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50 Gallon GDHE-50 100,000 BTU Vertex 100 Power Direct Vent Residential Gas Water Heater - Tall (NG)
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GDHE-50-NG has been discontinued
Discontinued January 28, 2026
This product was discontinued by the manufacturer.
MANUALS (5)
This item replaces: HYB-90N
Suggested Alternative:
50 Gallon HDHE-50 100,000 BTU Vertex Ultra-Low NOx Power Direct Vent Residential Gas Water Heater - Tall (NG)
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Product Highlights
–
Natural Gas
Power Vent, PVC
6 Year Tank/6 Year Parts Limited Warranty
49.8 Gallons
66.75" Height
Yes
Description
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Product Details:
- Delivers 100-gallon first hour rating
- Versatile ENERGY STAR certified power direct vent design delivers up to 0.88 Uniform Energy Factor (96% Thermal Efficiency)
- Advanced high efficiency condensing design delivers energy savings & continuous hot water at a constant flow of over 4 gallons per minute
- Helical coil internal heat exchanger lengthens heat transfer cycle and reduces lime & scale build-up to maintain high efficiency operation
- Power direct vent design installs with 2" or 3" PVC, CPVC or polypropylene pipe terminating through outside wall
- Top fired Ultra-Low NOX gas burner, meets or exceeds emission requirements in California & Utah
- Push-button piezo ignitor makes lighting pilot fast & easy
- Patented Blue Diamond glass tank lining protects against corrosion
- 6-year limited tank and parts warranty
- The Vertex 50-Gallon Ultra-Low NOx Power Direct Vent Natural Gas Water Heater is designed specifically to generate a constant flow of 4 gallons per minute, resulting in continuous hot water for your home. Featuring a 50-gallon (nominal) tank and a 100,000 BTU gas burner, the GDHE-50 Power Direct Vent delivers a thermal efficiency of 96%, a Uniform Energy Factor of 0.88, and a recovery rate of 129 gallons per hour. It carries a 6-year limited warranty, and meets Ultra-Low NOx emission requirements. Environmentally-friendly insulation and factory-installed heat trap nipples reduce heat loss for maximum energy savings. This ProLine water heater is designed with A. O. Smith's superior commercial-grade tank protection. Advanced tank features include stainless steel CoreGard anode rod, Blue Diamond glass lining and DynaClean automatic sediment-cleaning system, all designed to help protect the tank from the corrosive effects of water and extend the life of the water heater. A. O. Smith's ProLine water heaters are residential products built to commercial-grade standards and are only available for purchase through professional wholesalers and contractors.
Specs
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| Intended Household: | 3-4 Person |
|---|---|
| Application: | Plumbing |
| Fuel Type: | Natural Gas |
| Capacity (Gallons): | 49.8 |
| BTU Input: | 100000 |
| Efficiency: | 96% |
| Vent Type: | Power Vent PVC |
| Vent Size: | 2" |
| Water Connection: | 3/4" |
| Gas Connection: | 1/2" |
| ASME: | No |
| 1st Hour Delivery (Gallons): | 164 |
| Recovery 90°F Rise: | 129 GPH |
| Voltage: | 120v |
| Max Pressure (PSI): | 150 |
| Max Altitude (Feet): | 10100 |
| Max Pressure: | 14" W.C. 8" W.C. (Propane) |
| Energy Star Rated: | Yes |
| Depth (Inches): | 22" |
| Height (Inches): | 66.75" |
| Diameter (Inches): | 22" |
| Weight (lbs): | 255 lbs |
| Warranty: | 6 Year Tank/6 Year Parts Limited |
Questions?
