A. O. Smith Water Heaters Reviews

Don’t ever buy from this company. I bought a new water heater and less than a year later it was leaking. They sent me the part but they would only give me up to 100 dollars for someone to replace the part. Not only I can’t get a licensed plumber to fix it but 100 dollars 🤷‍♀️I wouldn’t even think that they would walk through the door for that price. I believe I shouldn’t have to pay anything out of pocket with how much I paid for this water heater.

Two years ago, I purchased a 50 gal AO Smith electric hot water heater. (E6-50H45Dv130) Today, after few weeks of erratic water temperatures and finally cold water only, I had to replace both the top and bottom heat elements in the hot-water heater. Much to my dismay and profound disappointment, both heat elements were of poor quality and seemly a cheap version. Then I replaced the original heat elements with higher quality aftermarket heat elements, quality that I was expecting from AO Smith in the first place. I am telling everyone I know not to purchase AO Smith electric hot-water heaters, as they are pathetic, and will be a great disappointment to the new owners with an extremely short life cycle.

This is a horrible product. It started giving me salty water. I called customer service twice, they were very rude and did not help. First they sent me instructions that never helped. Next I called again, the person hung up the phone while i was talking to her Never buy this product.

AO Smith's warranty policy is a shame. Had a vertex Combi unit installed. Next day I day issues with it starting up. Multiple calls to tech support. They pointed the finger at the gas company. Gas company says there’s no issue with the gas. 2 service techs later they replace the gas pump. Didn’t work. They decided it wasn’t worth them spending the money to fix it and offered a replacement. No warranty on labor. Question. How do I know the unit is defective if I don’t install it? They looked for any excuse to void the warranty. They act like they are doing me a favor by replacing the unit. Never had an experience like this in my life.

Do not buy anything from this manufacturer. We had defective water heater and it took eight phone calls over 2 days and they still are trying to transfer us to another department. They have tied me up for several hours as well as the Lowe's representative in the returns department. Unforgivable **.

Attention ceo of AO Smith water heater compan. I bought a A.O. Smith water heater from Lowe's. It caused a fire and water damage to my home. Lowe's refused to replace my water heater. Not fair. Please resolve this matter. Call me **.

A. O. Smith misleads consumers with a worthless warranty. The electric water heater I purchased malfunctioned the very day it was installed. The repair bill was More than $500. They paid only $100. Two years later, the tank cracked and leaked. It took five phone calls to customer service to replace it. They finally said I needed to disconnect the unit, empty it, take the 100 pound unit to Lowes, who would replace it, minus the current cost. Of course, that is impossible. I ditched the defective unit and ate the $3,000 it cost for less than two years of hot water.

I bought a tankless water heater that did not work so I returned it. Bought a second one thinking, just bad luck, got a lemon but no, the second did not work either. I have made several calls and haven’t got actual help except them telling me I needed a plumber. The company is not willing to help in any way except to reimburse me $100 for a plumber's bill that would cost me $600, as I was told by a plumber. I would never recommend this product or never will I buy this brand again! I’m out over $1000 with a useless tankless water heater, plumbing, wiring and a lot of wasted time.

Brand new Signature 300. Defective right out of the box. Pilot light would not stay lit. Went back & forth with tech support for hours. Finally determined the problem was a defective igniter assembly. Three days of cold showers. Going to be another day before part arrives. Buy another brand. My GE lasted 17 years.

Installed a water heater in 2023, the temperature and pressure release valve already starts dripping. Call the customer service, I was told that the parts is free but the shipping is not. I have to pay $12 for the shipping. I was told to pick up a local parts store, but the store does not sell parts to homeowners, only plumbers. Waste my time and gasoline to the supply store and spending time waiting over the phone. Not a decent company.

DON'T PURCHASE AO SMITH IN CALIFORNIA. They are handling Return #. Then emailing need proof of purchase when tank is old. Went to Lowe’s for exchange and wasted my time. Called back and they clicked on me

I would never recommend a AO Smith gas water heater. Valve worked great for few months. Now it constantly is clogged and will not allow gas to the burner. Zero confidence in their products. $550 wasted. My last gas unit lasted 20 years. Be lucky if these work a few months.

Warning warning. Don't buy a water heater from Lowe's unless you want your home to burn down and Lowe's don't care and I lost my tenant who passed away due to water heater because of a fire and I received a RGA number from A.O. Smith Water Heater company and Lowe's would not back it up because of the water heater being BIO HAZARD.

Hard to feel slighted by AO Smith water heater when it was installed free via a program my local electric company had about 4-5 years ago now. However the hybrid model we have after just 5 years now has a cracked tank and is a total replacement. So what was free has now become a $2300 replacement. Based on other reviews and my own experience, I would not recommend to a homeowner. Btw, the previous standard tank had been in the home for 20+ years, no issues, just consumed a bit more electricity. Please research before saying yes to this company.

I purchased an A.O. Smith water heater with the understanding that it was covered by a warranty. Recently, the unit began making extremely loud hammering noises whenever water is used, loud enough that even my townhouse neighbors can hear it. I contacted two licensed plumbers, both of whom inspected the unit. Both plumbers confirmed the problem and stated they would not continue to use or recommend A.O. Smith products due to repeated issues with performance and warranty support.

I moved into a new build three years ago and just got to replace a three-year old water heater that was leaking. There needs to be more accountability for products that cost this much. It was under warranty but labor is not included with that. And once replaced, the replacement is no longer under warranty. Isn't that shady? I went with a different brand with a different warranty. Businesses like this should be shut down - Not one ounce of care for their customers. Disappointed.

I moved into my new house with an A. O. Smith water heater. Within two months I begin having problems with loud noises when heating. Even called the fire department to make sure it wasn’t a fire risk. I called the manufacturer and was told to call a plumber in my area they recommended. Could never get the plumber to return the phone call and I am told it is the only tech in my area which is ridiculous. Then I was offered $100 to go find my own plumber and that is all they would cover towards a visit, determination of problem and labor. Which means I would end up paying for most of the repair for a brand new water heater.

I had a water heater from a different brand that lasted 17 years without any issues. Three years ago, my contractor installed an AO Smith water heater, and unfortunately, it broke down already. While I appreciate that the unit was still under warranty and AO Smith provided a replacement, I was surprised to learn that the company does not cover the replacement costs, which came to $500. This raises a serious concern for me—if this new unit breaks again in a few years, I’ll be forced to pay another $500 out of pocket. That’s not acceptable, especially given the reliability I experienced with my previous water heater. It makes me question the quality and longevity of AO Smith products.

Buyers BEWARE!!!! AO Smith does NOT stand behind their product! We purchased a new electric water heater on 01/01/25 and had it installed. On 07/13/25 it started tripping the breaker every time the hot water in the house was turned on. My husband contacted AO Smith and was told that it sounds like the heating elements stopped working. The representative then said that AO Smith would send us a voucher for the elements, which we will have to go pick up at Lowe’s, about 45 minutes away from our home. He then advised that my husband, who is not electrician, nor plumber, replace the elements. He said if my husband does not feel comfortable doing that, we can hire a plumber to do the work and pay the plumber, but that their company (AO Smith) would only reimburse onto $100.00 for labor!

I purchased my water heater in October 2020, and it has a 10 year warranty on parts, I think three years on labor. In June 2025, upon returning from a short trip, I could not get my module to move from vacation mode to standard mode. I made a call the next morning to the service department, and they helped walk me through pushing the buttons to reset. This did not work, they decided they needed to send me a new module. I paid for next day air as they all pay for ground shipping.

The AO Smith refund policy on brand-new water heaters is horrendous. I purchased a new electric water heater, it was installed, but even after waiting hours did not produce hot water. AO Smith prohibits refund or replacement of unit, despite it being 48 hrs from purchase. 1)! Customers are forced to find an “approved” plumber who will examine the new unit. 2) Customers are forced to locate and then drive to a vendor having the replacement parts in stock. 3) Customers are forced to drive back to house where defective [new] water heater to install replacement parts, hopefully repairing the problem. DO NOT BUY FROM A COMPANY WITH ABUSIVE REFUND POLICY.

Initially thought A.O. Smith was a good brand with a 10 year warranty. Purchased my hot water heater 07/2021 and it went out 2 days ago. The process for support & warranty was extremely difficult. After reading my serial number, of the label, 12 times had to video conference & OH that's it. Process was not helpful & will not ever purchase another product again. No customer service rendered & so don't expect one. BTW 2 days without hot water not great experience. Like to offer -2 stars.

Purchased at Lowe’s in Sonora, CA. They gave wrong one first & had to return and get a credit. Finally got right one after several hours of waiting. Paperwork is odd and not like the first receipt or the refund. Had faint propane smell from the start but I thought maybe it was normal for the brand. After 3 weeks I called propane company who found small leak at the “gas control valve/thermostat." They disconnected & capped the propane lines & red tagged the water heater on June 19, 2025.

The drain valve on my AO Smith water heater is made of plastic. The manual of the water heater says that the user should flush the tank once per year. I opened the valve to flush it three weeks ago, but the valve failed. I cannot close the valve anymore. I have nine year parts warranty. I called the manufacturer. They agreed to give me a new valve, but the new valve is still plastic. I would like to upgrade the valve to a metal one. I need to call a plumber to do the job.

AO smith proline xl installed 10/22/2022. Every year there is a headache with the unit. This time in May I experienced no hot water on a Wednesday night 4/30/25. I called another plumber because this is the third time I have had issues and wanted to get a fresh set of eyes on the unit. On 5/2/25, They called AO Smith directly and AO smith told them to camera the flue, change the flue, change the pressure switch and change the main control. All these measures have failed. It is now 5/12, and AO smith is telling them to change the burners. almost two weeks with no hot water!

This is the first A.O. Smith water heater that I've installed. I had a problem with a defective pressure relief valve and at first It was difficult to light the pilot light. I had to leave the customer with no hot water, because the water wouldn't stop running. The next day I had to buy a new pressure relief valve, because Lowe's would not exchange it. I would have had to bring the water heater back to the store. I've installed half dozen of the Rheem brand and I've never had any issues. They're man made so sometimes things happen, but I wasn't pleased with Lowe's not exchanging the part.

I bought a brand new 40 gallon tank at Lowe's. Had my plumber installed it. After turning it on my element was buzzing. Paid him $200. Called the warranty company at A.O. Smith. They will reimburse me $100 but I have to call him back. It's going to cost me a another 200 so $400 plus the hot water heater cost me a little over for. Not good business because I'm a carpenter so now I got to take another day off work.

