Water Heater Recommendations?

I am looking for recommendations for a 40 or 50 gallon natural gas water heater. Ours is at least 16 years old, and has recently started making noises like there are marbles rolling around inside. Also, we have noticed a gradual, yet significant, reduction in the amount of hot water we get. I've investigated going tankless, but it really won't work in our situation. We live in a rowhouse and would have a very hard time finding any place we could vent the unit according to code. Additionally, I just don't want to fork over the cash upfront at this time. I've found there are a ton of water heaters out there, and it can be hard to compare them. Are any of them relatively more efficient than others? Are there brands to stay away from? I'm hesitant to go with a powered vent unit, simply for fear the fan would die and I've never notice. Any advice greatly appreciated!

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WILLIAM21
Reply to
WILLIAM21
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Hard water deposits.

Most have fiberglass tank so you can do an acid wash and get 10 more years. The trick is getting it in there without it boiling back in your face because of the reaction from all the Calcium. If yours has a cleanout, you can scoop it out. I take a bucket load of gravel sized chunks out of mine every 5 years.

Reply to
JB

Every time I used to try that the valve would ALWAYS leak. I doubt if I ever had a fiberglass model. I think much of the inefficiency is with a standard chimney style gas vent. A pilotless system is a little better. You need a closed loop system for the air venting just like on an efficient gas furnace to get real savings, just like on an on-demand unit. In my case I went from electric to gas. I saw no decrease in electricity use for a single person. Electricity might have been cheaper in my case. Heat is always escaping up the chimney and interior air with the old style units. Insulating the tank does little, especially in the winter time when the tank is in an interir room. I alwasy try to lower the gas valve setting so the flame is smaller. This can also eliminate making noises, but slightly reduce warm up time.

greg

Reply to
GregS

Insulating the in and out water lines SHOULD be done regardless. Heat does escape into the room and requires longer flow warm up times. The intake cold line will get warm if no water is flowing, and leak heat out of the tank and into the room.

greg

Reply to
GregS

Not wishing to be an arse, but sci.electronics.repair ? Whilst I'm sure that there are people on here with good opinions, and an interest in your post, I would have thought that you might get a better set of replies to your questions, by picking a more appropriate group ?

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

You're not an arse. The kl0wns at XX...XXXbanter.com are asses -- by willy-nilly portal'ing their damn forums onto usenet:

From: WILLIAM21 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'm killfiling all original posts from them along with the dreck that emanates from google groups.

Jonesy

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Reply to
Allodoxaphobia

message

water

years.

you

mine

unit.

style

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out of the tank

Air conditioning and the Refrigerator are usually the major users of electricity. Heat strips draw a lot if you have a heat pump but you might do without if it doesn't freeze where you are. Newer standing water heaters, Gas and Electric are pretty efficient and well insullated. I can't see putting in a tankless unless you put one next to every hot faucet. A whole house tankless might require serious upgrades.

When you replace the Water heater, install a ball valve in the supply. Most older houses use a Gate valve for the supply because they have less restriction but are prone to leak. You have to run water somewhere else or you wind up flooding. Real pain.

Reply to
JB

Plummers are smarter than electronic techs.

Reply to
GregS

My 19 year old Rheem still works as if it were new. Doesn't gurgle, rattle, spittle, sputtle etc... And it still maintains the original amount of heated water. I've always set the temp for max (165?) and out city has excellent filtering and softening so I guess these are the reasons for the longevity and maybe not so much the name brand.

Reply to
Meat Plow

Then take your electronics questions to a plumbing newsgroup...

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  . | ,. w ,   "Some people are alive only because
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Reply to
Bob Larter

Smarter for going into plumbing - that's for sure. All the ones I know earn a lot more than anyone in the electronics service business ...

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

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