Hey Dave, very happy to hear the installation was a big success. I would never have had the confidence to tackle something like that.
Who makes the best affordable gas water heater?
- Thread starter volvoguy87
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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.
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.
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
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
Well-known member
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
RCD
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
