Hot Water Tanks and other Inventions

mike4lorie

mike4lorie

SF VIP
Location
Brockville, Ontario, Canada
Our Hot Water Tank has not died yet... Fingers crossed, knocking on wood, etc... LoL... But I am looking at them, they are not cheap, haven't bought one for many years, but so many options now... You have your everyday hot water tanks in North America, Gas, or Electric, or YOU have a newer one, probably been around for 20 years now that gives you hot water on demand. Works similarly to a heating radiator. Now there is something I am looking at, and it's supposed to be the cheapest way to heat your water, and you can put it on solar if you wanted to, but it does take gas and hydro to run it, and it's called a Hybrid Water Tank, it's supposedly cheaper and more efficient way of heating your water... So seriously am looking at them... Has anyone here had any experience with them...

Now Lorie and I were out looking at bathroom sink vessels in the bathroom I am building downstairs, and while we were looking we came across the SMART toilet, Retails around $2000 right now... But this toilet lights up when you walk past it, The seat rises... Plays soft music while sitting on it. Its also comes with a bidet, so no more toilet paper needed, and the water is kept at the temperture you want. The seat is also heated, and when you get up to wash your hands it will flush... I personaly know anyone who can afford a $2000 toilet, but am sure the price will drop in the years to come...

Click here to read all about Smart toilets, I may have left a few things out
 

2 years ago, we decided to replace our 22 year old gas water heater before it goes to hell. I researched all options. There are electronic board failures on gas heaters, both tank and tankless. I had heard customer service sucks when you call about a problem and they will only talk to the plumber. Being that I would install it myself, I had called customer service of a well known name brand. I could not get hold of them. I emailed a question and have yet to get a reply 2 years later.
On demand heaters are expensive and are not as reliable as they should be for as long as they have been available.
I decided to install an electric hybrid tank heater, but only run it in heat pump mode. It pulls the heat from the basement air to heat the water. It keeps the basement at a steady 60F and dehumidifies. In summer I can cycle the air from the basement to keep the 1st floor cool without the need for an air conditioner.
We are very happy with it. As I said though, I installed it myself so I don't know how much a plumber would cost.
 
stretch5881 said:
2 years ago, we decided to replace our 22 year old gas water heater before it goes to hell. I researched all options. There are electronic board failures on gas heaters, both tank and tankless. I had heard customer service sucks when you call about a problem and they will only talk to the plumber. Being that I would install it myself, I had called customer service of a well known name brand. I could not get hold of them. I emailed a question and have yet to get a reply 2 years later.
On demand heaters are expensive and are not as reliable as they should be for as long as they have been available.
I decided to install an electric hybrid tank heater, but only run it in heat pump mode. It pulls the heat from the basement air to heat the water. It keeps the basement at a steady 60F and dehumidifies. In summer I can cycle the air from the basement to keep the 1st floor cool without the need for an air conditioner.
We are very happy with it. As I said though, I installed it myself so I don't know how much a plumber would cost.
Click to expand...
Thank you for that @stretch5881, Thats what I am leaning toward when the water heater does die... I've heard they are very easy to set up, and I am to stuborn still, not to do it myself... But thank you for that!
 
mike4lorie said:
Thank you for that @stretch5881, Thats what I am leaning toward when the water heater does die... I've heard they are very easy to set up, and I am to stuborn still, not to do it myself... But thank you for that!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't wait for mine to quit. I ordered a commercial tank that took a month to get because of lockdowns. Being that I was changing from gas to electric, I had to run wiring and install breakers, remove unused gas line and redo the inlet and outlet of water lines. It seems, after that many years, there was no heater that the lines would just match up. But then, I overcomplicated mine by adding a water softener, UV filter and whole house filter at the same time.
A gas water heater does save much more on the utility bill than electric, but the electric heater in heat pump mode is just as efficient. I haven't noticed any change in my bill.
 
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mike4lorie said:
You have your everyday hot water tanks in North America, Gas, or Electric, or YOU have a newer one, probably been around for 20 years now that gives you hot water on demand.
Click to expand...
I've had both of those, if you can make the on demand work for you I think it is best, but more expensive. However there are problems, scaling and fouling is much more of a concern than in the old water tanks. If you go with electric it takes a lot of power, you need excess capacity in your power box and some big wires leading to it. Also I have found some problems balancing temperature with one of the units I had. Be sure you know what you are getting into. Did not know about the new hybrids.
mike4lorie said:
SMART toilet
Click to expand...
I have enough trouble with my smart phone and smart TV. Don't think I need another appliance smarter than me... It is an interesting thing to think about however, thanks for the link!
 
I'm surprised at the mention of expense. In 2 places where I lived, there were little Paloma-type heaters. They're under $1000. (An acquaintance had a small electric unit, which was probably quite cheap also.)

In a third place, the on-demand heater was part of the floor-heat system, but that's a whole other thing.
 
NorthernLight said:
I have experience with on-demand water heaters, but as a tenant (3 places in 3 countries), not an owner. In my opinion, they are brilliant, and I don't understand why anyone would want a huge tank water heater.
Click to expand...
We had the opportunity to have a whole house on-demand water heater installed in our home but it would have been placed at the opposite end of the house from our shower. The problem with this is that when you turn on the hot water in the shower water is cold until the on-demand heater has time to heat the water and send it to the other end of the house. This can be a time-consuming, water-wasting process. Similarly, when using the dishwasher, it would fill with mostly cold water instead of the hot water required to sanitize the dishes. I opted for a 40-gallon water heater and a small recirculating pump so hot water is always available at the faucet. Perhaps the extra energy I use to keep 40 gallons of water hot is offset by the water I don't waste while waiting for the hot water to arrive!
 
Ken N Tx said:
My first replacement tank water heater lasted 4 years cost $425..A little over 4
$100 a year.
Click to expand...
What year was that? I know they are very expensive now, if you have to have it installed. Did you do it yourself or have someone to help you? I am going to need one soon. My current one is gas. It was replaced about a week after my husband died by a couple of his friends. I only had to buy the new tank. I have been looking at tankless but the cost does not feel comfortable to me. I want to replace my current one that is about 12 years old. Do not want another flood in the house.
 
Blessed said:
What year was that? I know they are very expensive now, if you have to have it installed. Did you do it yourself or have someone to help you? I am going to need one soon. My current one is gas. It was replaced about a week after my husband died by a couple of his friends. I only had to buy the new tank. I have been looking at tankless but the cost does not feel comfortable to me. I want to replace my current one that is about 12 years old. Do not want another flood in the house.
Click to expand...
July 2020 and I did it myself...They wanted another $200 to install it!!!
 
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