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AO SMITH Faulty Hybrid hot water heaters

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RIRED
RIRED Member Posts: 10
in Domestic Hot Water
I have read all the posts about the problems with this AO Smith hybrid hot water heater and its obvious AO Smith has produced a product that will not last more than a year or two if your lucky. Im on my second heater and its less than 2 years old and its already displaying the ECC error code. AO Smith just replaces heater if compressor goes bad they should be giving me my money back so I can buy a tankless water heater. Would a propane fired indirect cost more to operate? How about if I just use the electric mode vs heatpump mode I wonder how much more electricity it would use? If my current heater goes bad Im going to have to go thru the bother of replacing it again and then how long will that one last.This is ridiculous AO Smith should step up to the plate and own there problem~~! I do have solar panels so that`s` going to offset electric bill somewhat
luckylist13

Comments

  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 3,089
    You have solar panels.
    Is all electric a better option considering you have solar panels?
  • RIRED
    RIRED Member Posts: 10
    well maybe if the cost of just electic is cheaper than a on demand water heater running on propane and using very little electric. remember those elecric coils use a large amount of electricity but im not sure how they compare to propane costs which arent cheap either
  • Intplm.
    Intplm. Member Posts: 3,089
    As you can see from my post, I am asking that question as well.
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 27,604
    To compare the cost of operating a propane hot water heater vs. a straight electric one is rather simple: compare the cost of a BTU of energy from propane to a BTU of energy from electricity. There are about 90,000 BTU in a gallon of propane, and about 3400 BTU in a Kilowatt hour of electricity. Simple arithmetic.

    Now if you are looking at a heat pump (hybrid) water heater, the math is a little more difficult, as it is necessary to know the COP of the heat pump system -- which should be in the literature for the water heater.

    However, as you now know, heat pump water heaters are considerably more expensive to buy than straight electrics or gas heaters, and more expensive to maintain, so that should be factored in.

    Saving electricity costs with solar panels is a wonderful idea. It is also, most often, somewhat illusory unless you have a large enough array to cover most of the yearly cost of your electricity, and have a feed in tariff which closely matches the normal grid tariff. Not all areas do. Do NOT expect your array to power a straight electric water heater, unless you live in a very sunny climate and don't need hot water when the sun isn't shining -- and again, have a fairly large array -- it would take 220 square feet of array in full sun.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,591
    I'm sure it is the refrigerant leaking out, not a bad compressor. I now have 4 dehumidifiers where the refrigerant has leaked out.(speaking of which I need to contact Aprilaire before spring).

    You have to factor in the efficiency of the boiler in your indirect calculation. If you select the right indirect, right size for your load and right stainless alloy for your water, it probably will have the lowest total cost given its lifespan.
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 4,171
    Hi, I'll throw in that electric water heating elements can be replaced with smaller and lower voltage elements, if you have a large tank to compensate for the slower rate of heating. Also, DC elements are made, so you can heat directly with solar PV.

    Yours, Larry
  • luckylist13
    luckylist13 Member Posts: 2

    I had an AOS hybrid water heater installed in March 2025. It started to go bad in April 2026 and kept turning off due to error codes. It was diagnosed as a coil issue and cost $400 to fix. Warranty only covered the parts. It worked for a while but then started tripping the circuit breaker. I had to keep lowering the temp and keep it on heat pump so it would stay on. Now, it will not turn on at all. This is a faulty water heater. I am annoyed and think the company should be doing something. I called them and they would not replace it. Then again, do I want this piece of junk? These faulty AOS water heaters leave consumers in a lurch!!!

    mattmia2
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,995
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1900018#Comment_1900018

    something isnt right here. I would be curious if you have an oddball model… the AO brands don't replace parts having to do with the heat pump (only part i can see being a "coil") they would replace the entire unit. and I can't see a reason that you would need to keep it in heat pump mode unless you have improper electric service that wouldn't run the resistance elements? typically the heat pump is what fails and the unit just reverts to a standard electric water heater, no fuss really just expensive if you want to replace. if the unit won't turn at all that would typically be a unit replacement, in fact any time there has ever been any issue on the heat pump side whatsoever they have given us an "R" number for unit replacement. something seems to be missing here. What troubleshooting steps were taken with tech support on the current issue?

  • luckylist13
    luckylist13 Member Posts: 2

    A service company did all of the troubleshooting and tech support. This is the model:

    VOLTEX
    ® AL SMART HYBRID ELECTRIC
    HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER WITH
    ANTI-LEAK TECHNOLOGY

    The Voltex AL Smart Hybrid Electric heat pump water heater from A. O. Smith is
    the most cost-effective, energy-efficient option available for consumers who want
    to save money on their utility bills. Voltex AL combines annual savings up to $521
    per year* on utility bills with new leak protection features to support homeowner
    peace of mind like leak detection and optional automatic water shutoff.

    Any suggestion on what I should do next?

  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,995

    that looks like the typical model. Non-functioning, especially if they have the ECC error code, will almost always result in a unit replacement (pre approved) if the unit is under warranty period (I think minimum 6 years up to 10) I have never heard of a tech getting denied a replacement number when they call and are unable to get the unit to work with tech support. was there some kind of electrical issue that caused the failure?

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 17,591
    edited 8:47PM

    sounds like one of the resistance elements shorted. not really the heat pump's fault.

    could have just been a defective element or really harsh water or it was run dry even briefly.

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