Tankless Hotwater heater

[T>D>C]

I have yet to replace my water heater, but, luckily for me, I have once again procrastinated long enough for technology to do me a favor. Heat pump water heaters appear to be hitting the market and make a lot more sense to me. I narrowed my search down to the GE and Rheem. Right now, the nod is going to Rheem. They are not quite as efficient as the GE but are better supported in my area. I currently have a water closet with a 50 gallon water heater and I will install the new unit in the attic. It will be a couple of months before I buy one (will install a new central A/C system Monday - $$$!).

Any experience with the heat pump water heaters?

[garfish]

Check out this publicly-available report from Consumer Reports:

consumerreports.org/cro/a...heaters-ov.htm

Here is the gist:

"So is it time to switch?

"Probably not. Gas tankless water heaters, which use high-powered burners to quickly heat water as it runs through a heat exchanger, were 22 percent more energy efficient on average than the gas-fired storage-tank models in our tests. That translates into a savings of around $70 to $80 per year, based on 2008 national energy costs. But because they cost much more than storage water heaters, it can take up to 22 years to break even—longer than the 20-year life of many models. Moreover, our online poll of 1,200 readers revealed wide variations in installation costs, energy savings, and satisfaction....."

This changed my mind.

[garfish]

.....I will install the new unit in the attic.

I read this and I knew you were in East Texas. What is it with installing the water heater in the attic around there? Seems the worst possible place for a large amount of water. My sister house in Houston has a H2O heater in the attic. Other than getting blazing hot in the summer and maybe saving a couple btu's it seems weird to me. Any insight? Must be code-permitted/encouraged.

[T>D>C]

I never thought it was such a good idea to put a standard water heater in the attic but with the heat pump model, it becomes much more efficient. They need 40+F temperatures to work properly and the hotter the better I guess. Also, the heat pump water heater works just like the heat pump AC units, putting out cool air while removing the heat from the warm air, which should help keep the cooling bill down a little. In the attic also frees up space for the carbon units as we will now have more storage space available in the living area.

Also, natural gas is not an option for me. Propane is an option but it is expensive to setup (I am all electric) and not as efficient to use. Additionally, it would cost an arm and a leg to run a larger power line to a tank-less electrical unit. So I am back to the ubber efficient electrical 50 gallon tank heaters like the marathon (super insulated) or the heat pump style.

http://www.rheem.com/Products/tank_w...hpwhhomeowner/

http://www.geappliances.com/heat-pump-hot-water-heater/

[T>D>C]

This looks like a no brainer for me since, 1) I have an all electric house and 2) I need to replace my 17 year old water heater.

aceee.org/Consumerguide/waterheating.htm

[TonyMo]

Take a look, most speak with a Chinese accent...no UL listings... if the place burns down...

Well, perhaps I should restate that this is not some shack. My cabin is a 1400sq ft log cabin that I built myself where my wife, kids and friends will be spending an ever increasing amount of time in. Installing a dangerous safety hazard just to save money isn't very smart either.

[foolwelding]

What is life of unit/cost to replace,free standing water htr cheeper and can due yourself or call your heating company to replace outside combo unit when all you need is A new water htr,also does the cabin have soft city or rain water to be able to let your unit last longer or due you plan on installing a water softner to help,it seems that the newer water htrs dont last as long as the older units.best of luck.

[Flyr]

When our home was being remodeled we rented a home that had a tankless gas water heater.

It was never as warm as it should have been.

The other thing is we found out that it did not have the proper vent, the vent was proprietary and cost over $1500, pricey.

The LL who was a pretty decent guy went ahead and put in a tank water heater.

I would not have one for the whole house, maybe one under the sink for a sink that was a long ways from the tank.