Tell me about your water heater....

[ZZman]

Wait, is it leaking? Not heating? Located somewhere that a leak would be catastrophic?
If no to all, why replace early? Usually the tank goes and gives a slow leak to warn you.
Maybe you can get 20 years?

Our 6 year warranty model, lasted 12. Replaced it with another Rheem, with a 12 year warranty and better efficiency and cleaner burning.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-P...per-Tank-Water-Heater-XG40T12DU38U2/300675922
It was less when I bought it, plus Gas Co rebates, so it ended up being cheaper than any other units around.

Well I wanted to replace the anode rod. Having a hard time finding one I know would fit plus it is the stupid nipple kind.
I also noticed the year this one was installed so figured since my maintenance was poor this was a good idea since I had the money handy anyway.
I would rather do it not in an emergency situation and it allowed me to find a cheaper installer.

 

[wag123]

Depending on the water quality, a traditional water heater lasts about 12 years and a tankless water heater lasts about 20 years. Even when factoring-in the potential energy savings, the much higher upfront cost and higher potential repair/maintenance costs on the tankless water heater make them an economic wash IMO.

 

[skyactiv]

A guy at work had a Rheem hybrid water heater installed and he says it also dehumidifies his basement.

 

[Aredeeem]

I have a Navien NPE240A and also really like it. 3 years old now and no issues. In your case, for a lake house / cottage / seasonal use I think that a tankless makes excellent sense. Here is my summary:

Pro: very efficient as stated no large reserve of hot water wasting away unused, unlimited hot water - 2 showers simultaneously are no problem, dishwasher / washing machine and shower on also no issue. Small footprint, this was the final attribute that pushed me over from a traditional tank. It is a small box mounted on the wall.

Con: Out of the box, no scheduling control is available. You have to order separately a remote pad or wifi in order to do any programming of timing. For example, we fully installed a recirculating system (recommended when feasible like in a complete reno) but we don't need that running at 3am I'd like to have that run from 6am to 10pm only. Slightly more maintenance than a tank. I flush with vinegar once per year (45 minutes with a small pump), drain the condensate trap, clean the intake (both water and air) filters etc. It is minor maintenance but still more than I ever did with a tank. As noted, higher up front cost. Finally, no hot water with a power outage period end of story. A mistake I made with our new house is not having a transfer switch / NG generator system installed. We did not realize how intermittent the power is where we are now. 4 - 6 hrs per year is not uncommon and we have had a serious 2 day one once. I haven't gotten to the point where I have bought a small generator and have an extension cord running to the hot water tank (and fridge)... yet...

Not sure if this is our last house or not, we have said that 2 times now and been wrong, but if we moved into a different house and needed to upgrade / replace the hot water tank I would go back to tankless in all likelihood. One big caveat to my thoughts on tankless is we have the recirc system so all my observations are based on having that system. I do not know first hand how frustrating a tankless is (or isn't?) that does not have a recirc (i.e. delay for hot water, "cold sandwiches" and difficulty with new low water use washing machines).

The need for a recirc system is kinda up to the individual and how the house is plumbed. Easy enough to get used to not having, great if you’ve got one. If your bathroom is close to the heater you won’t have to wait long. Longer runs just take a bit longer.

 

[Wolf359]

Depending on the water quality, a traditional water heater lasts about 12 years and a tankless water heater lasts about 20 years. Even when factoring-in the potential energy savings, the much higher upfront cost and higher potential repair/maintenance costs on the tankless water heater make them an economic wash IMO.

I've gotten more than 12 years out of mine with the anode rod replacement. Also if you look at the warranty for most of those tankless heaters, it's about 5 years. So the problem you run into in 5-20 years is that it's no longer in warranty, you can't get parts and no one knows how to fix them. Basically the math works out to more like 2k for the tankless system on an install, basic water heater replacement for me is in the $600-$800 range. Even if I have to do 2 in the same time period, it's still cheaper for a regular tank. Maybe they're popular now because plumbers can justify the higher install charge.

 

[Wolf359]

Oh, I'm glad you asked about water heaters and not mothers.

 

[glock19]

Hi, you and Aredeem like your Navians. We are looking at a new combi heat and water. Our installer recommends Navien. Can you expand your thoughts? I don't have any personal or close experience with them. Do they always keep up even w/ two showers going? Maintenance? Thx.

This is a lake house that is not used that often and it is a waste to heat 75 gals (20 yr old water heater) even to vacation setting then bring it all up to temp when arriving.

I think you wouldn’t have any trouble with a tankless water heater. Our house has 4 bedrooms, a washer, and a dishwasher and we’ve never run out of hot water. I can’t expand my thoughts too much because it’s been pretty much flawless. It provides hot water all the time no matter what we’re running. The only catch is power outages, you won’t have a tank of hot water in reserve but in my area that isn’t a big deal.

 

[BHopkins]

When first introduced, tankless water heaters were marketed with one of the advantages being a great savings in energy, since they don't store hot water like a traditional tank style water heater. However, the savings is nowhere near what was marketed.

