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Post by nate001 on Dec 30, 2016 11:03:05 GMT -6
I know this has nothing to do with clothing, but I'm in the market for a new hot water heater and I'm always surprised at the depth and breadth of knowledge on this site. Any recommendations? I was looking at Bradford White. They look more expensive, but as this forum knows well, its usually worth paying more for something of higher quality. I am a green guy, so I would prefer something very efficient with a limited carbon footprint. Tankless is a possibility, but we have four people in our house and my initial impressions of tankless water heaters is that they might not be able to keep up with our household. Thanks in advance.
EDIT:
Additional info that may be helpful. Looking to replace a 50 gallon gas water heater that we currently have. It's been running fine, but its ~12 years old and we had a recent incident where it stopped working. It seemed like maybe just an electrical issue and not a problem with the heater per se. I unplugged it and plugged it back in an it seems to be working OK now, but it was kind of a wake up call that we are probably on borrowed time with this appliance.
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Post by northcoast on Dec 30, 2016 11:33:58 GMT -6
I logged on to say this: I was looking at Bradford White.
LPT: Some models allow you to access the adonizing (spelling) rod and replace it. IF you can, consider mounting it where you can remove it, but thats generally unlikely as they run about the length of the tank.
I have a BW in my basement that is probably about 14 years old. I should start thinking about pro-actively replacing it. I did drain it once like 5 years ago, which can give one an indication of your tank condition based on the sediment. I think the owners manuals recommend that this be done yearly but I don't think anyone hardly ever does this.
I researched water heaters a few years ago and came to the same BW conclusion. IF I was going to get all spendy, I'd probably add a electric on demand at the kitchen sink and the second floor bathrooms. But from a cost basis, it's not really going to save you in the long run, it's just easier than pushing all that water over those distances.
If you don't have a chimney, pay attention and research your power vent options. Depending on where the tank is in your house relative to your living space, a noisy power vent could be super annoying.
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Post by nate001 on Dec 30, 2016 12:17:43 GMT -6
I logged on to say this: I was looking at Bradford White. LPT: Some models allow you to access the adonizing (spelling) rod and replace it. IF you can, consider mounting it where you can remove it, but thats generally unlikely as they run about the length of the tank. I have a BW in my basement that is probably about 14 years old. I should start thinking about pro-actively replacing it. I did drain it once like 5 years ago, which can give one an indication of your tank condition based on the sediment. I think the owners manuals recommend that this be done yearly but I don't think anyone hardly ever does this. I researched water heaters a few years ago and came to the same BW conclusion. IF I was going to get all spendy, I'd probably add a electric on demand at the kitchen sink and the second floor bathrooms. But from a cost basis, it's not really going to save you in the long run, it's just easier than pushing all that water over those distances. If you don't have a chimney, pay attention and research your power vent options. Depending on where the tank is in your house relative to your living space, a noisy power vent could be super annoying. So you like the Bradford White then? I don't think I've ever drained a hot water heater, but our city water comes from a lake and is therefore not very hard, so I don't think I'd have much scale. I haven't heard any popping from our current water heater to make me think that it has much scale build up. We have a power vent now, which is pretty noisy. I'm hoping the BW (or whatever we choose as a replacement) will be quieter. |
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Post by nate001 on Dec 30, 2016 12:41:02 GMT -6
I need input from DigDug and scooter Although scooter's expertise is probably more along the lines of heating up 500 barrels of wort. |
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Post by DigDug on Dec 30, 2016 12:47:56 GMT -6
For all my rental apartments I Rent the water heater from the utility Co. For $12 a month I have 24 hour service (they once came out on Thanksgiving) and 100% replacement. For my own house I have a Tankless furnace. We Never run out. We have 100% on demand availability. |
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Post by nate001 on Dec 30, 2016 12:51:47 GMT -6
For all my rental apartments I Rent the water heater from the utility Co. For $12 a month I have 24 hour service (they once came out on Thanksgiving) and 100% replacement. For my own house I have a Tankless furnace. We Never run out. We have 100% on demand availability. Can you explain the tankless furnace? That's like a combo hot water heater and furnace, right? We just replaced our furnance, so I don't think I'm in the market for that, but it's an intriguing idea. |
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Post by DigDug on Dec 30, 2016 12:58:30 GMT -6
For all my rental apartments I Rent the water heater from the utility Co. For $12 a month I have 24 hour service (they once came out on Thanksgiving) and 100% replacement. For my own house I have a Tankless furnace. We Never run out. We have 100% on demand availability. Can you explain the tankless furnace? That's like a combo hot water heater and furnace, right? We just replaced our furnance, so I don't think I'm in the market for that, but it's an intriguing idea. We have a very old house (built 1790) that uses Steam heat. So it produces steam for the radiators but also heats our water. It should have what they call a "Super Store". That's a tank that takes the hot water produced by the Furnace and stores it, keeping it hot. |
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Post by DigDug on Dec 30, 2016 13:03:50 GMT -6
You should talk to someone at the plumbing supply shop.
Ask them what they sell and which plumbers can install but more importantly which ones service them.
A friend of mine put in some high tech energy efficient heater. But now can't find anyone to service (clean,repair) it.
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Post by nate001 on Dec 30, 2016 13:04:03 GMT -6
Can you explain the tankless furnace? That's like a combo hot water heater and furnace, right? We just replaced our furnance, so I don't think I'm in the market for that, but it's an intriguing idea. We have a very old house (built 1790) that uses Steam heat. So it produces steam for the radiators but also heats our water. It should have what they call a "Super Store". That's a tank that takes the hot water produced by the Furnace and stores it, keeping it hot. Sounds cool. I can't imagine what maintenance is like on a house that's over 200 years old. I owned a house that was about 90 years old. My current house was built in 2004. I'll tell ya, there's something to be said for modern building codes. That being said, some of the decorative stuff in old houses simply cannot be recreated now. |
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Post by scooter on Dec 30, 2016 13:37:32 GMT -6
I need input from DigDug and scooter Although scooter's expertise is probably more along the lines of heating up 500 barrels of wort. Not always wort. I've spent time in the brewery. But, I go where the work is. You are correct, though. I work with commercial and industrial applications. Steam, and hydronic boiler systems. Plumbers generally handle domestic water supply. |
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