5 Water Heater Brands Owned By A.O. Smith

A.O. Smith owns water heater brands such as State, American, Reliance, Lochinvar, and Giant. So, if you came across those names while researching an appliance, you might have been comparing options from the same group without even realizing it, and the company also sells products under its own brand. However, much of its presence comes from manufacturers it has acquired over the years.

The company started in Milwaukee in 1874 and operates in both water heating and water treatment, two businesses with different brands in its portfolio. In the heating business, A.O. Smith appears among the best electric water heater brands. The group also operates beyond the United States, with a presence in Canada and products for homes and commercial properties.

Its story actually began some distance from this industry, in a workshop making parts for baby carriages and bicycles, with water heaters coming later, after the company patented a glass lining for tanks in 1936. Below, we've gathered the main water heater brands that belong to A.O. Smith and what sets each one apart.

State Water Heaters serves both people who need hot water at home and commercial installations, with the brand itself claiming a catalog of more than 500 different products. You'll find gas and electric tank models, along with gas tankless versions and heat pump units. In other words, the brand covers a variety of installation needs. Its residential ProLine range, for example, sells through professional distributors, while ProLine XE includes efficiency technologies, which help, given that water heaters are among the household appliances that use the most energy.

Interestingly, State's first products weren't really water heaters. Herbert Lindahl Sr. founded the company in a Tennessee garage in 1946 to make coal- and wood-burning stoves, and the switch came quickly. In 1948, the company's first water heater went on sale, followed by gas models in 1954. Despite being bought by A.O. Smith in 2001, the brand kept its own name and location in Ashland City, Tennessee.

If you've been shopping for a new water heater for your home, chances are good that you've seen something made by American Water Heaters, which is another company owned by A.O. Smith. Like State, this one is also based in Tennessee, but in Johnson City, and claims to be one of the largest manufacturers in the country. In its portfolio, you can find gas and electric tank models, heat pump hybrids, and the Adapt line of gas tankless water heaters.

Tankless options heat water only when you have the faucet on. There are some downsides to tankless water heaters, mainly limited flow if more than one person tries to use hot water at the same time. The company only sells its main ProLine range through official distributors, so you won't see it on a shelf in a store. To get one, find a local installer and request a quote from them.

An interesting aspect of the brand's history is that, before A.O. Smith bought it, American Water Heaters belonged to an Australian company better known for its wine, SouthCorp. The company was sold to GSW in 2002. Just four years later, A.O. Smith acquired GSW, bringing everything into the same portfolio.

Reliance Water Heaters started in 1981 with a clear purpose: supplying water heaters to hardware and building supply stores. It still focuses on retail, even after A.O. Smith acquired the company. But beyond the appliances themselves, the brand also offers parts and accessories for installation and maintenance. That means it serves both professionals and consumers who work with this equipment.

The connection between the two brands goes back to before A.O. Smith's involvement. Reliance already belonged to State Industries when the group bought that manufacturer in 2001. Both brands therefore joined the new owner's portfolio together, with Reliance also keeping its name and remaining based in Ashland City, Tennessee, the same city as State.

Its catalog has also grown since the company's founding. Beyond conventional gas and electric models, the brand offers heat pump hybrids and launched its gas tankless range in 2010. So, there's more than one technology behind the name, with prices varying depending on whether you choose a standard electric water heater or a hybrid model.

Among A.O. Smith's brands, Lochinvar goes the furthest beyond conventional water heaters. The company does sell some tank and tankless models, along with heat pump versions, but its primary business focus is high-efficiency boilers for heating homes and commercial buildings. Pool owners can also find dedicated heaters in its lineup, offering an alternative to using solar panels to heat your pool.

Lochinvar's story began in 1939, when Walter Vallett Sr. founded the Walter Vallett Company to sell water heaters. It didn't take on its current name until 1957, when the company was still based in Detroit. The change came in 1986, with the launch of Power-Fin during the energy crises of the '80s, a product claim that raised the bar for performance across the industry.

That experience with boilers caught A.O. Smith's attention. In 2011, the company paid around $418 million for Lochinvar, which was based in Lebanon, Tennessee. According to the buyer, the acquisition aimed to expand its catalog and gain access to the brand's expertise.

For those who live in the U.S., Giant's water heaters might not be a familiar name. The brand focuses on the Canadian market, where it puts considerable emphasis on electric models, with compact options for specific areas of the home and more conventional versions. It's a strategy that makes sense, since many of Giant's clients rely on a power grid. Still, its catalog also includes gas water heaters, tankless models, and commercial options for those who need more capacity.

Giant is also the newest name on the list, since it was bought by the group only in 2021 in a deal worth around $192 million. For A.O. Smith, acquiring the brand meant taking a bigger foothold in Canada, where a larger share of water heater sales comes from people replacing older appliances. The hydroelectric grid also played a part, as the company said the acquisition would increase the portion of its products running on renewable energy, helping its efforts to cut emissions.

Despite being a recent purchase by A.O. Smith, Giant is far from a young company. It began as a family business in Montreal in 1945, and by the time of acquisition, it made its water heaters at two factories and had more than 300 employees.