Posted on 04/14/2015 2:44:39 PM PDT by smokingfrog
First it was light bulbs, now Uncle Sam wants your water heater to be more efficient - and it could cost you a lot more money to comply with the new rules.
Angie's List founder, Angie Hicks, said new regulations will save money in the long run. Your water heater is the second largest consumer of energy in your home right behind your heating and cooling system. So, any improvement in your water heaters efficiency is going to pay dividends in your monthly utility bills.
But it will cost you more in the short term, if you need to buy a new one once the new rules take effect in April.
Its going to be bigger. Its going to be taller. Its going to take up more room. A lot of water heaters are installed in a very tight quarters. So, all of these things could be a major impact if you are replacing a water heater after April in 2015, said water heater expert, Chip Cochran.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcactionnews.com ...
I agree, the minerals are protective of the tank lining.
>> Angie Hicks ... is all about supporting “Progressive” causes, and supports only Demo-rat party.
I steer clear of her and her “list” for that reason, alone.
The fact that it’s an overpriced “service” of questionable benefit is just one more reason.
Anode rods are another thing to watch. Once dissolved away they can’t protect the tank any more.
I’ve had one for 16 years (LPG), trouble free except for having to clean the little air filter by the pilot occasionally, but it was a bit undersized and didn’t quite heat the cold winter water as much as you’d like. Would pick the next larger BTU capacity the next time, or maybe a conventional tank heater with digital timer.
Well, our one case was in the country, and there was micro bits of ground shale settling in the bottom. Got a spin down agri style filter you can periodically flush out, and the water going in has no sediment. Mineral build up on heating- different subject. But point taken.
This whole thing generates nothing but revenue for crony capitalists, and higher consumer costs, and higher sales taxes. All good for govt. and their cronies.
Cold water shower— not a problem in summer anyway.
Just another squeeze on the middle class the liberal elites endlessly claim to be fighting for.
I’ve worked on them. Fans go out, circuit boards go bad, igniters go bad etc. However if you are mechanically inclined you can fix it yourself pretty easily. One thing I can tell you is there is a sensor that brings the inducing fan motor on at the right time. If it goes bad the fan will not come on. I bypassed it on a friend of mines water heater but when you do that the fan will run constantly. However what my friend did was to cut the power on and off as needed while he ordered the part. He only put the power on for about an hour a day most days.
Also, don't let it freeze. The tankless heater doesn't have heat all the time to keep the water lines warm. After a freezeup when it was -20F outside I went to additional heat tape and more insulation on the walls of the heater cabinet.
Thanks for the tips! I’m pretty good at fixing stuff in general, but if this thing goes out I’ll be breaking new ground.
Like most computerized appliances, this one seems to have lots of on-board diagnostics... hoping that will help.
>> contractors also pay to be listed by her
Couldn’t possibly be any conflict of interest — or political favoritism — contaminating the process, of course.
‘Cause she’s progressive, and they know what’s best for you.
It already did for me! Had to replace the water heater in a condo last month... The only ones available WOULD NOT FIT INTO THE SPACE! Wound up having to install a water heater half the size and 110vac rather than 220vac! The only alternative was to tear out a wall and install a larger door!
It already did for me! Had to replace the water heater in a condo last month... The only ones available WOULD NOT FIT INTO THE SPACE! Wound up having to install a water heater half the size and 110vac rather than 220vac! The only alternative was to tear out a wall and install a larger door!
Whew...I hope. We have a standard 50 gal.
Ugh!
If I had the cash, I’d come up with a piece-by-piece system with instructions and sell a part at a time.
Build your own water heater systems. Kinda like an AR15.
One part breaks, just replace that part. Wouldn’t need to replace the whole system.
Wifey and I have visited two different couples that had those...making four people taking their morning showers within a relatively short period of time; both times we experienced a lack of "hot" - regardless of the claims.
This will happen millions of times over and the feds will say: 'Tough beans chump, it's for the greater good'.
110vac here would take all winter to get the water up to usable temp.
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