Recommend New Hot Water Heater

Paul Seletsky

Do you have a recommendation for, or a site that rates, new (gas) hot-water heaters? Looking for a 50gal, R-16 or greater, High EF (.7) and FHR (85+)unit. Any preferences? AO Smith, Bradford-White, Rheem? Is one brand more reliable than the other? I have a 3BR, 2.5Ba, 2-storey CH Colonial home.

BillW@honeywell

new water heater

Your water heater is the second largest energy consumer in your home, so look carefully at the yellow energy use tags, and buy the most efficient unit your budget will allow. "EnergyStar" rated units are the most efficient. They may cost a bit more to purchase, but they cost much less to operate. Consider a "WAGS" safety system, an automatic water & gas shutoff valve that senses water leakage and shuts down the water & gas before any leaks cause a flood or worse. Use the "Find A Contractor" feature above to get a quality installation.

Heatermon

Water heater recommendations

They're ALL good - just ask them

But seriously, try to find yourself a good dealer that offers both knowledge of their products and service AFTER the sale. We specialize in sales and service of the tank type water heaters you are looking for. I don't see much of a difference in quality between the brands you mentioned, but find the difference is in the "people" who back the product. This difference is usually regional (some water heater manufacturers want to provide "full service" in some areas, and very little, if any, in others. It usually depends on the "clout" of the wholesaller and whether they want to provide "top of the line" service for their customers or just want to play the "lowball price" game and let service suffer. The .7 energy factor is impossible to find. The best you will get are .62 units with first hour ratings of about 80. If you want the most efficient, highest delivery water heater, you might look at the "Polaris" model from American Appliance (50 gallon, 130,000 b.t.u., 94% thermal effeceincy. However, expect to spend about 10 times as much as a "common" 50 gallon, 40,000 b.t.u., R-16, 6 year warranty unit. If you want a "good", simple, economical unit, look for the "professional" units that are sold through "plumbing contractors". They usaually have extended warranties, larger anode rods (sometimes 2), good insulation R16-20, and some type of scale reduction device (usually self-cleaning features). If the water heater is in an area that could cause damage from flooding, consider adding a catch pan and a W.A.G.S. valve also. Also, there are "new style" residential water heaters coming to market later this year. They will be radically different (a major renovation to prevent the flame from within the unit from igniting flamables outside the unit) and will of course cost more money. American Appliance has already brought out their 50 gallon model in a 12 year warranty, called a "Flameguard". It may be just what you are looking for. Good luck with your shopping.

Heatermon

P.S. list of websites for your search.

1. www.gamanet.org

2. www.americanwaterheater.com

3. www.rheem.com

4. www.bradfordwhite.com

5. www.hotwater.com (A.O.Smith)

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Jack_23

on-demand

Absolutely biased here, I represent them, but I reduced my gas consumption by over half and have much more hot water...can run two showers all day long. 82-87% eff. sealed combustion DV. www.rinnai.us.com. Not cheap, but a good value.

Mad Dog

Bradford-White rules!!!!!!!

Mad Dog

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

Steve Miller

water heaters

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Terry

bad valves

I understand both State & Bradford have had a run of bad gas valves.,....

jon

Maybe I missed it, but I am surprised that indirect fired water heaters (or even more specifically "Tank in Tank") were not mentioned. Is there something better than these on the market?

Brian (Tankless) Wood

I'm with you Jack, Tankless

is the only way to go.

I now sell and install tankless units exclusively (Takagi gas & Seisco electric), and have sold other models for almost thirty years.

The mid-size T-K2 (T-KD20 direct-vent model) is fully modulating between 19-185,000btu. Up to 6.9 gpm, and an energy factor of .82 & .84 NG & LP.

240 gph @ 120 with 40* inlet water.
285 gph @ 120 with 50* inlet water.
336 gph @ 120 with 60* inlet water.
414 gph @ 120 with 70* inlet water.

Even with 40* inlet water, two simultaneous showers can be taken.

