Who makes the best affordable gas water heater?

[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

 

[circlew]

Hey Dave, very happy to hear the installation was a big success. I would never have had the confidence to tackle something like that.

 

[mattl]

Chimney flues...

Our house has a dual flue chimney, one for the fireplace and one for the gas appliances. The furnace, water heater and at the time incinerator all shared the same flue. Of course the incinerator is long gone, and about 10 years ago when I had a 98% efficient furnace installed they had to run a new smaller vent for the water heater. they simply dropped a flexible 3 or 4" vent down the large flue effectively downsizing it and in effect relining it. Due to the placement of the heater a direct vent high efficiency unit is not feasible, plus this is a lot cheaper.

We have a 40 gallon tank, Sears TOL Gas, and in the summer the gas bill for cooking, outdoor grilling and heating water is under $30 so it makes little sense to upgrade to a much more expensive unit for me. For anyone in this situation you need to do a cost/benefit analysis - dropping a new vent line can be much more cost effective than choosing a high cost water heater.

 

[volvoguy87]

Lining the chimney.

The owner is NOT a maintenance kind of guy (yet he lives in a 1860s house with lots of work needed). I am concerned that if a brick fell and crushed the water heater's 3 inch flue, he either wouldn't notice, or wouldn't care. The last thing I want is someone risking getting killed or setting their house on fire due to their own negligence or incompetence. Gas appliances, especially the lower-efficiency ones with high exhaust temps, require respect and if you are unwilling to accept that, then you either need electric or high efficiency appliances. When I say high efficiency gas appliances, I mean those with a PVC pipe flue that is fan-forced with low temperatures.

Another reason for recommending the switch is size. This 40 gallon water heater is the biggest that would fit down the stairs. If he wants greater capacity in the future, he'll need a high-flow tankless heater or a 40 gallon with a much higher capacity burner. A tankless water heater would also be installed above the less-than-level floor.

A PVC fan-forced flue would have made the installation of this heater MUCH easier.

Dave

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Our water heater went it's merry way to the sky Thanksgiving Night. Kinda solved the 'who does the dishes' arguement for the evening. We also went and got a GE Water heater from Home Depot. Nice warranty and for the price, we were able to upgrade the pitiful 30 gallon that the house came with to a 50 or so. VERY quick on the recovery and it holds the temperature well. The gas co had an issue where we were without gas for three days and surprisingly enough, I was able to take a >quick<, warm shower each of those three days. That really floored me. It also has a button you push to light the pilot instead of a match.

RCD

 

[a440]

FY I

Any of the tanks mentioned above that use the standard "Non Electric" temp controls can be changed to a higher BTU.

All of the tanks come with the very same controls. There is a screw that you can turn that let's more gas to the burner. This is "factory preset" for your tank size and the "BTU Output" that is "appropriate" for your tank. I have always thought that the BTU output to the burner was usually off anyway from the factory. I have raised the BTU output on most of the tanks that I had in the past. With the Bradford White Powervent that I have have now, the computer controls the BTU output.

Not encouraging you to do this...but just wanted to let you guys know if you are technically savvy....wink.

Brent

 

[panthera]

Um,

There really are excellent reasons not to mess around with the systems which control the water heater. Blowing it up, shortening its life, provoking incomplete combustion, risking CO poisoning, gas leaks.
Honestly, there are reasons why people who work with gas appliances professionally are required to be certified.

 

[volvoguy87]

Tweaks.

We know lots of really great tweaks here (how to raise water levels, how to use STPP to boost detergent performance, how to wise-up dumbed down temps, etc.) but we need to face the fact that we are enthusiasts. We've paid attention, done research, and found the best ways to get the most performances out of our appliances. That being said, such tewaks often result in the need to more closely monitor the machines, more carefully operate the machines, and the need for increased maintenance.

I really wouldn't try such tweaks for someone who is careless with their appliances. Yes, we can make appliances really perform, but should we? Most appliances are designed for the lowest common denominator so that almost everyone can use them. This leaves people like us somewhat disappointed because we know they can be better. Most appliances just aren't designed for us, but are designed to appeal to the widest audience possible.

Sad, but true,
Dave