Hot Water Heater

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

Don't forget A.O. Smith.

[John McClanahan]

When I had to replace our water heater, the few tankless model available local cost over twice as much as a tank type, so I stayed with the tank type. I found out later when I replaced our gas clothes drier with an electric one, that a tankless water heater may be more energy efficient, but doesn't save any money. During our non heating months, almost all of our gas bill goes to fixed costs and very little goes to the cost of the gas used. Our new clothes drier resulted in higher electric bills but the gas bills didn't drop.


John

[Tom M King]

We actually do have a hot water heater. There are two in series. The first one serves the kitchen and baths in the original part of the house, and feeds the second one. The second one serves the master bath and dogroom. In the master bath is a Jacuzzi which needs both heaters to fill it all the way up. The first one is a water heater. The second one is a hot water heater.

[Beau Cassidy]

I think the water cutoff valves/sensors you guys are talking about are called water cops. I am thinking about getting some for a house I am buying.

http://www.amazon.com/WaterCop-Wirel...ords=Water+Cop

Also, on water heaters, it is my understanding the government is looking out for us and is forcing mandatory changes to them beginning April 15. It is supposed to limit tank size to 50 gallons and the overall size of the water heater will be a little larger- something to consider if you have tight confines. I am buying 2 new current-style Rheems to replace the 8 year old cheapies in the house I am getting.

[Prashun Patel]

The reading I have been doing says that after April 15 you can still have a larger tank (mine's 75 gal) for natural gas but it must meet some EF requirements. In NJ if it meets the EF standard, is power vented and is Energy Star qualified, we can get a $500 rebate.

[Ted Calver]

It's a valve that goes on the incoming line. There's a sensor that rests in a pan under the heater. When it senses moisture, it closes the supply, so you only get a paltry 50 gallons flooding your basement.

I had one installed on the hot water heater in the attic on our new house (now 7 years old) because some friends had a tank in the same location leak and cause massive damage to ceilings and the rooms below. It worked as advertised when the tank started leaking six months later because of a plumber's error. The sensor was a dissoluble tablet inside a brass fixture set in the drip pan. When the water got 1/2" deep in the pan the tablet melted and the mechanism shut off both the water and gas. There was a drain line from the pan that probably would have prevented flooding, but why take a chance. About $150 installed...IIRC it was called a floodstop or something like that.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

The reading I have been doing says that after April 15 you can still have a larger tank (mine's 75 gal) for natural gas but it must meet some EF requirements. In NJ if it meets the EF standard, is power vented and is Energy Star qualified, we can get a $500 rebate.

We got $500 off our taxes for buying an energy saving water heater. I paid $599 for the water heater!

[Prashun Patel]

FYI, here's where I ended up:

I ended up getting an old style, direct vent water heater. In order to get the $500 credit, I would need to get a more expensive, power vented unit and in addition to requiring an outlet near my heater to power the fan, I may have had to upgrade my flue to pvc. It also appears to me that the prices of the higher efficiency units reflect the rebates. It all seems to be a wash.

To boot, the cheapest part of the project is the labor cost, which includes removal of the old unit. All told, it just didn't make sense for me to waste a day and (invariably) 3 trips to and from BORG to get adapters and the like.

[Chris Padilla]

Good point about the rebates. For the heat pump water heater I got from AO Smith, I had two rebates: $500 from PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) and $300 from Fed. So the $1100 cost for this water heater is really $300 and I felt that would be recouped in 2-3 years factoring in the efficiency of the heat pump assuming no issue with the water heater. I am about 18 months into ownership and so far so good.

However, that cost isn't truly accurate as there was some cost in wiring, valves, copper, and breakers since I was converting from gas to electric. Maybe 4 years for payback.

[Jerry Bruette]

Did you get the shut off valves?

[Jim Becker]

I went tankless on both systems in our home; the addition first and then the original house once a unit that used PVC became available. Both are WaiWala (Paloma) and "do the job". (We originally installed a Bosch in our addition, but it wasn't, um...a good purchase.)

http://www.tanklesswaterheaters.com/...phh-32rdv.html

[Larry Edgerton]

Prashun, Its actually a "Cold" water heater, just saying.......

[Prashun Patel]

YOU are a cold water THROWER, apparently

[Bob Coates]

I was working at a retirement home and installed flood stop brand on water heaters. They worked. If you install one make sure it works, I encountered some bad ones.

Bob

[Ted Calver]

I was working at a retirement home and installed flood stop brand on water heaters. They worked. If you install one make sure it works, I encountered some bad ones.Bob

Bob, How do you test them?