Who makes the best affordable gas water heater?

[sudsmaster]

Toggs,

"There is one reason to go with GE which counts for me - their sacrificial anode does not taint the water with measurable minerals, in contrast to the Whirlpool."

Do you have a link for that?

My understanding is that all sacrificial anodes will exchange their metal atoms in order to protect any exposed steel inside the tank. The anodes are either aluminum or magnesium. I can't quite see a sacrificial anode that doesn't in the process of protecting the tank add some of its metal to the water. Please correct me if I'm wrong. It might be thought, due to Alzheimer's concerns, that a magnesium anode is safer than an aluminum anode, but one shouldn't be drinking the tap hot water anyway. And, magnesium anodes can create sulfurous odors with some kinds of supply water. So it's my understanding that most if not all anodes used today are aluminum anyway.

Some water heaters have two sacrificial anodes - one in the usual position, and another as part of the outlet (or is it inlet?) pipe. I would hazard a guess that these are the longer-rated warrantied tanks. One should also not aluminum and magnesium anodes. The magnesium will try to protect the aluminum and quickly dissolve in the process. Magnesium anode caps have a raised bump in the middle. Aluminum anode caps are flat.

 

[mattl]

Codes vary from place to place. If it's an existing installation and you are just replacing the tank in many areas you are grandfathered. If the tank was operating in the space for decades with no issues, I would think it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future with a new tank and no modifications. Often codes are updated as a CYA update with no grounding in reality.

Just because the code has been updated and says it must be so and so in a new build does not mean I'm going to rush out and retrofit a perfectly acceptable installation.

 

[panthera]

Rich,

Ja - the link is (hopefully) attached.

I'm not worried about the aluminum=Alzheimer's nonsense, I do worry about rotten egg smells and the GE anodes don't cause it.

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/pages/WHRpages/English/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

 

[volvoguy87]

Update!

We ended up getting a GE (Home Depot by Rheem) 40 gallon, 38,000 BTU tank heater with a 9 year tank warranty for $388.00. Although the recovery time isn't going to be great, the owner lives alone so it shouldn't become an issue.

The hard part is that this water heater is significantly taller then the old 30 gallon unit. As a result, the exhaust port on the new one is ABOVE the chimney flue access. Fortunately, there is another chimney with a flue access at the other end of the basement that is higher (what do you mean you can't run the flue downward?). It will require running some plumbing and a new gas line, but I can manage that. On the up side, this change will put the water heater much closer to the kitchen and bathrooms.

This is becoming a pain in the neither regions,
Dave

 

[whirlcool]

In previous homes we have owned we have had Rheem hot water heaters. They all lasted a long time.
When we went to buy a new hot water tank for this house a few years ago, everyone sells Bradford-White. I asked about Rheem and was told "We can get those, but it takes awhile".
I think there is a big profit margin on the B-W's. We have a 40K BTU 40 gal unit and it does just fine for us, we never run out of hot water.
Here in Houston, they like to put the hot water tanks in the attic. When it's time to change them, it's a big bill for installation.

When we had the last one put in the installer bitched and moaned about how he was going to have to move the old tank down the attic stairs. He made it seem like it was work for 10 men. I got tired of listening to him. Then about an hour into the job my doorbell rings. It's about 5 guys. I ask them what they want and they said they were there to take the old tank away. Hmph!

 

[polkanut]

In our house it's just my wife and I, and the only time we ran out of hot water was because we were washing clothes, taking our showers, and running the dishwasher all at the same time. Other than that 1 time, our 40gal Ruud has never let us down. Talk about stupid!

 

[panthera]

exhaust gases

have to be removed completely or you risk CO poisoning.

Because the draft is 'natural' and not forced, anything which reduces that draft must be avoided.

Runs which are too long, too flat (or go 'down' instead of 'up') reduce the exhaust gas flow through friction and excessive cooling of the gas - hot gases rise, cooler gases sink.

There is also the problem that, over time, the level pipe will become stopped up and exhaust gases can't vent, at all.

Sounds like you are in for lots of fun and games. Any chance you can return that unit and get a lower one? If the old one is that much lower, than perhaps one of the larger diameter units would fit that staircase, after all.

 

[passatdoc]

Pilot flame? Not in California any more....

California has banned the use of pilot flames in new gas water heaters. Not sure when this went into effect, but I first learned of it about a year ago. I have a seven year old Bradford White that is still going strong, and it has a pilot. New water heaters sold here must use pezio type ignitions. Not sure if this rule was for safety or greenhouse issues. Anyway, it has nearly doubled the price of a new water heater. At Lowes, a 40 gallon gas water heater starts at $600, and up. For years, you could buy a decent gas heater for $300-400.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Now that's just sily.

A standing pilot-light in a storage-type hot water heater is NOT wasted gas. Ever so minsicule as it may be, it helps keep the water hot.

Just about ANY OTHER use of a pilot-light is an outright waste of gas.

