Bradford White Electric 
Water Heaters 
Review and Buying Tips

Discover a great selection of Bradford White electric water heaters for home water heating, main features, pros, and cons. Explore the types of electric-powered heaters that can reduce your energy costs and help you get significant rebates.

Several types, shapes, and sizes of the electric-powered Bradford White water heaters are designed as conventional storage tank-type (also known as cylinders) and tankless.

Storage tank-type water heaters are found in most homes because they use proven technology, are reliable, and affordable. Conventional heaters are not Energy Star compliant, while hybrids, which use heat pumps and electric heating elements, are.

Tankless is small but powerful, expensive but has lower operating costs than tank-types, where most models utilize advanced electronics, one or two heat exchangers for on-demand water heating.

All the electric heaters are built for residential-home use, but some can be used in commercial and manufactured applications or mobile homes as well. All models are designed for indoor installation, such as utility rooms, garages, basements, attics, or even closets.

Electric-type heating is the most popular way to heat domestic water and is recommended in areas where natural gas or propane is not available. For even greater savings and eco-friendly operation, electric heaters can be combined with solar heating systems.

Features review

Bradford White offers several types of electric water heaters. The Upright models are designed as conventional type, Lowboy, TableTop and Utility as specialty models,  tankless, or with small tank size.

Features that are reviewed here are found in the tank type.

Efficient and safe heating

Every conventional tank-type model is equipped with one or two immersed and screw-in type heating elements designed to transfer energy directly to the surrounding water very efficiently (up to 99%). It is important to say that even with the high efficient heating, conventional electric water heaters, including tankless, are not Energy Star compliant.

Bradford White features only one type that is Energy Star certified - AeroTherm hybrid water heater. According to the manufacturer, hybrids can save up to $300 in energy costs annually. In addition to that, there are other incentives available to homeowners, such as state and local utility rebates.

Units that are equipped with two heating elements operate simultaneously or non-simultaneously when only one or both elements are heating water at the same time. The fast-acting thermostat provides automatic temperature control and has the built-in ECO feature that prevents the unit from overheating.

The recommendation is to buy a heater with thicker foam insulation (at least 2 inches), as it reduces the standby heat loss and the heat traps that reduce the heat loss in piping.

Sediment reduction

All the standard type units come with the Hydrojet Total Performance System that incorporates a specially designed dip tube to generate the turbulent flow of the incoming cold water and reduce the sediment build-up at the bottom of the tank while increasing the first-hour delivery and performance.

Corrosion protection

Factory-installed magnesium anode rod and Vitraglas lining work together to protect the metal tank from the aggressive water action that can corrode the metal elements.

Model review

Residential Upright models

Residential Upright water heaters are found in three sizes: 30, 40, and 50 gallons operating from 120 V to 480 V, in a single- or three-phase operation.

Residential Utility

Utility models are mainly used in applications where the demand for hot water is lower, and the capacity ranges from 6 to 19 gallons. Due to their smaller and compact sizes, they can be easily installed anywhere inside the house or apartment. They utilize only one heating element. The six and 12-gallon models are equipped with connections that allow either side or top installation.

Lowboy series

The Lowboy series are built with capacities from 19 to 47 gallons and, due to its smaller sizes, are meant for homes with tight spaces and where the installation of the standard type, due to its height, is not possible.

Other

Wall Hung and Compact models are ideal for wall mount, under the sink, or above sink installation and the tank size ranges from 2 gallons for the Compact model to 19 gallons for the Wall Hung models.

Hybrids

Bradford White hybrids come from the AeroTherm series with three models available; 50, 65, and 80 gallons. As the conventional electric type, AeroTherm models also use heating elements, which can be combined with heat pump technology for fast recovery. While hybrids have the same recovery rate and similar first-hour rate as the conventional type, the energy factor is much higher – up to 3.48.

Tankless electric

KwickShot is the Bradford White brand name for the electric tankless water heaters,appliances that heat water on demand and provide hot water in unlimited supply. They are designed small and compact for easy wall installation and can replace conventional tank-type water heaters. Bradford White electric models from KwickShot can be found as single and three-phase models, with the thermostatic and flow control, voltage ranges from 120 to 277 V, and power from 3 to 38 kW.

Most of the time, KwickShot models are used in the kitchen or bathroom as the under-sink or point-of-use models for fast, hot water delivery in residential applications. They can also heat water to higher temperatures of 180 F for use in hospitals, garages, schools, restaurants, manufacturing, and others.

Conclusion

Bradford White electric water heaters are available through the local distributors or licensed plumbers. Homeowners can buy an affordable model with basic features, get enough hot water for their family, or get a high-end unit with the most innovative features and significantly save water and energy. You just have to choose either to go with the simple tank-type model, tankless for on-demand heating, or ultra-efficient heat pump.

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