Hi Chris.
My experience with water heater is like cars.
There are a few manufacturers making all the cars, and people sometimes get a bad one.
AO Smith, Bradford White, Rheem make most of the water heaters.
Each is shipping 150,000+ water heaters a month.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-manufacturers.htmlSince all costs are energy, I suggest buying off-the-shelf tank-type water heater at local box store.
Sears, Ace, Home Depot, Lowes/ in no particular order.
The big manufacturers make box-store brands. All brands are good. The warranties are industry standard.
Stay away from blowers and electronics so you can maintain and repair the unit yourself with common, inexpensive off-the-shelf parts.
Install it yourself for around $330.
Adapt to the water heater. Read the manual and advisories. Do the maintenance so you are not disappointed.
Use the old tank as a staging tank for cold incoming water, or use it for DIY solar water heater:
Read the money-saving installation tips, plus a few maintenance tricks shown on following link.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.htmlUpvote the help.
And take advantage of fixya expert assistance live.
For a price, expert works with you while you work on water heater or any do-it-yourself project.
Fixya is always less expensive than a service call.
