Replies

1. 
   Bill_Hartmann | Jun 04, 2001 08:16pm | #1

   *
   Mike

   The size of the tank is only one of the parameters of a water heater. The burner size and recory rate is another. I looked at Ruud's website http://www.rheem.com/dealers/catalogRes.asp

   And they had 50 gal units that range from 40kBTU/hr (40.4 gals/hr) to 75kBTU/hr (81 GPH).

   And under the GE name there is a 36kBTU version.
   http://www.indoorclimate.com/Hot%20Water%20Heaters/ge_ruud_hot_water_heaters.htm

1. 
   David_Thomas | Jun 08, 2001 02:10am | #2

   *Sounds like the heat rate in the new HWH is lower than in the old. Just a thought - sure the hot and cold are connected to the right fittings? Switching them will make for really short shower times.Tempering valves can be used to increase the amount of hot water to the fixtures. By setting the tempering valve at 120F, you protect against scalding and therefore you can crank the HWH to 140-150F to increase the number of BTUs stored in the tank. -David

1. 
   Clint_Stoutenburgh | Jul 14, 2001 06:57am | #3

   *Not a problem with a tankless if you have access to gas. Home Depot is the authorized dealer for AquaStar. Expensive up front but I figure the payback time is about three yrs with these high energy costs.

1. 
   William_Hoover | Jul 25, 2001 08:00pm | #4

   *I take issue with Clint. When a gas water heater only costs $150/yr to operate (that is the national average), how can one spend at least $500 on a tankless and get a payback in three years. According to the DOE's statistics, the fuel cost savings realized by a tankless water heater is about $55/yr. Considering that your tankless costs over $500 and requires annual servicing, it is hard to believe you can get a payback in a reasonable time.

1. 
   Jerry_Albrecht | Aug 02, 2001 06:43pm | #5

   *I did the same thing a couple of years ago. I replaced a 40g with a 50 high recovery or so I thought. We kept running out of hot water, you could wait 20 minutes and it would be hot again but we were always running out. I called the factory and they sent out a technician. We checked everything max water temp, recovery time, how many gallons of water over 90 degrees etc., nothing was wrong. Come to find out the EPA has dictated (as in dictatorship) that the temperature differential be greater to reduce cycling. Hence the tank has to just about go completely cold to fire back up. While this is true with gas, it's not so with electric. For instance we installed the same brand 40g electric in our cottage in Northern Michigan. We use well water which is barely 50 degrees and on the major holidays when we have a huge crowd (30+ adults) everyone can shower and wash dishes and not run out of hot water. Even the tech that came out said if you really want hot water all the time electric was better the gas. Meanwhile I'm going to buy a spare gas valve to see if I can modify it to reduce the differential.

2. 
   nigel_martin | Aug 07, 2001 12:14am | #6

   *The biggest advantage with tankless is "None stop hot water" payback time is not really the point. Yes it will pay for its self after a while. But if I have to wait for hot water when I need it then the water heater is failing to do its job!! And if you have a hot tub or whirlpool then get tankless or a very large water heater.

3. 
   Bill_Koustenis | Aug 07, 2001 03:13am | #7

   *Mike, I have had the same exact problem since replacing a 20yr old electric with a new gas heater. I was told it has to do with the drop tube in the heater. Big Brother has apparently come up with some type of regulation that the tube that feeds the cold water into the tank cannot go all the way to the bottom of the tank. So as you start using water, the cold water is introduced a lot higher in the tank. I have noticed that mine is worse after sitting all night, but once it gets fired up, it work great. I can't take a long shower in the AM but if my wife does a load in the dishwasher, then I wait about 20 min, it seems like it will never run out of hot water. Go figure !

4. 
   David_Thomas | Aug 09, 2001 08:10pm | #8

   *Good Info. I hadn't heard of the new regs, but have noticed HWHs now seem to have huge differentials between their on and off set points. You can swing that dial a lot between turning the flame on and off. Makes me want to hook a recording thermometer to the HWH outlet and see just how much it varies. All the more reason for a tempering valve. Lets you move from, maybe, 110-135F (too cold to fine) to 120-145, tempered to exactly 120F. And store more BTUs for longer showers. -David

2. 
   Mike_Butts | Aug 09, 2001 08:12pm | #9

   *
   I installed a 50 gal. Ruud (branded GE) gas water heater a few months back & this thing is driving me nuts. It actually produces less hot water than the 15 year old 40 gal. tank I replaced. Ruud tells me the heater only needs to produce 35 gallons at set temperature before dropping off 20-30°. It then needs about 90 minutes before producing hot water. It's been about four years since my last water heater installation and I'm wondering if there is a new energy conservation requirement that is throttling this tank. Any ideas?