Customer Reviews

Bradford White M440T6FBN 40 Gallon Natural Gas Water Heater [Misc.]

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1 star:		(4)

 

 

I did quite a bit of research, got seveal estimates and with most charging $800-$1000 for labor decided to do it myself. I was able to pick up the B&W M440T6FBN from a plumbing contractor locally and got a good price, (he even delivered it!) I'm pretty handy around the house but the biggest concern I had was that my HTW is in the attic but called a couple of friends over and went w/o a problem. Easy to install, pilot lite was easy to light and have no issues as all. Unit seems to have a lot of insulation, ceratinly more than the old one. Plenty of hot water and am looking for some energy savings since my last one was 21 years old!

I had a B/W (50gal.) that I recently replaced with a 40 gal. The 50 gal. lasted 8-1/2 yrs. of uninterrupted service. I hope that this new will last that long. I've been very pleased with the lower utility cost and how quiet the unit is. With all installation costs it ran me about $930.

Well, I bought this based on many positive reviews by plumbers on the internet. I know I should have been suspicious, since their bread and butter is repairing and installing these things!

Well, I had a professional installation done. Cost of water heater + install was about $1,000. Before 12 months was up we had the pilot light go out a couple times but I figured it might have been a fluke and easy enough to start up again. It was a minor inconvenience the two times we didn't have hot water in the morning for our family's showers. Well, 3 months later it is going out every week to two weeks. Now, it is a major inconvenience and suprising since my last A.O. Smith was 15 years old and didn't show signs of problems until year 16. We have a cheapo Home Depot heater at a rental house that hasn't had any issue at all for the past 6 years.

Here I thought we were buying a quality product, and I've never had such a bad experience so soon into a purchase of a major appliance. The plumber says it is a bad controller that is causing the pilot to go out and we either call a service tech from Bradford White at our expense (at least $200) or we replace the heater - after less than 2 years!!!!!

I will never buy Bradford White again and will certainly tell everyone I know to stay away from them. Maybe 20 years ago they had good quality, but this is completely ridiculous. Stay away from this brand - you have been warned. No wonder all the online plumbers like this brand so much! If my business was making money to repair/replace bad appliances, I would also tell you to waste your money on this garbage.

Check the many complaints on the Terry Love plumbing forum, posting by tucker1a485 says it all.

Our plumber said that Bradford White was a good brand so we bought one. Our house was built in the 1940s and the tank heater is inside but not in the attic - in fact it's not too far from the bedroom -- it's a very small house.

After about 6 months, the 40 gallon water heater tank began to make loud popping and banging noises when the water is heating. The pops and bangs are loud enough to wake us up. We checked the warranty, but GUESS WHAT? The warranty does NOT cover this issue. If it makes noise, TOO BAD.

Now, we have to turn our hot water heater down or off at night so it doesn't pop and wake us up. That is a real hassel to do EVERY NIGHT and then wait the next morning for some hot water. The heater has now rusted or otherwise deteriorated so that it is leaking from a seam around the heater near the top!

Needless to say, we WON'T be buying a Bradford White this time around!

P.S. Apparently, our local Lowe's and Home Depot are NOT carrying Bradford White heaters anymore. Looking online, Lowe's has only Whirlpool for sale and HD has GEs.

My home warranty company replaced my old water heater, which blew a gasket, with this model. It lasted all of 20 months.

I orginally purchased 2 of these as replacement heaters in my attic. The first one malfunctioned 9 months after installation, the second one at 11 months. Since that time I have replaced both 3 times, do not buy this cheaply made garbarge. It's made in China if that' any indication. Stay away, you have been warned.

My water heater failed at 5 years on a 6 year warranty. I replaced the unit with another brand because I would have to wait several days for a replacement. Not a good option. They refused to help in any way to resolve the failed unit.