I am very disappointed with AO Smith. My plumber bought a water heater from Lowes after the energy company deemed my 6-month-old water heater from AO as hazardous and explosive. I immediately contacted the same plumber that evening to remove it and take it back to Lowe's for an exchange, as I had no hot water for three days already. The company representatives were very nice and informed me to submit for a plumbing refund, which they capped at $ 150.00, while the plumber charged me $ 300.00 for his own time after hours. Not only did they trick me into buying a dangerous and defective heater, but they are also refusing to pay the $ 150.00 plumber fee because it was done after hours and not during business hours with the company.

Water heater now being installed. Already leaks in the factory area. What junk. It's brand new. Junk from the factory in Mexico. How am I supposed to trust this unit. Geez people. Make stuff here we do stuff well.

We bought the AOS tankless water heater on Nov 2023, paid $639 including a 5 year Lowe's warranty, we paid $795 for installation, the tank started to leak in April 2025, now Lowe's is giving either cash $605.99 or cash back. I regret my decision of buying this product.

This is the third hot water heater from this company that we have had to replace within a 6 month span. There is just no reason for 3 faulty hot water heaters. Having to disconnect and empty each one, then go back to Lowe's to haul another replacement and then reconnect all over again. No reason for this!!!!

I am not that knowledgeable about plumbing and I am limited to solar power only. Decided to try a 2.5 gallon water heater just to run a shower and sink. There was no warning about how much power this thing would use in the Instruction manual. I was able to plug it in without an extension cord. When I finally hooked the thing up my plumbing was ok but the unit drained my solar power from 27down to 24 rapidly and was still dropping. Trying to get ahold of a technician was all but impossible. Email hasn't helped yet. This water heater was a waste of time and money.

They claim a 1 year warranty on labor but only if they have one of their certified plumbers in your area. They will REIMBURSE only $100 of the labor cost which is usually in excess of $500 because repairs to this units is considered a "level 1 technical repair" with labor rates starting at $500. So the labor isn't really covered and you'll need them repeatedly. According to the plumbing company I had to pay for, they are pulling out most A.O. Smith tankless water heaters because of constant component failures. I will never buy one again.

Garbage company. Refuses to honor a warranty and argues that the customer service rep knows more than the licensed plumber that says the heater needs to replaced. Company demands that we reinstall the defective heater so their customer service rep who is not a plumber can FaceTime and see the heater so they can deny the heater is not working.

The water heater is great. However, getting the app to work is a nightmare. Cannot login after creating a good account. Have contacted A. O. Smith iComm. No success. It has been about a month of phone calls and no resolution.

We have owned our home for 20 years and we have two water heaters. We had to replace the first AO Smith water heater 4 years ago, and went with the same brand because we had been very satisfied. No problems with the replacement and still working well. We just replaced our other water heater three weeks ago and it has been a NIGHTMARE. It has never heated more than ~25 gallons since installed and it is a 48 gallon tank. We paid an electrician to come and recheck everything, and both the thermostats and the heating elements are working. After confirming this, we completed a second set of checks while on the phone with the AO Smith employee "Danielle"'. We have spent half the day on hold and being passed from one person to another. Worst of all we were instructed to complete a crossover test for plumbing issues and then to call her back in one hour.

Absolutely HORRIBLE CO!!!! I bought a Hot water heater from Lowe’s. The unit had a broken heating element right out of the box. We took it back and lowes said we needed to talk to AO smith. They told us they could provide a new heating element but we had to personally pay for a plumber to come out and fix it!!! Broken out of the box and they DON'T STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT!! BEWARE!!!!

AO Smith sucks. Do not buy one. Mine leaked at 5 years and pure hell getting any warranty service. Their customer support tech line and service sucks. Run away. Pieces of crap. Sorry customer service. On hold All days. Absolute crap All around.

I purchased an A.O. Smith 50 gal electric water heater on 1.29.25 for a client and it was installed, but never got hot. I discovered this was a 2023 water heater sold at Lowe's. I called the warranty dept and the rather rude female said they would not accept a return, but we had to troubleshoot with them first. So that was the 2nd visit for the plumber and it was determined both elements were bad. The plumber picked up the elements and went back the 3rd time and installed and the water heater started working properly. On the phone A.O. Smith assured me that they would reimburse me for labor as Lowe's allowed the plumber to return the old ones for a refund (of course, he had to make the trip to Lowe's). I just got an email telling me they will only reimburse me $100 total for labor, but I was charged $375. I buy several water heaters every year for my clients, but I will never purchase another A.O. Smith.

I have been in my home for 33 years and the prior two water heaters likely lasted about 15 years each. April 2023 I installed an A.O Smith 30 gallon water heater model E6-30H45DV. I just had to replace the burned out lower element and they replaced the lower thermostat at the same time as apparently that can be compromised when the element burns out. This is less than two years old. Labor is not covered but supposedly there is a 6 year parts warranty. The parts came to $123, Heating element $56.00 and thermostat $67.00. The company said "Claim is reduced to our list cost of the parts" and they are sending $38 which is just the element. Labor was of course more. You'd think with a unit this new they'd be a bit more accommodating.

Terrible Experience with A. O. Smith Water Heater & Customer Service. I recently had an awful experience with AO Smith after my elderly parents purchased a water heater from Lowe’s on 1/29/25. When my sister called AO Smith customer service on 2/18/25 for support, she was advised to call a local plumber—who they would only reimburse $100 for—while also being required to reinstall the unit and check voltage and OHMS. Even then, AO Smith claimed it would take 6-8 weeks before they could send a service technician.

Roughly 3 years ago, Jo-Van Plumbers of Poughkeepsie/Hyde park bought and installed a new AO Smith heat pump hot water heater for me. They should have known better. Within 2 1/2 years the machine broke down. Jo-van's guy came to fix it, made it worse and left and never returned my calls. T Webber then installed a new unit. I had to pay $1300 for this because I was only covered for 1 year for labor. This new unit broke down in less than a year. Parts and labor, too, right? Got another unit installed. Now the AO Smith Co is short changing my plumber for the labor by $780. I'm going to contact the company and tell them to honor their end of the contract. Judging from the reviews I've read so far, good luck with that.

AO Smith is a joke of a company. I’ve had the same ECC error code issue that numerous others have received and their solutions is to replace with another faulty water heater. Customer service is awful, unprofessional, and not helpful. Do yourself a favor and stay as far away from AO as possible. They refuse to acknowledge their own faulty products and put the burden of fixing on the customer.

A.O. Smith Signature Series 240-Volt 14-KW 2.7-GPM Tankless Electric Water Heater. DO NOT BUY from this company. Installed by plumber and threw codes for air in system. Spent over an hour with my plumber and tech support trying to troubleshoot at my expense. They want me to spend more money with the plumber diagnosing the unit before they will take the return back. Who wants a unit that does not work even if they were able to get it going again?

I would not recommend this hot water tank at all! We have had our hot water tank not even two years and it’s not heating up. We had someone look at it. They said we need to replace it. So I called the number for the warranty. She’s telling me to do all of the run around. She said to push the tco switch and if that doesn’t fix it that she will order a new switch but I have to pay shipping. If that doesn’t fix it she will have us check other things then order a new one as I told her I have 4 little at home that I can not go without a hot water tank. She said that we have to walk the steps and I have to pay to ship all the parts and that it take 4 days to ship everything.

I purchased two hot water heaters, a Signature 500 40-Gallon and a Signature 500 50-Gallon both Leak Detection and Automatic Shut-off and iCOMM™ Smart Connectivity allows you to get notifications and manage your water heater from your smartphone. I installed the app and was able to create an account and log in but could not setup or connect to either water heater, contacted support (case numbers listed below). The support was very lacking, on the third phone call to support, I requested a supervisor. One was not available, I was told one would contact me, no one has reached out to me. I can not even log into the app at this time... I paid extra for features (wifi, phone app, and smart grid) that I can’t use. Case # ** and **.

Bought A.O. Smith Water heater a few day ago, never worked right out the box and Lowe's would not return and replace it because it was longer than 48 hours.. Made us call the customer service # for a return approval. The sale rep basically told us "Too bad, pay a plumber to fix it" and they don't give replacement. Asked to speak with a manager and she to deal with it and pay a plumber to have a look at it. And when we told her we had a plumber install it she basically said they want proof and the error code of the heater just to continue any conversation... After all said and down were out close to a 1,200 in fee for a heater that doesn't even work.

I should have checked reviews here before buying this brand. My home's first water heater lasted 22 years. The AO Smith replacement had problems after two. I finally called for support near but months before the end of my warranty period, and they sent me on a wild goose chase (multiple flushes etc) that did no good. Then they said I was out of warranty after trying to follow their suggestions (even though I called while under warranty) and they said they would not help and couldn’t do anything since they don’t sell directly to consumers. Horrible company with lousy products.

I bought a new house with two 50 gal A.O. Smith Water Heaters in Oct., 2021. By July, 2023, both water heaters had to be replaced. Both tanks were under warranty, but I had to pay the labor charge over $500 each. After 17 mos, another of the tanks had to be replaced. Again, they will not cover the labor charge even though none of the tanks have lasted more than 19 months. Either there is an issue with this model of water heater, or A.O. Smith builds unreliable, cheap, pieces of junk. Regardless, they will not stand by their product. AVOID!!!!

Well we purchased the 40 gallon short one from Lowe's. Brought it home. My son who worked for a plumbing company in the past installed it. Upon filling it up it started to hiss at the top and water came out the top where the black ring is.... Call service. Told us to take back to lowe's... We got a credit and got another one. Brought it home and put it in place. A small dent in the side (not done by us), no other damage, installed and seems to be working. After reading the reviews I hope this last more than 5-6 years... Lots of wasted water/time/money.... Seems to be a lot of negative stuff here. Hope it lasts and no problems. Not much more to be said.

Model: EE12-50R55DVF-A 100. (50-Gallon) 12-Year Tank Water Heater. Serial Number: 2402137350963. My tank is already failing, leaking water, and it's only 11-months old. I immediately called A.O. Smith Tech support, and they refuse to even discuss any of my problems because my unit was electrically installed using a heavy duty plug instead of being hard wired. This response might have been excepted if my problems was anything but a LEAKING TANK. My 12-Year Tank is obviously DEFECTIVE to already be leaking within its first year. The A.O. Smith Tech Support could not come up with any possible reason why my tank could already be leaking. This has nothing to do with electricity!!!

