DID YOU KNOW......
1. All tanks come with a 10-12 year warranty from the manufacturer. This means the rental companies does NOT PAY A DIME to fix your water heater. This ALSO means that if you buy a water heater you are covered under the manufacturer warranty and there is no charges to fix your water heater.
2. The average water heater lasts 10-15 years. IF you rent your water heater, you end up paying 3x the costs of a water heater and then have to buy out the water heater to own it.
As long as you have homeowners keep renting out their equipment, you will always have companies that want you to rent from them because it is good money. Why not put the profit in your pocket?
3. Most rental companies do not have a 24-7 service. They advertise this but check into it.
4. Beware of any sales person that tells you that "they are from Enbridge". Enbridge does not own your water heater. Look on the third page of your Enbridge bill.
5. You don't rent a fridge because it may break in ten years. You simply get a new one in ten years. This is the same thing for a water heater. Why would you rent a water heater that costs approx. less than 1000.00 installed? Renting costs approx. 3000-4000.00 + buyout fee.
6. This is the same thing for a furnace. Why would you rent a furnace when you can get a furnace for under 5000.00. Renting equals more than 10-15,000.00 and some companies $20,000 by the time you finish renting with them.
7. All furnaces come with a manufacturer warranty of approx 10-12 years. Use this warranty to service your equipment. There are many financing plans available for customers.
The rental companies use the same warranty available as someone who buys there equipment and has it installed professionally.
8. DON'T FALL INTO THE "HIGH EFFICIENCY SCAM". A water heater is a water heater. It is simply a GIANT kettle at the end of the day and the efficiency have stayed the same. A true high efficient water heater has costs approx 4000.00 and these rental water heater companies only rent the basic water heaters.
9. DON'T FALL INTO THE "BROWN WATER SCAM" FROM SALES AGENTS. Brown water exists in every water. Sediment from the city water falls to the bottom of the tank where it collects. The drain exists so that you can drain the dirty water out every six months. If you install a new water heater, brown water will form within one month. If a sales agent tells you that you water heater has brown water and you need a new tank, this is false.
10. DON'T FALL INTO THE TANK RUSTING OUT SCAM FROM SALES AGENTS. All tanks have a replaceable magnesium rod that protects the tank from the inside. This protects it from hard water. If a sales agent tells you that you need a tank asap because it is rusting, this is false.
11. READ THE FINE PRINT. Some rental companies say you are not in a rental contract or rental rates do not go up. Most agreements are for a lifetime period until you BUY OUT THE TANK.
12. Owning your water heater is MUCH cheaper than renting it. Own your equipment. There are many financing plans available, but make sure you are not in a rental financing plan contact.
For any questions we are here to help and save the consumer. Contact us and we will reply to your concerns at waterheaterhero@gmail.com
The efficiency of water heaters has not stayed the same. Electric water heaters have not had much room for improvement, but gains have been made in insulating them better. Water heaters with a burner (eg. gas, propane, oil) have benefited from more efficient burners due to improved combustion. Also, heat that goes out the chimeny (exhaust vent) is lost energy. Newer models don't let as much heat go out the exhaust (cooler exhaust). Now new models will not use half the energy that older heaters use, but there will be some savings if replacing an older design. General Electric claims EnergyStar models are 4.8% to 7.8% more efficient compared to non-EnergyStar models (http://www.geappliances.com/energy-star-appliances/water-heater.htm).
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't take the word of a salesman, but the tanks can rust out. Sure the tank has a sacrificial anode that is usually a magnesium rod (some are aluminium, some have zinc). The anode will corrode away before the tank rusts. But it will eventually corrode entirely away. Once the anode has corroded away, the tank starts to corrode. If the anode is not replaced the tank will eventually rust through. The anode should be inspected periodically and replaced when required. How often depends on the quality of water going through the tank. Over softened water can cause the anode to corrode away in six months.
ReplyDeleteIf the rod is checked and it has no anode material left the tank has started to rust. If you don't know how long the anode has been gone, there is no way to know how long the tank has been rusting away. A tank that ruptures due to rust can make a real mess of your floor.
If you make the investment to purchase your own tank, be sure to have the anode properly inspected regularly to protect you investment. The rods are much cheaper to replace then the entire tank.
Often tanks with a longer warranty will have extra anode material.