Buy your water heaters now!

[beekeyknee]

The government is getting ready to install new mandates in mid April which will make a w/h more complicated and aggravating. Other appliances will be affected too, I think. Haven't studied it completely but I know w/h will be affected. For instance a gas w/h will need to be connected to an electric supply to work, among other things.

This is just a notification, not a debate.

 

[joe_in_philly]

It looks like it will have more of an impact on those with 55 gallon and larger tanks.

http://www.bradfordwhite.com/doe-department-energy-final-rule-effective-04162015-frequently-asked-questions

 

[tomturbomatic]

Here is Maryland, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission has determined that the brick chimneys through which most furnaces and water heaters are vented must have the flues updated with stainless steel flue-work adding about $1500 to a water heater installation. If you don't do it and put your home on the market, a home inspector can check the manufacturing date on the water heater to determine if you should have upgraded the flue when installing it. I have a fan-forced vent gas water heater. I have always been a little scared of the fact that if the power went out, I would not have an uninterrupted supply of hot water as would normally be available with a gas heater. I think now that I will stay with this type even though the placement of the blower on top means that the tank cannot be fitted with an electric anode. I have a really heavy 2 inch insulation blanket on the tank. I had to order it online because the usual stores only carried the one inch blanket.

 

[wayupnorth]

The state mandated the same rules a few years ago here but even went further. Besides the required stainless liner before a furnace replacement, only one appliance could be connected to that one flue. So a water heater and furnace can not be in the same chimney. Stupid ruling, as far as I am concerned. We have one of the oldest housing stock here in New England and these chimneys worked just fine for many years.

 

[gusherb]

Normal 40 and 50 gallon water heaters by Bradford White and Rheem will still offer a good 'ole standing pilot. I spoke to my local plumbing supplier a few weeks ago and they said the 75 gallon tank won't require 120 volts as I previously heard either, but we'll see about that as they haven't come out with the new ones yet. The biggest changes will be the prices rising about 1-200 dollars...

I personally see this as completely unnecessary meddling with something that already works and already doesn't cost that much to run.

 

[beekeyknee]

M
ore information.

 

[beekeyknee]

More information

http://www.bradfordwhite.com/naeca

http://www.abcactionnews.com/money/...-heater-consider-buying-one-before-april-2015

http://www.phccweb.org/NewsPublication/content.cfm?ItemNumber=13250&ewebToken=&Site=PHCC

http://www.godanriver.com/work_it_s...cle_182ccf2c-bbb9-11e4-9f82-1becfadf26d1.html

Smelly water heater solutions, anodes | Water Heater Rescue

 

[whirlcool]

Remember that these rules apply to manufacturers of water heaters. This simply means it applies to water heaters built on or after April 1, 2015. New, Old Stock water heaters may still be sold as long as supplies last.

And for those who have our water heaters in the attic....

After Apr 1, 2015 water heaters will be thicker than they currently are due to having more insulation required by new regulations. Currently the drop down stairs are only about 25" wide. But the new tanks will be 26-28" wide. This means that the entire ladder system will have to be removed. The hole to the attic enlarged and the water tank lifted up into the attic and the floor/ceiling repaired before new stairs can be installed.

I have also noticed that the price of water heaters at Lowes, HD, etc. has gone up about $200 in the last 60 days or so.

 

[norgeway]

Oh WHY!!!

Can't the D@#$ government stay out of everyones business!!!!

 

[repair-man]

I could not agree more Norgeway. Make everything 10 times more complicated so that it breaks more often and gets replaced repeatedly just to save a few cents a month on utilities.

 

[whirlcool]

And why the $200 price increase for hot water heaters that have been sitting on the shelves for awhile? Profiteering! We currently have a Bradford/White TOL heater that's about 9-10 years old.So far so good, but we haven't drained it periodically or changed the anode. I wonder how long we have? It's going to be expensive to change.

I'm seriously considering changing it myself when the time comes.

 

[cleanteamofny]

Can't the D@#$ government stay out of everyones business

To reduce carbon impact!
Moving from constant pilot lighting to electronic ignition will reduce unnecessary gas wastes, consider it a massive savings in the long run.

Here in NYC, we are seeing changes from the street lighting industries going from Halogen to LED lights.
It's a start but the savings will be huge when it all said and done!