I recently purchased a water heater, had it professionally installed, and the unit did not work at all (brand new). We called up the factory warranty since the distributor wouldn't allow us to refund it b/c it was already installed. The warranty people had us call a plumber that they referred me to. That plumber told us directly that they do not take warranty so I called the manufacturer again and they referred me to another plumber who finally came out ( at our own expense since apparently none of the plumbers they were referring us to actually work with them at all) to look at it only for them to not find anything wrong with the unit but claimed that it was faulty electrical from the house. We called an electrician and payed them to make 100% sure that the electrical was not the issue (which it was not)

If I could give ZERO stars I would! Long story short...2 defective (leaking) water heaters in 6 years and now they won't cover the 2nd one with their normal 6 year warranty! They say the warranty continues from the first one...so I'm out of luck. Sent multiple emails to their corporate with nothing but general responses. Any idea how to go from here? When they installed the 2nd one in 2021 shouldn't the 6 year warranty start over???? My new goal in life is to spread the word about how bad AO SMITH is and how unbelievable their "warranties" are!

I just had a problem with my tank 2 weeks ago and I have no hot water. Call them and there is no one in my area to go and see the problem and they are refusing to change the tank. My tank is under warranty and they want me to find a plumber to see which part is broken so I can tell them. I have to pay all the installation costs.

Purchased an AO Smith water heater with an advertised 6 year warranty from Lowe’s in my hometown in March 2024. December 20th, 2024 it completely quit working. I called the warranty department where they looked up the serial number and saw that it was made in factory December 13th, 2023. They asked for a proof of purchase stating they will only repair for one year. I provided proof and they still refuse to stand by any kind of a warranty. I’ve contacted Better Business Bureau and will be contacting a lawyer since I’m now sick and suffering for almost 3 weeks without hot water while they drag their feet and refuse to stand by their contracts! DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING AO SMITH!

If I could give them zero stars I would. We bought an AOSmith water heater 5 years ago. It failed on Christmas day. I pulled out my warranty and called customer service and they said you are still covered and gave me an auth # and told me to call the store where I purchased it. That's where the trouble began. Called the store - you need to return the old water heater to the store.... what? I'm 65 and do not own a truck. You'll have to hire a plumber to remove the old water heater and return it to the store. They will give you a store credit and then you need to hire a plumber to install the new water heater. So, essentially, it will be cheaper for me to just hire a plumber to replace the old one. Based on the fact that this $1,300 unit failed after 5 years I would not reccomend even purchasing this water heater to begin with notwithstanding the horrible customer service and what they call a warranty.

This water heater has stopped working after 3 years, and the remedy offered from AO Smith is to spend $1,200 to have a new one put in. The obvious issue is why would I want another sub-standard piece of equipment? Sure it’s just paying labor, but for crying out loud, the unit and install was $1800, 3 years ago. I’m not sure how it will play out for me, but my advice is to look elsewhere and put this group out of business for good! Model #: HPTU-50N 130 AO Smith.

I got a A. O. Smith a week ago from Lowe’s in lake wales fl. We installed and work for one day. I push the reset button and work again for 24 hour. I try to get a replacement for a defective unit. I talk to a lady that was unprofessional, then I got a call from Keith that supposed to be the manager. They want to replace only a part and I have to pay for the technician to come and fix it. People before you get a ao smith water heater try to fix your old one. Warranty is back with this people. I will not recommend it to anyone else. I pay 440 dollars for a brand new pieces of trash.

This company is junk and the personal work in customer service is real rude. I buy the water heater and my warranty expire in June 2027 and the customer service send me the parts if I pay the shipping $70.99. I check same parts in Lowe's and the price is $36.00 dlls. I tried to to talk again with customer service what is the reason charge me a lot for the shipping and is very rude the person say, "If you not want the parts return by you self and a charge 20% stock fee." Is crazy. This company is junk. I need help to do something with this company. A.O. Smith is a rude company and junk products.

My $300 whole house water filter purchased at Lowes's Home Improvement less than 2 years ago came with a 6 yr warranty that the company is not honoring. They are disqualifying me because of proof of purchase which I could not produce a receipt. I thought that Lowes would help me since it was a Lowes card purchase but they refused to help even though these brands are affiliated. The filter is leaking some kind of goo and water slowly all around the white ring near the top. It has nothing to do with the installation as you can see in the photograph. Don't buy from this company. They have no interest in backing up their product if they can get out of it. Seriously my house was constructed less than 2 years ago obviously the filter is still covered under the warranty. Bad product, never again.

Water heater went bad in 2 year span. Was a replacement for the one that went bad after 4 years of use. Would not stand by warranty on product, Customer service was nice- too bad they don't cover the warranty better on their product. Will not be purchasing another one. Have had better luck with water heaters from big box stores.

I bought a 50 gallon natural gas water heater to find out there was a huge dent at the bottom of the tank after unboxing it. We had to take it back to Lowe’s to exchange for another one. My garage smelled like gas the next morning and took several hours to find out that there a leak at the controller. Luckily we didn’t have any major issues with the gas leaking all night. It took the whole afternoon to finally get them to provide a return authorization code. I had to call Teco peoples gas to have a technician out to confirm with the gas leak detector. He told me he had seen several cases with this brand where gas was leaking at the controller.

Purchased 2 A.O. commercial hot water heaters and installed both at the same time. One lasted 3 years and 5 months. The 2nd one lasted almost 6 years to the day. Both units failed and leaked water all over the basement. When you buy water heaters that cost 15 thousand dollars each, you would expect them to last a little longer. And, by a little, I mean a lot!

Our AO Smith ProLine XE Commercial Grade water heater rusted at the top only after 4 years, 5 months. It was replaced, but I'm concerned that the new one will rust like the old one. And, we have a osmosis water system. Also, the thermostat will not lower. Every setting is scolding. I would not recommend this water heater.

Had a new State heat pump water heater installed in April 2023. In April 2024 it quit working -- the compressor was running, but it didn't heat the water. The manufacturer replaced it under warranty, and paid the cost of installation. In August 2024 the new one started giving "compressor fault" error messages. Called the manufacturer again who sent out plumber to take a look. Plumber said he needed to disassemble the heat pump unit and replace some parts. Waited a few weeks for the parts to arrive. Plumber came and installed them but charged me $580 for labor. I complained to the manufacturer, who said the warranty only covers labor for the first year. So, if you're thinking of buying one of these, note that I had two of them fail - one within 4 months and the other within a year, and the company refused to pay the cost of making it right.

I have a Rheem tankless electric water heater I bought 3 years ago... Runs flawlessly. I bought a AO Smith 2 months ago for my daughter's tiny house. What a piece of crap. Doesn't work tech that came out gives the runaround. Just look at the insides of both units and you realize fast that AO Smith is a rip-off. Rheem's parts are copper metal. AO Smith's are plastic cheaply made. and AO Smith costs more. Can't take it back to Lowe's because I got rid of the box. Can't get AO Smith to repair because they make junk and their techs are not good at their job. The whole company is just a scam in my opinion!

Purchased a new water heater on 6/14/24 and we had a Sulphur smell with the hot water. Discovered that the anode rod was the wrong material for the northern part of Florida water. Company would not replace under warranty and instead would send me specs on how to correct the issue by replacing the anode rod with one made with the correct material. Out of pocket cost $350. I would never purchase an AO product again.

We have an AO Smith tankless water heater. The same exact unit we are discussing (which was 8 years old) catastrophically failed at the heat exchanger last year in July (we were fortunate it didn't cause a fire and burn down our house). They agreed to send a replacement unit, but would not pay for labor. We had the new unit replaced, and almost immediately started having problems.

If I could give a negative star rating I would!! Let’s start with the fact after install my water heater stopped working after the third shower!! Supposedly it’s the heating element!! Replacement parts were order through warranty, which starts the day of manufacture not the day of purchase, by the way!! They have limited service techs to work on products and conveniently for them there’s none in my area. So now I have to pay more money out of pocket to get the heating elements replaced. They do pay some towards the service tech charge. So I guess that’s a plus.

This is the 2nd AO Smith 100 signature series 50 gallon Water Heater we are having installed. Not happy! The water heater failed in late June 2024 and flooded the house, luckily the insurance covered the water heater failing. So this is an Insurance Coverage issue and not a private party issue. The restoration company was contacted, the work was agreed on and Insurance began working with the restoration crew. Repairing all the damage to the floors, walls and of course a new tank.

Beware!!!!! Horrible customer service and a horrible company that does not do their part in honoring warranty issues. We are a plumbing company that was hired by a large hotel to work on an A.O. Smith water heater they had installed. The water heater was less than a week old and it started having issues. They continued to send us replacement parts that upon installation didn't solve the issue. They sent Jim **, an AO Smith representative to the job site and discussed the issues, and he stated the WH should have been replaced and not repaired. After multiple trips to and from the job site and running up service bills, they have refused to pay our costs in servicing the water heater which they should have paid for in full and replaced and not repaired.

Would never purchase from this company. I have two water heaters. An A.O. Smith Corporation water heater made in 2018 and another from a different company made in 2007. The A.O. Smith water heater started leaking from the bottom right after the warranty expired. Clearly, they build their products to fail after the warranty expires.

Updated on 08/01/2024: The wiring connection that provided power wasn’t completely connected correctly to the water heater, not AO Smith’s fault as I previously blamed the water heater, it was not the battery or a faulty control panel. This has been resolved and I retract my complaint.

We purchased a house that had a Smith gas water heater that had been installed five years ago. Last week I went down to the basement to find water on the floor; the water heater had sprung a leak near the cold water inlet. What I saw was disturbing (not to mention the water). The entire column of piping at the top and extending into the unit had rusted to the point where it looked like it had been on the bottom of the ocean. I find it amazing that they use rustable components on the water lines, speaks volumes about their lack of concern for longevity. Warranty was impossible, we don't have any receipt. Ended up buying a new Bradford White replacement. Installer tells me it's better made than AO Smith, time will tell.

I had a unit on order but wanted to purchase the leak shutoff valve kit so that I could have it in available when the hybrid water heater arrived. I was told that it was not possible without the serial number of the water heater. Since it had not yet arrived, the s/n was not available. The person I talked to said it was policy and there was nothing she could do. When I asked to speak to a supervisor or manager I got the same line: not possible without the s/n. This unsatisfactory experience was somewhat alarming so I looked for other complaints about AO Smith. BBB has an unbelievable number of unresolved complaints against AO Smith. Their usual response was that they were working to resolve the issue with the customer but none (zero) were resolved for the last 2 years.

Bought a AO Smith 40 gal water, quit working within 3 weeks - awful customer service, warranty useless - have to fix it myself. Stay away from this company unless you can do repairs yourself, very dissatisfied with the heater and the company.

We bought AO Smith hybrid electric hot water tank with a 10 year warranty from Lowe's. Lowe's offered an additional 5 years so we bought that too. Not even 5 years later the heat pump quit working. AO Smith said they don't repair them but would replace it. They gave me a return voucher to take to Lowe's. Unfortunately we got a sale price when we bought it, there was a $1376 difference in the price that we were expected to pay. Not much of a warranty! We opted not to replace it because it didn't last 5 years, we would have had to pay $1376 extra even with the return voucher. Would not recommend to anyone. Will shop elsewhere.

