Anyone know anything about water heaters?

[iGas]

I bought a GE/made by Rheem model from Home Depot. 2 years plus 5 months later the Pilot Light won't stay on and it was JUST outside of its initial 2-year Full Warranty coverage, which means they won't send someone out to fix it for free.
It still has a limited warranty (4 years) so the part is covered (the thermo coupler crapped out, they sent a whole pilot assembly unit Fedex next day for free).
However, since I didn't have time and my dad been bugging me, i just paid someone to do it for $120, so I am out that amount.
Plus the damn thing went out on me on a Friday, so we had no hot water for a whole weekend until they can ship it out on Monday, which arrive and be installed on Tuesday. i thought I can easily find it in LA but turns out it is not so easily to locate a Rheem parts dealer.

Check to see if you have a dirty/damage thermocouple, or dirty pilot tube. And, a new thermocouple should be less than $20.

 

[gbeirn]

I am in the same boat. I am replacing mine preemptively before it leaks since it is quite old. I have gas as well, tank makes more sense to me. I have been doing a bunch of research and am going to go with the Rheem that is at home Depot. 38 Gal, 12 Year. It has a power damper for the flue so it is going to require an electrical connection whereas the old one doesn't but because of it's efficiency it qualifies for a $100 rebate from my gas company.

My dad and I will be installing it next week hopefully.

 

[cabri]

Home Depot/Lowes will sell you (as others indicated) a tank setup for gas.

they can also tell you/provide you with any additional connections/supplies that are needed.

Best to take multiple pictures with measurements of what the existing connections looks like. Easier to get proper adapters (if needed)

I replaced a gas unit with a tank from home depot back in mid 90s.

Shut off the gas valve.
Shut off water valves.
Used a pipe wrench to disconnect the gas and water line fittings.
Wrestled the old tank off the concrete pad (after draining)
Code had changed so added cinder blocks to allow required ventilation under the unit.
New unit was taller and with the added blocks; had to redo the vent/flue system.
Use putty tape on new fittings and attached gas line.
Turned on gas and did the soapy water check for leaks
Good to go.
Connected and opened up water valve lines
Lit the pilot and let tank heat up.

I think it had a 15-20 year warranty

 

[NutBucket]

One thing I don't like about new gas heaters (at least in CA) is all this sealed combustion BS. I think the old style is much better in terms of usability.

Hmm, I'm sort of waiting for mine to fail but perhaps I should look into replacing the anode...

On the topic of tank/tankless. My water heater is in the garage. It's so hot in there in the (long) summer it probably helps keep my gas bill lower

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Jules, you have PM. I can answer pretty much any question on water heaters you may have...

 

[JulesMaximus]

They heat water. Trust me on this.

I have heard this before but I remain skeptical... :sneaky:

 

[rh71]

Anyone know anything about the Techtanium brand? Our guy swore by them and does a ton of jobs.

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Anyone know anything about the Techtanium brand? Our guy swore by them and does a ton of jobs.

Mainly European. These are extremely high-efficient units. Almost like halo items, if you will.

Kind of exotic engineering going into them...dual coil heating, multi-layered heat transfer, indirect heating and solar, etc.

 

[andylawcc]

Check to see if you have a dirty/damage thermocouple, or dirty pilot tube. And, a new thermocouple should be less than $20.

well the part was free, so the labor portion is what really costed me.
I really want to do it myself, but my dad was giving me the "are you sure you know what you doing" look; was also busy at work and can't go without hot water for another day.

 

[tortillasoup]

I would just get the highest efficiency condensing water heater you can find...
http://www.toptenusa.org/gas-water-heaters/

I don't recommend on demand water heaters unless it's for heating an area where the load is continuous/specific demand such as a water heater dedicated for a hot tub. But for general household usage where people turn the faucet on and off regularly, I think on-demand are noisy and will be prone to failure especially with frequent on-off switching of the faucet. Also an on-demand would be good for a building where the hot water is used infrequently thanks to the lack of a pilot light (gone days, weeks or months at a time).

 

[NoTine42]

Since it's gas, you need a licensed pipe fitter to do the connection and while it could be a DIY job you need expensive pipe threading tools which may make it not worthwhile.