And yes the changes hurt businesses by retooling but the industries will expand current jobs or create new jobs at the expense of residential and business owners due to the new regulations.

Yes I'm looking for a new water heater and if the electronic ignition is part of the new unit, I'm for it, for it will save me more money in the long run from not burning gas going out the pipe and my bald wallet and it will reduce my carbon footprint.
We must look at it from both sides of the fence......

 

[kenmore71]

However, how much natural gas will be used to make the electricity to keep the electronic controls, powered ventilation equipment and ignition in operation?

 

[gusherb]

I'm perfectly happy with a standing pilot water heater. And have you not seen the pilot flame on them? They're tiny, they use very very little gas. There is no reason electronic ignition in a water heater is better in any way, too many things to go wrong and the last thing I want is to be fumbling around with a broken water heater at the buttcrack of dawn just so I can have hot water for my morning shower.
And if the power goes out? Forget about it!

These things already don't use that much energy as it is, our gas usage between the water heater AND gas dryer is between 15-20 therms a month during non heating months, and I keep the temp set around 140-150.

Carbon footprint my @ss

 

[kenmore71]

The other issue regarding pilot lights is that, unlike in other appliances, the small amount of heat that is generated by the pilot light actually does go into the water so the waste is far lower!

 

[cleanteamofny]

When do we start to make small changes to preserve the great things we have today for those who coming up behind us?
Most of us are in our 50's and may live another 20/25 years, do we continue to blow the earth into a heat spell that is not reversible or do we take small steps now to cushion the blow because it will effect everything starting with the food chain?
It's not perfect but we all got to stop this "only me" mentality!

 

[cuffs054]

What's the point of having a water heater anymore? I can't wash my clothes in hot water, my dishwasher takes hours to do what used to take minutes and for Christ Sakes my shower will not let me get it really hot! Has anyone done a study of "savings" since all this started? Is there any documentation that the world will last any longer??? Just put offer on another house, called favorite plumber and told him I would need to replace 3 toidies with the same ones he put in this house 12 yrs ago. "No can do". Now that my friends is really the shits!

 

[washman]

chuckle chuckle

Well!

This is a refreshing thread. For a while there I was convinced that I was the only one with my head in the sand and oblivious to new technology. That I clung to outmoded, wasteful top loaders when a 5 gallon FL was what I really needed! That I would not accept something "new" because, after all, anything "new" HAS to be better.

Thanks guys, you really cheered me up.

Having said that, I get to look forward to my first hi-eff Goodman furnace in about 10 days when I close on a new house. Right now I suffer through an 80% eff furnace and the 118 buck gas bill for last month. I wretch when I think........hmmmm lemme see, I rented here for 15 years and.......hang on.........uh.......yes, it has not had one service call! Holy smokes! Imagine that! A wasteful, carbon footprint expanding device that just..........works!

I can only imagine the headaches I will experience with the wonderful, new, algore approved Goodman and all the neat-o stuff it packs. Already I am working with a bank to establish an open line of credit for those ahem, unforeseen circumstances.

To answer Cuffs054 question....the answer is nothing. Like pretty much anything our good all knowing goobermint does, no one goes back and checks on the money spent to see if it really did move the needle. All I know is I pay more for electricity, more for natural gas, more for petrol, more for tyres, and on and on not to mention I have to use those effing Cascade PODS that cost a helluva lot more than the simple powder I used to use but cannot thanks to the piss poor GE water spray design.

And to add insult to injury, I cannot source 3.5 gallon toilets from Canada anymore! Windsor plumbing supply is poof. So this new place has the nefarious algore approved water misers. At the risk of TMI, it might interest the water nazis that in my office we have the 1.6 gallon power assist units and when I go potty, it takes not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 flushes (using recycled wipe paper) to remove the waste.

Let me see 1.6 x 4= 6.4 gallons.

Tell me again (draw a picture if necessary) how all this eco stuff is saving us money and time?

 

[norgeway]

Ive said it before!

The EPA should be abolished completely, when I see a smoke stack rolling out coal smoke, I see Americans at work,I burn oil, and will continue to have good heat until I can no longer afford it, It is much harder on the environment to fill the landfills full of 8 and 10 year old appliances and products that were junk to start with than having the government worry about how much water my dishwasher or washing machine uses, I believe the good Lord furnished this planet with enough water and air to do us as long as we will need it! We are letting the government regulate us right out of existence.