Bought a new 50 gal. water heater. The temperature was 139 F and I could not turn it down. A O Smith said it was a grounded element. They authorized a part for me to install. I went back to Lowe's and got the part. I opened the valve and nothing came out. I could not drain the water heater. A O Smith said to contact an authorized plumber. The phone number did not work. They recommended another plumber (50 miles away). The repair cost 1/2 as much as the water heater. A O Smith wouldn't replace the water heater even though it was brand new because it was reparable. Be prepared to shell out extra money to get your new water heater to work. Case **.

My mom bought an AO Smith water heater tank in late May of this year because her old one started leaking. Since it was guaranteed 8 years and that it was bought in August 2017, she asked for a full refund but was denied it. So I phoned in Fergus, Ontario and spoke to some ignorant little ** (in fact I couldn't say a word for 2 minutes because the guy kept talking) and was told that she would have had to phone the company to ask for a reference number which she would have had to bring to the hardware store in order to get the water heated replaced. But we all know, hot water is very useful and we can't go long without it. So because she doesn't have the old water heater, she apparently can't get the $500. She hasn't said her last word yet about that matter and neither did I.

AO Smith is terrible. Do not purchase anything from this company. We built a new home and got an AO Smith Hybrid water heater, in the first year our water heater went out, they replaced it as it still had full warranty,14 months later the second water heater went out. We supposedly have a 10 year warranty however when we called to report the second water heater going out we were told it was going to cost us $1180 to install. We filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, then AO Smith offered us $1524 for a new water heater to settle our complaint but that didn't even cover the cost of the original water heater, we paid $1886.

We purchased our A O Smith 40 gallon gas hot water tank 3 and 1/2 years ago. It did do a decent job in the beginning but now it is no longer even accepting gas and quotes to get it fixed with parts and labor are as much as a brand new water heater. It's not under warranty anymore and has lasted nowhere near the 8 to 12 years that it claims.

Had to order a part 2 days ago for my AO Smith water softener. Paid over $30 for the overnight shipping. When I called back the next day, I was told the part had not yet shipped. I asked to have a tracking number sent to my email so that I could at least get an idea of when to expect the delivery. They told me that they would send the tracking number as soon as they had it. When I still hadn't received the part or the tracking number today (2 days later), I called their customer service again to ask about the status of my order. They informed me that a tracking number had just been created by UPS.

I recently had a issue with my old A.O. hot water tank (<10 years) leaking and a local company came and replaced with the A.O. Proline XE MODEL GPDT-50 300. This new tank is incredible noisy and you can hear it upstairs in the living room. I contacted technical support and they claimed is normal. The local company came back and replaced the blower but same level of noises. I video the sound and showed to every tradesmen and they all think is too noisy but A.O. SMITH insisted is normal for the model. Why would a company make such a noisy tank. Who would in their right mind purchase this if that's the case. The sound reading is 75db by the tank and 85 db at the exhaust. YOU BE THE JUDGE. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY.

These guys are awful to deal with. Skip A.O. Smith and buy a Rheem. They determine what they feel is warranted. Also box does not say you can not return the unit and once purchased its support and no refund. Support is not helpful, they sent wrong part replacement 2. Can seem to get anything right. They are very frustrating.

We purchased an A.O. Smith Residential Electronic Thermostat Electric Water Heater. While we were building our home, we made the purchase and the unit was kept stored in the box and in the shell of the home. We purchased it two years ago and installed it late last June 2023; we got an alarm two weeks ago (E02), this put the heater into overdrive and the hot water in the house was near boiling! Thank God we were home to unplug the unit. The company sent us a new part, stating... "this is likely the issue", so my husband replaced it, within two days we got another error message of E01.

AO Smith technician came to repair 35lt water heater. I have informed when I logged my call that might need replacement of thermostat. He doesn’t know anything about this water heater. He informed me that this model has been discontinued and no technician is aware how to repair. He called somebody to find out how to resolve the issue. He is more worried about his visit fee rather than fixing the problem. On the other side, somebody has cancelled my visit and collected 400 for doing nothing. Don’t buy or log call with AO Smith. Very disappointing service.

If I could give them a negative review I would! My husband had just had major back surgery and our water heater went out. I went to Lowe's and purchased the A.O. Smith 40gal natural gas OR liquid propane hot water heater. Had it installed and it worked perfect for 6 months. I called A.O. Smith. They sent a tech out from the ONLY vendor (CS Mechanical) that services my area and they are at least 2+ hours away. They come out about a week later (yes I still have no hot water) and my husband speaks to the tech who acts like he has never done this before and they decide to order a thermo coupling replacement and have it delivered. There is another week with no hot water. I call CS to schedule after the package is delivered to my house and they did not return my calls until Wednesday. Finally they set me up for Friday of that same week and no one shows, and they even called to confirm the appointment the day before.

Bought a 40 gallon water heater from Lowe's and the water started smelling like rotten eggs. So a month after install I bought an electric anode and went to replace the one in the tank. I couldn't get the anode to loosen with a breaker bar, so I added an extension and the bolt rounded. Called A. O. Smith for an RMA which they gave but the lady said it was a common issue. Guy at Lowe's said if it rounds again they might not RMA again, so I called a local plumber supply company and they had AO Smith as well but it was their pro line. I thought, "Okay let's try that." Brought it home and opened the top of the box only and the water heater was dented on the top corner and bottom like someone dropped it from a forklift at the factory as the plumber supply had it on the floor and the dent was in a way that it could only have been done from height. I only cut away the top part of the box and didn't take the heater out of the box.

After making this review, and another to the BBB, A.O. Smith customer service reached out to me and offered a "return authorization" for the defective/failing hot water heater. I received the new one yesterday and, though I had to pay a plumber again to install it, they did step-up and provide the new heater. I am glad we were able to resolve the issue.

Junk AOSmith water heaters. Waste of money. Don’t even last a month. What a joke of a product. Don’t waste your money on the product. I will let everyone know never to buy this product. Lowes shame on them for carrying a cramp product like that. I know not to shop at Lowes from now on.

I would give this product zero stars if it were an option. I purchased an AO Smith water heater 4 weeks ago. Then just one day shy of having it for a month, the heating elements and thermostat are bad. When I saw a man at Lowe’s returning an AO Smith water heater that should have been my sign to not purchase one. Their tech support told me I could not return it to Lowe’s and refused to give me a Return Authorization number saying that Lowe’s lied because they don’t give those numbers.

I purchased an AO Smith water heater, we had problems from the start. We have a wonderful plumber who came back and repaired/replaced parts, but when we finally decided to call and look into the warranty which, the company verified that it was they refused to do anything about it, customer service guy said he would send it up to review, 3 weeks, and we still have not received a return phone call! Never will we purchase any AO Smith water heater or any other product with their name on it.

The "customer relations management" is horrible. Got a tankless 1 month ago. 1 month. It is not working. None of their service technicians are closer than 4 hours away. They offered to pay 100$ if labor from a local company. Should the issue be covered. Called all the locals 500$ just to come look at it. Lowes told me to ask them for a return authorization number. Karen (real name) told me that isn't a thing.

Installed in small 1 bedroom tiny house. Will not maintain temperature, fluctuates with 1 shower only operating. AO Smith customer support said groundwater temperature is too cold in northern state for product to keep up. Installed in Oklahoma. Unwilling to return.

Purchased an AO Smith Hot Water heater and literally have replaced every part on it trying to get it to work. Yes, there’s power and yes, commissioning instructions followed. Previous AO Smith water heater failed prematurely as well. Ridiculous experience and lesson learned for sure. Pretty pathetic that distributors even consider stocking these water heaters with the bad reviews, but I guess if dummies like me keep buying them hoping for a better outcome then they will stay in business.

I bought an A.O. Smith Water Softener 450T at Lowe's in 6/2021. Already failed. A O Smith will honor the 5 year warranty. They give you the runaround by transferring your call to multiple parties and placing you on long holds and providing zero support. Lowe's was no help either. I filed two complaint with the Texas Atty General Consumer Fraud Dept against A O Smith and Lowe's. Both companies give you the runaround and make getting hold of any help so difficult that you just want to give up and throw the water softener away and buy another one. But not from Lowe's.

As an architect, I specify products required by the state of California. However, AO Smith FAILS to include all specifications necessary to fill out the CA State Energy Commission online forms to submit for plan check. Then, when you call for help, you are pawned off on clueless people who have NO IDEA! They may make a decent water heater, but I will NEVER specify another AO Smith product!

My local plumbing company installed an A.O. Smith 50 gallon gas fired forced vent hot water heater in 2013. Less than 6 years later, it leaked and another duplicate heater was installed. Less than 11 years after the original heater was installed, the second one leaked and failed and was not covered under warranty. I am on city water with a water softener, so water quality is not the issue. The issue is poor tank quality. My next heater will be Bradford White, whom I have heard is having much longer lifetimes.

I've had 2 water heaters from A.O. Smith. The first failed sooner than normal and I wasn't able to make use of the warranty because they required a receipt for purchase that was no longer available. I purchased a new water heater from Lowe's this past week, and it was defective upon installation. The warranty center made several remarks about it being dry-fired by me, but reluctantly authorized a labor charge. The plumber found that the upper thermostat was defective and covered under warranty. It is a special order part. A.O. Smith has a policy of repair rather than replace. CONSUMER BEWARE!

Just under 5 years ago I replaced a Bradford White hot water heater that had lasted 10years. Prior to this I had another Bradford system that lasted over 15 years (we moved before needing replacement). The Bradford White was replaced with an AO Smith Proline XL. Last week the unit started leaking. The company that installed the water heater came out the next day and replaced unit with same AO Smith unit. I'm glad the AO Smith was under warranty but the labor was $1200. So my original purchase 4 years ago went from $3000 to over $4200. I would never buy another AO Smith considering this experience. To top it off, I contacted their customer service to discuss and never heard back from them. Next HWH will be a Bradford White (regardless of what installers will promote to me).

First one had problems out of the box after installed. Went to return to Lowe's and they wanted me to get a RA number from A O Smith. I had to call them in the parking lot and they refused to let me return it and wanted to ship me the part to fix it. Lowe's ended up letting me return it and replace it after I spoke with a manager. That was a mistake. Installed 2nd hot water heater and already having problems again. A O Smith is hard to deal with and the quality is terrible.

I bought a new construction condo with 4 water heaters made by AO Smith. Two of them from the very start produced a terrible sulfur smell. I eventually got a good plumber to change out the Anode rods which appears to have fixed the problem. I called AO Smith to submit for a warranty claim and they informed me the anode rods are not a covered item. This is like selling a car and saying the transmission is not covered under warranty. Nothing I can do but be wary of these units. It looks like many others have had problems with their warranty issues.