I would stick with a tank but look into a high efficiency one that has two pipes (intake and exhaust).

Or you make careful measurements, and go to Lowes and have them cut the gas pipes to your custom lengths for free.

 

[iGas]

well the part was free, so the labor portion is what really costed me.
I really want to do it myself, but my dad was giving me the "are you sure you know what you doing" look; was also busy at work and can't go without hot water for another day.

Get a plumber or gasfitter to do it if you don't know, but it is a simple task.

How to Install a Thermocouple on a Water Heater

 

[iGas]

Or you make careful measurements, and go to Lowes and have them cut the gas pipes to your custom lengths for free.

Flex hose are easier to use, but if you must use black iron pipe then you can measure with fitting allowance then get the store to cut it to length for you.

 

[Jumpem]

From what i read it's a hit or miss. They sell an adapter that makes a pressure coming from the tank to the unit constant. They work on small measurements in pressure loss. If loss is detected it assumes someone is using the water. idk maybe they have ones that work on wells.

I did have a pressure tank. Water pressure was comparable to city water and never an issue.

 

[rsd]

Recently replaced ours (Gas) and had an A.O. Smith 50 gallon high recovery (e.g. heats faster) model put in. Overall very happy with it. Thought about using the new boiler we have connected to a stainless tank but it would've cost 2x as much (but maybe you'd save some in gas) but we were in a hurry after finding the water heater leaking right before going on vacation.

We're also in the north east so a tankless wasn't as much as an option for us

 

[Jumpem]

Recently replaced ours (Gas) and had an A.O. Smith 50 gallon high recovery (e.g. heats faster) model put in. Overall very happy with it. Thought about using the new boiler we have connected to a stainless tank but it would've cost 2x as much (but maybe you'd save some in gas) but we were in a hurry after finding the water heater leaking right before going on vacation.

We're also in the north east so a tankless wasn't as much as an option for us

Being in the north east is not a problem for tankless models either. The cold snowy winters of northern NY didn't slow it down.

 

[rsd]

Fair enough that was one concern I had, whether valid or not. The other I think for the tankless was that they would've had to drill out an exhaust vent out the side of the house instead of using the existing vent that goes up the chimney and we didn't want to get into that type of project.

 

[Jumpem]

Fair enough that was one concern I had, whether valid or not. The other I think for the tankless was that they would've had to drill out an exhaust vent out the side of the house instead of using the existing vent that goes up the chimney and we didn't want to get into that type of project.

That is true. They have to be mounted on the inside of an exterior wall and a large exhaust vent cut out.

 

[iwajabitw]

Try your best not to get a water heater from the box stores. They are cheaper residential tanks and have platic parts, ie..plastic drain valves at the bottom and the pre tapped fittings leak sometimes. Find a local plumbing supply house and get one there with brass drain and install your fittings by hand to check the thread and dip tube before installing. Lowes '90's Enviro-Temp tanks were the worst about splitting and flooding a residence, that I have ever seen. They now carry Whirlpool tanks but they are made by the same people most of the time US Craftmaster. Rheem and Bradford White I have good look with, also State is in my home. AO Smith, just this week serviced one my employee installed 2 weeks ago and the lower thermostat melted and burnt the wire to the element. I think its just a fluke with the terminal or the thermostat was stuck open, regardless we are keeping an eye on them. My supplier has changed from Bradford White over to the AO Smiths, so were monitoring our installs for any more issues.

 

[iGas]

Try your best not to get a water heater from the box stores. They are cheaper residential tanks and have platic parts, ie..plastic drain valves at the bottom and the pre tapped fittings leak sometimes. Find a local plumbing supply house and get one there with brass drain and install your fittings by hand to check the thread and dip tube before installing. Lowes '90's Enviro-Temp tanks were the worst about splitting and flooding a residence, that I have ever seen. They now carry Whirlpool tanks but they are made by the same people most of the time US Craftmaster. Rheem and Bradford White I have good look with, also State is in my home. AO Smith, just this week serviced one my employee installed 2 weeks ago and the lower thermostat melted and burnt the wire to the element. I think its just a fluke with the terminal or the thermostat was stuck open, regardless we are keeping an eye on them. My supplier has changed from Bradford White over to the AO Smiths, so were monitoring our installs for any more issues.

