Need new gas water heater

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Just discovered our 74 gallon gas water heater is leaking.

Any recommendations on which product to replace it with? I don't think tankless will make sense given the size of our house but thoughts are welcome on that.

Any thoughts on who I can use who won't rip me off eg is Sears a good idea?
 
74 gallons seems like kind of a big water heater. Residential heaters are usually in the 40-75 gallon range with majority being 40 gallon.

In line water heater can be a good option if you have the gas line capacity to support it. It uses a lot of gas when it runs and many house gas lines especially older homes are too small to support a robust in line heater.

Home Depot and Lowes sell gas water heaters and are typically a good value. One or both also offer installation service for the heaters they sell. This is the way I would go.

Good value in a heater is usually the mid upper level (min 10-12 year warranty) heaters. These are built with better quality internal parts. Avoid the lowest cost models.

Most expensive option is call a plumber and have them supply and install a water heater. They do all the work but you pay dearly.
 
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Just do it soon. There are new rules coming out in 2015 that will require them to be more efficient, at a cost of course. Some models have already made the change.
 
Go with Bradford-White. Their intake doesn't clog up with lint (yes literally regular life dust lint, nothing extreme), YES LINT as fast and cause it to shut the flame arrestor and stop working. It's o
 
Check with the local gas supplier often they have deals to keep you from switching.

Here our electric company will give you a 62 or 77 gallon water heater free. You pay for installation and must have a peak demand control installed. Have had one for several years and only time that they used the control was when it was quite cold out then only for several minutes.

If you switch to gas they will furnish the water heater and installation in an effort to get your business.

Check your options.
 
Check with your utility company for rebates before you buy anything appliance wise. I work in the Energy Efficiency field, everything i do is utility company funded. A lot of my work involves utility company rebates. Every utility company wants/has to cut power/gas consumption per Gov't regulation and for personal interest. (not having to build more plants, install bigger gas lines...etc) The very first thing i would do is call your gas company and ask for a residential rebate Representative.

In Indiana I work with Duke and Vectren, both offer rebates. Duke is Electric only, Vectren supplies both in some areas of the state. They both have rebates available to residential and commercial customers for installing Efficient water heaters, refrigerators, HVAC units, etc.. I'am sure your Gas provider will do the same for you
 
Is there any difference between a 6 year heater and a 10 year one? Some people are saying it is just paying more for the warranty.
 
Originally Posted By: Apollo14
Is there any difference between a 6 year heater and a 10 year one? Some people are saying it is just paying more for the warranty.


Depends on the heater. I just installed a Bradford-White 10-yr. water heater. You get the six-year heater and a "conversion kit". Turns out the conversion kit consists of a sticker.
 
Originally Posted By: Apollo14
Just discovered our 74 gallon gas water heater is leaking.

Any recommendations on which product to replace it with? I don't think tankless will make sense given the size of our house but thoughts are welcome on that.


I would consider tankless. This is my Quietside ODW-199A tankless unit. It is likely overkill for your application, but there are a variety of models to fit hot water needs.

IMGP0063_zpsfafa1a1a.jpg


http://www.quietside.com/on-demand/

I would definitely go with tankless again if I had the choice. Check out units made by Rinnai as well- they seem to be the standard that everyone is using for new installs. Good luck!
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If you go with a new tank type it does not hurt to hook up a hose to the bottom drain valve and drain out the crud once a year.

I bought a brass cap at a hardware store and used a rubber gasket incase there was a leak after draining.
 
I looked at a tankless water heater but the savings and ROI weren't there for me. We got a rapid recovery ~30 gallon water heater. It's more compact, very efficient and beats most 40 & 50 gallon heaters in recovery and gallons/hr.
 
How many people in the house and are they using at the same time? Do you need this size or is someone taking very long showers? Do you have pipe insulation?
 
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When I got a quote from Home Depot, they were the most expensive of several. I would try to find an indie with a good reputation. Bradford-White and Ruud/Rheem are good heaters.
 
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Thanks for all the input. I am reading everything, just unable to respond to everyone.

I am right now looking at tankless. It may suit our usage pattern.

Home Depot told me that downsizing water heater means a different vent size which can be expensive - $200 to $400. Is that true?

Install costs so far are $467 Home Depot + anything more for code

Lowes $762!
 
Originally Posted By: AandPDan
Just do it soon. There are new rules coming out in 2015 that will require them to be more efficient, at a cost of course. Some models have already made the change.


I could not install a tankless into my house without relocating the unit someplace where it would get in the way of something else.

http://www.bradfordwhite.com/doe-departm...asked-questions
A: Gas models may require additional insulation, incorporate newer flue baffling technologies (including flue dampers), incorporate electronic ignition in lieu of the standing pilot, or any combination of these. One likely impact will be an increase in the overall product size, especially in diameter.

Why do they assume that everyone would have the extra space for a water heater???



Originally Posted By: Apollo14
Home Depot told me that downsizing water heater means a different vent size which can be expensive - $200 to $400. Is that true?


Going to a larger vent size would be more expensive, but a smaller size I would think is OK.

I have replaced a water heater before, and it's way easier than working on a car! You would be able to do this with some help for the manual labor part (my GF helped me move the tank around, since there were stairs involved).
 
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+1 on the tankless.

Takes up so much less room, instant hot water, and less heat and energy escaping...
 
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