Updated October 2026: every model and warranty checked on the maker’s own site.
Rheem is our first pick for a tank water heater, with A.O. Smith a close second and Bradford White third. A new tank installed in Northern Virginia runs $2,757 to $7,494 in our price book, with the permit, the expansion tank, the drain pan and hauling the old one away all in that number. From about $46 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. How financing works
Our plumbers install all three, and every number below is off the maker’s own spec sheet. Sized right and put in right, any of the top three will give you years of hot water.
The short list: top water heater brands
| Brand | Best at | Made by | Do we install it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Rheem | Plumber-line tanks in 6, 8 and 12 year tiers, and the ProTerra heat pump | Rheem, owned by Japan’s Paloma | Yes, we install it |
| 2. A.O. Smith | ProLine tanks sold only through the trade, and the Voltex heat pump | A.O. Smith | Yes, we install it |
| 3. Bradford White | Sold only through plumbers, a warranty that stays with the house, the AeroTherm heat pump | Bradford White | Yes |
| 4. State | A.O. Smith’s sister brand, the same ProLine tiers | A.O. Smith | We service it |
| 5. Ruud | Rheem’s sister brand, on the same warranty certificate | Rheem | We service it |
| American, Reliance, Lochinvar | More A.O. Smith brands | A.O. Smith | We service them |
1. Rheem: our first pick
The top three are close, so here’s exactly why Rheem edges it for us.
One brand covers every corner of the house. Rheem’s plumber line comes in three tiers: Professional Classic, Professional Classic Plus and Professional Prestige. Between them you get an atmospheric gas tank for an existing flue, a power vent for a house with no chimney to use, a high-efficiency gas tank rated up to 0.90 UEF, standard electric, and the ProTerra heat pump, in sizes from 30 to 80 gallons. Whatever is in your utility room now, there’s a Rheem that fits the same spot on the same fuel.
The warranty steps are real steps. Professional Classic carries 6 years on the tank and parts, Classic Plus 8, and Professional Prestige 12. A ProtectionPlus kit added at install stretches the Classic tank to 10 years and the Classic Plus tank to 12. Read what the years cover, though: Rheem’s plumber-line warranty pays for parts, not the labor to change them, and it stays with the original owner.
Its heat pump model is one of the best. The Professional Prestige ProTerra is rated up to 4.07 UEF on the 80 gallon and 3.88 on the 50, comes in 40, 50, 65 and 80 gallons, and keeps running on its heat pump in air from 37 to 145°F, which Rheem calls the widest range in its class. There’s also a ProTerra that plugs into a standard 120 volt outlet and, in Rheem’s words, needs no electrical work, so it can take a gas tank’s place without a new circuit.
We’re a Rheem Pro Partner, Rheem’s program for the contractors who sell, install and service its products. Rheem has built water heaters in Montgomery, Alabama since 1972, and Japan’s Paloma has owned it since 1988.
Our crews install Rheem tanks, and A.O. Smith too. The choice is yours.
2. A.O. Smith: a close second
We install A.O. Smith tanks as well as Rheem. Its plumber line comes in three tiers, ProLine, ProLine Master and ProLine XE, sold only through plumbing wholesalers and contractors, with tank warranties of 6, 8 or 10 years depending on the model.
What we like for Northern Virginia water: its ProLine atmospheric gas tank lists a stainless steel anode rod, a glass-lined tank and DynaClean, an automatic sediment-cleaning system. Its heat pump line is called Voltex now, rated up to 3.88 UEF on the 80 gallon Voltex MAX, and there are 120 volt plug-in Voltex models too.
A.O. Smith says it’s the largest water heater maker in North America. It owns State, American, Reliance and Lochinvar, and it sells a separate retail line, the Signature Series, under what its annual report calls an exclusive relationship with Lowe’s.