The plastic drain valve get brittle with time, and will often break off if you are not careful. However, it can easily replace with a brass boiler drain that cost $7.00 (use teflon tape or dope).

 

[JulesMaximus]

Try your best not to get a water heater from the box stores. They are cheaper residential tanks and have platic parts, ie..plastic drain valves at the bottom and the pre tapped fittings leak sometimes. Find a local plumbing supply house and get one there with brass drain and install your fittings by hand to check the thread and dip tube before installing. Lowes '90's Enviro-Temp tanks were the worst about splitting and flooding a residence, that I have ever seen. They now carry Whirlpool tanks but they are made by the same people most of the time US Craftmaster. Rheem and Bradford White I have good look with, also State is in my home. AO Smith, just this week serviced one my employee installed 2 weeks ago and the lower thermostat melted and burnt the wire to the element. I think its just a fluke with the terminal or the thermostat was stuck open, regardless we are keeping an eye on them. My supplier has changed from Bradford White over to the AO Smiths, so were monitoring our installs for any more issues.

That's what our installer said also. I was cleaning around the water heater yesterday so the installers would have room to work and I noticed some water under our old unit. Good thing we're replacing it today. :thumbsup:

 

[Mayne]

any old water tank is fine. Just don't go tankless. There is no need for warranties as the only thing that can break is the gas valve...and I've don't think I've ever had to repair one ever.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I thought about tankless but I think I would stick with a tank if I needed a new heater.

I'm even debating on replacing my gas one with electric tank so I can break out of my rental fees. To buy out my gas one they want a ridiculous amount (more than what the tank cost new). The gas one I have is so inefficient a new electric would probably end up costing less to operate, and I could install it myself. Since there's no fumes or flames or air intake/exhaust or anything I could also wrap it in extra insulation to make it even more efficient. I could also have a relay to turn the power on/off based on my work schedule. Though I think it's not good to do that as if you bring it below a certain temp it can cause bacteria growth. Something I'd have to read up on more as it could be a myth. If the water killed all the bacterea (if there even was any) then if you cool that same water bacteria is not just going to spawn out of nowhere.

 

[tortillasoup]

I thought about tankless but I think I would stick with a tank if I needed a new heater.

I'm even debating on replacing my gas one with electric tank so I can break out of my rental fees. To buy out my gas one they want a ridiculous amount (more than what the tank cost new). The gas one I have is so inefficient a new electric would probably end up costing less to operate, and I could install it myself. Since there's no fumes or flames or air intake/exhaust or anything I could also wrap it in extra insulation to make it even more efficient. I could also have a relay to turn the power on/off based on my work schedule. Though I think it's not good to do that as if you bring it below a certain temp it can cause bacteria growth. Something I'd have to read up on more as it could be a myth. If the water killed all the bacterea (if there even was any) then if you cool that same water bacteria is not just going to spawn out of nowhere.

I'm confused about by the phrase "buy out my gas one"... Does that mean the company that installs the gas tank wants to charge more to install than the tank costs? Isn't that a given? Also if you're setup for a gas one, installing an electric one is not a simple drop in at all. Also the only way an electric one can make sense potentially is if it's a heatpump water heater, a resistive heater would never be more efficient, less expensive than a gas one. I'm confused about your situation however, what does your water heater have to do with your rental fees?

 

[z1ggy]

I don't know a ton about them as far as trouble shooting. All I know is I have a hybrid one, meaning that it has electric coils to heat up the water small amounts during the day, and then overall is heated in large amounts by my oil fed furnace.

So when the thing sits around all day being unused, the coils heat it up and keep it the right temperature range, but when I take a shower or use hot water, (and the tank is evacuated a bit, and new cold water comes in) it is heated by oil.

I doubt you have oil fed furnaces out in Cali, but a hybrid set up, using natural gas is probably the most efficient set up. Oh, and make sure you insulate the tank very well with a good wrap.