Does anyone want to recommend a good electric water heater?

[mikefamig]

Now I already know that there will be a lot of replies that there is no such thing as a good electric water heater because of the cost of electricity but our house was all electric when I bought it. There is no natural gas available here or I would have converted years ago. There is also no city water or sewage, we have well and septic system. I guess that we're lucky to have electricity. I did install an oil burner for the forced air heating system years ago but I heat mostly with wood pellets. The domestic hot water heater is still electric
 
I have considered a tankless propane replacement for it's efficiency but my wife is afraid of propane. She doesn't like the way the propane tanks look and she's afraid that our house is going to explode. It is not convenient to convert to an oil burner because I would have to move the water heater to one end of the house where the chimney is  and that would make a long run for hot water lines to reach the other end. I really don't think that it would be that much cheaper than the electric anyways. I also think that we are spoiled by the electric hot water tank that we have now. We have taken two showers at the same time and the thing delivers plenty of heat.
 
So given that the decision is made to go with another 50 gallon tank hot water heater, does anyone have a favorite brand? Do we have any plumbers out there with good or bad experiences?  I've been reading on the net and leaning towards Bradford White or Rheem.
 
Mike.
 
 

 

[RAL]

For a plain electric water heater, I like the Marathon all-plastic water heaters.  They have a lifetime warranty on the tanks since there is no metal tank to rust out.  With the plastic tank, you don't need an anode that might cause odor problems.  The only downside is that they cost more than a traditional metal tank model.
 
I recently replaced my old electric water heater and was seriously considering the Marathon, but decided to go with a hybrid heat pump water heater instead.

 

[ricklearned]

I just replaced an electric water heater with a Geospring hybrid heat pump. I love it and it holds heat so well I run it at night when my rates are lower. It is about $1000 or less when Lowes has a sale.
http://cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?/topic/27040-Geospring-water-heater-control.

 

[az1324]

Something that supports home automation.  Geospring?  Econet?

 

[mikefamig]

For a plain electric water heater, I like the Marathon all-plastic water heaters.  They have a lifetime warranty on the tanks since there is no metal tank to rust out.  With the plastic tank, you don't need an anode that might cause odor problems.  The only downside is that they cost more than a traditional metal tank model.
 
I recently replaced my old electric water heater and was seriously considering the Marathon, but decided to go with a hybrid heat pump water heater instead.

RAL and Ricklearned
 
I have seen the Marathon but with water heaters being as cheap as they are I think that I may be better off replacing it every five to ten years. They may even get more efficient in the future making a replacement better that one that lasts forever.
 
I have also looked at the heat pumps. Years ago I had the local electric company install a heat pump as an add-on to my existing hot water tank for free under an energy saver program but I hated the noise that it made and it ran constantly. I work in the basement in the winter and the noise bothered me so much that I removed it and threw it away.
 
Are the new ones very noisy?

 

[fcwilt]

House Will Explode?
 
Both of my homes run on propane and both use nothing but tankless water heaters.
 
I agree the tank doesn't look so good - so I buried them.

 

[mikefamig]

House Will Explode?
 
Both of my homes run on propane and both use nothing but tankless water heaters.

 
I didn't say that "I" think that they will explode.
 
Mike.
 

 

[RAL]

RAL and Ricklearned
 
I have seen the Marathon but with water heaters being as cheap as they are I think that I may be better off replacing it every five to ten years. They may even get more efficient in the future making a replacement better that one that lasts forever.
 
I have also looked at the heat pumps. Years ago I had the local electric company install a heat pump as an add-on to my existing hot water tank for free under an energy saver program but I hated the noise that it made and it ran constantly. I work in the basement in the winter and the noise bothered me so much that I removed it and threw it away.
 
Are the new ones very noisy?

 
Electric water heaters that use resistance coils are pretty close to 100% efficient, since every watt of electricity is used to heat the water.  The only loses are standby loses, and the way to reduce that is more insulation.  But since the tanks are already well insulated anyway (at least on the higher end models, that come with 10-12 year warranties), it's already at the point where more insulation has little payback.
 
The heat pump water heaters are somewhat noisy.  Many people describe them as sounding like a room air conditioner (because that's pretty much what they are!).
 