3. Bradford White: sold only through plumbers
You won’t find a Bradford White at a big box store, and that’s on purpose: the company sells only through plumbing professionals. It’s American-owned, headquartered in Ambler, Pennsylvania, builds its tanks in Middleville, Michigan, and became employee-owned in 1992. We install them too.
Two things set it apart. Its warranty follows the house: it covers the first buyer and any later owner, as long as the heater stays where it was installed, which helps when you sell. And Bradford White is unusually plain about warranty tiers. It says its 6 and 10 year versions are “of identical quality,” and the extra years are an option for peace of mind. Tank terms run 6 or 10 years, with 6 on parts.
Its gas tanks use the Defender Safety System, Bradford White’s flame arrestor design for keeping flammable vapors away from the burner. Its heat pump, the AeroTherm Series G2, posts the highest efficiency rating we found among the top three: up to 4.20 UEF on the 65 gallon, 3.89 on the 50.
4. State: an A.O. Smith company
State Water Heaters is based in Ashland City, Tennessee, and A.O. Smith has owned it since 2001. You’d never know it from State’s own website, which doesn’t mention A.O. Smith; it’s A.O. Smith’s annual report that lists State Industries as a subsidiary. Once you know, the family look is plain. State’s plumber tanks use the same tier names, ProLine, ProLine Master and ProLine XE, sold only through professional distribution, with tank warranties of 6, 8 or 10 years on most models. Its heat pump line is called Premier.
If a plumber quotes you a State, you’re looking at an A.O. Smith company’s tank. Compare the model’s warranty and ratings, not the badge.
5. Ruud: Rheem’s sister brand
Rheem bought the Ruud Manufacturing Company in 1959, and Ruud water heaters are Rheem’s: one Rheem warranty certificate is written for “Rheem or Ruud” residential gas and electric water heaters. The brand is named for Edwin Ruud, who invented the first automatic gas water heater, and it’s sold through Ruud’s own pros. A Ruud quote and a Rheem quote come from the same company, so line up the model numbers and the warranty years and compare those.
Who makes which water heater brand
Most of the tank brands on this page trace back to three companies. Here’s the brands list by parent company:
| Company | Its water heater brands | Where you’ll see them |
|---|---|---|
| Rheem, owned by Japan’s Paloma since 1988 | Rheem, Ruud, Richmond | Rheem’s Professional line through plumbers. Rheem-branded tanks at The Home Depot. Ruud through Ruud pros. Richmond, Rheem’s retail brand since 1983, at hardware and home improvement stores. |
| A.O. Smith | A.O. Smith, State, American, Reliance, Lochinvar | ProLine tiers through plumbers under the A.O. Smith, State and American names. The Signature Series at Lowe’s. Reliance through retailers. Lochinvar is mostly boilers. |
| Bradford White | Bradford White | Only through plumbing professionals. |
Whirlpool water heaters came to A.O. Smith with American Water Heater in 2006, by A.O. Smith’s own history. We couldn’t find a maker’s own word on who builds Kenmore or GE water heaters, so we won’t guess.
The best heat pump water heater, and Dominion’s rebate
A heat pump water heater, also called a hybrid, is an electric tank with a small heat pump on top. It pulls heat out of the air in the room and puts it into the water, so it uses about 70% less electricity than a standard electric tank, by ENERGY STAR’s count. ENERGY STAR’s bar for one is 3.30 UEF. A standard electric tank rates about 0.92.
The ones we’d look at first, with each maker’s best rating: Bradford White AeroTherm Series G2, up to 4.20 UEF. Rheem ProTerra, up to 4.07. A.O. Smith Voltex MAX, up to 3.88. State’s version is the Premier. All four makers offer a 10 year warranty on at least some models. The ratings are close enough that where you put it matters more than whose name is on it.
