 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
Diane
Member
| Joined: | Thu Nov 8th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 9th, 2007 02:12 am |
|
| Help! I need assistance in selecting a new water heater. The one I'm replacing is a Bradford-White. 20 years old. (Probably a miracle since I didn't know I should have been servicing it.) It sometimes doesn't heat and now there is about a tablespoon of water on the floor. Do I let the plumber install one that he likes, or do I shop at Home Depot (GE) or Lowe's (Whirlpool)? Does anyone out there have strong opinions about what to buy or stay away from? (I want to replace the 80 gallon that's in the house with the same.) Thanks.
|
energyexpert
Member
| Joined: | Mon May 22nd, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 212 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 9th, 2007 03:27 am |
|
Diane,
If you do maintenance in accordance with this website site your next water heater (standard steel tank) might outlast you. I did not find this site until about a year ago.
I moved into my current house two years ago. I had a gas water heater when I moved in. Since I can heat water cheaper with electricity than gas, I abandoned the gas unit in place and installed a Marathon 105 gallon electric. The Marathon is fiberglass so it can't rust; it has no anode. However, the best price I can find is from http://www.chec.coop at about $900. http://www.marathonheaters.com.
David
|
mauvaisgenre
Member
| Joined: | Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 13 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 10th, 2007 10:29 am |
|
Well, I've read there is a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool (the water heaters at Lowes), and the GE I bought from Home Depot failed after a few months, and after 2 weeks of having a contracted company come out and work on it, I'm still without consistent hot water. What about another Bradford-White? I think that's what the wholesale plumbing shop in my area is selling, and for the 50 gallon, they only wanted $300, and I gave $450 for my GE--for which I'm now kicking myself.
I've heard some folks recommend the tankless water heaters, but I hear that getting parts for them can be a nightmare when they break down--wait times of 4 - 10 days, but, of course, I've gone 2 weeks waiting to get my traditional GE water heater fixed, so . . .
And the polypropylene tanks, I wonder about the long term effects of chlorine.
As far as the fiberglass and concrete tanks, they look promising, and the ones I've seen have a lifetime guarantee. I haven't researched them though. And if they do leak, do they give you a new tank, and if so, do they pay for the install or do you?
I would agree with David about abandoning the gas for the electric if you can, but my reasons for it are simply that the gas water heater seems to involve more maintenance, and if you're paying for that maintenance, those costs easily outstrip any savings that gas gives you over electric (at least where I live, a gas tank is cheaper to operate than an electric at the moment--unless I've calculated incorrectly).
If I hadn't been in a rush to replace my water heater (and if I had more space on my breaker box), I think I would have installed a solar/electric water heater, one that uses solar but has electric as backup. As far as tank materials, the only solar systems I've seen so far use a standard tank. The install and maintenance of solar might be prohibitive, but I probably would have installed and maintened my own, so that wouldn't have been an issue. Anyway, worth lookin' into.
All the best with your search, Todd
|
energyexpert
Member
| Joined: | Mon May 22nd, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 212 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 10th, 2007 06:44 pm |
|
Todd,
Panel space is generally limited to 42 circuits. A single pole breaker counts as one and a double pole breaker counts two. If you need more breaker space and are still less than 42, a "quad" takes the place of a double pole breaker and gives you two double pole circuits. The ouside breakers are tied together and the inside breakers are tied together.
Most water heaters listed for 240 volt application can be wired at 120 volts. This will free up one breaker space. Of course output will be 25% unless you wire the thermostat for simultaneous operation.
David
|
eleent
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 11th, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1565 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 10th, 2007 07:36 pm |
|
Hello: I'm not clear whether your 80 gallon tank is electric or gas. 80 is a common electric size. I'd start by double checking to see if you really need that size tank. You should use the total volume of the tank at least daily. Whatever tank I got I'd be sure it had at least R-16 insulation, but more is better. If it winds up being a conventional steel tank, I'd make sure there was room to add a second full length magnesuim anode to make it last. The benefits of adding a second anode outweigh the benefit of buying a longer warrantied tank in my opinion. The warranty is basically insurance, while a second anode physically improves your heater. If there is a manufacturing defect it will show up in the five or six years the normal warranty covers. Anyway, them's my 2 cents's 
Yours, Larry
|
mauvaisgenre
Member
| Joined: | Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 13 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 11th, 2007 01:58 am |
|
energyexpert wrote: Todd,
Panel space is generally limited to 42 circuits. A single pole breaker counts as one and a double pole breaker counts two. If you need more breaker space and are still less than 42, a "quad" takes the place of a double pole breaker and gives you two double pole circuits. The ouside breakers are tied together and the inside breakers are tied together.
Most water heaters listed for 240 volt application can be wired at 120 volts. This will free up one breaker space. Of course output will be 25% unless you wire the thermostat for simultaneous operation.
David
Hi David,
Thanks for the info. My panel is outside, right next to the meter. I have the following:
8 piggyback (double-switch in a single slot)breakers (20 amp on each switch)
2 piggyback breakers (30 amp on each switch) with handle ties.
2 double pole breakers (50 amp)
1 single switch breaker that takes two slots (60 amp)--not sure what it is, but it looks like a furnace breaker (might be a 60 amp service, which I suppose should be upgraded to a 100 amp or more)
So a total of 16 slots that are pretty full.
