Why can’t I buy Bradford White at my hardware store?

Bradford White believes a water heater should be installed by a plumbing professional. The Do-It-Yourself person may be able to handle many small household jobs, but the installation of a water heater could create a dangerous situation if performed incorrectly. There are many local codes and safety requirements that pertain to water heater installation and operation; without understanding these requirements you could be breaking the law as well as endangering yourself and your family.

How long should a water heater last?

New tanks by Bradford White do a very good job of self-cleaning. Life expectancies can vary greatly town to town due to your water quality. Areas with poor water quality can expect averages of 6-8 years on quality tanks such as Bradford Whites that are good at self-cleaning, less for cheaper built tanks or hardware store brands. Areas with average or good water quality can usually expect 8-10 years or maybe even more if you’re one of the lucky ones!

The hardware store has a 10 year warranty, why is yours only 6 years?

We offer a 10-year warranty on our installed water heaters, but it is not necessary as 99% of Bradford White heaters last over 10 years.
When you purchase a new water heater through a super hardware store, most are not installed per Illinois Plumbing Code by the subcontractors they use. If your water heater fails, sure you have a 10-year warranty BUT chances are you won’t find the same subcontractor that originally installed your water heater, if you do, he won’t warranty it for you. Then, you will have to drain the failed heater, remove the failed heater, haul it back to the hardware store, wait at the counter, have them pull a new heater, load the new heater back into your vehicle, reinstall the new heater. On top of it, let’s assume your heater is 5 years old, you paid $350 for it, they will refund you about 25% or $87.50 of your original purchase price. In addition, your new heater will only have the remainder of the original factory warranty, 5 years. So after all that work you still have to pay $262 for a heater and a licensed plumber to install it.

My basement flooded, do I need to replace my water heater?

Any and all flood-damaged plumbing, heating, cooling and electrical appliances and related systems should be replaced.

Bradford White Water Heaters

Wagner Family Plumbing provides same day and emergency installation of residential and commercial water heaters. We carry Bradford White brand water heaters for your home. All of our residential installations include comprehensive (no pro-rating) 6-year warranties. All our service trucks are stocked with standard 40 and 50-gallon Bradford White water heaters. We also have access to other professional-grade water heaters including; Rheem, A.O. Smith, and State water heaters.

Installation quotes include; parts, labor and delivery for a standard removal & reinstall, assuming your existing facilities are up to current code. If additional work is required to bring your home up to code, it will be quoted before the work begins. The flat rate price is for remove and install same gallon and style tank.

The installation of a water heater deals with carbon monoxide, natural gas and a pressure controlled holding tank. Any one of these factors could cause catastrophic damage and or injury if unit is not installed correctly.