posted
Many times replacement water heaters are constrained by existing space. In other words, if your water heater is in a small utlity space you may not have an option to upgrade to a larger one. Not that you'd really want to, if the 40 gallon currently keeps the whole family in hot water.
As for brands, I don't really have any recommendations. Find one that fits into your existing space and can be hooked up easily with no changes to your plumbing and you should be good to go.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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he he can.. not.. resist! hot water heater vs a cold water heater? toasting toast? baking a baked potato?
Posts: 204 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Why do you suppose we call it a hot water heater rather than simply a "water heater"? We don't say "cold water cooler" or "warm food warmer".
Oh, And Belle's right. The most important factor is making sure it works in the space you have. So size, utilities requirements and plumbing configs. If you do all that and still have more than one option, get the one that is best insulated (better energy efficiency).
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Excellent point Rabbit. I forgot about energy ratings. Yes, let that be your deciding factor after you've considered the others.
I would also go with a fairly common brand. Reason why is that if you're going to have a problem with an electric water heater, it will be with the heating elements. Elements can be replaced, so it's good to use a brand that parts are readily available.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Generally the "on-demand" heaters are a heckuva lot smaller than the ones with tanks, and save bunches of energy too. (They only have a pilot light until you turn on the hot water, then the burner fires up and heats the water as it goes through.)
Downside is you probably aren't set up for gas, if you're replacing an electric
If you could get a gas line pulled, though... lots of good on-demand heaters out there, plus IIRC, that style gets a nice tax rebate.
Posts: 1323 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I think "hot water heater" is essentially accurate for models with insulated tanks, since after the initial fill and aside from exceptional usage, it's usually just sitting there full of hot water, getting additional heat added to it as needed. (The cold water that gets added is mainly heated by the other water until it's hot too, just not quite as hot as you want it, and that hot water is then heated some more.)
However, I'm reasonably sure that people don't individually follow that cognitive path when they say or write "hot water heater", so even if someone grants my attempt at a justification for the term it still doesn't answer the question of why we say that. I don't have that answer. (Seriously. I don't. Stop looking at me.)
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Depending on whether you are the sort of person that services your equipment (some just assume it lasts until it fails) you should look for a water heater with an easily replaceable sacrificial anode.
When I bought mine, I was unaware of the differences, and I bought one where the anode is built into the outlet pipe, which means that in order to change it, I have to remove the water supply plumbing, which is a real nuisance.
The article listed talks about tanks with dual anodes, which sounds like a good idea, but they point out that dual anodes can cause odor problems, depending on what's in your water. Typically, the more anode material, the longer the life of the tank. Mine has only one anode, and if you change it regularly it isn't a problem.
I replace my anode every five years. I have a five-year water heater, but it's about 13 years old, and shows no signs of leaking.
Posts: 3735 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Boon
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posted
Well, we wound up with this one, because it was at least the same size, fit the space, was a known brand, and had the connections in the right place. I wanted the 12-year-warranty one (that was much more energy efficient, etc.) but the fittings wouldn't have worked.
I did get a couple things for it we didn't have before: a drain pan and an insulating blanket. It also came with foam pipe insulators that the old one didn't have.
Now I'm off to go help my dad finish installing it.
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I just had my water heater replaced...turns out it was leaking. Since I'm in a rental, I had no say in the matter. (I also had no say in the repair guy's muddy boot prints all over my floors.) They installed this one.
The energy guide sticker says the average yearly cost of running this unit is $309. I say it's going to be lower than that! Jeepers...I already turned it down to low. (The maintenance guy lovingly had it turned up to medium.) I have an insulating blanket, too, so maybe I can keep that cost down. It's a gas unit.
Posts: 1813 | Registered: Apr 2001
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We bought our house 18 months ago with a note that the Hot Water Heater was relatively new.
Unfortunately they installed it directly on the concrete floor in the basement...that leaks occasionally.
Now the bottom is rusted, and we believe that it is leaking.
I know that when I touched the bottom of it I got a shock. Electric heater shocking us...not good.
Also looking into the "On Demand" water heaters. I know Belle did a review of them a couple of years ago, but I forgot what she said. If "Search" works I will try to find out.
Posts: 1941 | Registered: Feb 2003
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My husband's opinion of them (on-demand water heaters) was not very positive. This stems from customers being unhappy with the heat of the water...at least two people had him come back out and remove the systems and put a conventional sysem back in.
However...let me add the caveat that my husband no longer owns a plumbing company and the ones he installed were shortly after they came out. He hasn't installed a system for years now, so there is every likelihood that they are better now. I would try and talk to someone I know that has one and see how happy they are with it.
Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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The one I grew up with had a thermostat. We set it high enough that you could run 2 showers simultaneously. Neither was "hot" but both were "sufficiently warm."
The one my dad has in Minnesota now is fine for 1 shower, but to fill the tub you only need the hot water knob. . . .
Posts: 1323 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Have you thought about a tankless? They're supposed to be much more energy efficient as they only heat the water you use. I've also heard that there may be tax credits involved if you purchase one. Though I don't know the details on that if it's true.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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The tankless on-demand hot water heaters are very efficient, but the cost twice as much money to purchase. You need to consider how many years it is going to take to pay for that extra cost.
How well they work and how much money they save is based on how high they have to raise the water over the water's normal ambient temperature. For example, if the water out of the tap is 75dF and you want to raise it to 120dF, that means you are trying to raise the water temperature 45dF.
To accomplish that, the flow rate slows down. The higher the temperature differential, the slower the flow has to be for the water heater to keep up.
A normal water heater, is also rated in flow capacity. 40 gal or 50 gal is not the tank capacity, but the flow rate.
The minute you start pulling hot water out, cold water starts flowing in, and that dilutes the temperature. Then the heating element kicks on and tries to heat the water faster than the cold water is cooling it off. It can do this but not indefinitely. Eventually the cold water wins, and the working temperature of the hot water is lost.
A 50 gal heater can sustain the hot water longer for a give flow rate. The drawback is, that it is keeping a lot of water hot that is never getting used. You use minutes of hot water per day, but the 'tank' type water heater, keep the water hot 24 hrs a day. That's not that efficient.
So, for either type, you need to consider how hot the water is going to be, how high you must raise the temperature above ambient, and how fast and how long you intend to draw on the hot water.
For most houses, a 40 gal or 50 gal is enough. If you have a small house, and live alone, you might get buy with a 30 gal.
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