Most homeowners are looking for the best deal for their plumbing projects. Big retail stores like Lowes and Home Depot offer plumbing products such as Water Heaters to residential consumers at a lower cost. Now, many people when they have a plumbing company come out to their home wonder ‘why is there a material cost difference between the water heaters offered by the plumbing company versus ones at big retail stores?’ Well I am here to answer that question for you!
Big retail stores use what is called consumer grade products whereas most plumbing companies use professional grade products. So, how does this affect you and your wallet? Well as it turns out professional grade products such as Bradford White water heaters tend to last longer, have a lower repair/maintenance cost annually and run at a higher efficiency rate than consumer grade water heaters. The reason being is in how these water heaters are built, the thickness in the metal that is used for the water heater tank and the type of material lining the interior of the tank. All of this differs between the professional grade Bradford White water heater and consumer grade water heater. On top of that consumer grade water heaters have an average lifespan of 6 to 10 years whereas a professional grade Bradford White water heater has an average lifespan of 14 to 18 years. That means the professional grade unit lifespan on average is double that of a consumer grade.
As a homeowner you potentially might be spending less upfront to have a consumer grade water heater installed; however, when adding up the average yearly maintenance and repair cost over a time span you will undoubtedly see how much more effective it is to have a professional grade unit installed. To learn more about the difference between professional grade products and consumer grade call Show Plumbing at 281-860-2000.