Water heaters

Any suggestions for natural gas brands? Mine is going, it is a Richmond and the flame sensor is going as is the gas valve. Might be looking for a new one.

I just had my furnace and A/C replaced in my house and my guy said he’d swap my water heater out while he was at it.

I asked what should I get and he basically said buy the cheapest thing you can find in the size and btu’s you need. That I could run up the price in a hurry if I wanted to and never see the payback on it.

Ended up buying a GE from Home Depot, which I come to learn is manufactured by Rheem anyway, which is the water heater I replaced. Richmond and AO Smith were the other brands he recommended.

What I would look into though is rebates from your utility companies and any federal tax credits. There is a certain efficiency rating that has to be met and you can qualify for the rebates. Basically need an Energy Star certified water heater which = not the cheapest at Home Depot. Is the higher initial cost minus the rebates minus expected lower utility bills worth it to you?

Measure everything carefully and replace it with a heater that doesn’t require redoing all the pipe work, usually easiest to stick with the same brand and heater if possible. I’m just saying this is my “Lazy/smart” route.

What you do depends on how happy you were with the old water heater. If it’s just you and the little woman using 30 gallons a day, go cheap. If it’s you and a house full of teenaged (or soon to be tennaged)girls, a more careful investigation of options is warrented If, that is, you have any expectations of taking a hot shower in the coming decade.

If the size and recovery rate was fine, then replace with the same or as close as you can get. Personally, I like AO Smith and Reehm.

I’m NOT a fan of any brands made by companies and then labeled for sale at the BORG. I’d rather get the real deal and know that quality control didn’t go out the window because the manufacturer was so beat down on price that they just ram anything and everything through and let the BORG customers sort it out.

Currently there is up to a $300 tax credit available for water heaters that meet an efficiency level. If you want the techninobabble, it’s EF >= 0.82 or TE >= 0.90. Bottom line is that heaters that quailify are generally labeled as tax credit eligible.

If you’re planning to DIY, I agree with Nick. Do all your measurements so you know if you have enough gas line and venting to reach and if possible avoid a major redo of your supply and outlet pipes. Obviously, the venting must be done exactly per the installation guide using the parts called for.

Grouse

Thanks grouse and others! Family of 6, 5 of them are women . Hot water is a rarity in the AM so i shower early! I will have to investigate and see what I come up with.

Regards,

BHS

Personally I would check with Mike W on this site since that’s whate he does for a living.

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Thanks grouse and others! Family of 6, 5 of them are women . Hot water is a rarity in the AM so i shower early! I will have to investigate and see what I come up with.

Regards,

BHS

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Not quite sure what size water heater you’d need to keep up with 5 women, but I’d be thinking 50 gallon with a 48,000 to 52,000 btu burner.

Look at recovery rates, a 40 gallon with a lower sized burner won’t keep up well for what you have going, we have a 40 gallon with a 42,000 btu burner and it does well for two long showers and probably three.

Also consider the temp you set it at, setting at 120 won’t give you the same as if at 140 degree’s.

Check warranty also, but if your a DIY’r make sure the warranty is valid.

There is some difference in insulation, valves and such with a higher end unit, they are all not the same.
Not a lot of difference but it may be worth considering.

Al

So how old is your current water heater? If it is over 10 years old it may not be worth sticking any money into it. On the other hand you mention flame sensor? If that is a thermo couple there can be a easy fix.

What type of heater are you looking for? Gravity vent? Power vent?

Allen has a lot of good info in his post with looking at recovery rates and water heaters with bigger burners if you want to try and match something to your household needs.

A water heater like the Eternal Hybred will give you endless hot water and save on the gas bill. The down side is the up front cost.

Good point about the warranty Allen. Many are not worth the paper they are written on. When you get that water heater from home depot there is a nice big sticker on the side that explains there warranty very well. It Reads “Do Not Return to the Store”. That is what I like in a warranty.

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Thanks grouse and others! Family of 6, 5 of them are women . Hot water is a rarity in the AM so i shower early! I will have to investigate and see what I come up with.

Regards,

BHS

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Yeah. With that many people in the house and all women besides, I agree with the others who have said you want to look at recovery rate. But be aware that in a lot of cases a faster recovery rate will drag down the efficiency rating.

I’m not a huge fan of demand systems, but for a big family like yours they could actually make sense. Generally, I think the cost savings because of efficiency are oversold for many families given the higher costs of the unit and the installation, but given the fact that you’re probably paying to heat 3 trillion gallons of water a month, you may be the guy they were built for.

Grouse

Mike W,

The water heater is likely 8-10 years old. We moved into the house 5 years ago and it was already there. I am not a mechanical guy at all, rather a staunch capitalist when it comes to services like this. I would rather leave it to an expert like yourself! It might be that the flame sensor thing is an easy fix but the guy i use is telling me richmond parts are tough to come by. I think he just wants me to buy a new water heater, but I am holding off right now. I am up in Brainerd by the way.

Thanks,

BHS