A. O. Smith Water Heaters

A. O. Smith model GCV40: I have been struggling for over 6 months to keep the pilot light lit on the brand-new 40-gallon water tank I purchased about a year ago. We have tried everything under the sun, including cleaning the poorly designed air filter at the bottom. I don't want to hear about how it won't work, because my house is "new" and air-tight. My house is over 50 years old. I would gladly join a class action lawsuit against this company, which obviously won't stop selling garbage to consumers.

I live in San Antonio, worst water west of Plymouth Rock! My contractor-grade AO Smith 40 gallon unit (electric) lasted the entire 15 years since the house was built. We drained it twice over the years, once to flush it, and once to replace the heating element. We get extremely heavy deposits of limestone in and on everything here, and the original did yeoman's service. I replaced it with another contractor-grade AO Smith, and found the new one had been upgraded with a second heating element, and double thermostats. This is a compliment - not a complaint! Attorneys can roll over and go back to sleep.

GVC 50 gallon water heater - The pilot won't stay lit, I have to light it at least every other day. The installer said to back off one of the screws on the glass panel to let more air through, no luck. We have an exact heater in other part of the house, no problems with it. We will never own another piece of junk from A. O. Smith. I think this is a very dangerous appliance and will probably replace both of them soon. These were installed on 12/30/08. Where is that warranty?

We have a ProMax hot water heater. The hot water heater blower never shuts off due to a plugged tube leading to the pressure switch sensor. The error code indicates it remained open longer than 5 seconds after the combustion blower was energized. Ever few months, I need to pull the rubber hose and clean out the tube leading to the pressure switch. It seems to build up a calcium deposit that plugs the tube. I need to know if there is a way to fix the problem so it does not occur again. A plastic tube was connected near the rubber boot to try to remove the condensation, but that has not fixed the problem.

I have an A.O. Smith water heater that was only in use for 1 year and 8 months. Then it leaked. The warranty was not honored because it was a replacement for another leaking water heater. I took the leaking heater apart to see where it was leaking. It turned out that it had been leaking on a seam weld, right at the bottom of the tank. The weld had been leaking for some period of time since there was a great deal of rust build-up around the leaking area. Calls to A.O. Smith were useless since it was a replacement tank which they told me carries no guarantee at all! Needless to say, they have lost another customer.

This unit (A.O. Smith Powershot direct vent water heater) has given me nothing but problems. They should include sand paper with it because you will be sanding the probe every 6 months just to keep the thing lit. The vent fan is loud—unbelievably loud. I had this unit only 7 years (ironic that the warranty was 6 years) and it started leaking from the top of the unit around the anode. I really expected more life out of this, especially considering how expensive they are. I had to replace it, but certainly not with another A.O. Smith. It was a $1450 lesson on a water heater not to purchase. I now own a very nice Rheem direct vent and you cannot believe the difference in sound when the fan comes on.

The house was built in 1997 and an A.O. Smith power vent water heater was installed. In 2004, the water heater failed and began leaking. I had another A.O. Smith 50-gallon water heater installed. It began leaking in 2008. I paid to have another A.O. Smith water heater installed under warranty. I had to pay for labor and another $100.00 for a 6-year warranty because something changed in the design of the water heater. Now in March of 2012, 3 years and 3 months later, I am having the 4th A.O. Smith 50-gallon power vent water heater installed under warranty. I still have to pay for labor. No more warranty after 2014. If I were to install another A.O. Smith 50-gallon water heater, it would cost me around $1500.00. It's not going to happen. A.O. Smith basically said, "Oh well." I will be going to Home Depot and buying a GE electric 50-gallon for $280 bucks. Lesson learned.

I am on my second A.O. Hot Water Heater in 3 years! The pilot light goes out several times a year! The thermal couple has been replaced, it has been cleaned several times. This is for a rental unit, so I have to call the plumber every time it goes out! In 2010, I spent $3000 on the new heater for instillation, new vent cut in. And still, in the last 14 months, have had an issue and 5 service calls! I am not happy with this unit and as luck would have it, it always goes on a weekend!

After moving into a new home in 2010, the water heater only lasted 4 years. It was replaced under warranty, but had to pay $350 for installation. It lasted for 8 months but then replaced. I paid installation and it lasted 4 years, but was replaced again. I paid installation, it lasted for 2 years and now no longer under warranty. I had to replace and pay installation at my cost. In addition, in 2009 a leak caused over $7000 in my home when 50 gallons leaked through the wall in the middle of the night. I had to pay $500 insurance deductible. I sent certified letter to AO Smith in Jan 2010, no response. I called twice, including this morning, and was pretty much told "too bad". There must be something we can do as a group with so many issues with their product. Any ideas? I'm calling 3 on your side in Phoenix and making as much noise as I can. I'm out over $2500 because their water heaters failed 5 times in 10 years! I cannot believe, as a consumer, that we just have to take it. Where is consumer affairs groups, etc? Help!

I have 2 50 gallon water heaters in parallel. I have had nothing but trouble on county water with softener. What more can I do? I have it new at home in 04. Now, 8 years old and both leak badly. I have had numerous problems; clean screens, manifold sensors, and etc. Wish I could work on their car. It would be pretty funny. Guess I will never ever buy one of these again or should I say 2 of these junk.

