Water heater

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mjoekingz28

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Is there anything to look for when getting a new water heater? The water barely gets warm anymore and I want to avoid hypothermia this winter. Here is a Kenmore for a good price: http://www.sears.com:80/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04233242000P?mv=rr&i_cntr=1322138740952 I'm pretty cautious about the gas ( I wanted all electric but only some of the newer houses are like that). Anyway, is there a unit that is safer than the other? Like leaks, losing the pilot light, safety circuits and the like or resistant to flooding the house with water if/when something goes awry. The one that was with the house is a Rheem and looks old but could not find a date on the stamp.
 
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All the gas related issues I have heard of are with the yahoo that hooked it up, not with the unit themselves. When the PL goes out, the gas stops flowing. A friend of mine had new construction and clearly the builder didn't know, or knew and ignored, basic code. I suspect any energy star compliant one has a good bit of insulation. During the Irene tropical storm debacle in the NE, my "7 year oldish" HWH held the water warm for about 6 days.
 
They all have safety mechanisms on them to prevent issues. Now, if you're pouring gas on the floor near it or hook it up wrong, that's a you problem. Rheem or Kenmore would be my choice.
 
Have you checked with the Gas Company? Assume you have gas heat too? Here if you want an electric water heater the electric company will give you a free energy star water heater. Too they will give you a new free water heater if the tank is more than 7 years old. You must pay for installation. Normally you need a larger electric hot water heater than a gas unit because of recovery time. I would check with both the gas and electric company. If you have gas heat then you may want to stick with a gas hot water heater as you get a monthly gas bill anyway. Either way make sure that you have a professional install the water heater. I would opt for an energy star unit no matter the type. Info below about a tax credit for Energy Star. Link To Web Site
 
Things to look for? Optimally, IMO, you would have an indirect or tankless, so that there are no standby losses. Our old tank heater (15 years old and we have a lot of brown sludge in our water) was starting to not keep up in the winter. The water was just too cold. It was inefficient too. We used to spend about $16/month on NG for laundry and hot water. Now our bill is around $3/month. We have an indirect on an ultra high efficiency mod/con boiler. If youre stuck with a tank heater, Id look for AO smith or Bradford White, and get what has the highest efficiency (.62 or so is the best youll do as opposed to 95% on the indirect mod/con systems). If you go away from standard flue and to a forced vent, you can pick up some efficiency (but be more reliant on electrical service to operate). So lots out there. How stuck are you really on a tanked heater?
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
If youre stuck with a tank heater, Id look for AO smith or Bradford White, and get what has the highest efficiency (.62 or so is the best youll do as opposed to 95% on the indirect mod/con systems). If you go away from standard flue and to a forced vent, you can pick up some efficiency (but be more reliant on electrical service to operate). So lots out there. How stuck are you really on a tanked heater?
The new A.O. Smith Vertex heaters make this a tougher choice. I use hot water to heat my house, so it's (by far) the majority of my utility bills. I have a Bradford and White that I installed 10 years ago, and I'm starting to look at more efficient options as it gets older. The Vertex is a tank model with a built-in condenser. They range from 90-96% TE for a tanked heater. The downsides are upfront cost, and it needs to be hooked up do a drain. The energy cost of running a water heater, so it's often worth it to spend the money up-front on the most efficient model you can get.
 
Originally Posted By: JOD
The Vertex is a tank model with a built-in condenser. They range from 90-96% TE for a tanked heater. The downsides are upfront cost, and it needs to be hooked up do a drain. The energy cost of running a water heater, so it's often worth it to spend the money up-front on the most efficient model you can get.
That's why we went indirect with the mod/con boiler. Made heating house and water cheaper. No stack on the water heater means no real losses. We can tell. If youre doing 90-96% on water, youre about as good as youre going to get. Of course electric is 100%, but the kWh cost is $$$.
 
