Review of the Vanguard 22V40FM1 Natural Gas Water Heater

About a year ago I was shopping around for a new natural gas water heater, as the Kenmore in our house was about 13 years old and wouldn't last much longer. I was impressed with the Vanguard 22V40FM1 model and almost bought it then. Instead I decided to see how long the old Kenmore would hold out.

About a month ago my wife alerted me to standing water in the laundry room, and I noticed that the Kenmore had given up the ghost. I went out the next day and purchased the 22V40FM1 at Grainger for $509.

My gracious jack-of-all trades step dad helped me install it(to be honest, I helped him install it), and the entire process took us about 8 hours. This included draining and removing the Kenmore, running back and forth to Lowe's several times to get various fittings, and cleaning up the water left by the Kenmore. I'm sure an experienced professional could have done the job in an hour or two.

The heater itself is a 38,000 BTU, 40 gallon, natural gas water heater. It has an energy factor rating of 0.59(the higher the number the better) and a recovery rate of 38.4 gallons per hour at 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The recovery rate just means that in one hour it can raise the temperature of 38.4 gallons of water by 90 degrees. It also has a glass lined tank, which helps the unit avoid rust.

A couple of other nice features I will mention are the side venting of the unit and the electric pilot ignition. All water heaters draw in air to help keep the gas burning, but most water heaters have vents on the bottom of the unit. This is okay, but can sometimes result in the water heater pulling up dusty air off the floor. The side vented Vanguard pulls air from the sides of the unit, allowing it to receive cleaner air. You do need to make sure that you leave some space between the vents and any other solid object(like a wall) so that it will have ample air to draw in.

The electric pilot ignition means that you don't have to reach a long match into the unit to get it lit. Just press a button and the pilot turns on. You might want to turn off all the lights in the room when you do this, since it is sometimes hard to see if the burner is going or not in a well-lit room. The entire burner is completely enclosed, which will virtually eliminate the chance that a draft blows out the flame.

Since installation, the performance of the 22V40FM1 has been spectacular. There are four people in my house, and occasionally three of us will shower or bathe in the span of one hour. With the old Kenmore, the water would begin cooling off about midway into the second person's bath. With the Vanguard, we have yet to run out of hot water through three baths. This is with the unit set at 120 degrees.

The unit is quiet and powerful, and I am extremely happy with it. It comes with a six-year warranty for the tank and parts. At this point, I can think of no cons to report about the unit. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the market for a new natural gas water heater.