Bradford White RG250S6N 50-Gallon Short Atmospheric Gas Water Heater
Bradford White RG250S6N 50-Gallon Short Atmospheric Gas Water Heater Review
The Bradford White RG250S6N is the "short" or "low-boy" version of the popular RG250T6N — a 50-gallon natural gas atmospheric water heater designed for installations where standard tank height (60" tall) doesn't fit. The "S" suffix identifies the short configuration: roughly 52" tall × 26" diameter, versus the standard 60" × 22".
The short configuration uses a wider, lower-profile tank with the same 50-gallon capacity. Trade-offs: requires more floor space (26" diameter vs 22"), can fit under low ceilings, certain crawlspace mountings, garage installs with overhead clearance constraints, and counter-mounted utility room shelves.
Specs: identical to the RG250T6N — 40K BTU, UEF 0.62, 84-gallon FHR, 6-year warranty, ICON thermopile gas control (runs through power outages), Vitraglas tank lining. Same wholesale-only distribution. Plumber-installed price $1,900-$2,400 — slight premium over standard configuration due to less common production volume.
Right buyer: any install where standard 60" tank height is the constraint. Mobile home water heater compartments, basement crawlspace mountings, certain garage installs. The short configuration is genuinely useful when needed; for installs with adequate ceiling height, the standard RG250T6N is the better choice.
- Natural gas combustion — faster recovery than electric resistance at comparable tank size
- 50-gallon capacity — right-sized for 3–4 person households with standard usage patterns
- Below-average UEF 0.58 — modern standard models reach 0.65+, condensing 0.95+
- 6-year warranty — below the 8–12 year average for premium models in this class
- Atmospheric venting requires vertical B-vent — less routing flexibility than power-vent or condensing alternatives