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Old 09-12-2018, 10:09 AM
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Default Home water heater

Anyone have experience with a Rheem or AO Smith hybrid electric water heater? Seems like the older Rheems had issues but the recent rev is better. Good quality? Is AO Smith a better unit?

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Old 09-12-2018, 07:11 PM
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my suggestion is to ditch the tank style water heater and get a tankless on demand style.

once you do you will never go back. we got a rinnai. awesome. takes up no space and there is endless hot water.
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Old 09-12-2018, 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted by mlytle View Post
my suggestion is to ditch the tank style water heater and get a tankless on demand style.

once you do you will never go back. we got a rinnai. awesome. takes up no space and there is endless hot water.
Doesn't that require multiple units throughout the house, and running new power to them? Much easier in some houses then others.
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Old 09-12-2018, 07:24 PM
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Dissent here. I've used a tankless water heater; was happy to go back to an old style one.

YMMV.

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Old 09-12-2018, 10:02 PM
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Doesn't that require multiple units throughout the house, and running new power to them? Much easier in some houses then others.
No you can use one device for whole house. Only and I mean the only positive to a tankless in residential applications is extended draw. Period. They do not save you any money. They require very large energy input capacity which often requires increasing existing delivery. They require maintenance. Not benefit from it Require it. Got 6 teens in the house? Tankless just might make some sense.

Look into the new gen high eff tank setups. They have a true ROI that is less than the service life and don't need to be wined and dined to do their task year in and out. The hybrid electric s are not tankless. They are heat pumps with resistance heat back up. High initial cost but a projected savings over the service life. They will take heat out of the space they are in and work better in places where there is excess heat. They can drop a space temp 20 degrees or so depending on the conditions. They make noise but not a lot.
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Old 09-12-2018, 10:15 PM
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No you can use one device for whole house. Only and I mean the only positive to a tankless in residential applications is extended draw. Period. They do not save you any money. They require very large energy input capacity which often requires increasing existing delivery. They require maintenance. Not benefit from it Require it. Got 6 teens in the house? Tankless just might make some sense.

Look into the new gen high eff tank setups. They have a true ROI that is less than the service life and don't need to be wined and dined to do their task year in and out. The hybrid electric s are not tankless. They are heat pumps with resistance best back up. High initial cost but a protected savings over the service life.
Good info. I know I would never pay electricity costs for hot water -- our natural gas heater is CHEAP to operate.
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Old 09-12-2018, 10:33 PM
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tankless ...only one unit for whole house.
maintenance? minimal. check up yearly.
benefits? lots! nearly unlimited hot water. only heating what water you use. no huge tank taking up space somewhere. no tank to rust out and flood your basement. you can set the output temp more precisely and change it on the fly if needed. the size/output of the unit can be spec'd for the demand you have. don't have 6 teenagers? just get a lower output model.

when we switched it did not require any change to our energy infrastructure in the house.

i have found zero downside to the tankless setup. never going back to those huge tanks again....
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Old 09-13-2018, 07:46 AM
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You are spot on footprint and long draw are the strong suit to tank-less water heaters.
"Go Tankless" is good advice in certain situations. OTOH the long term data shows they cost more to purchase, require more service and fail far more often than standard tank electric. One format that Chris was asking about, the heat-pump based hybrid, has a bunch of not often thought of positive aspects depending on the use profile and install location. some other benefits to them depends on where they are placed. Damp basement? They become a dehumidifier. that also heats your water. Garage? Free AC and de-humidification in the spring, summer and fall. They have become mature technology and the price to performance has become very good. One general aspect overall is they have been shown to have an actual ROI. that is shorter than the real world service life.
Unless you are required to select a tank-less due to usage profile or space constraints there are other electric options that offer longer service life, less lifetime cost and reduced energy consumption.
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Old 09-13-2018, 08:35 AM
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My new house has an indirect hot water heater served by the oil fired boiler. Initially I was turned off by the idea of burning oil all year, but I was told by my HVAC guru that hearing water with oil was cheaper than electricity. Makes sense since heating a home is cheaper with oil.

The water tank is like another zone for the boiler and has its own thermostat on the side of the tank that is easy to adjust.
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Old 09-13-2018, 09:22 AM
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Good discussion, thanks for the input everyone. I have an basic/simple electric water heater. I replaced the element last year and its not getting any younger so I figure preemptive replacement isnt a bad idea. BGE has a rebate on the heat pump versions until the end of the year making the cost maybe 25% more than what I have now.

I really like the idea of an efficient heat pump chugging away all day instead of a high load element sucking down amps. I have a dehumidifier in the basement now that isnt free to run to that piece of the new water heater is a bonus. I've read annual operating costs of these things are peanuts, compared to just about anything.

Any cost savings goes away if its not reliable though. Same goes for switching to gas or oil. No interest in using oil, I bet I didnt use 5gal last year for the furnace. Gas could require new plumbing, exhaust.... more than a few years of 'lectric bills and a spare water heater or 2.

I looked up tankless electric and did a double take. 4 30A circuits? ok, no thanks.
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