The Bradford White CombiCor is a discontinued water heater available in both oil and gas-fired models. It featured an UltraCoil heat exchanger and two monofilament channels between the walls to provide leak detection. Each unit came with an installed T&P valve, a brass drain valve, and an anti-scald device to help prevent injury. The Vitroglas tank lining and a magnesium anode rod protected the CombiCor from the corrosive effects of hot water. Oil-fired models were lined with 1" non-CFC foam insulation to protect against heat loss while increasing jacket rigidity, and gas-fired models were lined with 2" non-CFC insulation.
Our 50gal water heater is only 6 years old. We woke up to a flooded basement and were informed by the technician that the interior core and pressure release failed. He was surprised that this would happen to a tank 'this young'.
A Bullock
Hillsborough, NJ
"WARNING! THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
1.0 rating
Very Unsatisfied
I woke up this morning with water all over my garage and den area from a gushing water leak from my Bradford White HydroJet. Not only was water everywhere, but the water was leaking from the gas line of the Honeywell part on the unit. Wth!! Wtf!!! That's not normal wear and tear and that could potentially cause a much greater problem; not to mention the safety risk. Wouldn't you know it? When I called about the warranty, they said that my warranty had just expired 4 months earlier. So they knew just about how long their crappie product what last. Do Not Buy Their Products. If you don't have the money, turn the water off, shack up with relatives for a couple of weeks to save it, cause your wasting your money and time by buying theirs.
Deborah Berry
Georgia
"Junk"
1.0 rating
Very Unsatisfied
Had it four years and leaked. Could not be fixed. Had to buy a new A.O. Smith. Simply put a piece of junk.
Linda Huerta
Indianapolis
"Type of water heater failure"
3.0 rating
Neutral
The water heater lasted for 6 years. Then it got a leak on the drain valve. I tried to fix it; so far, I have not had much success. I was wondering if anyone else had that problem?
Mary Rosier
United States
"Terrible design / constant problems"
1.0 rating
Very Unsatisfied
I have had this unit for 6 years now and it constantly has had problems since it was new. It is designed to be used for hydronic heating of your home and domestic water heating. In short, when the hydronic floor heat is being utilized, it sucks all the heat out of your domestic water (cold showers). There is also a little red reset button that continually trips and turns the burner off. I also have noticed a large amount of decaying debris coming from the tank itself on the burner plate, telling me this tank is starting to fail. The only good reviews I am seeing are from the plumbers that are trying to sell these units. My last house I had for twenty years with the original tank and zero issues, and it wasn't a Bradford White. Unfortunately, this unit and probably all the manufacturers are outsourcing to China. Too bad!
James pittman
Renton, WA
Other CombiCor Reviews
In a post about the reliability of the CombiCor on heatinghelp.com, several professionals stated that they found it unreliable, with one calling it 'reliably unreliable'. One professional did say that it is a good unit and that the company's customer service is excellent. Posts on terrylove.com and heatinghelp.com both concerned changing the anode rod, though both consumers appear to have been doing it for maintenance reasons and not because of an actual problem.
Gas-fired models of the Bradford White CombiCor are covered by a 10-year limited warranty on the steel tank and heat exchanger and a 6-year limited parts warranty.
Oil-fired models are covered by a 6-year limited warranty on the steel tank and heat exchanger and a 2-year limited parts warranty.
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