Where it works: a basement, a garage, a big utility room. ENERGY STAR suggests a space that stays between 40 and 90°F with about 1,000 cubic feet of air around it. Rheem asks for 700 cubic feet for the ProTerra without ducting. It cools and dries the room it sits in, which a Northern Virginia basement usually welcomes in August. A small closet is the hard case: it needs a louvered door or ducting. If the snag is the wiring rather than the room, the 120 volt plug-in models skip the new circuit. Every one also needs a drain for the water it pulls out of the air.
Dominion’s rebate: Dominion Energy Virginia pays $250 on a 40 to 59 gallon heat pump water heater and $400 on 60 gallons and up. It has to meet ENERGY STAR’s requirements and replace an electric water heater; switching from gas doesn’t qualify. The application is due within 45 days of the install, it’s one per household, and the program runs until the money is spoken for. Our full write-up of the rebate, and how to tell if your house is a fit. The federal tax credit some maker pages still mention ended for anything installed after December 31, 2025.
We price a heat pump water heater at your house, because the room, the wiring and that drain decide the number.
Best gas water heater vs. best electric water heater
Most of the time, stay on the fuel you have. Across Virginia, about 63% of homes heat their water with electricity and 33% with natural gas, by the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2020 count. If there’s gas in the house, a gas tank is the stronger performer: a 50 gallon gas tank is rated to deliver about 76 to 87 gallons of hot water in the first hour, and a 50 gallon electric about 61 to 64, by the makers’ own spec sheets. That first-hour rating is the number to compare if your family runs showers back to back.
Best gas pick: a 50 gallon atmospheric tank from Rheem’s or A.O. Smith’s plumber line, on the existing flue, as long as the flue drafts. If the furnace was swapped for a high-efficiency one and the water heater was left alone on a chimney sized for two, that’s an orphaned flue, and it can spill exhaust into the house. Here’s how that happens. A power vent tank solves it with a fan and PVC pipe out a side wall, and it costs more; both are in the price table below. We install propane tanks too, priced like gas.
If you want a high-efficiency gas tank, Washington Gas pays $200 toward a gas tank rated 0.81 UEF or better and $300 at 0.86 or better, filed by a contractor in its network. A standard atmospheric tank rates around 0.62 to 0.65, so it doesn’t qualify.
Best electric pick: a heat pump model, if the room suits one. If it doesn’t, a standard electric tank is the simplest install there is: no flue, no gas line. Electric recovers more slowly, so a big household should size up.
What changes in 2029: under a 2024 Department of Energy rule, electric tanks made on or after May 6, 2029 that hold more than about 35 gallons have to meet heat pump efficiency, 2.30 UEF, or 2.50 above 55 gallons. Small electric tanks are exempt, and gas tanks only get a moderate step up; condensing gas isn’t required. Tanks built before that date can still be installed. As of October 2026 the rule is still on the books.
When a tankless water heater is worth it
Tankless earns its price in three cases: your family runs out of hot water and a bigger tank won’t fit, you need the floor space, or you’re remodeling anyway. It heats water as it flows, so the third shower is as hot as the first, and the Department of Energy’s Energy Saver guide says tankless units can last more than 20 years, against 10 to 15 for a tank. The catch is the install. A gas tankless usually needs a bigger gas line and new venting, and in water this hard it wants a descale every year. It costs a good deal more up front; our price is in the table below. Tank vs. tankless in Northern Virginia, with the math. Which tankless brand to buy is a different list from this one.
The most reliable water heater brands, and what matters more
All three brands at the top of this list build tanks that last. When one quits early, it’s usually the water or the install, not the badge. Here’s what we check.
- Hard water. Fairfax Water calls its water moderately hard to hard, 5 to 10 grains per gallon. Heat it and the minerals settle on the bottom of the tank as sediment. On a gas tank the burner then heats through that layer, and you hear it pop and rumble. A.O. Smith says to flush at least once a year. Our water heater flush clears it out, and here’s the hardness number where you live.
- The anode rod. A metal rod inside the tank that corrodes so the steel doesn’t. Once it’s eaten away, the tank is next. It’s a maintenance part, not a warranty part (State’s warranty says so outright), so have it checked every couple of years. The rest of the maintenance list.
