Trying to decide on a replacement for an Eternal water heater.

fredonthebeach

We have an Eternal GU145s water heater, installed about 2007 and need to replace it because the tank is leaking.

I've seen sites that rank the top three as Rinnai, Navien, and Noritz, but how to choose between them?

We have a 1/2" gas line to the heater, it is in an exterior 'closet', and we live about 1/4 mile from the ocean, so salt air is definitely a concern. The house has 3 full bathrooms, dishwasher, washing machine, 2 adults and occasional guests. Do we aim for the same 145,000 BTU/h or go higher?

The one thing we want to change is that the current install drains the condensate into a small courtyard, which has a storm strain. It makes the courtyard look pretty ugly (stains the concrete) and we want to now route that directly to a drain. Figuring out where and how to connect to a drain will be tricky, is there anything about any of those brands that would make it easier or harder?

Thanks

tim smith

Are you propane, from gas line size you would have to be.