Saw a small puddle of water under the water heater yesterday. Dried it up & watched it come back very slowly.
looks like it's coming from below the lower heating element. Doesn't look like the element itself is leaking, but under it. There is a grounding strap/plate from the thermostat that is touching the tank - the plate is corroded & there is buildup of corrosion at the bottom where it is touching the tank. I haven't removed it yet, but I think that's where the leak is, small crack or something.

It's a 14.5 year old AO Smith 50gal. Looking at Lowes, a 12-year AO smith is 585 with $100 rebates (50 from lowes, 50 from power company). I'll call the local pluming supply place tomorrow (I can probably get wholesale price using cash), but does anybody have any better recommendation than AO Smith?

There's also a 'hybrid heat pump' 50gal for 1200 that might qualify for $550 in rebates. It's almost tempting, but I suspect that the efficiency increase will take a long time to cover the +$200. Any experience?

Rheem Performance Platinum (XE50M12EC55U1). $618 at Home Depot. Home Depot SKU number: 1001297852

quote:

Originally posted by Johnny 3eagles:
Rheem Performance Platinum (XE50M12EC55U1). $618 at Home Depot. Home Depot SKU number: 1001297852

Nearest Home Depot is 50+ miles, lowes is 10, plumbing supply place is even closer. What sets this one apart? 12yr warranty, 0.95 energy factor, ceramic coated tank. Wifi is interesting, but not a deal maker.

If you're going to replace with a typical water heater, I recommend adding 10 years to the date installed, and writing that in permanent marker directly on the water heater.

I've installed the hybrid heat pump units on several jobs now, and the customers have all experienced a savings, with no drop in the performance at the tap or shower head.

I may do a hybrid heat pump unit for hot water in my own home, with a separate on-demand unit for the hot water radiators.

What source is your home heat?

Consider spending a bit more on that water heater, looking at the 10+ years of usage is valid for cost.

A conventional electric water heater is not something I would consider today. If you're going electric, then the hybrid is where it's at.

A related question:

We're coming up on a water heater replacement, but our house also has a recirculating pump. What's the life span on those? Similar to a water heater, and intended to be replaced at the same time?

On Sepy 17th I had a local plumber install a 50 gal State as a replacement for a Bradford White installed in 2007. Reason I'm specific on the date is it was our 17th anniversary and, after doing w/out hot water for a day, she was thrilled with a water heater as a gift.

Out the door installed cost was $849 and it took about an hour.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
A related question:

We're coming up on a water heater replacement, but our house also has a recirculating pump. What's the life span on those? Similar to a water heater, and intended to be replaced at the same time?

The pumps will outlast the heaters/boilers. Trust the judgement of your plumber on whether to replace at the same interval as the water heater, but typically no.

A pump failure does mean no heat/hot water, but it doesn't mean a flooded basement. So a replacement that happens inside a day is no sweat.

If your plumber has a handle on the lifespan of the pump, I recommend the same strategy as the water heater, writing the "expiration date" directly on it.

I just replaced my 50 gallon water heater 2-3 months ago as I had the same issue you did with a 16 year old whirlpool leaking. Bradford White is considered the best.

I went with the AO smith 12 year from Lowes sine they're 1 mile from my house and paid around $600 for it. I'm pretty sure the tanks are stainless on the 12 year AO's. So far my electric went down about 15% the first month with it. The second month I can't tell because I replaced a 16 year old refrigerator with a new one twice as the first one was defective. All water heaters are a little more efficient due to the increased insulation requirements they put into effect. Keep in mind this has increased the exterior measurements on all of them a few inches taller usually. It has wifi which I don't mess with, but the digital temperature display is nice as you can adjust the temperature with just the digital pad. Also shows when the elements are on. It also has an energy saver setting which I have been using and haven't noticed any difference in the amount of hot water. I have mine set at 120F. I'd definitely buy it again.

Being in the business I recommend Bradford White, A.O. smith in second place. Just had a customer with a Rheem that was under warranty still. No joy from Rheem when their 1st solution to the problem didn't work.

With Vermont rates, my guess would be you would save around $50 per month switching from an electric hot water heater to a heat pump. Just a guess. I just went from a Marathon electric water heater to a indirect attached to my boiler.
My power usage was between 1000 and 1400 kw per month. Now looking like it may be under 500!
Time will tell.
Several people I work with say the heat pumps cost them around $10 per month for hot water. Added benefits, it acts as a dehumidifier and air conditioner.
I think payback would be quick, but consult someone more knowledgeable.

A.O Smith has been around forever. There are ancient grain/corn silos in along farmland to the west with their plate on them.

Bradford White is more common here; depends on the supply house you use.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
If you're going to replace with a typical water heater, I recommend adding 10 years to the date installed, and writing that in permanent marker directly on the water heater.