Every six months, I have to hire a plumber to come out and clean the igniter. I pay 100.00 dollars twice a year for six years to have hot water. I spoke to corporate and never got any where. What a piece of crap!

I bought a brand new 50-gallon water boiler about 6-7 (January 2012) weeks ago; it started leaking from inside of the tank about 3 weeks later. I received a new replacement tank 5 days later. But the new replacement tank started to leak today. I checked online that the warranty is voided/expired because they gave me a replacement already. What am I supposed to do if they gave me two bad units? Buy another boiler and pay the plumber again for the labor?

I cleaned the air intake screen and my propane water heater has been running ever since. On the very bottom of the water heater, there are slots. Above the slots, inside there is a screen. It fills up with dust and no air will go into the chamber where the pilot light is. No air, no fire, clean the screen.

It is brand new and the pilot light won't stay lit. So all the stories about keeping it clean doesn't work here. It is a piece of **. I don't care why it doesn't work! Buy something else!

My problem is: I put in new water heaters and they do not run correctly. The water heaters put out excessive noise (sounds like a jet plane, unsteady fluctuating flame which causes the pilot lit to go continuously, which causes the burner plate, control valve, and the coupler to become damaged within months.

I have tried different models of water heaters; all are manufactured by A.O Smith which includes brand names like Whirlpool, Kenmore, Reliance, and American. All of which I have and none are working correctly. No one wants to take blame for this issue. Which means the only one suffering is my elderly residents and the company having to pay for water heaters that don't work.

I've been researching reviews of the AO Smith water heaters and found that almost everyone's complains of the pilot light going out. In most cases, this is because your house it too tight. Many new houses are sealed all too well, so when you open or close your entry doors into the house, the suction created when opening the door draws air down through the vent and extinguishes the pilot; and vice versa when closing the door. This creates a high pressure in the house and forces the high pressure out the vent extinguishing the pilot as well. Although not as often and as easily as opening the door.

Also, high winds depending on vent stack height or direction facing out of side wall can extinguish the pilot as well. At any rate to determine what the cause is, lie down on the floor to view the pilot and have a member of the family open and close each of your entry doors into the house and even into the room the water heater is located. Even your dryer could cause the pilot to get extinguished because of the amount of air it sucks out of the house and blows outside. Same with your gas or electric or wood furnace if not vented properly.

At any rate, study the situation for yourself and determine what causes the pilot to get extinguished. Turn the dryer on, the furnace, or on a windy day watch the pilot to see if the flame quivers when you hear a gust of wind blow over the roof or the side of the house. These are all things you need to check to determine what is causing the problem before blaming AO. And no, I am not an AO rep. Just trying to share some common sense.

My water heater does not stay lit/on. I light it between 6-12 times (sometimes more) per day, just to get hot water. I've had it checked and cleaned by a professional plumber several times throughout the year, and two days later, the same problem begins again. This has been happening since 2006. I bought a newly built home in 2006, and this was a brand new water heater that was installed in 2006. I began having this problem 2 months after moving into my home. Please help.

My Pro Max 40 Gal Propane unit started to not stay lit after 18 months. I called AO Smith and they denied my warranty since it is installed in my bathroom.

Most hot water tanks, where we live in rural PA, are located inside the bathrooms. A professional provider installed mine and was not aware of such a law or restriction. Either way AO Smith welched on my warranty and now I am stuck relighting a water heater three times per day since I cannot afford to replace a $600.00 heater that I just paid for. I sell Reliance heaters where I work and they have never welched or refused a claim to anyone and as I said, most of the water heaters where we live are located in the bathroom.

I hope this goes class-action because I will be first in line to sign up. It's garbage heaters from a company that takes any way out on warranty. And yes, I cleaned the filter and viewed water heater 101 several times, but it made no difference whatsoever.

We built house in 2005. First, water heater wouldn't stay hot, then leaked. Second one, four years later, leaks all over the floor. A.O. Smith water heaters are junk! Two in seven years. Never own one again!

AO Smith water heater. Built our house new in 06. One year later, nothing but problems. It keeps going on vacation and won't stay lit. I replaced a few parts (not cheap) that they said would fix. It doesn't. This water heater is a joke and will never recommend to anyone ever! In fact I would do the opposite and tell people to not waste their money. For the price that water heater costs new you would think it would need to work longer than their so-called first year warranty. Instead, they make it fall apart. Cheap piece of **. Don't bother!

I bought a Sears Gas Miser 9 Hot water heater. After 3 years, the pilot light keeps going out. This is a piece of crap, in my humble opinion. I'll never buy another Sears product again.

I purchased AO Smith 50 gal natural gas hot water heater in Oct. 2007. I installed it in clean, vented, laundry-room closet. I had the same problem as all other similar complaints filed regarding the pilot light that will not remain lit. AO Smith was highly recommended but became highly disappointing, i.e., no hot water due to pilot light going out. All service recommendations were followed regarding the pilot and controller assembly. In July 2010 and again in 2011, I had the controller unit replaced by AO Smith service representative at $85 per install (AOS provided unit under warranty). The gas pressure checked OK at service line and burner. The inside and screen on bottom are clean, but the pilot would still not remain lit. After spending $170 for repair, I finally became fed up and replaced the unit in Nov. 2012 with different brand that works. I'm requesting a refund of my repair costs, lost time, dissatisfaction, and upset family.