One of the associates at this company was unable to get my S/N, despite I told her multiple times. Whenever I told her, she sighed a lot. I requested that she behave in a professional manner. But she said that she does it. When I requested, she inform me her supervisor's name. She declined it. I had horrible experience with her!!

They do not honor their warranty. My parents purchased an AOSmith water heater from Lowe's with a 6 yr warranty. It was sufficient until a month from warranty date expiration, which we thought started at purchase and installation. It rusted out at the bottom and leaked. When we filled out a claim with proof of purchase and photos, AOSmith said warranty date started at manufacture date. That is not right! We tried to get help from Lowes and they said they only keep records for 6 months. WHAT?! How do you sell warranties with that kind of records?! Still in warranty, my 85 yr old mother has to buy a brand new one and can't afford after major surgery expenses.

Water heater leaked from day one. 8 trips by plumber and still leaking. They keep coming up with new suggestions and nothing works. Throwing this one away. Buying a Rheem. Bite the bullet. Willing to pay the cost for a water heater that works. Customer service is set to always come up with something you need to do.

The AO Smith HPTU-80N water heater does not keep the water warm on hybrid mode. I tried to work with the company and did not get any any resolution. I think they fraudulently advertise the efficiency of this water heater knowing that you will need to change it to pure electric mode and not see any electricity savings.

We purchased a 40 gallon tank water heater for our home in 2019 and it immediately had issues. It makes a horrible noise to this day that sounds like a ship is docking at harbor. They had a local plumber come in and attempt to fix it a couple times to no avail. I contacted them again when the burner finally went completely out and they would not fix the original issue. I will NEVER purchase another AO Smith product and I would strongly recommend that you steer clear of this terrible company.

We bought the extended warranty that A. O. Smith wouldn't honor. What a joke this company is about customer service. I have my proof in black and white and they still wanted to argue. I don't get it, if you buy something from a company they should honor it. After talking to someone tonight on the phone they hung up with me.

They seemed great at first. Warranty was still in effect. Came up with an error code, called Smith and they gave me a number to contact to get it fixed. Called the number for 4 days and left multiple messages and never got a response. Obviously a bad contractor. So I call Smith back and they give me a number to another company. I call this company and they're out of state and can not service maryland. Call again to Smith, they have no other contractors in the area of my home and said I'd have to get my own plumber. This is now over a week without hot water. Call a local plumber and he comes right out the same day and calls Smith to get them to send the parts that were bad. He was great, took a few more days for the parts he came a day after they arrived and installed and I'm working again.

Had a AO Smith water heater in new build, after 3 years the hot water heater caught on fire, wires melted, insulation melted. AO Smith gave a new water heater but not the cost of install. If a water heater goes bad within warranty period the cost for new installation should be covered. Seems like this company does not cover installation because they know their product will fail and don’t want to be responsible for cost. Customer service just keeps saying the same thing over and over, not helpful at all. Would not recommend this company.

Don't make the same mistake I did and buy a AO Smith water heater from Lowe's. Based on my experience with AO Smith I would encourage you not to even buy an A O Smith product in your lifetime or shop at Lowes. Reach out to a local installer and purchase your unit directly through them. I have had the misfortune of working with A O Smith customer service and Lowes twice to replace my $3k 80 gallon hybrid hot water heater. My first unit lasted a little more than 2 years and my second unit last only 1 year. Both units started to have heat pump failure codes that per the manual require me to contact customer service. They advise me that the unit need to be completed scrapped at a replacement labor cost of ~ $500, at my expense. I willingly paid this the first time but when the second one failed in a year I did not have the same willingness to concede so easily.

Purchased a A. O. Smith 30 gal natural gas water heater. Installed product and pilot light wouldn’t stay lit. Tried returning back to Lowe’s and they wouldn’t do a return without a Ra number from the manufacturer. Called A. O Smith customer service and when I was finally able to get ahold of someone they were very rude. And Refused to give me a RA number. So I’m out the 500 bucks for the water heater. No home improvement center should be selling their product. If you are in the market for a hot water heater stay away from this brand. They are crooks and I’m shocked they haven’t gotten a class action lawsuit against them.

Bought a water heater 4 days ago at Lowe’s, plumber said it won't work properly. Came to return it, 5 hours later, several calls and they won't give me an RA number. 350.00 unit that has no use, brand new. They won't take it back. No help whatsoever, they give you extra hard time to return a new item. Stay away. Worst experience ever. I’ve never had any issue returning anything anywhere. Lowe’s needs to stop selling this item or only sell it to license specialist.

I bought this A.O. Smith water heater and it was a nightmare. It didn't work at all after installing it. I was going to return it at Lowe's and they dodged me and told me I couldn't unless I had a "Reference Number" from A.O Smith.. So I had to call A.O Smith and they dodged me as well and referred me to a plumbing company that is 345 miles away in Houston TX when I live in McAllen TX. I managed to get a plumber locally eventually and they kept postponing the repair because we had to wait for the parts over and over from AO Smith. This happened 2 times... Finally we just ended up buying a water heater from Rheem in Home Depot and it worked like a charm! In the First time!! While the brand new AO smith water never worked..

WORSE Company with support, first you are treated like you are stupid, then when you show that you actually know what is going on, they find every excuse to not support you or provide technical support, I bought a Hybrid Water Heater, the unit will ALWAYS use one of the elements, regardless of the settings (support basically quoted me the manual, yet, still uses one element even on heat pump setting) then they basically told me there is no way I would know... Like I don't have a home energy meter that monitors circuits... It is 2023, anyone with solar knows we can monitor energy usage.... Then I told them that the "time of use" is useless as the whole point someone will use it is so the heater only works during low rate hours, well....it does not, it will turn in ANYTIME...

I bought this water heater, and immediately had issues with the water temperature being scalding hot despite the thermostat being set to the lowest level. I called about the warranty, and was given a plumber to call but they said if I can't get that plumber, then I need to call a local plumber and they will reimburse me. The recommended plumber doesn't operate in my state, so I called a local plumber.

Be advised potential A.O. Smith hot water heater customers, our $1000, A. O. Smith GCRL 40 400 residential hot water heater failed just 14 months outside of the 6 year warranty period. The leaking heater tank trickled 120 gallons of water to our basement floor before it was discovered. Speaking with a ground level customer service, and a manager, each stated A. O. Smith would offer no relief in the matter repeatedly stating "we abide by our warranty period", and, "there's nothing we can do". A. O. Smith is not the premium, reliable durable goods/appliance manufacturer to spend your money on in our experience, because their product failed far prior to a reasonable life expectancy, and they offered zero empathy, consideration, or flexibility toward offering any type of relief or support in our case.

Have a hot water heater installed less than 4 years ago w/ 10 year warranty. When it craps out, not only do you wait on the phone for 40+ minutes, but it's near impossible to find a plumber who will actually service their hybrid water heaters. They offered to ship a part using ground shipping based off a guess that this part was the issue, so we would be without hot water for a week and mentioned that if that doesn't work they can work to replace it. Paid $70 to have it delivered next day... Once installed the unit still does not receive power. Call back, now they say they need a plumber on site to call them and describe a bunch of tests etc. I will never purchase another one of their products if they cannot have the decency to resolve these situations in a reasonable and timely manner! I urge everyone to stay clear, they do not back their products!!!!

Stay away from this company. Don't not buy. Worst customer service, doesn't provide any help. If I could give zero stars I will. Company will not replace water heater that is less than 3 years old. Hot water keeps shutting off when you taking a shower. They keep saying it's venting issue when everything has been checked by a plumber. I've spent over $1500 trying to verify the issue. Still not resolved. Horrible nightmare.

Defective unit from day 1. A. O. Smith representative had strong negative attitude. I will be placing this unit in the garbage where it belongs. Over $1,000.00 wasted. I do not want to speak to this company in the future.

Brand new gas hot water tank with professional install 7-17 & 5 yrs later, the nipple & dip tube corroded & leaking. Call for warranty part and was told part going out next day air. No part yet, reps say part in stock & next day air for Ups. Nobody know when it's shipping or have a tracking number. Been lied to that 2 different supervisors would call me back. Reps are telling me nothing they can do & I have their junk hot water tank with no part!!! Can't even buy replacement parts at the store the tank was purchased thru!!!!

Purchased (2) new 40 gallon electric hot water heaters for our home. Within a month the water started smelling like rotten eggs. Called the company and they said to turn up the temp to maximum for 24hrs and flush and then turn back down. I have done that twice and the smell still comes back. Then I purchased 2 aluminum sacrificial anodes and when I tried to remove the new ones that came with the heater they were installed so tight that even with a 3 foot pipe on the wrench I cannot break it free. So Frustrated!! Don't buy this brand!!

Purchased a 12 yr warranty AO Smith gas water heater on 7/12/19. Within 6 months the unit started making a deep whooshing air sound whenever the gas turned on. We contacted AO Smith and they sent out a tech to adjust something in the gas chamber which took care of the problem. Shortly after that the water heater began making loud popping and snapping sounds. I contacted customer service at AO Smith again and they claimed it was sediment build up in the bottom of the water tank. I have since purged the tank 4 times and each time I get the exact same material coming out. Rather than mineral deposits coming out, what shows up each time is 1-2 cups of blueish-white granules all measuring approx 1/8" diameter.

I had a water heater replaced under warranty in 2021. The new unit was built in 2020. Somehow they've attached an old service contract warranty to this new heater which should have a manufacturer's warranty by law.. But, A. O. Smith is claiming this new unit they sent me is out of warranty! It's less than 2 yrs old!! Not to mention they couldn't recommend any service tech in my area which is Bradenton/Sarasota FL.. What options does that leave me the consumer?? Besides, never by another product from this company? A. O. Smith Class Action Law suit for this company's foreseeable future..

I bought my water heater from Lowe's in July, it is now October and I had no hot water. Product is under warranty so I contacted tech support Friday, September 23rd 11:10 am and spoke to tech Shera? who gave me an authorization for labor and the name of a local company to come out and look at it. I called them but was told they cannot work on Lowe's or Home Depot products as they would not get reimbursed by this company. I called back again and spoke to Jeff 11:20 who gave me the names of two other companies but he stated that they may not come out because they are so far away. I asked if I could have someone do the work and get reimbursed but he didn't tell me that was an option. I contacted the second company and in fact they were too far away.

Always trouble, failed completely one month after warranty. Never ever purchase another A.O. Smith Water Heater. A.O.smith water heater only last 6 year 1 month then you have to purchase a new one. Be aware.

