A. O. Smith
Reviews and Complaints

Dear Readers, I feel compelled to share my recent experience with A.O. Smith Corporation. Despite the initial allure of their products, my encounter left me deeply dissatisfied. The water heater I purchased barely two years ago developed a fault, and the company's customer service was a nightmare to navigate. Hours spent on hold, unfulfilled promises, and exorbitant charges for basic services tarnished my perception of the brand. It pains me to say that the once-praised warranty turned out to be a hollow assurance. As I reflect on my interactions with A.O. Smith, I urge you to tread cautiously and consider alternative options for your water heating needs. Let my experience serve as a cautionary tale in your quest for reliable products and services. Sincerely, a disillusioned customer.

I have the Pro Line XE hot water tank from this company. Model number GPVT-40-200. It stopped heating my water Sunday, 12/28/22. and I called a plumber and he mentioned he had only seen one other tank like it and the pressure plate failed because the termination cap was never installed. That sounds like a known issue and this model should be recalled. The company charged me $32.00 to ship the free parts necessary to repair the tank that was installed on 4/22/22. When I asked the rep that was assisting me if he could get the parts to me faster, he gave me a higher price that would take an additional day. I asked if he and his family were wasting their hands and dishes in cold water and he changed the subject. To date I have paid nearly $300.00 for a hot water tank under warranty and will pay another $300.00 when the plumber returns to install the parts that failed and relight the automatic start tank. The warranty does not make me feel assured that I will have a trouble free hot water tank in the future. Because the plumber recognized that the failure had the same failure code, as the last A.O. Smith tank, I can't help wondering if this model tank is defective.

I want to say I NEVER write positive reviews because usually no one reads them but I MUST write one for AO smith. Their customer service is bar none! I purchased a hybrid water heater from Lowes and it was defective right out the box. I had to get pushed up to customer relations but they eventually agreed to not only replace the water heater but also pay for the installation. These guys are awesome and It makes me happy that I made the right choice going to this company for my investment. Thanks AO Smith!

On July 15, 2021, I bought the *** Smith 35000-Grain Water Softener Item #***Model #AO-WH-SOFT-350 from ***, along with the necessary parts for installation and use. A few days later, a licensed plumber that I hired privately (not from ***) installed the product. After 2-3 weeks, the product stopped working, so I reached out to the company for assistance. I was informed that there were no service technicians available, but the customer service representative tried to guide me through troubleshooting. However, due to my disability, I have limited mobility. I had to crawl down the stairs to the basement where the product was installed. The customer service rep then instructed me on the tools I needed to troubleshoot and fix the product. I had to crawl back up to get the necessary tools and then crawl back down to the basement. The customer service rep guided me on using a magnet and a screwdriver to address the product's issue. They even suggested that I open the top of the product to replace parts. Unfortunately, being on a fixed income due to my disability, I cannot afford to call a plumber frequently for this product. Additionally, I am not physically capable of diagnosing and fixing the product as required. Considering the amount I spent, I had higher expectations regarding the company's service support. I was disappointed to find that this was not the case. Consequently, I had the product removed and attempted to return it to the store. However, *** refused to accept the return since it exceeded their return date policy. As the product was too heavy for me to take back home, I had to leave it at the store. I hope that the company will reach out to me to resolve this situation, as I believe I was sold a defective product without any support. Since I no longer have the product, a refund would be greatly appreciated.

water heater installed and caused a low to no water pressure and flow. called customer support and was advised water pressure issues is not grounds for warranty. returned to store and explained what is taking place. store manager and store plumbing pro agreed water heater was faulty and a RMA from AOSmith support needs to be issued. I called support again and the woman flat refused to help me with an RMA. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she refused claiming she could not transfer the call and they would need to call me back. 2 hours on the phone and I was not having it! I needed an RMA to return the product. I have made a youtube video showing the issue and how it was fixed since AO Smth refused to stand behind their product. the video can be seen on my youtube channel at Daveknowshow. I will include a link here but that link may get blocked so in that case head over to the channel and search.

