Bradford White Water Heaters Review and Buying Tips

Check out why the manufacturer of Bradford White water heaters is the preferable company to deal with. The high reputation of the Bradford White brand is the result of the great product quality, innovative design, advanced features, good service network, availability of replacement parts, and rapid repairs.

Explore and compare gas and electric models, and review the best models for easy buy.

Bradford White Water Heaters: Advanced Features

Bradford White water heaters are built with many quality elements and advanced features (see below), and when professionally installed, serviced and maintained, can last 10-15 years when talking about tank-type, while the tankless type can last over 20 years.

The ScreenLok Technology, as part of the Defender Safety System, utilizes the flame arrestor, made of durable stainless steel, to prevent the ignition of the flammable vapors outside the combustion chamber. Water heaters with this feature provide better efficiency while generating very low NOx emissions. In addition, a thermal switch is installed to deactivate the burner and a pilot light if there is insufficient airflow due to lint dust or oil accumulated on the arrestor plate.

For the eco-conscious homeowners, Bradford White water heaters are equipped with the Eco-Defender Safety System, advanced radiant gas burner, and advanced control system are a good choice as they operate with ultra-low NOx gas emission.

The ICON system is part of the gas control system that provides more savings and better comfort. It includes the microprocessor for accurate operation control and monitoring, LED light for diagnostics and pilot status, and thermopile for electricity-independent operation.

The Hydrojet Total Performance System is the system used to reduce the sediment build-up inside the water tank. This feature actually consists of the dip tube through which cold water enters the tank and is designed with jet ports to create the turbulent water flow, therefore preventing or reducing the accumulation of the mineral deposits.

This increases thermal efficiency and performance, while energy waste and stress are reduced, including the frequency of the service and maintenance, resulting in a longer tank life.

The Hydrojet2 system is used for water heaters designed for high input applications, and it has similar characteristics as the above Hydrojet feature.

The Scale Reduction Technology (SRT) is a feature that is built into Bradford White tankless water heaters from the Infinity series. As the name says, the SRT feature is used to reduce the mineral deposits/scale inside the unit, therefore keeping the performance and efficiency as designed while reducing the risk of premature failure and shorter unit life.

A Review of Bradford White Water Heaters for Residential Use

The manufacturer of Bradford White water heaters carries a great number of models for home use. Homeowners have an opportunity to buy gas-, electric-, oil- and solar-powered model, utilizing conventional tank-type and tankless or on-demand technology.

Water heaters are found in various sizes, capacities, and performance, using natural and propane gas. They can heat water in almost any home, small and large, either as the retrofit or a new installation.

We will review the most popular gas and electric, including the ultra-efficient heat pumps.

Tank-Type Water Heaters Review

Gas-powered tank-type water heaters are split into several groups based on the venting option installation:

• Atmospheric vented models (standard, high input, eF blowers, damper, manufactured homes, ultra-low NOx)
• Power vented (standard, EF series, and ultra-low NOx)
• Direct vented (standard, ultra-low NOx, eF blower, manufactured home)
• Power direct vented (standard and ultra-low NOx)

Best Models to Buy

The best Bradford White gas water heaters include described advanced features, provide more flexibility and comfort. They are designed to save on gas – high efficiency/Energy Star models, and operate with the reduced gas emission – Low or Ultra-Low NOx water heaters.

The best models utilize a power vent, power direct vent, or atmospheric vent with an eF blower or flue damper and have excellent specs, such as high first-hour delivery or recovery rate.

Below is the selection of the three top models that utilize power and atmospheric venting:

High-efficiency power vent model RC2PV50H6N from the eF series comes with a popular capacity of 50 gallons and high gas input of 76,000 BTU/hr.

Quality innovative design with the powerful burner results in one of the highest first hour ratings of 131 gallons, recovery of 93 GPH, and thermal efficiency of over 90% – making it the best gas model for a home.

It is equipped with a vertical, dual-pass heat exchanger protected by the Vitraglass, two anodes for longer protection, an ICON system, and Hydrojet Total Performing System for maximum performance.

The next top model is also the power vented model, RG2PV50H6N, an Energy Star unit that comes with the ICON system, Defender Safety System, Hydrojet Total Performance System, and 48-gallon capacity tank, protected by the Vitraglass lining.

This model also includes great specs such as the high energy factor of 0.71, great first-hour rating of 106 gallons, and recovery rate of 70 GPH, lower than values found on the above unit from the eF series, but still one of the highest.

The Energy Star model RG2F50S6N is one of the best atmospheric models, and it includes; high-efficiency blower, ICON system, Defender Safety System and Hydrojet Total Performance System, also great specs; energy factor of 0.71, first-hour rating of 81 gallons, and recovery rate of 41 GPH – great budget-friendly unit.

Tankless Series

Bradford White water heaters with tankless technology come from the Infinity series, designed for on-demand heating and continuous hot water supply in residential and light commercial applications, and are backed by a long warranty.

Check out the types and see which of the several available tankless models are equipped with the best features, such as SRT technology, ultra-low NOx gas burner, advanced electronics, and more.

Residential Electric Models

The electric group of Bradford White water heaters is not as wide as the gas group. However, there are still many models to choose from, from the economy to high quality, and from small instantaneous and wall-hung to the upright high capacity models.

Also, the availability of different sizes, wattage, and voltages, provides excellent flexibility; the heaters are designed with a tank size from as low as 2 gallons, heating elements from 1500 to 6000 watts, and voltages from 120 to 480 volts in a single or three-phase.

Electric and gas type water heaters from the Bradford White manufacturer share many common features, and these include the above mentioned Hydrojet Total Performance System, Vitraglass lining, mostly one magnesium anode rod, heat traps, and others.

Hybrid Models

Bradford White heat pumps – hybrids are built in 50 and 80 gallons tank sizes and come from the AeroTherm series. The heat pump features advanced electronics with an user-friendly control panel, offering many benefits; easy-to-read display, easy to change and monitor the operating status and different parameters, easy to change the operating modes for enhanced savings, and more.

What is unique with these hybrid models is the ultra-high efficiency which can go up to 3.25, ensuring high energy savings to its owners. In addition, this is the only type of electric water heaters that is Energy Star compliant.

Warranty

There are two limited warranty options for conventional type Bradford White water heaters; one is standard 6 years and the other, extended, is 10 years; both warranties cover the glass-lined tank.

Tankless models have a 12-year limited warranty on the heat exchangers and 5 years on parts, all in residential applications.

About Bradford White

Bradford White Corp., with its long history dating back to 1881, is one of America’s largest and oldest water heater manufacturers.

The Headquarters is in Philadelphia, and the 800,000 sq. ft. manufacturing operation is in Middleville, Michigan.

Bradford White subsidiaries are LAARS, a leading manufacturer of commercial and residential gas and oil-fired boilers and commercial pool heaters; and NST, Niles Steel Tank Company, the manufacturer of the custom pressure vessels.

How to contact Bradford White manufacturer

Official website: bradfordwhite.com