This is the second time in 5 years of having a problem with the pilot light of my AO Smith water heater. It's clean, so I'm guessing it's something else, although I was told this was a fantastic brand and model. What frightens me though is one complaint that included AHS Warranty and that's exactly who I use. I called in my service request this morning and received no call from the plumber 3 hours later. He told me he'd be at my house 15 minutes ago. This is not the first time I've had poor service from AHS providers. I have a feeling they won't get it fixed. Ahhh... the phone is ringing now! He's across town - give him 20 minutes, he says.

Pilot light goes out constantly, leaving me with no hot water. It has happened 35 times at least. Then when you complain, they blame their customer by sending you to hotwaterheaters101.com which treats you like a moron because you don't know how to properly maintenance your water heater. This is a ruse. This is not your fault, this is poor engineering by AO Smith! I have cleaned, cleaned and cleaned this thing over and over again and it does not matter! The pilot light still goes out even after a fresh cleaning. Boycott AO Smith! Spend your money elsewhere and buyer beware!

The pilot light continues to go out. From day one of moving in my new home, I have contacted American Home Shield Insurance for my new home and four plumbers have been out already. No one can fix the problem. The thermocoupler was already replaced, etc. Excuse after excuse. I am afraid of something bad happening. I do not believe based on everyone's comments on this site that this hot water heater can ever be fixed. They are all lemons.

I was instructed by a local plumbing contractor to switch to the A.O.Smith Cyclone water heater in Aug. of 2007 for my small family restaurant. He stated that it was the best out there and would last my lifetime as it was designed for heavy duty operation. Within 3 months, it has already been serviced four times due to a multitude of issues.

Now, four years and 12 service calls/repairs later, my plumbing contractor has officially stated that we got a lemon and is replacing it with another of the same unit. I am not only concerned that I will see the same problems with the new unit, but I will probably have to pay the $5000+ to get the new one. At this point I don't have much choice as I cannot run a restaurant without hot water! The battle with A.O.Smith regarding the defective unit we've put up with the last 4 years remains to seen. Will they stand up and back their product? I can only hope so, because this small businessman simply can't afford it.

I have two pro max water heaters 50 gallon. One is three years old and the pilot light keeps going out. I am a building official for 23 years now and I know about water heaters. I am getting very tired of cleaning combustion air screens, cleaning thermo couplers, etc.. If I had to pay a plumber/heating contractors to keep it running, I would have had to pay over $1,500 dollars in service calls. Its sister pro max installed next to the water heater from hell is same type, only six years old now and has been running fine, no problems. I have done all A. O. has told me to do. I have put in the replacement kit with gasket and it worked for four months and here I go again playing the screen-clean and relight game. I am getting real tired of this. A. O. Smith, get your act together or I may sue you myself.

The problem with A.O. Smith ProMax gas hot water heaters and the pilot going out and not being able to be re-lit/stay lit is because consumers, and obviously some professional plumbers, don't know how to maintain the intake screen that is on the bottom of the ProMax units. Due to federal regulations the combustion area of all gas water heaters has to be closed chamber (so that people are less likely to die). That way if the pilot goes out, the gas is sucked up the exhaust and out of your house instead of drifting around at floor level and blowing your home up like on the old open-bottom models. This leaves one area and one area only for air to get into the closed combustion chamber and it is on the very bottom of the unit with a screen on it.

You have to keep this screen clean. You can get a pack of micro vacuum attachments on eBay or at Home Depot to reach that screen with your standard old vacuum cleaner. Every plumber ought to know to do this. After I figured this out, then I've had zero issues with my ProMax staying lit. I turn my gas off and clean mine twice a year, light it back up, and the preventative maintenance does the rest. If you have a lot of lint, hair, or floating stuff, you may have to do it more often but this is what works. A.O. Smith should have made it easier, but it is what it is. As far as the leaks, I've not had to deal with that. Yet.

We have had multiple service calls for our AO Smith water heater. The pilot light goes out at least once a day. We have had pretty much all components replaced and the next day it goes out again. This is a major inconvenience and also probably increases the risk of explosion since most people don't have to relight their water heaters daily. It's totally unacceptable. We have a Bradford White water heater as well in the other part of our house and have never had a single problem with that. This AO Smith is a royal piece of junk.

I had to replace the water heater on December 22, 2011. It cost me $3,000. The installation contractor was awesome and he stayed very late trying to get the thing installed (I'd leave no stars if you'd let me. This has been the most frustrating experience I have ever had as a homeowner). Today, December 26th, I have no hot water. The stupid thing broke. My installation guy has been trying to find parts to replace it but if he can't get parts tonight (it's now 8 pm), we won't get parts from AO Smith until Friday which means we will be without how water for a total of 3 day. I have left a message with AO Smith and hope they contact me otherwise I will seek damages.