https://youtu.be/bLX3k-CQVr8

I called the technical assistance number listed in the manual. I asked to get a part NUMBER for the anode rod on a water heater. They required I provide them with name, address, phone number, location in the house of the water heater, serial number, model number, and who installed it. This amount of information is ABSURD to get a part number for a non warranty part. Anode rod can be bought at a local hardware store. After multiple conversations, I was told it was due to gas regulations. Not true. I called a supply distributor and ordered the part before even being asked my name. Ao smith kept referring me by a name I stopped using (get this) 33 YEARS ago. When asked where they got the name, they refused. No need to wonder how my identity was hacked.

We purchased our new gas hot water heater on May 6, 2023. Our heater worked fine for 6 weeks. Our pilot light would not stay lit thru numerous attempts as per instructed by technicians from AO Smith. They agreed to order parts from our supplier. They gave me a name of the closest plumber. They were over an hour away. That Company (Rossi) informed us they were too far away. I contacted AO Smith again and explained our dissatisfaction. All we were offered was a $100 compensation to hire a plumber. It costs that just for a plumber to come out and give an estimate.

We should NOT have to pay any money out of our pocket for a defective product sold to us. We were informed we had a 6-year warranty (ITS ONLY 6 WEEKS)!

AO Smith needs to fulfill their obligations and stand behind the products.

We need this resolved ASAP - Awaiting a supervisor to call, but from the reviews I have read we are not alone in these major complaints.

Our house had a water heater in 2016 break in 2021. It was replaced, but less than 2 years later, the replacement is now broken. I called the AO Smith, and they say that because the original purchase date was in 2016, it was out of warranty. The replacement lasted less than TWO YEARS! This company is abysmal, and will not stand by their products. Their products are cheap crap and will not last. Be ready to buy a new hot water heater

I previously had an A.O smith 40 gallon water heater in my home when I purchased it in 2007.The unit was 3 years old.I replaced it in 2016 so naturally I went with A.O. Smith, same model and size again.The unit only lasted 6 years and 7 months, 7 months after the warranty expired.The technician showed me the issue and I was told that it occurred because the feed nipples were made of two different metals thats why they both Corroded the threading causing the unit to leak from the feed pipes into the heater.Happy New Years day at a cost of 4200 Dollars.

I purchased a AOSmith water heater from Lowes in January 2022. It was installed by ARS Roto-Rooter on January 4, 2022. On Thursday, December 8, 2022, I noticed a burning odor as well as smoke in my garage where the water heater is located. At the same time, my household water would not get hot. On Friday, December 9, 2022, I confirmed that the water heater would not kick on and all residual heat from the tank was gone. However, power is being provided to the unit. On Saturday, December 10, 2022, I contacted APSmith support at [protected] and Spoke with a lady named Jessica. She confirmed that the warranty for the tank, parts and labor is in effect. She directed me to contact their contracted service company, Islandmann Plumbing in League City, TX and provided me with their phone number. She also provided me with an authorization number to cover the warranty for labor and parts. At 12pm on the same day, the technician for Islandmann arrives and inspected the unit. No outside visible signs of burned wires could be seen and the next step would be to inspect the elements. Before doing this work, the technician wanted to confirm the warranty for labor and parts. He was perplexed because he is not aware of any agreement with his company and AOSmith. We immediately recontacted AOSmith support and spoke with a gentlemen that stated Islandmann is in-fact not contracted with them and they (AOSmith) would only pay $150 towards their labor costs The estimated cost from Islandmann Plumbing is $900; therefore, I'm already starting out down $50 for Islandmann Plumbing to show up and be unable to do any further service covered under the warranty because I was given incorrect information and directed by AOSmith (Jessica) to contact them. I was given another company, RG Plumbing in which they do not service my area as I am outside of their service area. Wait it gets worse! As I am typing this, I was contacted by an AOSmith "supervisor", named Keith, that confirmed that in reality, AOSmith cannot honor the labor warranty due to not having contracted companies available in my area to inspect nor service the unit. He also mentioned that the $150 mentioned above is incorrect and that they will actually only pay up to $100 towards non contracted companies labor invoice. Keith went on to say, that I should perform the inspection of the water heater myself or have a neighbor assist me to determine the issue and what parts would be needed. As everyone knows, servicing hot water heaters at this level should only be performed by a qualified technician. At this point, I have no path to a resolution other than reaching out to other contractors and paying out of pocket for their services.