This is our 3 water heater that was professionally installed and cleared by the City I live in. I had a issue with the pilet staying lit and was asked to send in photos. Once I called back later in the day and told them it went out again and I wanted my money back they decided to try and tell me that it was not installed properly and that there was nothing they could do. Now how is it that a inspector passed the install but now that a want my money back the voice on the phone wants to tell me it's not installed correctly. This company is a joke.

Bought new. Hooked up. Didn't work. Call customer service and they tell me I have to pay for a plumber. Long story short it was a bad element. Somehow someone put an old element in brand new heater. Customer care like not our problem.

My wife read the reviews after I purchased it and I thought it was just folks whining. No sir, every one of the complaints is true; can't get a hold of them, product didn't work from the start, their pool of warranty plumbers is limited to 1 and they only service the areas where you don't live. Can't believe Lowe's buys this brand because they are also going to lose my business over the way they handle returns.

Our water heater went out so we went to lowes and decided on the AO smith 50 gallon digital. We did not want a digital one due to things going wrong on those more often. But we really didn’t have a choice, that’s all Lowe's had in the gallon size we needed. We installed. No problem. (We installed our last one as well.) Turned the power on to it and error 4 came up. No hot water either. We call customer service and tell them what’s going on and they basically tell us it was our fault. They said we must have turned on the power before the tank was full and dry fired it. That’s impossible because we know better. We made sure it was completely full and no air was in the lines. They told us to go to lowes and get new elements and they would be free because it’s brand new.

Do not EVER buy a water heater from AO Smith. They do NOT honor their warranty, and are IMPOSSIBLE TO reach! I bought a top-of-the line AO Smith heater from Lowe's less than 2 years ago, with a 12-year warranty. Even though it is barely used, the heating element went bad in it 2 months ago. Trying to contact AO Smith on the phone means being on hold for HOURS. Their nearest service tech is over 100 miles away and will not come to my house to service the heater. He did offer to send me the part and get it installed by a local plumber - but wanted $40 to ship it! This is a $20 part at Home Depot.

Purchased a 50-gallon AO Smith electric hot water heater at Lowes. This heater was for my daughter. Had to replace the thermostat and elements in less than 30 days as the thermostat was stuck. Not only did she have this problem but the heater made her water "greasy." She started noticing a film in her sink and every time she would wash her hair it felt oily. I sent an email to the company on March 3, 2022 showing my purchase receipt and the receipts for the repairs along with a picture of a burned-out element. Almost two weeks later and no reply from the company. Two months and over $600 wasted, I purchased and installed another brand and the "greasy" problem went away immediately.

I took my heater element back to Lowes after less than 30 days of use and the guy took one look at it and waved his hand and said "we're not taking that back". Then he turned around and walked away.??? He didn't even ask me anything, didn't let me explain anything and offered no help whatsoever. Should I purchase a new hot water heater...every year??? What is the problem with customer service? I know my hot water heater should be under warranty? Now I'm on hold with A.O. Smith for the second time, (they hung up on me but not without making me wait for 30 minutes). Service guy from A.O. Smith was a little helpful when I did get to talk to him. I never asked for warranty issues, I don't expect that after reading the reviews.

Purchased a tankless water heater about 13 months ago from Lowe's. After about a month error code e2 started flashing, customer service told us to turn the breakers off than on. That worked for a while now error code e4 is flashing heats no water, and AO Smith won't even send a technician out because I live too far away. And Lowe's won't do anything till the manufacturer warranty is up. I would definitely not recommend this product.

A.O. Smith eventually called me back and authorized a reimbursement. In the end, they did stand behind the product.

I purchase a new in the box AO Smith water heater on 2/14/2022. I installed it in one of our properties the same day. Discovered that the water heater did not have a relief valve in the box. I called customer service the next day. I was told that they would send me the valve the next day by next day air. I was told after getting my email that I could track the order. The next day I realized that I never received an email and started to call customer service. My wife and I left many call backs number and she was never called back. No other vendors had the type of pop off valve that this model required. Now I must replaced this already installed heater with another heater. It will not be an AO SMITH brand. The pop off valve was never in the box. They sold a product that was useless the moment it left them. This business is not HONEST

Purchased this water heater at Lowe's. Plumber replaced same day. Water heater did not work. Call AO Smith. They stated heater could not be returned. They would send out one of their contracted plumber. The error code on the digital stated that something was defective and a part needed to be replaced. Per customer service they would have to order the part and they did not know when it would be available. We NEED A water heater (it's winter and water is freezing.) Could we please exchange it? No we could not do that. We would have to wait for the part. Oh No! We will not wait. Brand new water heater and they are not willing to exchange it. In the meantime we had to pay the plumber who installed it and pay another plumber to remove it! Unbelievable! So so disgusted!

I spent $1600 for this hybrid water heater and took out the extended warranty. Within 7 months the sensor went. They gave me a list of technicians and told me to call them to diagnose the problem and gave me a labor code for which the plumbers need for payment. The plumbers told me that I was on the hook for the diagnosis because AO Smith decided that the problem was my basement (even though it was installed according to specs by a master plumber and that it was under 1 year old). I called the support line back. This time the customer support rep told me that it appears to be an issue with the sensor, for which the first CSR had missed diagnosed. And said she would send out the part and gave me a difference labor repair number for the contracted plumber to use to install the part.

We have installed water heater on May 10, 2018 with AO Smith Water Heater. It started leaking less than 4 years and warranty was six year. The manufacturer made the warranty claim process so hard, plus the labor cost of replacement, and inconvenience of no hot water. It's totally not worth the trouble or effort to get same bad product again.

Purchased AO Signature 500 from Lowe's and had it installed by their "preferred installation team" in late Dec 21. By early January it went out. Lowe's pointed at AO and the installers, the installers blamed it on Lowes and AO and AO said they would overnight parts (2 weeks) and cover $100 labor. Here we are early January, parts just arrived, no one will touch it because it should be covered by AO and all they do is offer a replacement and after hours on hold over the course of 3 days and more reps than I can recall, $450 toward my $1100 reinstallation price? Really? Buy from a different manufacturer and never from Lowes. They're the other half of this fraudulent equation.

Let me join the hundreds of other bad reviews for the AO smith hot water heater that was installed less than 2 years ago by my builder. The unit stopped working and after paying a $116.00 diagnostic fee I had to pay an additional $337.00 for a new inducer motor that the company did not provide. Priceless.

Installed a 40 gallon tank electric on 10 2019. Already had problems with heating element- thermostat... It is under manufacturer warranty and even though I bought the extended warranty Lowe's won't do anything for me and A.O. Smith won't cover shipping for the parts had to pay for those and also got to pay for a plumber to come and fix the damn thing. So why even have a warranty at all. If I read the reviews I would have never purchased this piece of crap... 27 mos in no hot water... Winter time it's cold. No showers for a week.... Steer clear of this product!

I'm on my second Signature 300 water heater that does not work. The first, had a 6-inch dent in it upon delivery, likely damaged at Lowe's or by delivery guys. Lowe's N Lakewood, CO would not allow me to return it unless I got an RA# from the manufacturer. I was able to get an RA number (because it was not installed) and I exchanged it for a new one. I opted to take the water heater back to the store, although I paid for delivery because I didn't want to be without water for another 4 days waiting on Lowe's to pick it up - paid the plumber for this. The plumber got the second water heater installed, and it will not fire up. The pilot light only stays on when the function button is down, once it's released, the pilot goes out. The plumber calls around and hears that there have been issues with the Honeywell gas control valve lately.

Bought water heater at Lowe's. It was faulty. They will not allow a return to store yet s the purchase was from lowes store. Nobody from lowes will call back or be accountable for anything. We are now 10 days later. No call back yet from lowes. Keep calling. Lowes terrible. Also did Contact manufacturers. AO Smith which is a lowes company. Spent 2 days on hold with technicians on hand at my house which I paid out of my pocket. AO smith Never called back. Finally 1 week later got assistance from AO Smith technician. So with More personal expenses 10 days later still no hot water another trip to store. Whole experience is terrible. Product is terrible.

My builder put in an A. O. Smith (model: GDHE 50131). In less than 6 years, the ignition rod broken (Error message: Ignition failure). Since it's less than 6 years after the house closing date, the water heater is under parts warranty. I received a repair authorization reference number, and contacted a local A. O. Smith authorized plumber. Two young plumbers made a quick diagnostic exam, and told me the ignition rod went bad.

I purchased my AO Smith hot water heater in June 21, it's Sept & I contacted my plumber because of the sulphur smell.. AOS said it's not covered... Replace a new zinc anode rod.. What a bunch of **... Buy from someone else...

Our Plumber contacted A O Smith on our behalf regarding a problem with a water heater. They suggested we needed a replacement part and it was ordered. It was to arrive in 3-5 days. It did not arrive and we bought a part locally after 2 weeks. I contacted the company in order to cancel the order since we had not received it yet. They said they had no record of the order so it would not be a problem, but if it should show up we should refuse delivery. A week later the part arrived and we did as instructed and refused delivery. It clearly had been mailed after our phone call. They billed credit card anyway. I disputed the charge and they refused to refund the entire amount, claiming they were entitled to a "restocking" fee. I was surprised as they had a reputation as an honest, professional company. I would be very careful and hesitant to do any business with this company.

Unit leaked upon install, heated to 95 degrees only, should be 120-130. Warranty service try to repair and I have to call again. I need this unit switched out, inside rusted from leaking also, recommended a no buy.

Had a contractor install a brand new AO Smith electric tank water heater on 6/27/21. Had rust inside the tank and contractor had me run my hot water into the bathtub for approx 1 hr. They said they had to clear the rust out of the tank and using any other faucet would clog them. That was my first red flag! Now two weeks later, there is still rusty, dirty water coming from this tank. The contractor says that it has to be my water line. But this never happened with my old water heater that was 15 years old! Had my lines checked out and it is indeed the water heater that has rust inside it.

The pilot light won't stay lit and blower will not start. After 1 year, only parts are covered. I had a Bradford White that stayed good for 11 years without any complaints. AO Smith Model GPVL-50 started not heating water just after 2 years. For authorized technicians I have to wait for 4 days to get it fixed. Hope they have parts available and it works after that without trouble. The contractor bought it for me and thought this will stay without trouble for at least 4 or 5 years.

I purchased a AO Smith water heater model # G6-MH3030NV for my home in late Jan. 2018. In June 2018 I called because the water temp was HIGH. I was sent a new (HONEYWELL) controller without having to explain why. That 2nd (HONEYWELL) one was installed in 09/2019. I was able manipulate the first one by changing the temps until I could get the second one installed. The second one started acting up and we got by until our 3rd one was installed in 8/2020. The 3rd has worked for a little bit but, I've had to keep lowering the temperature until I have now reached the "vac" vacation setting.

