Bradford White was established in 1881, making it one of the oldest and respected names in the industry. However, you most likely will not see a TV commercial or see an ad in one of the DIY magazines. Nor will you see them at your local big box retailer, because they do not sell to the public. Their business model is to sell to only local plumbing supply houses, which in turn only sell to licensed plumbers. The sale of Bradford White products on the internet is strictly prohibited by the company. They believe that having a licensed plumber size and install their product will yield the best results for the homeowner, which we agree with.
Bradford White has a full product line of conventional water heaters, boilers and tankless water heaters, all of which are available for commercial and residential applications. Additionally, they own LAARS Heating Systems. LAARS manufactures boilers and commercial pool heaters.
There are 3 lines of tankless water heaters available from Bradford White: EverHot Tankless, EverHot HE Condensing Tankless and the KickShot Electric Tankless.
The EverHot Tankless comes in both interior and exterior models ranging from 150,000 BTU to max of 199,000 BTU. All tankless water heater models come with direct electronic ignition, which means no standing pilot. One of the nice features is a built in lime accumulation sensor which alerts the user of excess build of lime. Lime is on of the biggest enemies of water heaters. When lime builds up and goes unchecked it can greatly reduce how efficient a tankless water heater is and reduce the water heaters life span.
The EverHot HE Condensing Tankless offers the same great features as the EverHot Tankless, but with a few minor upgrades. The HE tankless has a dual heat exchanger which maximizes the transfer of heat. The maximization of the transfer of heat reduces the cost of operation. There is also a frost protection on the exterior models.
Both product lines offer a co-axial venting for interior models. This allows for a single exterior wall penetration, reducing the chance of leaks from rain. Theses tankless water heaters have diagnostic capabilities, displaying numerical codes on the panel, helping reducing the plumbers time trouble shooting in the event the unit ever needs to be repaired. Also both product lines can be run on natural gas or liquid propane. Finally, all of the current gas operated models are Energy Star rated, which may qualify for tax rebates from federal, state and local agencies.
Bradford White tankless water heaters with a 12 year heat exchanger warranty and a 5 year limited on parts if installed by a licensed plumber.
Bradford White has a very solid reputation with most Denver plumbers. One benefit of using a Bradford White tankless water heater is if you end up not liking the plumbing company that did the install, it will be easy to find a plumber who can service the unit.