Water heater blankets ??

S Milne

Seeing what the "doom and Gloom" channel had to say about our impending Nor'easter. They had a little spot about saving energy and the man was explaining how to install a insulating blanket for your hot water heater.

It got me to thinking, Why don't any American water heater companys make a 40 gallon gas hot water heater that has a thick insulation ?? Whats the problem. Why does a homeowner have to go to Home Cheapo and buy some kit to save energy ? How difficult would it be to sell an energy effecient thicker insulated tank ? HTP does it with there Super-Stor indirect, I know Buderus and Viessmann does it.

I know, there is some companys that provide a unit that is better insulated. I think I've seen an electric tank. Matter of fact HTP makes one.

Why is'nt this standard. Would'nt it be helpfull if the goverment provided an incentive to companys to build thier tanks that way. Or is this the same reason American boilers dont have more insulation than that scrany one inch fiberglass ?

Scott

Weezbo

This thought goes way back in history with me ...:)

heres the basic reason , " i dont care what it looks like,like i said 'i just want it to work'so whats the bottom line.?.......ok 10 years after that..........we will get a blanket for it.........10 years later maybe we will add a dash of foam.........now...What are you talking about water heater ?! I want an indirect off the boiler on foam with a minimum of two inches of insulation...

hr

it's always dollars

that drive the decesion to add more cost to a comidity component like a water heater.

Although energy efficient models do have a better insulation.

All the jacket insulation in the world won't help with that hole that goes through the center of a water heater sucking heat out 24/7

Put your hand on the jacket of a fairly late model water heater, does it feel hot? I think they have done a fairly good job with the new foamed tanks, which most are. Adding another 1 or even 6" isn't going to make that much of a difference, in stand by loss I feel. the money would be better spent on a vent damper

I worry about those add on jackets when I see them slip down near the burner opening. Fairly common as the tape loses it's stickeyness

hot rod

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Larry Weingarten

The manufacturers...

do make heaters with two or even three inches of foam. But as Hot Rod says, the main loss is out the flue. Side arm heaters used to be common. Hook one of those up to a well insulated tank and standby loss is historical. Companies like Crane used to make heaters with heat trap flues that exited the tank near the bottom. There are several proven ways to greatly cut losses... if only "least first cost" weren't king. Rant,rant.

Yours, Larry

Ted Robinson

Water heater efficiency

My gas water heater is only mildly warm on the outside of the insulation. But the flue gases are over 350 degrees when it is firing! What can be done to get more BTU's out of the exhaust?

Robert O'Connor_7

I could be.......?

I seem to remember reading something about this quite a while ago and (if I remember right??) The manufacturer could void warrentee if used. Insulating blankets were very popular 15 years ago and I've noticed an absents of them now....??The local utility use to have a program to install the blankets years ago (seal up & save, I think it was called) and now the buggers are installing tanks, but no blankets, WatsupWitaT..Robert O'Connor/NJ

hr

Some of the inefficiency

is for a reason. Keep in mind they see a constant supply of very cold water, so they spend a lot of their life operating below condensing temperatures. Building a "sloppy" heat exchanger assures the flue through the tank and up the roof stays warm above condensing temperatures.

If you rob to much heat off the flue, above the tank, you may cool the remaining flue below dew point and risk corroding it away. The flue needs to run hot in non condensing appliances.

If you want an efficient tank style water heater get a Polaris, Voyager, Cyclone, or one of the other condensing type water heaters. Then you will see VERY low flue gas temperatures

hot rod

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jbplumber

I wish

Someone would invent handles for water heaters. Hard as can be to try and carry a round cylinder anywhere. J.Lockard

Uni R

Blankets

I think blankets were aimed more at electrics. Newer electrics are very well insulated. The only warm spot on one is the PRV. That's most likely the reason they aren't around much now.

Larry Weingarten

I suppose...

...it wouldn't be too hard to add a loop handle to a ratcheting type strap. Then, once its tightened up on the heater a handle would be where you want it.
I wouldn't mind if they would quit using the slick finish! There's little to hold and slippery too.

Yours, Larry

hr

WH body bags

Bradford White, I think, used to offer heavy duty nylon/cordura type bags to put water heaters in for easy removal. Waterproofed with handles on both ends.

hot rod

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Unknown

My bad experiences with

wrapping water heaters. There were several incidents of Carbon Monoxide from wrapped water heaters that cut off the air supply to the burners and caused some very bad incidents. The utilites stopped wrapping heaters or suggesting wrapping them after a few of these incidents.

Water heater are notorius for making CO and messing with the flue to trap more heat inside is not a good idea. Thermal dampers got very popular a few years back and have since been pulled off the market.

An intersting article in PM Engineer January 2005 issue page 18 on Tankless versus Tank Type storage a water heater efficency comparison test.