- An expansion tank, where the code calls for one. If your water line has a pressure reducing valve, a check valve or a backflow preventer, heated water has nowhere to expand, and the Virginia Residential Code requires a way to absorb it (section P2903.4). That’s the small tank on the pipe above the heater, and it’s in our price.
- A pan, and a relief valve pipe you can see. Code wants a pan wherever a leak would do damage. The relief valve’s pipe has to end no more than 6 inches above the floor or the pan, where someone will notice it dripping.
- The right spot. Basements are the easy case. In a garage, a gas tank’s burner has to sit 18 inches off the floor unless the heater is listed as flammable vapor ignition resistant, and it needs protecting from the car. In a closet or over a finished floor, the pan matters most.
- The right size. One to four people, a 50 gallon. Five or more, or four or more bathrooms, a 75 gallon gas or an 80 gallon electric. If you run out on a 40 today, don’t buy another 40. Why the hot water runs out faster in winter.
We pull the permit on every replacement, and it’s in the price. Fairfax County requires one for any gas water heater, even a like-for-like swap.
How long a water heater lasts, and the 6 vs. 10 vs. 12 year warranty
The Department of Energy’s Energy Saver guide puts most tank water heaters at 10 to 15 years. A.O. Smith and Bradford White both say 8 to 12 on their own sites. Hard water and a skipped flush push you toward the short end. The label on the side has the build date, usually coded into the serial number. If yours is past ten and acting up, price a replacement now, before it picks the day for you. Already out of hot water? Start with what to check.
The years on a warranty are a promise about the tank, and the makers are fairly open about what a longer one buys. Bradford White says its 6 and 10 year versions are the same quality. A.O. Smith’s Lowe’s line sells a 50 gallon gas tank with the same 0.62 UEF rating in 6, 9 and 12 year versions. At Rheem the steps carry more: the 12 year Professional Prestige adds features such as built-in leak detection on some models.
In our price book every tank comes as a 6 year or a 10 year. On a 50 gallon gas tank the 10 year costs $401 more; on a 50 gallon electric, $400 more. If you’ll be in the house past year six, we’d take the 10.
What a new water heater costs installed in Northern Virginia
These are our tank install prices, straight from the price book our water heater estimator runs on. Each tank range runs from a 50 gallon with the 6 year warranty to a 75 or 80 gallon with the 10 year.
| Water heater | Installed, our price book | Monthly, from |
|---|---|---|
| Electric tank, 50 or 80 gallon | $2,757 to $5,493 | 60mo @ 0% $46/mo |
| Gas or propane tank, 50 or 75 gallon | $3,379 to $5,485 | 60mo @ 0% $56/mo |
| Power vent gas or propane tank, 50 or 75 gallon | $5,957 to $7,494 | 60mo @ 0% $99/mo |
| Tankless, gas, condensing | $8,886 to $10,486 | 60mo @ 0% $148/mo |
| Heat pump (hybrid) tank | Priced at your house |
Monthly figures: 60mo @ 0% APR on each starting price, the whole price financed, on approved credit. Longer plans lower the payment and cost more in total. The lender sets the final terms.
The permit, the expansion tank, the drain pan, hauling the old one away and the labor are all in those numbers. Get your own number from our water heater estimator in about a minute, or see the full price breakdown. Holding another company’s quote? We’ll give you a free second opinion on it. Whatever we’re running right now is on our offers page.
Questions people ask us about water heater brands
What is the best water heater brand?
For most houses, Rheem, which is why it’s our first pick: a plumber line that runs from a 6 year tank up to a 12 year one, and one of the best heat pump models. A.O. Smith is a close second and Bradford White a strong third. Sized and installed right, any of the three will serve you well.
Rheem vs. A.O. Smith: which is better?