Consumer Reports did payback calculations to see how long it takes to get a return on investment for tankless water heaters. The details can be read here.

https://www.consumerreports.org/water-heaters/tankless-water-heaters-vs-storage-tank-water-heaters/

But in a nutshell, if you went from a gas tank water heater to a tankless gas water heater, it could take 22 1/2 to 27 1/2 years to save enough in energy costs to pay for the price difference. Switching from electric tank type to electric tankless is a quicker ROI of 12 to 20 years, but still not great. If you are considering tankless purely save money, you would be better to stay with a tank water heater and put the difference in a savings account.

As others who have them have mentioned above, tankless water heaters don't provide "instant" hot water. It takes them a bit to get the water up to temperature. A tank style water heater will provide hot water sooner than a tankless.

A tank also has the advantage of being able to provide hot water for more than one use at a time. For example, if your spouse starts the dishwasher while you are in the shower, the tank may run out sooner, but it can provide the same temperature of water. Most tankless are rated for a specific temperature rise at a specific flow rate. Exceed that flow rate, and the water temperature will likely drop. You can buy tankless systems that are rated for higher flow, but then you lose any energy savings. And they get more expensive.

I helped my son install an electric tankless water heater in his first home. From what had been advertised, he was expecting a 30% - 35% energy savings. What he actually saved was so little it was almost immeasurable. After a few months of ownership, he felt the only thing he had gained was additional storage space in the utility room. When it came time to put a new water heater in his current home, he didn't go tankless. Instead, he has a 60 gallon water heater. For all practical purposes, he has unlimited hot water for his family of four. And it is insulated well enough that he never really saw an increase in energy over the 40 gallon tank that it replaced.

 

[VolvoZ]

A guy at work had a Rheem hybrid water heater installed and he says it also dehumidifies his basement.

We have a Bradford White 50 Gal. Hybrid (heat pump and electric coil). Indeed, the hybrid heat pump water heater does dehumidify the basement very nicely. We run in in heat pump mode 99% of the time. It cools and dehumidifies the basement very well. So well that our dehumidifier is no longer needed. The only downside is that the basement gets cooler in the winter than i like, and it takes longer to regenerate the hot water when its cold in the basement. Basically, from March to November the heat pump works fantastic. From December thru February, the heat pump works “OK”. On perhaps 3 occasions when there was a lot of hot water demand, I’ve switch the heater to “hybrid“ (heat pump runs and the electric element will pulse) to help heat water faster.

 

[dlundblad]

It’s about 7 years old and was installed by the houses PO. Works very well and IMO behaves like gas.

I think it’s the result of our somewhat high power bill. The month we went on our week long vacation, our power bill was $40 cheaper. I’m sure other things were factored in, but I’m guessing the water heater is the biggest culprit.

I’d like to get an electric hybrid water heater. Just saw it mentioned above. Rheem. A co worker of mine swears by tankless gas heaters. I’d entertain it, but I like the dehumidifier qualities of the hybrid.

 

[SSerian]

I have a natural gas tankless. Not sure on brand. Came with the house. No complaints other than it takes a bit to flush the cool water leftover in the hot water pipes before heating up. The water heater’s location is on the opposite side of the house from the bathrooms. And it’s in the basement. I have a 2500 sq ft, 2 story plus basement house. Lots of plumbing.

 

[Lubener]

But, don’t forget. No power, no hot water with a tankless. Needs power to work.

If I lost power, hot water would not be high on my list.

 

[Aredeeem]

Not initially, but it would grow on you.

 

[gathermewool]

Not initially, but it would grow on you.

especially around the giblets and between the toes.

 

[Aredeeem]

My humor, de-coded and appreciated. Bless you gather.

 

[Dean]

I have an electric 120 gallon Sepco Hydrastone manufactured by Vaughn; it's almost 24 years old. Heats 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

 

[Nick1994]

I put a Rheem gas water heater in at my grandpa’s last summer. What I did was remove the plastic piece of junk drain valve that trickles water out to drain and installed a real valve hose bib with a pipe coupler to extend it out.

 

[JT20]

Some kind of Rheem

Performance unit. About a year old.

 

[JTK]

Sorry if it's been mentioned, but the only maintenance you can do on a standard 40-50gal gas or electric water heater in factory form is maybe change the anode rod like mentioned. In 30yrs of home ownership and 3 different homes, I've never done this.

If your maintenance regimen includes "flushing" the water heater, the only way flushing is going do do anything for you is if you replace the OEM needle valve with a 3/4" ball valve. Even a quality replacement needle or gate valve isn't going to offer enough flow to push any solids out of the belly of the beast.

FWIW, I've got a Whirlpool 40gal tall from Lowes. It's from 2008. Made by American Water Heater Co (AWHC) just like most of them in this thread. Is there anyone left besides AWHC anymore? I've lost track.

 

[Brybo86]

I have a "Reliance Self Cleaning 909" 50 gallon natural gas. Continuous pilot.

Replaced the pilot assembly at 10 yrs old.

Currently 13 yrs old. Typically open the bottom drain once a year or more if I remember to do it.