Installed 4/11/2018 have had trouble keeping the pilot light on. Called customer service and tech rep stated main problem was probably poor draft or inadequate ventilation. On 4/20/2019 water heater completely stopped working. Could not keep the pilot light on. 4/23/2018 plumber checked out the system. Needs a thermostat control. To get the new item, I was told I had to pay shipping. hoping this new part solves the problem.

EugeneH

Denison, Texas

Will never buy another one. The company is also very difficult to get warranty money for repairs.

homecontractor

Columbia MO

Had to write this review to hopefully save another homeowner from our experience. Had AO Smith 50 gal installed 8/10. 9/11/12 it ruptured flooding our basement. Plumber who installed it warrantied the heater but not the labor or clean up. It was replaced with another AO Smith 50 gal heater. 3/15/15 heater failed again spewing rust orange water after approximately 25 gal of flow. Replacing with a Rheem.

3cats

null

Also on the advice of my plumber, I had this junk installed about six years ago. It worked fairly well but never got water terribly hot. I had to fill the bathtub halfway, wait until water got hot again then finish filling to get it hot enough. Then about two years ago the pilot light kept going out. I had the water heater serviced and then the pilot light assembly replaced and continued to have intermittent problems. Starting About a week ago pilot light goes off continually and worse the burner won't stay on long enough to heat a full 50 gallons. What a piece of crap.

Dandds

USA

We purchased the A O Smith Promax on the advice of our plummer (6 months ago). Now I'm nervous about the purchase. Prior to installing, the Rheem lasted for some 14 years without any problem whatsoever. Outside of taking a whole day to install it, the unit works well and provides plenty of hot water. One drawback, and I asked the plummer about this potential issue as I had read it in a review, prior to installing and he assured me he had never heard of such a thing. Sure enough, once installed, when we turn on the hot water faucet, in any bathroom or in the kitchen, within a few minutes, the unit lets out this sound that reminds me of a fog horn on a tug boat and it lasts about 7 seconds. Not a big deal, but it's exactly what I had read in a review that I passed onto the plummer who installs these things "all the time" and he never heard of this problem? Seems weird to me. Other than that, the unit is fine so far. I'll write back in a couple of years.

Lorrainep

USA

I purchased the 50 gallon gas model because A.O. Smith used to be one of the finest available. I suspect that someone cut corners to increase profit and is now producing a poor quality product. I purchased a G.E. 50 gallon model that performs very well at far less cost.

TheTimekeeper

Minneapolis, MN

Our A. O. Smith Pro Max Plus was installed two years ago by our plumber. Apparently, the plumber has to remain on sentry duty to ensure the pilot light stays on. When he gets tired, you'll have to call an A. O. Smith "authorized dealer" to come out and "clean the filter." Clean the filter? What filter? Where is it? With what kind of brush? How about the A. O. Smith website? Sorry, the pictograms are right from 1947, and the whole cleaning instructional page had no helpful information whatsoever. How about the A. O. Smith customer service line? Ooops. They'll tell you more about this "clean the filter" thing, only they'll rub a little salt in the wound by advising that it's not a warranty-related repair. These things are pieces of junk. So poorly designed that the filter gets clogged, knocking out the pilot? With cleaning the thing amounting to major surgery in a neuro ward? A POORLY DESIGNED PIECE OF JUNK - DON'T BUY!

BAKESC

USA

Pure junk!!! After less than 4 years of mediocre service my A.O Smith 50 gallon dud flooded my basement. OK maybe it was a lemon, maybe it just happens sometimes but then their distributor refuses to honor the warranty. The reason- It was a different installer. After calling around with my plumber standing there with the clock running I discover that only 2 supply houses in the Philadelphia area even stock this junk. Philadelphia is a big place with a lot of water heaters, kind of tells you something doesn't it! Calls to customer service proved useless, they have no problem with their distributors ignoring their warranty after all it is their right to refuse service?!?. Basically their product is sub standard and their customer service and attitude is much worse. Buyer Beware this is junk. STAY AWAY FAR AWAY!!!

deelek

USA

Most of the complaints here is about the pilot light going out. Here is the reason. Its all about the ANSI flammable vapor ignition resistant (FVIR) standard. This standard is to prevent explosive gas from entering the heating chamber. There is a ceramic disc at the bottom of the heater. If this ceramic ever gets wet, it will not allow ANY gas in, including oxygen, so, the pilot light goes out. When installing the heater, IMHO, put it up on cinder blocks or something to prevent moisture from saturating the ceramic. If you put it right on the concrete floor it will be hard for air to get through the ceramic. I found all this out the hard way when my basement flooded and after cleaning up, I couldn't get the pilot light to work. I called AO Smith and they said there was no way to fix it and I would have to buy a new heater. I solved the problem with my wife's hair drier blowing on the ceramic all day to dry it out. (With the gas and water supply off obviously). This said, later the hot water heater starting leaking after 6 years and 6 months of use. The warranty is for six years. Sucks to be me.

BBRodrguez

USA

Pilot won't stay lit. There's a flaw in the design that causes the intake to clog a few times a year. It's a real pain to clean and is hard to access. We're in the process of buying another house and need another water heater. It will definitely not be A.O. Smith!

JasperJ

USA