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Product Reviews
4.55 out of 143 reviews
90% would recommend this product
5 star
74%
4 star
16%
3 star
3%
2 star
4%
1 star
3%
Customer Images
Most Liked Positive Review
So far I'm very impressed
I purchased this product to be used in a single family rental property. My main goal for making the purchase was to both eliminate Tenant complaints regarding a high propane bill while still having sufficient hot water to meet the Tenant's needs. This unit has accomplished both of these goals. I'm very pleased.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Great when new but internally leaked after only 3.5 yrs
Bought the water heater in 2011 for my new house and put it in service Dec 2012. First problem: Only two years later it started failing to ignite. The flame detector deep inside needed cleaning. To do this the burner must be removed. The factory did not lubricate the burner flange gasket which caused it to stick hard to the tank. We had to make a special pulling rig to get the burner off (read many dollars & time). The second problem was worse: In May 2016, it failed to ignite again so we assumed it was the flame detector again but after cleaning it, 4 days of trouble shooting, 2 trips by the gas company, and discussions with "experts", I determined that although there was no flow errors on the panel, there was an internal blockage preventing air flowing thru the combustion chamber. I could see water at the bottom on the combustion chamber where should be none. The combustion chamber feeds the hot gases through a pipe loop in the tank to heat the water. Part of this pipe loops back up and therefore will create a water seal if water leaks into the pipe from in the tank. With the burner removed, I used a shop vac on the air outlet at the tank and it sucked out over a quart of rusty water. We reinstalled the burner and it worked fine. But the internal leak will soon get bad enough to where the blower will not be able to clear the leaked water from the pipe loop. WARNING: We were lucky it did not blow up because the system does not detect an internal blocked air path and so after it fails to ignite, it sends more gas into the blower 3 times and after a little while repeats this over and over without ever being able to purge the gas due to the internal blockage. It did "backfire" once back thru the blower during trouble shooting. The heating loop should be made of a non-corroding material like stainless steel and the design changed to detect an internal blockage.
Showing 1-10 of 143 reviews
Great water heater
Just installed to replace prior AO Smith, similar model. Working great so far!
Steve
Boulder CO
6 months ago
Verified Buyer
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I already have. 2nd one.
In floor heating. First one lasted 7 years then started leaking. Price had almost doubled. I never received a manual with the first one and realized my mistake of not flushing and emptying for summer. I have a propane unit and its efficiency is wonderful compared to a plain household heater. In the years of the first one I never had anything go wrong, not even a fault code.
Wolfden
Minnesota
8 months ago
Verified Buyer
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I love this water heater!
It has a tank, but it works almost like a tankless water heater. I never run out of hot water, in a 5-bedroom, 3-bath household. Water heater can heat a cold tank from 40-ish degrees to 140 degrees (100-degree rise) in about 20-25 minutes. It will keep a tank of hot water usably hot for a day or two, even if the gas is off. No tankless heater can match that.
Supply House got this water heater (and the other things I've ordered) to my house in a flash. I'd definitely order from them again!
Matt
Boise, ID
11 months ago
Verified Buyer
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Better Than an Instant Combi Unit!
It's nice to have a water heater capable of heating and providing domestic hot water. This is an all-in-one solution
Forest
Wisconsin
2 years ago
Verified Buyer
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Water Heater
First water heater was damaged but they sent out a second one right away. Delivery company was great!
Joel
Michigan
2 years ago
Verified Buyer
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my customers love these water heaters
I love the output of these water heaters. They seem to never run out of hot water. My customers love them. The last one I got had an issue out of the box and it didn't fire up. Customer service is awesome. They were going to send me the part next day, which actually means two days. other than that, and the shipper doesn't communicate well .
Roger
Cape Cod,Ma
3 years ago
Verified Buyer
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third tank
This is the third one I have purchased. Replace them every 6 years at end of warranty. First one had anode failure at end of 6 years. Second one had major deposits in elbow of vent discharge, plugging condensate drain. Found when we removed tank. Other than that, units have performed great, plenty of hot water.
Mike
Rapid City, SD
3 years ago
Verified Buyer
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Great water heater
works well, the touch screen makes it easy to change settings and see the status of things. Has enough power to keep up with my family of 4 along with dishwasher and laundry. The Vertex is also quieter than some other power vents. I'm on my second unit, the first one lasted 6 years and 2 months. My community has very hard water so water heaters don't last long.
Ben
Sioux Center, IA
4 years ago
Verified Buyer
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works great, but terrible igniter issue
I bought this water heater in 2013 to heat water for my home's domestic hot water and radiant hydronic heating, and it has worked incredibly well. It has also been incredibly expensive to keep it operating, and only for one reason- the igniter fails every six months, and at $100 per igniter + the cost of the plumber to replace it, it's cost me twice what I paid for the water heater to repair it. I've never had any other issues, but it does require some maintenance. They clean the condensate drain line, and the air intake and exhaust inlets each time the igniter is replaced, and have replaced the anode rod as well.