I've installed the hybrid heat pump units on several jobs now, and the customers have all experienced a savings, with no drop in the performance at the tap or shower head.

I may do a hybrid heat pump unit for hot water in my own home, with a separate on-demand unit for the hot water radiators.

What source is your home heat?

Consider spending a bit more on that water heater, looking at the 10+ years of usage is valid for cost.

A conventional electric water heater is not something I would consider today. If you're going electric, then the hybrid is where it's at.

I have NG heat & stove, but electric HW.
I just looked at the energy guide stickers, which I don't fully trust, but looks like the heat-pump model saves ~300$ per year, more than what I thought it would.
My electric co has a $500 rebate that makes it make sense (~$150 more for the heat pump model). Need to make sure they accept DIY install. Hate to have to call my cousin the well guy to make a fake ticket....
Should I up-size the tank if I go with a heat-pump? looks like a 50Gal heat pump has less hot water vs a 50gal conventional electric. Never ran out of hot water with just the 2 of us & the kid isn't old enough to use much yet.

Been a fun weekend. My dryer croaked last weekend (heat coil broke, I crimped it together & got 2 loads dry). Had to bypass mom's door switch on her (my old) dryer to get clothes dry this weekend. Parts on the way for both...

Need to get this done this week as we're going out of town Fri/Sat.
I think the drain valve is covered in crud, I tried to open it when we moved in to check it out & I don't think it drained at all. I forgot to deal with it then. First 6 years of this WH's life were spent w/o a filter or softener on the hard-ass well water, so I'm sure there's at least some buildup.
It's also in a basement with no drain...

Oh well, such is life.

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:
I just looked at the energy guide stickers, which I don't fully trust, but looks like the heat-pump model saves ~300$ per year, more than what I thought it would.
My electric co has a $500 rebate that makes it make sense (~$150 more for the heat pump model). Need to make sure they accept DIY install. Hate to have to call my cousin the well guy to make a fake ticket....
Should I up-size the tank if I go with a heat-pump? looks like a 50Gal heat pump has less hot water vs a 50gal conventional electric. Never ran out of hot water with just the 2 of us & the kid isn't old enough to use much yet.

The energy guide sticker compares an average unit with average utility rates, with the hybrid, you will see a savings over a typical water heater, but lots of things factor in.

Such as, the set point of the unit, that it is sized for the load, your kw/hr rate etc.

A given 40 gal hybrid water heater will hold the same amount as a conventional 40 gal heater. The hybrid unit will be larger due to insulation, and the heat pump itself. What you may be looking at when you say "has less hot water," is the recovery rate of the heater. There are a number of models out there, and most can be run on "high efficiency" or, not.

I'd have to go dig for the brand of hybrid we've used mostly, as I haven't heard clients complain about running out of hot water with these units.

Talking to someone who can take your usage and size it correctly will maximize the likelihood of it working as designed and saving money over time.

Water heaters use a massive amount of energy. Every time I go out of town, I turn my hot water heater off at the breaker. And then the A.C. Up to 80 from 76.

My energy use goes from $8 per day to $2 per day, just doing the above.

I'd spend more money now, to install something other than a conventional water heater. Or add some kind of timer system that turns the unit off when you don't need it.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
Talking to someone who can take your usage and size it correctly will maximize the likelihood of it working as designed and saving money over time.

I went with a conventional electric - basically a replacement of what I had.
Came down to a few things:
1. Complexity. Exponentially more things to go wrong on a heat pump vs a heating element.
2. I don't want to hear it running. Couldn't find a comparison & didn't want more noise in the basement.
3. DIY install - the labor warranty would be nothing & who do I call if there's a problem with the heat pump? Plumber, HVAC tech?

The money savings would be nice, but I'm not that hard-up. This one says it will cost more per year than my old one, but I doubt that. Anything that went wrong with the heat pump would have more than negated my savings over the years (my elec cost per kWhr is less than their estimate, so savings was less).

I was told that the heat pump type water heaters also give you the bonus of dehumidifying your basement as part of how they work? Is that true?

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
Water heaters use a massive amount of energy.

You aren't kidding! I had an electric until I was able to get switched to natural gas and I did some calcs; the electric used $50 of electricity a month while it only costs me $10 or less for gas.

The water heating by electric was the biggest breakdown of my electric bills, not AC, not the electric stove or the dehumidifier running 24/7 with this wet summer we've had.

OP: If you are stuck with electric, I'd go heat pump.

What do we know about Reliance brand gas water heaters? They are sold and installed locally by the True Value hardware store, also sold here at Walmart.

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
What do we know about Reliance brand gas water heaters? They are sold and installed locally by the True Value hardware store, also sold here at Walmart.

The price difference between what a Bradford white or AO smith costs and a cheap one or off brand isn't worth the little bit of savings, considering the labor and installation materials are almost half the total price isn't worth it. I'd only replace a water heater with a 12 year and not skimp.