The product was defective upon arrival. The warranty didn't cover repairs. We had a professional installed three of the A.O. Smith Signature Premier 40-Gallon Tall 12-year Limited 40000-BTU Natural Gas Water Heater tanks (G12-CADT4040NV). One of them failed twice within 3 weeks. The pilot light does not spark at all, so we've been without hot water for a week now. Our plumber says it will cost about $200 to replace the gas valve, which AO Smith thinks should resolve the issue. AO Smith insists they will only cover $100 of the labor. Why should the consumer pay an extra $100 out of pocket to repair a product that was shipped from the factory defective? AO Smith should be ashamed of themselves. I'll be avoiding this company in the future.

I had a Whirlpool Hot water heater with a lifetime warranty. When it failed, I went to Lowes and they said that AO Smith had replaced Whirlpool and they'd back up the warranty. AO Smith said they "No longer supported the lifetime warranty but I could have their standard 12 year warranty on the replacement heater." Less than a year later, my hot water stinks. Their customer support recommended a procedure which should solve my problem. After doing it three times, with no persistent results, I can't even get thru to them now. The online support program doesn't recognize my model number. How would your family like showering in stinking water to start their day? Why can't I give "zero Stars" in this review?

This water heater was experiencing problems within about 5 months of installation. I was not too concerned about that, as it was under warranty. However, since trying to contact Smith to help out with the warranty, it has been a nightmare. If you do reach their main line, they will transfer you to the same endless hold, no matter what you tell the person on the phone. I had to have a third party service tech come out and inspect the product. Cost me a $122. AO Smith claims they will reimburse up to $100 for a service call. However, there is no possible way that will happen.

Purchased a A O Smith tankless water heater thru Lowe’s, sized for shops or cabins. Water heater pulls 57 amps and cycles hot water ever few seconds. Customer service incredibly rude, stating too much flow. You would only be able to get trickle from facet or shower and at 57 amps of power draw. Absolutely ridiculous, this is a complete failure of a product and A O Smith will not stand behind there tankless units- DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM A O SMITH, unless you want to throw good money away and be treated rude by their customer service.

The first tank was installed in our new house and went out within the first 12 months, the reset button caught on fire. Now less than 6 months later the second tank needs to be replaced, the heat pump compressor went out. I am reading all of these one star reviews for this product and I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how they are still on the market??

On 2/22/2021 we replaced our leaking 10+ year old Whirlpool electric water heater with the above A O Smith model from Lowe's, Pineville, LA. I installed the new heater per provided instructions, filled the tank, checked for leaks and powered it up. 6 hours later, no hot water. I turned the breaker off, checked the wiring and found no obvious problems. I contacted A O Smith and was told it sometimes takes up to 6 hours for the water to become hot. (Case #**) It's never taken over an hour in the past?? Since then the water has gone from cold to hot to scalding, to cold to scalding and back to cold.

My experience with AO Smith water heaters is that they're just fine. The problem is when something goes wrong and I need to call customer service. I've been plumbing for 15 years. In the past I would call AO Smith to troubleshoot a commercial water heater and 5 or 10 minutes later I was talking to someone helpful. Today I called at 10:38AM for tech support. I was offered to hang up and wait for a callback without losing my place in line. I did that (last time was a 2 hour wait). It is now 1:08PM, still no return call. About 3 weeks ago, similar experience, but I did get a call back after 2 hours, except the tech support was terrible. The person talking to me didn't seem like she knew anything about water heaters. What's going on AO Smith?

I am SMSGT Wood, USAF, Ret. The A. O. Smith water heater company has the worst customer service and return policy I have ever known in my life! On 7 February 2021, I purchased a A. O. Smith water heater from Lowe's in Conway SC. The water heater was very noisy as it was heating the water and it just got worse. On 11 February 2021, I called the A. O. Smith company and the problem was never properly resolved.

This was the second worst customer service experience I have ever had; the worst was dealing with my cable company. After 3 months of reliable service, my hybrid heat pump water heater would no longer get my water hot. I also noticed that the water heater was no longer cooling the air in the vicinity of the tank as it had previously. The plumber who installed the heater came out 3 times and went through various troubleshooting steps over the phone with A.O. Smith. It was painfully apparent to me through my basic understanding of how heat pumps work, that this was an HVAC issue -- not a plumbing issue. After 6 weeks of this nonsense, AO Smith sent out a plumber of their choosing despite this obviously being an HVAC problem. Not only did he not solve the problem, their plumber tried to shake me down for $199!

I spent $500 to get the brand new AO Smith water heater installed (bought from Lowe's). Water heater didn't work after installed, AO Smith customer support mentioned that "Gas valve" may be faulty and they shipped a new valve. The second valve also didn't work (I hired handyman for this work), so they said they will have to ship a third one. This time they sent their hired installer for the third gas valve and the third valve also didn't work. At this point I reached out to them to fix the water heater or replace it. They offered me two resolutions

I've had to replace 3 A.O. Smith Water heaters in 10 years in my two-adult household. Wrote to the CEO requesting an investigation as to why their products failed, and hoping for some level of empathy and customer satisfaction. Forget it. Their stated values of Honesty, Integrity, Innovation and Customer Satisfaction are just hollow words appearing on their website.

Installed a commercial-grade tankless gas water heater. After 2 years, the heat exchanger started leaking - short-circuited rest of unit. Had it replaced on warranty with an entire new unit. 2 years later...it starts leaking again. I have followed their recommended service schedule to de-scale water regularly. AO Smith won't replace again - claiming it has suffered heat stress. Thought it was supposed to HEAT water. Apparently not for longer than 2 years. Technical support was hard to reach, and gave different answers on why they would not honor the 5-year parts warranty - first I was told it was voided because my plumber had replaced parts before, so it could be workmanship. When I told them the entire unit was replaced (not parts) the first time, they changed the tune and now said it was not covered because I have hard water in my area. Expensive equipment - not worth the scrap copper metal I can get out of it...

I bought this hot water tank at Lowe’s and had it installed through Lowe’s. It rusted at 4 years. I emailed their technical support and was asked to email them pictures. I did and they have totally ignored me. I have asked them twice to email me a response. Nothing. Do not buy their products, they don’t stand behind them. They state 6-12 years not 4 years.

The rep for A.O. Smith was very rude. The tank was one month old and they voided my warranty because I installed the tank in the same location as the old which was no longer per code. The location had nothing to do with the warranty. In fact, she told me if I would change the location of the tank, in my mom and dad's old farm house, that with pictures, they would reinstate the warranty.

Bought a 40 gallon A.O. Smith water heater from Lowe's. Got it installed and it made a horrible humming noise. Called A.O. Smith and was told it was not under warranty and couldn't be returned to Lowe's. We had it less than 24 hours and had a receipt from Lowe's. We even purchased a 5 year extend warranty. Called Lowe's and explained the situation and they said to bring it back for a refund. Once we got to Lowe's they needed a RA number to return the water heater and we told them A.O. Smith would not give us one. The Lowe's associate called and was on hold for almost 20 minutes only to be hung up on after someone finally picked up. The Lowe's associate called again and was on hold for a long period of time. She got the run around from A.O. Smith and A.O. Smith continued to refuse to give an RA number to return the faulty water heater.

I bought a AO Smith water softener from Lowe's. I called their customer support and after 20min someone picked up my call and he does not care about the only question I had i.e. hardness settings. He blackmailed me to register my product or not get any details/help about the product. I should have read the reviews before buying a ao smith product. All of them are 1 star rating with warranty issues. This is a very bad company and I regret buying their product.

I spent a lot of money on my A. O. Smith water heater, it has a 6 yr warranty. It broke after 2.5 yrs, confirmed to be under warranty yet I still had to pay $1200 or labor. Be aware if you buy a water heater from A O Smith and it breaks because it’s terrible quality. You will still have to pay an arm and a leg to get a new one under warranty. I will never buy another product from A. O. Smith again And I hope you learn from my mistake.

Upon Installation water heater was not operating correctly after 24 hours being Installed by a professional not that should matter however in my case it does. Hot Water Heater was removed and returned to store or at least that was the plan. AO Smith is the brand of hot water heater I'm referencing that Lowe's carry. In any event I was asked for a authorization code which I didn't have and was told to notify AO Smith to get such code. Upon doing so I finally got someone to pick up. This is Sunday 5/24/20. Customer service very Rude. Was told I should have not returned said item to store and Item should have been serviced to check ohms readings and to see if heating element was bad that I could purchase from Lowe's reming you this is a new hot water heater that was Installed CORRECTLY spoke with two customer personnel one of whom hung up on me while I was talking. So I returned home with the hot water heater. More to come.

I bought an electric hot water heater from Lowe’s and it was an AO Smith. Hasn’t worked from the get go. We changed the thermostats and the heating elements. AO Smith said it was the Delta unit in the shower. (Not) Then they said it was Plumming. So by the time I jumped through all of AO Smith’s hoops still no hot water. AO Smith will not take ownership that their water heater is defective. So today I went to Menards and bought a Richmond electric water heater and hooked it up. Behold within a hour I had hot water.

I went through the process of having this hot water heater professionally installed. I watched as the plumber filled the tank and drained the air out of the lines and then plugged in the hot water heater. He waited for 2 hours and it didn’t heat up. So the next day I call Lowe’s and they tell me they don’t take back AO Smith water heaters without an authorization return from the company. So then I send over an hour on the phone with the company and they won’t issue the return authorization without making repairs on the hot water heater that they don’t pay for. It’s all on you!!! I asked them why isn’t this ridiculous process posted in Lowe’s and listed on your box. They can’t explain why. Bottom line spend a few more $$$s and get a quality hot water heater from another company. Unfortunately I didn’t check all the negative reviews before I purchased!!!

This hot water heater has been nothing but a nightmare. Constantly goes out. Drain tank restart goes back out. Bla bla bla. After 6 months this product is junk. Dont Buy.. I regret ever purchasing this garbage.

I bought a 50 gal A.O. Smith water heater from Lowes in Oct 2019, after electrician installed it, it never would keep up with even 2 showers back to back, then the pop off valve starter leaking and eventually blew water all over my basement. I bought another just like it and returned the 1st to Lowes and was told I needed a RA#. Fortunately I spend A LOT of $$ with Lowes because I flip houses and the manager took it back.

I purchased a 40 Gal. NG Hot Water Heater from Lowe's February 2018. I have had this for 2 years and you can not even finish a shower without running out of hot water. After calling them and obtaining information for a service call and being told that this is under warranty, I find out from the plumber that this service call will cost me anywhere from $150-$225 out of pocket. He told me that only the parts are covered. I only went with this company because my last hot water heater from them lasted over 20 years. This piece of crap only made it 2 years??? Plus, what good is a warranty that I have to pay over $200 out of pocket for after paying over $700 for the piece of crap water heater. Extremely poor customer service and I will tell everyone I know.

