This post is really a warning to others to NOT purchase an American Water Heater. You have to look close because the one we purchased a year ago has a Whirlpool label on it. And, if you look in the owners manual everything says Whirlpool. But when you start working on a warranty issue, you will quickly discover you are speaking to "American Water Heater" and their India-based telephone call center.

In our case we called them 6 days before the first year was up to discuss issues we were having with the water heater. We were given a warranty repair authorization that included parts and labor because we were within the first year. Unfortunately, no one mentioned the repair would have to be completed within the 6 days remaining or the authorization would no longer include labor. A hard lesson learned.

The funny thing is that I recently assisted my Mother in looking for a new freezer. I made a point of researching which brands were most likely to be made in the USA. I'm very aware now of how little good that research really did.