A.O. Smith Signature 100 2.5-Gallon Compact 6-Year Warranty 1440-Watt 1 Element Point of Use Electric Water Heater

Read the fine print. Warranty loop-holes.

I rarely “review” products... ...usually only if they are exceptionally good, or, as unfortunately in this case, exceptionally poor. Shortly after moving into our new home, my wife commented that it took an inordinate amount of time for the hot water to reach the kitchen sink. After analyzing our kitchen’s electrical and water system layouts, and researching various options, we concluded the best option for our situation would be a point-of-use (POU) electric mini hot water tank installed in the cabinet under the kitchen sink. Based ON THE BOSCH NAME, online reviews, reasonable price, and the 6-year limited (KEY WORD, “limited”) warranty, we opted for the Bosch Tronic 3000T 2.7 gallon mini water tank. Installation was not overly complicated, but certainly something I would not want to have to do on a routine basis.... And therein lies the rub. Buried deep on page 12, in the middle of section 5.3 of the “Installation Manual and Operating Instructions” it states, “It is critical that the anode rod be inspected once a year to determine whether it requires replacement (and it must be replaced at least once every two years).” Further, in the text of the 6-year “Limited Warranty” (page 17) it states the warranty remains in effect, “...provided it (i.e., the unit) is properly installed and maintained and the other conditions of this warranty are met...” Our unit worked great, until it didn't. It started leaking (of course) immediately after we departed on a long overdue, post Covid, multi-week vacation. Our kitchen tile floor was flooded and it “rained” in our basement. We were very lucky in that our in-laws checked on the house shortly after we had left on our trip, unplugged the unit, turned off the water supply, mopped up what they could, and set up multiple fans to dry up the mess. We don’t think there is any permanent damage to the house, but had the leak gone on for 3 weeks?... Our water supply is very nearly pH neutral, the unit was properly installed and operated, but I missed the fine print about checking the anode rod once a year. I reached out to Bosch Technical Support for a warranty claim. After all, it was a Bosch and the unit had a 6-year warranty, right? Tech Support folks were all very polite and professional over the phone, however they said that since I had not inspected/changed the anode rod every year (our unit was 21 months old when it failed), that the failure was not covered under warranty... Okay, my bad, I missed the fine print... Shame on me. Hence the word “Limited” in the warranty title. So, just curious, how DO you inspect/change the anode rod? Well, I’ll save you some time. You inspect and/or change the anode rod by UNinstalling the unit, of course!... Wait, what? So, to do “routine” annual maintenance I need to UNinstall the unit? Effectively, yes. “Why can’t I just reach up on/near the top, remove the old anode and inspect/install a new one, like on a conventional water heater?”, you ask. Good question. Well, that would require a redesign... And, what if you have to hire this work out to a plumber? Once a year?!!.. Well, that can’t be cheap. So, looking a little deeper, why did our unit leak? The glass in the glass-lined steel storage tank failed, allowing the tank to corrode through and leak. Now, give you one guess where the entire unit (including storage tank) was made (and it was not anywhere in North America or the European Union...) Bottom line, shame on Bosch. I have experienced and been a believer in the Bosch brand, reputation, and quality for decades, but no more. If I were Bosch I would be embarrassed to put my name on this product: Poor component quality control (the glass inside the glass-lined tank was worthless); Poor design: to effectively perform “routine” maintenance (in order to preserve the warranty) you need to UNinstall the unit at least once per year; with simple material and/or design changes (e.g., stainless steel, high temp plastic, or QUALITY lined steel tank; move anode access so it does not (effectively) require removal of the unit in order to perform routine/annual maintenance; deceptive (in my opinion) warranty; etc., etc., etc.....) If you’ve read this far, thank you. Bottom line, in my opinion Bosch failed big time with this product (poor design), their “6-Year Limited Warranty” is most definitely “Limited”, and, most importantly, they’ve lost a multi-decades long formerly very satisfied Bosch customer for the rest of their life over a $150 product.