No tank can even come close.

Keep up the good fight, Jack. Rinnai are exellent products.

Brian, tankless in Swampland.

MikeTH

lets go tankless

I'm with you,we should all be looking at tankless/instantaneous DHW. We felt so strongly about this issue that we brought the BAXI range of combo boilers to North America. We can give you 200 gph with a DT 80* with a boiler output of 105000 BTU's modulating down to 35000 BTU's. Check us out at www.wallhungboilers.com or come see our burning display at ASHREA, booth # 1931.

Keep preaching the energy saving gosple.

MT

Bob Boltz

H/W

I'm missing something doesn't 1GPM @ 100Deg rise = 50000 BTU of input.

Brian (Tankless) Wood

Good stuff, Mike

My Mom in Wallsend in the north of England (where the Romans installed radiant heat 2,000 yrs ago) has a Baxi "combi" hanging on her kitchen wall. It radiantly heats the house as well as all of her hot water.

You couldn't pay her to go with anything else.

"Energy conservation rules"

The more tankless is talked about, the faster it will catch on.

Keep on keeping on.

Brian.

Terry_4

Well...not always tankless

> I'm with you,we should all be looking at

> tankless/instantaneous DHW. We felt so strongly

> about this issue that we brought the BAXI range

> of combo boilers to North America. We can give

> you 200 gph with a DT 80* with a boiler output of

> 105000 BTU's modulating down to 35000 BTU's.

> Check us out at www.wallhungboilers.com or come

> see our burning display at ASHREA, booth #

> 1931.

>

> Keep preaching the energy saving

> gosple.

>

> MT



I have seen several frozen and split heat exchangers up here in the North country. Any kind of backdraft in the flue during off cycle @40 below equals trouble.

Terry_4

Well...not always tankless

I have seen several frozen and split heat exchangers up here in the North country. Any kind of backdraft in the flue during off cycle @40 below equals trouble.

Jack_23

Nat'l draft units?

Are your freeze ups on Aquastar's . They have a draft diverter and allow freee cold air to spill onto the head of the hx. Most dv units will not allow this due to the balanced flue. Having said that, nothing is bullet proof. Ya gotta have the right guy installing the equipment. that is why Rinnai requires dealer certification before you can install the Continuum

Brian (Tankless) Wood

Jack's right

Those frozen HX's can be avoided.

All four Takagi models (at www.takagi-usa.com) have electric heat strips around the HX, which come on at preset temps. I'm not certain, but I believe Rinnai do too.

Tankless rules (in my house).

Brian.

Terry_4

Yes they were Aqua Star

and Paloma's too. My 2 cents worth says if you have hydronic, it's hard to beat flat plate HX w/ storage tank.

Why would anyone have anything besides hydronic?

Jack_23

comparison in my house

I've got a Buderus G-224 with the Ecomatic and 40 Gal Buderus indirect. It's pretty and I was delighted with the performance. All I do with gas in the summer is DHW. Three summers ago I installed the Rinnai. Same people, appliances, shower heads, etc. The Buderus has the off cycle damper, set for cold start, indirects a dump zone. Bud. gas consumption 35-44 therms/mo. Rinnai 13-15 therms per mo. I was blown away. Fact is even 1F/hr is still a bunch of heat (excellent in comparison to a conventional dhw tank)and even as a cold start in the summer months, maintaining boiler temp, jacket loss, pipe loss accounted for 50-65% of my gas bill. Size the boiler for the heat load. No way I needed 140kbtu for my house heat, but that is what I have. there have been a bunch of low tech on-demand water htrs that didn't work out. The current crop with the modulating gas valve (Rinnai modulates from 15,000-180,000btu, that starts at 8% of capacity) and other features has the ability to change the way we heat hot water. Indirects are great because they solved the capacity problems created by the conventional tank water htrs, and ind. are great installation work. The new on-demands are next on the technology front...and they work really well. Happy Heating!