DL
Dillsburg, PA
4 years ago
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Buyer beware! Performs ok WHEN it works
I've been reluctant to post this review as I find most reviewsl online in genera are negative and none of the happy customers post when things work. However, I have to post because this is honestly one of the worst home "appliance" (is this considered an appliance?) I own. I purchased it new at the end of 2015 when I reno'd my newly purchased 3 year old home. I had high hopes for it to function dually as my main hot water tank and radiant heat in my basement. I've been plagued with nothing but problems. In order to keep this review short, here are my issues: Faulty board within first 3m that needed to be replaced rendering unit non-functional, 2017 - blocked tank that needed flushing as staying in interpurge more often then heating and had motherboard replaced again, 590 blocked exhausts faults, 300 ignition failures, random loss of power. I've had it serviced 2x in 2017, 3x in 2020 and 6x this year alone. It's barely 6 years old! This year had the temp probe replaced and flame rod replaced (big job). All in all, I've spent about $1500 over the last year getting this thing to work and I am still having the same issues! I have such regret buying this and recommend anyone looking at this to choose something else; our reliance on having hot water is the equivalent to having a working fridge, which is to say not something we want to gamble on.
JP
Vancouver, BC, Canada
4 years ago
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Product Q&A
64 Questions64 Questions
Q: Does this unit require a neutralizer? If so, what do you recommend?
Asked by Derek 16 years ago
Add your answer
Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffA neutralizer is not needed for this unit, though it is recommended. We would suggest the Lochinvar KIT3087. Here is a link to the product page: http://www.pexsupply.com/Lochinvar-KIT3087-Condensate-Neutralization-Kit-12871000-p
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Q: What is the maximum water temperature from this water heater? What is the range of temperature settings?
Asked by 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffThe maximum water temperature from this water heater is 160 degrees F. The range is 90 to 160 degrees F.
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Q: I have a power direct vent unit with a sidewall vent. I live in a cold, snowy climate and the intake vent plugs frequently. Can I pull air from inside my house instead? Or is there a modification that I can do to prevent/mitigate the plugging?
Asked by 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffThe only modification the manufacturer suggests is to jack the vent up. Their suggestion in areas prone to heavy snow, is to have the vent at least 18 inches above the average highest snowfall to avoid clogging.
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Q: can it be vented thru the side of house?
Asked by 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffYes, it can be vented vertically thru-the-roof or horizontally thru-the-wall.
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Q: Can I draw the combustion air from my vented attic and only run the vent out through the roof?
Asked by 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffNo, you need to draw fresh air from the outside.
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- Thomas
Not a good idea - this unit relies on equal pressure for both supply air and vent. In your scenario, the pressure in the attic will remain fairly constant, whereas wind speed will make the vent pressure subject to wide variations. This in turn will make the air flow at varying rates through the Vertex unit. Not recommended.
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Q: Does the AOSmith Vertex 100 have a pilot flame or does it have a electronic pilot (no flame) to heat the water when needed?
Asked by Gus 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffThis unit has a hot surface ignitor.
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Q: This unit has side inlets for radient heat. Would I be able to use as hot water heat for house and also do some radient heat for the kitchen floor at same time? What else would I require to do this? Thanks
Asked by DRB 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffWe would not recommend doing that, as it is not a good idea to have your domestic hot water and heating with the same water.
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Q: At the moment i have a regular chimney. Would i have to run 2 pvc pipes inside it, connecting it too a Concentric Vent Kit at the top? Or would a single pvc pipe work with the system as well? The instructions aren't very clear how the whole venting process works.
Asked by Confused Adam 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffYou should run 2 PVC pipes inside, connecting it to a concentric vent kit at the top.
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Q: Will the AE Smith Vertex 100 also act (in part) as a dehumidifier in that the condensing process pulls humidity from the air?
Asked by 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffNo, the direct venting is within the water heater and has nothing to do with the surrounding air.
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Q: I want to connect as power vent setup. Is that ok? Meaning blower intake air would be drawn from in my house. Venting exhaust only to outside of house.
Asked by 16 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffPower vent would not work with this unit. It needs to be direct vent.
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