Water heater recommendation

erotavlas wrote: ↑ My parents are renting their water heater tank from Reliance Home Comfort. Today it started leaking and the tech. is coming to take a look. We want it replaced and actually had a tech over to look at it last year because it was making these weird gurgling sounds. And we knew something was wrong but Reliance said the opposite and did not want to replace it. Now its leaking water all over the place.

I was recommending that they replace the tank with a tankless water heater.

However my question has more to do with continuing with renting from Reliance? I've heard mostly bad things about it, but my parents like the rental as they can call if something goes wrong and a technician will come and fix it. (however in this case that didn't work out so well the first time they called when the initial signs of break down were observed - they did nothing)

I don't know if they are on a contract or not. The current tank heater is about 6 years old.

But anyway what alternatives are there if they are no longer on a contract?
Is there an alternative course of action to renting from Reliance that can also guarantee they get repairs if something goes wrong?

engineered wrote: ↑ They will save a LOT of money in the long run by not renting. As they just learned, the rental company will not help you when your tank is failing, and they won't do anything or cover a leak, other than sign you up for a new, more expensive contract.
I recommend they go with a purchased water tank.
A water heater will cost $1-2k to install, but will cost $8k+ to rent over it's life. The rental companies will not come and do free emergency calls when it fails.

More info here great-water-heater-rental-scam-1126945/

erotavlas wrote: ↑ For a new water heater (similar to what we already have) I got a quote for around $1500 including installation.

For Reliance we have been paying $18 per month including tax for the rental since 12 years when we first got it.
So I calculated around $2600 we payed out over the life of the unit.

If I get a new tank of same type the monthly price will go up to around $20.65 with a 7 year contract. Totalling $1735 over 7 years.
If the tank lasts all the way to 12 years like the current one did, that total goes up to $2976.

So really it all depends how long the tank lasts. If it dies at 7 years the price of buying it is very close to the total rental cost. If it lasts longer it is cheaper to buy outright.

When buying a new tank the warranty on the new tank and parts is 6 years so very close to the 7 year contract term.

I was also told the tanks Reliance provide are not guaranteed new, they could be refurbished (1 - 2 year old)

engineered wrote: ↑ In both cases, you're better off with buying by your own calculations. Not to mention that tanks will easily last 15 years with proper maintenance (draining tank and and changing the anode once in a while.

erotavlas wrote: ↑ Reliance never did that or told us to do that. This was the first time I learned about maintenance to extend lifespan.

erotavlas wrote: ↑ For a new water heater (similar to what we already have) I got a quote for around $1500 including installation.

For Reliance we have been paying $18 per month including tax for the rental since 12 years when we first got it.
So I calculated around $2600 we payed out over the life of the unit.

If I get a new tank of same type the monthly price will go up to around $20.65 with a 7 year contract. Totalling $1735 over 7 years.
If the tank lasts all the way to 12 years like the current one did, that total goes up to $2976.

So really it all depends how long the tank lasts. If it dies at 7 years the price of buying it is very close to the total rental cost. If it lasts longer it is cheaper to buy outright.

When buying a new tank the warranty on the new tank and parts is 6 years so very close to the 7 year contract term.

I was also told the tanks Reliance provide are not guaranteed new, they could be refurbished (1 - 2 year old)

engineered wrote: ↑ That's because they don't care about your tank. They don't want it to last too long, like you just experienced, so they can resign you to a more expensive contract.
People have 20+ year old tanks with proper maintenance.

erotavlas wrote: ↑ For a new water heater (similar to what we already have) I got a quote for around $1500 including installation.

For Reliance we have been paying $18 per month including tax for the rental since 12 years when we first got it.
So I calculated around $2600 we payed out over the life of the unit.

If I get a new tank of same type the monthly price will go up to around $20.65 with a 7 year contract. Totalling $1735 over 7 years.
If the tank lasts all the way to 12 years like the current one did, that total goes up to $2976.

So really it all depends how long the tank lasts. If it dies at 7 years the price of buying it is very close to the total rental cost. If it lasts longer it is cheaper to buy outright.

When buying a new tank the warranty on the new tank and parts is 6 years so very close to the 7 year contract term.

I was also told the tanks Reliance provide are not guaranteed new, they could be refurbished (1 - 2 year old)

Double_J wrote: ↑ There are also numerous people who have had a new tank installed and failed within a few years and the repair costs are not cheap.

Double_J wrote: ↑ Reliance or any company wants their asset to last as long as possible. When it has reached it's end of life they want to retain you as a customer. Any other notion is foolish. They are not in business because that want products to fail prematurely. Maintenance costs often outweigh the limited life extension.

Jucius Maximus wrote: ↑ If you buy your own tank, whom do you can if and when it malfunctions?

MrFrugal1 wrote: ↑ Stop with this bullshit.
Yes things do fail, but the propaganda being pushed out by rental companies that things are expensive to repair is a load. The whole reason their business model works is because they DON'T fail regularly. A HWT is nothing more than a giant kettle with a few electronic components and possibly a fan.

Double_J wrote: ↑ And you believe that the plumber who installed the tank will come right away. That one man crew who has commitments, a family, other customers can drop everything to be at your door in time of need? Things go wrong in any business big or small. The larger you are the more examples of good and bad will happen.
People like to complain, it is in our nature. And because of that we share our bad experiences readily. We are less likely to share positive ones, otherwise rfd would be full or glowing comments. There are some but negative sentiment sticks around in our heads longer and that is what we tend to share.

If you want do a search for any of those larger companies. You will see 10,000 of thousands of positive comments on Google. Far more than the negative reviews you see here. Are they perfect, no of course not. Do they want to make money, yes like any business that operates.

As I said in the beginning there are different opinions on renting tanks or purchasing. I work in this line of business for a living. I assure you I see far more situations thatln the average person on rfd does. I don't care what people choose either. The company I work for rents or sells tanks. But on a weekly basis I see people who have owned a tank and call for service when it fails. When it does fail they often do like the cost associated with repairing it. They either chose to purchase another one (if they have 1-2000) laying around or rent. RARELY does anyone chose to fix it unless it is a small repair.