 

[polkanut]

Dave,

Please post some pics of the finished project, if you can. After all the trouble you've had installing this heater, it would be interesting to see how you solved the problem(s).

 

[toggleswitch2]

~Toggs, "There is one reason to go with GE which counts for me - their sacrificial anode does not taint the water with measurable minerals, in contrast to the Whirlpool."

Can't help you sir, that wasnt my doing!

 

[toggleswitch2]

~Here in Houston, they like to put the hot water tanks in the attic.

Free heat! Rather than heat loss, ambient heat creeps IN to the water!

I have seen electric hot water heaters in Puerto Rico right on the roof, exposed to the elements. [Solar hot water heaters there are a plastic drum that sits on the roof and feeds the water output into the hot water heater].
I was flabbergasted to see a 20 gallon 110v heater (small with slow recovery) for a whole house. But then again the INLET water temperature is very high in that tropical climate, so it's sufficient.

 

[jamiel]

Hear hear about the standing pilot. My grandfather (scientist) always had the pilot on the w/h cranked high...you could get scalded in the AM if you weren't careful, but then again you didn't run out of h/w in the AM.

 

[iheartmaytag]

You absolutely must by a new flexible gas line to the WH.

If you are DIY, check local codes. Flexible gas lines are forbidden on Water Heater, Furnace installations here.

 

[rp2813]

Whirlpool

I know Whirlpool had some notorious issues in recent years, but after doing some research (and after the fact) I found that the problem had been resolved and my model was produced after the fix. My only complaint about it was that it really roared when the burner kicked in. The Kenmore at our current place is quiet as a mouse when the burner is going, and it's a lower end 6-year guarantee model.

The Whirlpool was double insulated, 2" thick instead of 1" and it made a difference. I didn't even need to wrap a blanket around it.

I think an outfit called American Water Heater or something like that makes a lot of WH's that get rebadged, including those that become Whirlpools. They're located in TN.

I priced WH's at Home Depot, Lowe's and OSH. Lowe's had the best deal and value with the Whirlpool so that's what I bought. In doing so, I ended up with an all-Whirlpool garage scene with the WH, the Duet pair, and the 70-ish frost-free fridge with "space master" adjustable shelving all in a row.

 

[DADoES]

American Water Heater, or something like that

 
Friend of mine in TN works in accounting for that company.

 

[polkanut]

IIRC the TN water heater maker is AO Smith. Their TN plant is the largest water heater plant in the world, and is located in Ashland City.

 

[toggleswitch2]

My only complaint about it was that it really roared when the burner kicked in.

The parental units had a 75k BTU/h 75-gallon Sears brand storage-type hot water heater.

To avoid the ROARRRRRRRR, it would start off at a lower heat setting (flame size) and within a few seconds be going full-blast. Otherwise it was not a 2-stage unit.

Man-oh-man did that gas meter spin compared to a dryer (22k BTU/H) or a stove (12k BTU/h per burner)

 

[panthera]

Aren't codes weird?

"If you are DIY, check local codes. Flexible gas lines are forbidden on Water Heater, Furnace installations here."

Yes, in Germany, too.

But in Fort Collins, they are required. Something about vibration or some such nonsense.

In Cheyenne, Wyoming, drip legs are recommended and not required. In Fort Collins, they are required at each appliance...

It's funny how each community decides for itself the truth.

 

[volvoguy87]

It's done.

It's in, and I'm glad!
I had to put the water heater in a different location because the new one was too tall to go where the old one was located (the flue access was too low). I did use a flexible gas line, but I also used a drip leg. I used a new gas valve and had to run a new gas line across the basement. I did the soap test and got no leaks.

This heater takes about 40 minutes to get 40 gallons of cold water up to 120 and it will go up to 160. I like the fact that you can hear when a gas heater is on as opposed to a silent electric. That's why I was able to time the recovery.

Since I had to re-plumb most of the basement, I used 3/4 inch copper pipes and also used bell hangers to hang them. I will go back in a week to do an inspection and install pipe insulation to keep the heat in the pipes. For a conventional WH, I really like the GE. The push-button pilot ignition is also easy. In the future, however, I would prefer to get a high efficiency water heater. That way there would be lower utility bills and it would be a MUCH easier installation.

The area of greatest concern to me on this project is the flue. Here, it is common practice to use the house's chimney(s) to vent the furnace and water heater, and this installation was no exception. I told the owner, however, that he should have his chimneys inspected and that when this water heater goes out, he should get a more efficient model with a power vent out the side of the building. The chimney flues were in BAD, but usable, shape! I was able to get a good strong draft, but the bottom of the chimney was a real compost heap. Also, it was full of sand (from the bricks), bricks, mud, leaves, a rats' nest, and a few other unpleasant things. The shop vac had a good workout cleaning this stuff out. This particular flue had not been used for about 5 years and it showed.

I did a top-notch job (or so I would like to think) but I am now a much bigger fan of high efficiency gas appliances than I was before.

Glad it's done,
Dave