I haven't removed the panel cover yet, so I'm not sure how it's all wired inside (and whether or not that 60 amp is service). I don't have any other main though, so I'm assuming the 60 is it. The city line comes into the meter, and I have about a foot of pipe that travels over to my box, and that's the only box we have (no box inside the house).
Any suggestions (short of putting in a new box) for getting 240V to the other side of the house? Will the quad that you mentioned work in my situation?
Thanks, Todd
|
Diane
Member
| Joined: | Thu Nov 8th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 2 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 12th, 2007 04:44 pm |
|
Everybody's responses are much appreciated!
Next problem. I need experienced, reasonably affordable help in my area. I live in Maryland. My water heater is electric. I hate to sound so dumb, but do I call a regular plumber? So far, every plumber I've called is priced very high and trying to get questions answered is almost impossible. How much extra to add an additional anonde? Where is the information on the internet that will give me a good comparison of various water heaters? I've turned off the water heater and drained it. Unfortunately, the cutoff valve isn't holding and the tank has filled back up. This is day 5 with no hot water but I refuse to panic-buy a water heater.
(Guess Lowe's is out of the running now and I can't say anything nice about Home Depot for anything.)
|
mauvaisgenre
Member
| Joined: | Sat Nov 3rd, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 13 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 12th, 2007 05:31 pm |
|
Diane wrote: Everybody's responses are much appreciated!
Next problem. I need experienced, reasonably affordable help in my area. I live in Maryland. My water heater is electric. I hate to sound so dumb, but do I call a regular plumber? So far, every plumber I've called is priced very high and trying to get questions answered is almost impossible. How much extra to add an additional anonde? Where is the information on the internet that will give me a good comparison of various water heaters? I've turned off the water heater and drained it. Unfortunately, the cutoff valve isn't holding and the tank has filled back up. This is day 5 with no hot water but I refuse to panic-buy a water heater.
(Guess Lowe's is out of the running now and I can't say anything nice about Home Depot for anything.)
Although I went 2 weeks without hot water, GE (the tank I bought at Home Depot) did get a contracted company to fix my water heater. If the original contracted plumber who came out wasn't so unwilling to listen to my data, I imagine the water heater would have gotten fixed much faster. The HVAC guy they sent out (because they fired the plumber) agreed with me about the thermostat and got a new one on immediately.
Also, when I spoke to GE today, they said they'd be willing to let me do the troubleshooting and part replacement myself next time, and they'd send out the parts that are covered under warranty. The problem I had with my water heater had to do with a bad thermostat install at the factory. The factory used way too much pipe dope, and this got inside the plastic housing around the copper sensor on the back of the thermostat and basically kept it from sensing properly.
Given my experience with plumbers, I don't know that I'd call just any plumber. I'd make sure that the plumber had a lot of experience with hot water heaters. You might try calling a mechanical shop that employs plumbers, HVAC guys, electricians. They'd be sure to have someone with a familiarity with hot water heaters, and perhaps with your particular model. As far as expense, most of the folks in the phone book are expensive. The folks who are certified but don't advertise or who are only in the white pages seem to have more reasonable rates, but finding them is difficult--usually you only hear about them from the recommendations of others. So you might start asking all your neighbors and friends who they'd recommend.
This might or might not be a bad idea, but you could post a want-ad on Craig's list and state what you're willing to pay. No telling who will call or email though. I'm assuming from your forum handle (name) that you are female, so I'd say if you get someone out who answers a Craig's list ad, I'd have someone else there during the repair visit--well, even if you're a man, having someone else there might not be a bad idea. No telling who might show up at your door.
Here in TX, we don't have to have a licensed plumber work on our hot water heaters; we can work on them ourselves. I also think we can employ a handy-man who doesn't claim to be a plumber. I don't know what the code is there in Maryland though, so you might want to look that up on the internet or call the city or county and ask.
Wishing you the best with your situation,
Todd
|
eleent
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 11th, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 1565 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 12th, 2007 09:59 pm |
|
Hello Diane: I'd start asking friends and neighbors who they've used and liked. That usually is a good way to find somebody. Sure beats the yellow pages!
About time: There is a trick. When you know you're going to need hot water try this. Refill the heater with water and turn on the power. Now close off the cold supply valve and open a hot tap. This will prevent any pressure from building up in the tank, minimizing leaks. When you want a shower, close that tap and open the cold supply. When done with your shower, set things back as they were. This trick has worked for up to three months that I know of. It'll buy you time to locate a good technician
Yours, Larry
|
Squ1rrel
Member
| Joined: | Fri Dec 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 6 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 21st, 2007 08:39 pm |
|
| Just some advice: Do not use the Lowe's Whirlpools! They never really recalled the ones that were the subject of the class action suit, and the result of the suit ended out forcing people to call for a new part and getting charged to ship it....Lowe's does not carry it...also Whirlpool changed their thermocouple threading, and recalled all the older ones. If you have a Whirlpool water heater from before mid-07, you have no choice but to order the new part to fix the thermocouple blowing out.
|
Current time is 03:26 am | |
|
|
|
|
