water heater
 

Our house will be 12 years old this year so I am thinking about replacing the water heater before it fails. It is natural gas. We have solar hot water preheat. I would like to find one that will last a lifetime.... aka stainless? Anyone out there know of brands that are stainless? With the solar I would guess I would only need a 40 gallon or so size. Only found 2 while surfing, Polaris by American water heater which had many bad reviews, break downs and Phoenix by htproducts, did not find reviews but cost
about $4000 ouch.

Anyone have the instant style?

Thanks gary

"I am thinking about replacing the water heater before it fails."

Replace your anode rod before it fully dissolves(probably already has right before the warranty period ended) and your tank will last a long time before rusting out.

I can't say I'm aware of any that are all stainless.

Gary,

Why not a tankless heater. I have had one for almost 30 years. DFor repairs over that time, a couple of thermocouples ($20) a rebuild kit for the modulator ($25). Not much and it accepts preheated solar water.

I bought one too big (170K BTU) but I have throddled it way, way back. Mine has a pilot light, but the new ones do not.

Today there are lots of them out there Rinnai, Bosch, etc.

Steve

Steve,
What about the amount / gallons a minute to turn the heat on, is that a pain were you need to have at least a certain amount flowing? What brand do you have?
Thanks
Gary

I read about these a few years ago......
Marathon Water Heaters: For Consumers

Marathon tanks will never rust because they aren't made of metal. I have one and they're great. They are meant to last a lifetime and don't even use an anode rod.

Greif

I don`t know why a stainless tank should be so expensive. Stainless steel isn`t that much more than carbon steel. I would think the cost of the anode and porcline to prevent corrosion would offset the increased cost of better suited materials.

Yes you are right $4000.00 is what I found when I was looking for our new stainless multi source tank.

I had to built mine but I`m in the metal business. It works extremly well and it will be a life-r. I know UL CSA approvals. But that dosen`t stop them from failing.

Randen

Gary,

It took about a quart (liter) a minute to kick it on. The problem was, that with that low flow rate, the modulator would kick in and out turning the gas valve off and on. So I simply cut down on the main gas pressure (at the valve by adjusting the diaphragm screw) and that solved the issue.

It was made by Controlled Energy distributed out of Vermont. Some 30 years ago I saw these units in many homes in Italy, Germany, France where they not only supplied hot water for radient heat, but also for hot water for showers, sinks, bath, etc.

A very simple and clever shunt was used so that if water use, by a shower was demanded, the heat flow to the radient heating system was suspended. Because of the large thermal mass of the heating system, no decrease in house temp was noticed over the time of the shower.

Each village had a store where parts were sold and most people didn't even call a repair person. The parts that needed common repair were the thermocouple, and a rebuild kit for the modulator valve (just as I found).

I have a solar hot water drain back system that first heats up a large 120 gallon storage tank. I have a mixing valve on it that lowers the putput temp to 120 F. That output goes through the tankless water heater (propane fired). If the output temp of that is not 120, then the unit fires up.

Even in cloudy cold winter, the storage tank would have some hot water in it - maybe 80 F. Our ground water is about 55 F, so preheating water even to 80 is a huge savings. And in the summer, I would blow out the tankless pilot light as we always had plenty of hot water.

I added in the solar system after I put in the tankless unit. Had I known, I would have bought a less powerful tankless propane unit.

Steve

Thanks Steve
I turn off my water heater mid may until mid sept. since the solar is more then enough.

iamgeo, the marathon is eletric not gas, but I think I will replace my solar store tank with a marathon storgage tank while I am doing this then I should have lifetime free problems:)