My water source is from a well on my property. As my holding tank empties the water pressure is low and when the well pump starts the pressure increases quickly and the new water coming in is colder. The instant hot water tank can not respond quick enough and the water temperature drops almost 15 degrees for at least ten seconds leaving you with really cold water in the shower every few minutes. Called tech support and they say everything is working fine. That’s normal. Ripping this thing out this week!!

A.O. SMITH EXTREMELY unreliable brand. DO NOT BUY. I had one that had to be replaced under warranty after just 4 years of service. This cost me $650 in labor because - while the water heater was covered under warranty - labor to install the new one was not.

Had my expensive AO Smith heat pump water heater go out for a bad upper heating element. The plumber I hired called AO Smith CS and had to walk their rep through their own owner's manual. No help at all. Product is still under warranty, but they are in no apparent rush to get the parts to me. Over 1 week now and still no replacement element received. Customer Service is really worthless and the company can't seem to handle shipping out their own parts. I will avoid buying anything from them in the future.

Our tank (high end) lasted 6 years 5 months and A.O. Smith told us too bad so sad you have a 6 YEAR warranty - buy another tank. Really - where is your customer loyalty? Your tanks are made to fail shortly after your warranty so the consumer has to buy another one. Just a sorry excuse for a operating customer company of a product needed in every home. If you are going to buy a water heater - STAY AWAY FROM A O SMITH!!!! We gave them every chance to make this right by even giving us some credit towards a new one by calling the Western Canada Rep - BUT NO WAY!!!! SO SAY NO WAY TO A O SMITH WHEN CHOOSING YOUR NEXT WATER HEATER!!!! If it looks like a lemon - it's a lemon.

We bought a Reliance water heater online through a company in my hometown. A certified plumber installed it for us. Before the 1 year warranty was out we noticed leaking and called our plumber. He came to look at it, and together we called the company. They said the manifold was was defective and sent a new one to have our plumber put in for us. Not a year later, it began to leak again. My son was emptying a 5 gallon bucket of water everyday. We called the plumber. He said there was nothing he could do. We called the company. They said to take pictures and send them to the company. We filmed it and sent it in to them to show where the water was leaking. They told us to take pictures. We did so. The company said to take it apart and take pictures of the coils. I told him the manual stated if we touched it our warranty would be void. They still insisted that we take it apart.

We purchased 3 electric tankless water heaters, model # R2VR-140E-100, 2 were bad and had to be replaced, never even used them. Finally paid another plumber $575 to come out and take it off the wall and replace with a new unit after AO SMITH customer support was totally unhelpful. When I called to get authorization to return I was told they would not issue one because the unit was repairable. We were told my technical support it was not repairable so we replaced it for the 3rd time. I am now out the $330 I paid for it + another $1,200 for the 2 plumbers I had to pay to come out to repair this thing. Horrible customer service, horrible product. Save yourself a lot of headaches just buy another brand.

Wish I had read these reviews before buying. Bought heater two and a half years ago and it quit working. Tech support was no help at all and said the warranty was void because it is a gas heater in the house. My central is in the house and gas. Then I looked on internet and all I found was 6 year warranties and not 3 like Smith. Guess they don't even believe in their product. I spent the extra $30 and got a Rheem from Home Depot.

Purchased new water heater to replace my older one after 13 years February 2018. 10 months later, water heater stopped working. Called AO Smith, and they sent certified plumber to resolve issue. This happened November 2018. After parts replaced, water heater still having issues. By February 2019, I was given trade number to take back to Lowe's and get new water heater. I was charged $422 by local plumber to take out old one, drive 75 miles to Lowe's to get new one and reinstall. AO Smith only covered $150. My tenants moved out April 2019.

We purchased a new water heater less than a month ago. Already having problems with it. We've contacted three people from this company already asking for assistance. They're all clueless and awful to work with.

Do not buy from this company. They have no customer service and do not honor warranties. I tried for 5 hours to work with them over the phone using 5 different service reps only to be told that I didn't use the heater enough.

I have a water heater that is about two years old from A.O Smith. It makes an intermittent popping noise that is very loud on a regular basis. I’ve had a tech flush it several times per their instruction and the noise continues. Every time I call customer service I get a different person recommending what is wrong to which my plumber said is not the case. They tried to convince me to buy an expansion tank for the unit. I refuse to spend any more money on this, especially since I’m convinced that won’t fix the issue. I had another tech out recently from where I purchased my unit. They were on the phone with A.O Smith again today who said there isn’t anything they can do for me and won’t support a replacement. I’m very disappointed that this company does not stand behind their product and will never purchase anything from them again. I will also spread the word on their horrible service to others.

A.O. Smith 40,000 Grain H2O Softener SUCKS. ABSOLUTELY ROTTEN! Bought A.O. Smith Water Softener from Lowe's. Installed by plumber recommended by store. 2 hr. labor $s for install was as much as the cost of the softener. Unit failed after 2 mo. use. After speaking with 6 of Lowe's employees, I was transferred to A.O. Smith. They are sending me the repair parts and have given me a $100 Claim # against another plumber's repair bill. USA! USA! USA! I am presently out $988.27, with a water softener that is junk! I will never again buy anything from either Lowe's or A. O. Smith. I do not think this is the way business is now done in the USA, but I surely do know how Lowe's and A.O.Smith conduct their business! SUCKS!!!

After 5 years of great service our water heater started acting up. The plumber says 15 days until they can come out to fix, A. O. Smith stood behind the warranty and sent the much needed parts next day. I mean the very next day at no cost not even for shipping. I've never dealt with a warranty issue this easily. Simple install, Great company, great customer service. I look forward to many more years using their products.

I purchased new A. O. Smith electric water heater. Its both heating elements failed within half year. It continues to fail, I called customer service and several tech have been really unhelpful, they even raised their voice to me. I have called more than 5 times today to do exactly what they told me to do and the water is still not hot. The techs refused to replace the water heather. They takes all of your time, but do not want to spend less than $300 cost to replace the bad one and let you pay up to a thousand dollars to replace parts. It is a nightmare to purchase their water heater. Please stay away from this maker for water heater.

A. O. Smith is a horrible company. Their warranty is de. A. O. Smith is a horrible company to do business with. Please note their warranty is non transferable. So if you're buying a home that has their products the warranty will be void or greatly reduced. They also base the warranty from the date of manufacturing vs. the installation date. So if your water heater had been sitting in the warehouse for months or years prior to your purchase that time is deducted from your warranty.

I bought a lifetime warranty water heater 19 years ago. It sprung a leak and A.O. Smith gave me a brand new water heater at no cost. I called A.O Smith and they gave me a return authorization number. I took that and the old water heater back to Lowe's. Lowe's gave me a store credit for a water heater comparable to the one I bought in 2000. I paid $269 back in 2000 and Lowe's gave me a store credit for $500. I added another $200 and bought an A.O. Smith heat pump water heater. They do not offer lifetime warranties anymore but hopefully my new one will last another 19 years. My new one has a 10 year warranty.

If I could give NO STARS I would. The water heater I had for 17 years went out so I went to Lowe's to purchase a new one. I wish I would had research this brand first. After having it installed the water pressure only on the HOT WATER side was low (NEVER had that issue with the old heater). So I looked at the user manual and it stated on page 26 that the issue would be Melted Dip Tube OR partially closed supply value. Well the value was okay so the only option left per the user manual was the dip tube.

I purchased new A. O. Smith electric water heater. Its both heating elements failed within half year with city water. It continues to fail the heating elements every half year within two years until the service tech refused to replace the heating elements. But A. O. Smith warranty does not allow for a replacement of the water heater. They takes all of your time, but do not want to spend less than $300 cost to replace the bad one and let you pay up to a thousand dollars to replace parts. It is a nightmare to purchase their water heater. Please stay away from this maker for water heater.

Avoid this company. We own a two-year-old AOSmith heat pump water heater, which recently filled our basement with acrid black smoke that took two days to dissipate. When we first discovered the smoke, we cut power to the unit to stop it from smoking and waited for the plumber. The plumber could see and smell the smoke from the unit but could not determine where inside the unit it was coming from.

I purchased this item A. O. Smith 30 gallon gas hot water heater. Had it professionally installed. The technician had to make three trips to finally get me going 3 days later. I definitely do not recommend this hot water heater to anyone's. What a bad experience.

I have a 40 gallon with a smart panel and a nine yr warranty. I installed eight yrs ago. Had a problem with the smart panel and they sent me another panel as it is under warranty. Still had problems after install but when I tell them, now a tech thinks I haven’t installed it up to code because I said something about a plug and not pin connection on the smart panel. They want me to send photos or get a city inspection saying it is up to code or as one rep said they will not honor my warranty. I did talk to someone who said it may be another bad panel and check the ohms on the elements to make sure they are good. Then I call back to say I checked that and I get another person who looks back at the notes and says I need to prove it is installed correctly.

I spoke too soon and after being contacted several times by their technician and trying different things, they have approved my returning the hot water heater in question to Lowe's for a credit or new hot water heater.

I do not even know where to begin. My father came over to my house and he and I installed the brand new 50 gallon electric water heater Saturday. We have done several before and have a working knowledge of how to install them. Once installed, we filled the tank with cold water, let the hot water run in the sink for 5 minutes until it was a steady stream and no air came out. We then turned the breaker on and waited. By morning I had NO hot water. I went down and checked for 240 volts and had it. I then checked to make sure there was 240 volts going to the top element and the bottom. My multi meter confirmed power was going throughout the system. This is when I emailed your company and explained my problem. I did not receive a reply for 2 days so I just went out and bought 2 heating elements and an upper lower thermostat from Lowe's and figured I would replace one at a time until it worked.

Bought a new tank. 40 gal. Elec. 2 years tank started leaking. Plumbing co said it was a bad tank. Tank was under warranty. They charged me 450.00 in labor. 2 years later new tank started leaking. The plumbers told me again it was a bad tank and they see this condition a lot from this co. 450.00 dollars more and a new tank was put in. I called the customer support at A. O. Smith. The girl said, "I yes you have corroded water." I told her I had 3 other homes with different types of tanks with no problems. She said this house might be the only one in the area with bad water. No help at all. Just bad tanks.

I have rental houses, and I have had three bad electric water heaters in 6 months, I will never purchase another A.O. Smith water heater from Lowe's. Do not waste your time or money. 1st one had a leak in the tank and tenant did not notice until it had quit working. It was so rusted, it looked like it was 20 years old. They did replace the unit, but I had to pay for the labor. Since it was slightly over a year old, and since it was 3 hours away, it was very costly to me.

I replaced both thermostats and sent the invoice to A.O.Smith and they did reimburse me for the cost of the thermostats and it appears to have solved the problem.