Installed this new combi unit in my home less than 3 years ago. So far I have a bad fan assembly and the inlet and outlet tubes are leaking. I'm now left with no hot water or heat and an expensive plumbing bill. I don't think this is typical for any heating unit to insure this much overhaul in under three years. They have honored the parts and shipped them out, and I'm very pleased with that... but I still would like to recoup the plumbing costs for this overhaul of the heater.

I purchased a hot water tank in 2020...that's 2 years ago and was told it was covered under the manufacturer warranty for 5 years. My tank is not working and keeps shutting off so called for service. Now the warranty was only for a year, you have to be kidding me! I paid 2700 for a piece of crap tank that only lasted two years! Neither the distributor or Manufacturer are taking accountability and expect for me to pay to get it fixed and or inspected. Customer service is useless and the company is just bad I would not recommend anyone using this company ever. This will be on every social media platform I can think of. Hopefully no one else has to go through this.

Even being a plumbing contractor, AO Smith treats us like what sits in the bottom of the toilet. A.O. Smith representative for this area, Ron Carter, refuses to pay us when their garbage fails within the 1 year time frame and we have to go out and fix them at all hours. Their cover answer to all questions is, the plumber did something wrong . Why yes we did do something wrong, we bought one of your poorly designed units . They make us look bad to our clients, who we always strive to supply the best equipment and service . Never EVER buy a A.O. Smith . Period . Many of us have abandoned what was a good company years ago for Rheem or Bradford - White . Good tech lines, answers and help .

AO Smith hotwater heater fails after 1 yr of installation by the builder. We know 5 out of 24 (reported failures) in our neighborhood alone. If under the 1yr builder's warranty - the builder's customer service will fix it but, after 1yr you contact AO Smith. The thermocouple and the thermal controller have to be replaced. The manufaturer is willing to send the parts providing you contact them and a plumber to install the parts. Model GNR 40 serial number 0803T001366 is just junk! It was our experience that the part we not delivered on time as promised by the parts dept.

$5000 Water Heater failed after only 5 years with very little use and caused catastrophic damage. Their water heaters don't just leak when they fail they explode. This company does not stand by their products.

After my previous water heater failed after 31 years, I had a 30-gallon A. O. Smith Promax gas water heater installed on October 30, 2007. On November 17, after 19 days, the pilot light went out. For the next seven months, the pilot light continued to fail and had to be relit.