I used to run a dehumidifier in my basement, so I had some air conditioner type noise anyway.  Now the water heater also provides the dehumidification.

 

[mikefamig]

I want to say here that I hate the fact that the big box stores almost dictate what we put in our houses where I live out here in suburbia. I have a Bradford White water heater that I installed in the year 2000 and it is still working fine. I would just replace it with the same if I could but I can't find anyone to sell me one so far. I called a local plumbing supply and he said that he can't even buy direct from BW and would check with his supplier to see if he could order me one. Their web site will only refer me to local installers.
 
Lowes has Whirlpool and Homedepot has Rheem and everything else is not easy to buy. I can order online but if it comes to me damaged or I plug it in and it doesn't work I am living with cold water until I get a replacement or part shipped to met. With the box stores I can get a replacement quick.
 
I am shopping because I doubt it will last many more years and it would make a good indoor winter chore to replace it and the new ones are more efficient/better insulated. I also want to avoid having it die and then be forced to install whatever I can get in a hurry.
 
Mike.

 

[mikefamig]

Something that supports home automation.  Geospring?  Econet?

 
By this you mean hybrid heat pump, yes?

 

[RAL]

I want to say here that I hate the fact that the big box stores almost dictate what we put in our houses where I live out here in suburbia. I have a Bradford White water heater that I installed in the year 2000 and it is still working fine. I would just replace it with the same if I could but I can't find anyone to sell me one so far. I called a local plumbing supply and he said that he can't even buy direct from BW and would check with his supplier to see if he could order me one. Their web site will only refer me to local installers.
 
Lowes has Whirlpool and Homedepot has Rheem and everything else is not easy to buy. I can order online but if it comes to me damaged or I plug it in and it doesn't work I am living with cold water until I get a replacement or part shipped to met. With the box stores I can get a replacement quick.
 
I am shopping because I doubt it will last many more years and it would make a good indoor winter chore to replace it and the new ones are more efficient/better insulated. I also want to avoid having it die and then be forced to install whatever I can get in a hurry.
 
Mike.

 
You are going through the same process I did.  My water heater was 28 years old - way beyond its expected lifetime.  And I wanted to replace it before it died on me and I had to take quick action.
 
I'd been looking at replacement options for a while, but no one in my area carried the model I wanted.   So I wound up buying it from Amazon.  I was a bit nervous about make a purchase like this from them, but since I wasn't in desperate need of the water heater, I decided to go ahead.   The water heater was shipped from Phoenix, AZ and made it all the way to NY without a scratch.
 
Aside from Amazon, I also considered ordering from SupplyHouse.com since they are located on the east coast.

 

[ricklearned]

...
RAL and Ricklearned
..........
Are the new ones very noisy?

My geospring is quiet. At another place I had a retrofit one and it was noisy and had some low frequency vibrations.
I also think they are more efficient than traditional heating element water heaters. My measure of efficiency is kWhrs consumed for each btu of heat output. Based on Energy Star rating mine will pay for itself in 5 years.

 

[RAL]

My geospring is quiet. At another place I had a retrofit one and it was noisy and had some low frequency vibrations. I also think they are more efficient than traditional heating element water heaters. My measure of efficiency is kWhrs consumed for each btu of heat output. Based on Energy Star rating mine will pay for itself in 5 years.

 
Yes, the efficiency is what led me to choose a heat pump water heater.  The energy factor on mine is 2.4, and based on our usage, I expect it to pay for itself in about 3 years (just taking the additional cost of a heat pump model over a traditional water heater into account).

 

[elvisimprsntr]

I just installed a Rheem Platinum Performance with EcoNet wifi interface.

A hybrid would have next choice since I live in Florida and my WH is in my garage. Lots of heat to extract, but I wasn't sure what to do about the condensation.

 

[mikefamig]

I just installed a Rheem Platinum Performance with EcoNet wifi interface. A hybrid would have next choice since I live in Florida and my WH is in my garage. Lots of heat to extract, but I wasn't sure what to do about the condensation.

 
I am just about ready to buy the same unit but without the wifi.
 
 
Mike.