bradford White! gene in mt said:i installed a reliance 606 water heater.everything was fine for a few months.when the pilot wouldn't stay lit i called the company(i thought the thermocoupler was bad)to find out where to get a thermocoupler.they told me to clean the ceramic disc in the bottom of the heater.i used compressed air and a vaccume and then it would stay lit.the problem is that i have this problem every few months.it always seems to be when you need hot water it's not there and you have to wait for it.if i would have known about the disc i would never have purchased it.i have heard of some people drilling larger holes in the disc,but don't have the option to find a drill bit for ceramic.the price was locally competitive and tried to buy locally,but should have gone out of town and bought a better unit.i give it a thumbs down. Dee in Houston said:I am now replacing a 30 year old (no kidding it says it was made in 1978 on the label) Kenmore Powermiser 2 that has finally rusted out and is leaking, but otherwise still works great. No pilot out problems. I am being offered a Rheem Fury with the new FVIR feature on it, as a replacement through American Homeshield Warranty Service. I wonder after hearing all these pilot out problems if it is the new FVIR feature on the water heaters that are causing them to be so sensitive. GREG said:I have a whirpool water heat, or say i had one, I have nothing but problems and whirpool will not replace it, they want to keep changing the same part, i got more money in this one if i would had bought a new one, when you call them, their name is Bob, Bill, Jill but you can't understand them, I my rating is junk..... I bought it at Lowe's they would not help me at all, so I don't think they much care about the customer either. hubert said:We had a 3 years old wirlpool 40 gallon gas heater. Last week, there was no hot water suddenly. I called the wirlpool service center,an impolite lady said I was out of warranty because I was not the original owner. She gave me a local phone number so I can order a repair service by myself. Fine, I called and got another number of technician. I called again twice and left messages, no response till now. I had to find another professional by myself, who replace the thermocouple for me but it did not work. So, I had to buy a new water heater since it has a similar price to replace other parts. Really bad feeling of wirlpool, nerver nerver buy any products from them again. Dillon Raye said:I blew up some beefers house with a Ortiz blowup hot water heater with huge mongers! Melissa Wagner said:We own a plumbing company in the Chicagoland area. We have and do install only Bradford White water heaters and have for nearly 20 years. We install nearly 200 water heaters a year and on average, have 1 warranty issue per year. That is only 1/2 of 1%. Remember, you get what you pay for, both on the product side and the labor side. Bradford is the ONLY tank made in the United States. With the current condition of our economy, spend the extra $60-$100 and support the workers in the United States opposed to the workers in Mexico and Canada! Tom said:I bought the Whirlpool 40 gal water heater 5 years ago. I have had the pilot quit and not be able to restart on two occations. It was under warrenty and Whirlpool sent me the replacement part within two days but, I had to install them myself (fairly easy task). The time, inconvience and hassle factor isn't worth repurchasing another unit from Whirlpool. Reading the reviews of several other brands don't sound much better. Brad said:I just found my GE water heater leaking with rust stains out the seam of the outer skin. It lasted about 10 years. This is unnacceptable in my opinion. A water heater should last 20 years. I work at a test lab and just expect more from consumer products. I'm going to try a Bradford White next, if accessible. david paramount said:I bought a GE 40 gal water heater at home depot,3 months later ..the pilot goes out and will not relight.I get it replaced and that one goes out 5 months later.Went back to the home dpot for refund and they give me a store credit,not my cash.so i refuse to buy another heater at DEpot.Those GE heaters are junk .What ever happened to quality and customer care,afterall...if you don't take care of your customers(GE) with a good product,eventually you will be out of a job. joe naidu said:best price Jan said:Had 40-5- gal. BW nat gas installed by local gas co.. Lasted just a few yrs., very disappointing. Have had State for 12 yrs. now w/o any probs.. Have been warned away from H.Depot & Lowes as being lower quality regardless of name, ie: shorter life. May move to whole house tankless system soon. Mike Martin said:Don't ever buy a Whirlpool hot water heater. I've had mine for less than a year and already had to call a plumber and pay for repairs (this was just after a couple of months of owning it) and now it is going out again and neither Lowes nor Whirlpool will do anything about it. My last water heater was an American Standard and lasted about 18 years. Whirlpool and Lowes are both companies that I will no longer do any business with. jeff said:need new water heater 40 gallon gas maintence free. Clarence Wallace said:I bought a Kenmore Power Miser 12 & replaced it after two years. The pilot light went out at random times and after 2 service calls the last one $130 & the service man saying he could finf nothing wrong I had it & switched to a Bradford White. JG said:Stay away from GE water heaters. Very poor quality. Our 50 gallon gas water heater is less than 5 years old, has rust stains and is leaking. It has a 12 year warranty but GE does not cover labor or removal cost. Getting a replacement is a nightmare especially if you went through Home Depot Home Services. Apparently, warranty means a pro-rated refund that does not cover the cost of a new unit! Local Home Depot has been very helpful in trying to resolve it. GE should be covering all costs associated with replacing a faulty, inferior quality product. A water heater should not be rusting in 20 years, let alone 5 years! Nancy Dudley said:I have had a 650 HORT propane water heater for 2 years. Since day one I've had nothing but trouble. The pilot will not stay lit. Everytime I've called the Company, they have a different solution for me, none of which have worked. Don't buy this product! Laurie said:I moved into a new home that has a 40-gal Whirlpool Flamelock Water Heater, installed in 2004, I moved in in 2006. The water heater is leaking like a sieve at the top. It is supposedly covered under warranty; except I am not considered the original owner, so out of luck. I've had a plumbing contractor here from Bradley-White who wants to charge me $875 to put in a new water heater. Isn't that a bit excessive? Reading all these reviews is confusing. Sounds like there are no quality water heaters out there. Jason said:GLAD I FOUND THIS OUT NOW! I had a whirlpool on order, that's canceled. I'm pulling out a 20yr old Bradford, common sense tells me to install another B.White Jon said:My Bradford White 40 gallon water heater went after 2 and a half years, the one before that lasted only 5 years. The water heaters were replaced under warranty, but installation costs a fortune. My plumber said that the water heaters aren't lasting long because the high mineral content in my well water is damaging them. This may be true, but my other water based appliances are over 10 years old. Scott said:After reading all the reviews, it doesn't sound like there is a hot water heater out there to buy. I will stick to cold showers. I will save money on not heating the water, and I'll save money on water because my showers will be MUCH shorter. Thanks everyone for your reviews. KEN said: I review everthing I buy before I buy it period. I learned the hard way. When I say I review I mean hours sometimes. I am retired so I have the time. Recently I needed a water heater. First place I went for research was plumber sites. Terrylove,ridgid plumbing,ect.. I learned in about 3 min. Dont buy anything AMERICAN WATER HEATERS CO. makes. Thats who makes Whirlpool for lowes. {BEEN SUED PEOPLE SCREWED} They have made this junk several yrs. Wont fix problems. I found out two things. Thats all I needed to know. If your going to have to buy a water heater and You CAN'T install it get a BRADFORD WHITE,RHEEM, LOCHINVAR or RUUD{rheem}. I found these to be reported reliable. Prices are dependent on size and plumber fee's. If you can install,get -RICHMOND{Rheem fury}at menards,GE at home depot{Rheem}. David said:I bought a Reliance water heater and installed it 16 years ago. It's just going out now. That's how long it lasted. rose bralich said:We are going on vacation for a month and were told to turn our water heater to pilot. we are unable to find the setting. we have found very hot and 120 farenheit. We have a 40 gal. gas bradford white water heater. We will be leaving in a few days and would appreciate any help you can give us. Other Resources and Reviews |