It’s a close call. Rheem’s plumber line goes up to a 12 year tank (A.O. Smith’s tops out at 10), and its heat pump is rated up to 4.07 UEF against 3.88 for A.O. Smith’s best Voltex. A.O. Smith’s ProLine atmospheric gas tank comes with a stainless steel anode rod and a sediment-cleaning system, We install both, and we’d be happy with either one in our own basement.
Rheem vs. Bradford White?
Rheem for range: its plumber line goes up to a 12 year tank, where Bradford White tops out at 10. Bradford White for a warranty that stays with the house when you sell (Rheem’s plumber-line warranty stays with the original owner), and for the highest heat pump rating of the three, 4.20 UEF on its 65 gallon AeroTherm. Both are good tanks.
A.O. Smith vs. Bradford White?
Both sell their plumber tanks only through the trade, both offer 6 or 10 year tank terms, and their 50 gallon gas tanks rate within a hair of each other: 0.62 UEF for the A.O. Smith ProLine, 0.63 for the Bradford White. Pick on the warranty terms and on who’s putting it in.
Is Ruud the same as Rheem?
Same company. Rheem bought Ruud in 1959, and one Rheem warranty certificate covers both Rheem and Ruud residential water heaters. Compare the model and the warranty years, not the name.
Is State the same as A.O. Smith?
Same parent company. A.O. Smith bought State in 2001, and State’s plumber tanks use the same ProLine tier names. State’s own website doesn’t mention A.O. Smith, which is why people ask.
Is Rheem a good water heater brand?
Yes. It’s our first pick. Rheem has built water heaters in Montgomery, Alabama since 1972, its plumber line runs from a 6 year tank to a 12 year one, and its ProTerra is one of the most efficient heat pump models made. We’re a Rheem Pro Partner, and we install them.
Who makes the water heaters at Home Depot and Lowe’s?
Rheem sells Rheem-branded water heaters at The Home Depot, and has since 2012. A.O. Smith sells its Signature Series at Lowe’s under what its annual report calls an exclusive relationship. A.O. Smith’s ProLine, the plumber line, isn’t sold in stores at all.
What is the most reliable water heater brand?
Among tanks, Rheem, A.O. Smith and Bradford White are the three we trust. What separates a tank that dies at seven from one that runs to fifteen is mostly the water, the yearly flush and the install, not the name on the front.
How long does a water heater last?
The Department of Energy says 10 to 15 years for most tanks; A.O. Smith and Bradford White say 8 to 12. Past ten and leaking or acting up, replace it. Younger than that with one bad part, a repair is usually the right call.
Is a 10 or 12 year warranty worth it over a 6?
If you’re staying past year six, usually yes. In our price book the 10 year adds $401 on a 50 gallon gas tank. Just know what you’re buying: Bradford White says its 6 and 10 year tanks are the same quality, so the extra money buys a longer promise, not a different tank. At Rheem, the 12 year tier adds features too.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater?
For gas, yes: Fairfax County requires a permit for any gas water heater replacement, even like for like. We pull one on every replacement, gas or electric, and it’s in our price.
Do you service brands you didn’t install?
Yes. Repair, flush, anode rod, tankless descale, any brand.
Want a price on yours?
Pick from the top three, then put your questions to the installer. Is the expansion tank in the price? The pan? The permit? Will they check the flue before they leave? If you’re holding someone else’s quote, we’ll look it over with a free second opinion.
For your own number, our water heater estimator takes about a minute. Or call (703) 997-9757 (we run 24/7 emergency service), or book online. Everything we do with water heaters is on one page.
More brand rankings from our installers: the best HVAC brands, furnace brands, heat pump brands, mini split brands and tankless water heater brands.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing installs and services water heaters across Northern Virginia, out of Chantilly and Ashburn. SwiftPro is a family-owned Rheem Pro Partner with Virginia Class A contractor license 2705192276, BBB Accredited with an A rating, and rated 5.0 stars across 1,131 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook. Read the reviews.