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I thought my Rheem had died, but I talked to some family and we just relit the pilot and I have hot water. They said the recent storm could have pushed wind down the flue and killed the flame. I'll look into Bradford/White for future reference, but if the Rheem goes peacefully I'll have to consider that. Its so easy to worry about the things blowing up, poisoning the air or soaking your carpets and drywall with water. Good plumbing and a roof, I think, are the most important things of a home.
 
Another reason the water might not be getting warm as it should is sediment build up in the bottom of the tank. There should be a faucet type valve on the lower portion of it. Hook a hose to it, and drain the tank. This should be done once a year to prevent build up that insulates the flame from the water.
 
Originally Posted By: Tim H.
Another reason the water might not be getting warm as it should is sediment build up in the bottom of the tank. There should be a faucet type valve on the lower portion of it. Hook a hose to it, and drain the tank. This should be done once a year to prevent build up that insulates the flame from the water.
Agreed. And it sure seemed to me based upon playing with our old one that the thermocouple got "lazy", in that after a long draw, so it fired for a long time, we would have wonderful, HOT water... But if it sat for a long time, the water would only be lukewarm until there was another long draw.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Tim H.
Another reason the water might not be getting warm as it should is sediment build up in the bottom of the tank. There should be a faucet type valve on the lower portion of it. Hook a hose to it, and drain the tank. This should be done once a year to prevent build up that insulates the flame from the water.
Agreed. And it sure seemed to me based upon playing with our old one that the thermocouple got "lazy", in that after a long draw, so it fired for a long time, we would have wonderful, HOT water... But if it sat for a long time, the water would only be lukewarm until there was another long draw.
When I got the house, the water would come out scalding. I think the house set for about 6 months. Now after using it for a few months it is normal hot. I'll check on draining the sediment, but I think I read on here (some time ago) that it could actually cause problems.
 
If you have to get a new one, we are huge fans of the Hydro-jet one that is in our house. It's the original one put in in 97-98 when the house was built. It never seems to run out of hot water, even if we take 3 showers in a row, while the washer and dishwasher are running. Gas will be much cheaper than electric to run, and imo are safer to boot. Also hydro-jet? Made in USA. I'm pretty sure this is it. My parents plan on replacing it with the same one if this one dies, or when they build/buy a house. I also want to say that one we had in Maine worked excellent. It was a forced induction unit, because it was in the center of the house, and the furnace used hot water from the heater to heat the house.
 
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Originally Posted By: Nick R
Gas will be much cheaper than electric to run, and imo are safer to boot. Also hydro-jet? Made in USA.
Gas much safer grin Although rare have you ever seen one of those homes blown clear off its foundation due to a fuel leak or mostly damage in supply.
 
I recently removed my 50 gallon Propane water heater. I installed an 80 gallon AO Smith "Voltex" hybrid water heater. It uses a heat pump, in conjunction with electric elements. Interestingly enough, it does a great job air conditioning my garage. I'm not sure they make sense up North. But down South, they do "assist" the A/C if indoors and will cool a garage quite nicely. Propane was nearing $5 per gallon here. So, my costs were getting out of hand, with most months propane expenses exceeding $160! The Voltex has increased my electric bill by less than $30. So far, so good!!!
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
Is there anything to look for when getting a new water heater? ...Here is a Kenmore for a good price: http://www.sears.com:80/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04233242000P?mv=rr&i_cntr=1322138740952
That Sears unit looks like a US Craftmaster built unit. Last I knew, there were only two manufacturers of conventional waters heaters in the US. USCraftmaster and American Water Heater. They are sold under dozens of brand-names. US Craftmaster builds a better, longer lasting water heater IMO. Not knowing any better, I installed a Lowes bought Whirlpool (American Water Heater) replacement unit in my last house. I never had any problems with it, but I attribute that to the fact it sets up on a concrete pad, so much of the lint/hair/debris cant get sucked up onto the bottom mounted intake screen. Low and behold, we moved into our new (old) house and it's got the SAME Whirlpool. Atleast I know what to look for! Joel
 
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