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HW Tanks: Burnham Alliance LT vs Vaughn Featherweight

seized123
seized123 Member Posts: 399
edited October 2023 in Domestic Hot Water
Any opinions re these plastic tanks? I submitted a query via their website  (checking the “homeowner” tab) to Vaughn a week ago  about the Featherweight and haven’t heard back which makes me doubt customer service a bit. But anyway, opinions or experiences welcome. Both offer an optional lifetime warranty, FWIW.

Also, Weil McLain’s Aqua-Pro has a “non-metallic tank,” but so far I haven’t found any more details about what that means. I have decided on plastic because we have high chlorides with no prospect of mitigating that anytime soon. Rheem has plastic tanks as Larry W. and others helpfully suggested on another thread, but I think they don’t have indirects, which I think I would prefer (for vague-ish reasons).

Comments

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 23,108
    I have not installed any of the plastic or composite indirects.
    Standard glass lined indirects work well in almost all water conditions.

    Most all gas and electric tanks are glass lined. Probably all your neighbors :)
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,563
    Hi @seized123 , I'm thinking it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Also, water quality plays into any answer. So, what are you up to? 😇

    Yours, Larry
    seized123
  • seized123
    seized123 Member Posts: 399
    @Larry Weingarten, one word: chlorides. It’d be nice to treat them but meanwhile we’ve been through many hw heaters, maybe 3 SS ones in 6-10 years, more before that.
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,563
    Hi, Glass lined can work as long as you use powered, or impressed current anodes. Sacrificial anodes may last only six months and cause odor and gas problems. I only have experience with the Marathon tanks, so can't suggest anything other than to carefully read the warranties on other plastic tanks and count the loopholes 😏

    Yours, Larry
  • seized123
    seized123 Member Posts: 399
    Yup, will definitely look for loopholes.
  • seized123
    seized123 Member Posts: 399
    Ok, so ha, so after a look at the specs and manuals and looking at a few threads it looks like these might be basically the same heaters with different names, apparently that’s common, didn’t know that. Energy Kinetics has a High-Flow plastic heater that looks similar too … Wonder who actually makes these things.

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