The pilot failed sometimes every few days, sometimes every day, sometimes four times a day or more.
Eventually, I had to relight the pilot light every time we needed hot water. The plumber who installed the Promax returned five separate times to try and fix it, without success. An A. O. Smith Authorized Technician tried and also failed to fix it. To help find the problem, I installed a camera at the heater viewing window, and videotaped the pilot failing four times. No one looked at the tapes.
I began to think that this water heater must be pretty bad if an experienced plumber couldn't fix it after five tries, and an A. O. Smith Authorized Technician, who works on nothing but A. O. Smith products, also could not get it to work.
Over seven months, I had to relight the pilot 63 times. At 10-15 minutes per relight (according to A. O. Smith instructions), this comes to a total of between 10-16 hours I spent lighting this heater. I can assure you that having to lay on your stomach at all hours of the day and night, in a cold and dark cellar, is not a pleasant job for an old man.
A. O. Smith, and the Factory Authorized Service Technician (who is paid by A. O. Smith) blame me for the Promax failure and refuse to refund my money. They say (without any tests or proof) that water vapor coming through the dirt floor in my cellar causes excess humidity which clogs the heater's flame arrestor, disrupts the air flow to the heater, and puts out the pilot flame.
In 2003, the Government got into the water heater business. It required all water heater manufacturers to fit a flame arrestor into water heaters. A flame arrestor prevents the burner flame inside the heater from igniting flammable vapors outside of the heater. All heater manufacturers were allowed to come up with their own design of flame arrestor.
I learned from some plumbing websites that the real problem with the Promax may not be my cellar, but the design of its flame arrestor. All incoming air for the heater's operation must pass through the flame arrestor. The Promax uses a flame arrestor made from a Corderite ceramic disc. This ceramic disc is about the size of a saucer, so limits the air coming into the heater. In addition, the openings in the disc itself are small, further restricting air flow.
Aside from any design problem with the Promax, there are several reasons why A. O. Smith blaming me for the Promax failure is nonsense.
I was given no warning before purchasing the Promax, either from the plumber or A. O. Smith, that humidity was a limiting factor for the operation of this heater.
No one told me that this heater needed a certain humidity range in order to work, much less what the humidity range was supposed to be. If I had known beforehand of a potential problem, I would not have bought the Promax heater.
The excess humidity conclusion is not supported by statements in A. O. Smith's own Instruction Manual (#[protected]) and Service Handbook (#TC-049RC). In these manuals, the word 'humidity' is mentioned only once in 93 pages, and then only as an indication of tank leakage, not as a cause of pilot flame failure. These manuals are available on A. O. Smith's website http:--www.hotwater.com-lit.html.
Saying that my cellar is too humid, does not make it so. During December 2008-January 2009, I tested the relative humidity in my cellar using a Honeywell hygrometer. For these two months, the relative humidity was in a range from 51%-65%, staying mostly in the mid-50s.
A 30%-65% range for occupied areas is recommended by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE thermal comfort standard for Human Occupancy, Standard 62.1-2004). Their chart can be seen at http:--www.ccohs.ca-oshanswers-phys_agents-thermal_comfort.html.
This means that even though my family doesn't actually 'occupy' our cellar, the relative humidity there is within ASHRAE standards. This normal reading is more significant in that during January 2009 we had four times as much snow (i.e. more moisture thus more humidity) than during the same period in 2008 when the Promax was installed. In other words, during January 2008, the humidity level in my cellar was probably even lower.
I also tested the wooden beams in my cellar with an Extech moisture meter. All the wood tested normal at 20% or less moisture. My home was built in 1924, so these normal readings are after 85 years of supposedly excess humidity.
These tests show that my cellar is not 'too humid' as A. O. Smith maintains and therefore is not likely to be the cause of their product's failure.
My films of the Promax pilot light failure show that the pilot fails in several ways; it goes out by itself, or when the burner tries to go on, or when the burner is lit and then turns off. A. O. Smith's lack of air explanation for the pilot failure seems suspect considering that the burner itself, which must require thousands of times the air the pilot does, had no trouble staying lit (once the pilot was lit) during a heating cycle.
The solution for pilot flame outages, A. O. Smith's Legal Department says, is to clean (vacuum) their ceramic disc flame arrestor top and bottom routinely. To do this the burner must be removed, not a job the average customer can or would want to do.
Some plumbers state (see links below) that it is impossible to properly clean the bottom of this ceramic disc at all, as that part is nearly inaccessible. In any case, calling a plumber 'routinely' (every three months? every month?) is expensive and irritating, considering that your old heater may have lasted for decades without any attention at all.
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I believe that most people would consider it intolerable if a brand-new car failed to start 63 times in seven months. After experiencing similar inconvenience, not to mention cold water, I replaced the Promax with a Bradford-White heater (my choice and in spite of the plumber's objections) on May 24, 2008.
The Bradford-White has a stainless steel flame arrestor, the full diameter of the heater, and lets in plenty of air. The Bradford-White has now been installed for a much longer time than the Promax, and has worked perfectly in the exact same location, in the exact same 'humid' conditions.
I am out almost $1, 000 for A. O. Smith's measly 30-gallon gas water heater.
Do yourself a favor and stay away from A. O. Smith.