Heat pump water heater install - Page 2

Ryland · 05-04-12, 08:00 AM

Voltex® Hybrid Electric Heat Pump - Water Heaters Residential by A. O. Smith looks o have all of the documents you might need to plan your install before buying anything, they even have a video you can download on how to install it!
My understanding of course is that the heat pump water heaters are more or less designed to be a drop in replacement for an electric water heater, to keep the pipes from vibrating while the compressor is running you might think about using flex lines to connect to the incoming and out going water lines in the house, this should also make hooking up the water heater a bit easier.
Also, if you don't have a shut off valve now is the time to install one, installing it on the cold water side is most common, die-electric unions are also a good idea if you have any copper pipe in your house because the tank tends to be cast iron and of course any time you connect iron pipe to copper you need a die-electric union or you will create a battery in the pipes and the iron will get eaten away.

Assuming that everything is in good shape, you should be able to turn off the water and power, pull your old water heater, hook the new one up, plumb in the drain and be done within a few hours, the hard part is hauling the nearly 400 pound water heater around.

strider3700 · 05-04-12, 12:25 PM

definitely remember the die-electric unions. The previous owners installed my current tank with standard galvanized unions between the tank and the copper. The unions don't look great but the tank connectors are rusted beyond recognition. The tank is 6 years old according to warranty dates....

cholcombe · 05-05-12, 09:03 AM

Yeah I'm with you guys. DIY all the way! I'm putting in the order tonight I think. Then I just need to figure out how to properly size the expansion tank and which condensate pump to buy and I'll be good to go. Thanks for the tip on the dielectric union and the shutoff valve. I looked through the docs on hotwater.com and I thought haha.. this isn't a big deal. I bet that plumber just didn't want to do the job. Oh well... his loss.

Daox · 05-05-12, 10:57 AM

Expansion tank? Did I miss something? I thought this was just for domestic hot water.

Ryland · 05-05-12, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

Expansion tank? Did I miss something? I thought this was just for domestic hot water.

It's a new requirement in some areas but mostly a recommendation to keep pressure from building up in the water pipes if you use up all of the hot water then turn everything off while it reheats, in reality it doesn't seem to be much of an issue that I've heard of yet.

Here is an Expansion Tank Calculator using one should also help dampen the effects of water hammer in your pipes.

cholcombe · 05-07-12, 04:13 PM

Exactly. It was just a recommendation in the install manual. I was planning on following it. I was planning on ordering it tonight. I'll shoot some pictures for you guys

Thanks for all the help. I'm feeling confident about this.

Gator Air & Energy, LLC · 06-20-12, 11:53 PM

Excited about installing my Rheem Ecosense heat pump water heater I purchased on closeout from Home Depot for only $524.00 The local utility company rebate went up from $300 to $500. I purchased a State brand 3 months ago for $1,500. They are dumping them now because no one understands the technology. The drawback I see is that they (mine) can be noisy- glad its in my garage. Great having a cool garage this summer, and my electric bill is down $30 a month. Running the condensate line can be a pain on these units, if I can find a quiet one that can go in a living space, it would also provide cold air for the house in the summer. Looking forward to seeing how quiet the Rheem one is compared to the state. I've heard people have had them in their kitchens here in Florida, providing cold air in the summer. I'm sure you'd want to switch it back to electric in the winter though.

05-04-12, 08:00 AM	#11
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	Voltex® Hybrid Electric Heat Pump - Water Heaters Residential by A. O. Smith looks o have all of the documents you might need to plan your install before buying anything, they even have a video you can download on how to install it! My understanding of course is that the heat pump water heaters are more or less designed to be a drop in replacement for an electric water heater, to keep the pipes from vibrating while the compressor is running you might think about using flex lines to connect to the incoming and out going water lines in the house, this should also make hooking up the water heater a bit easier. Also, if you don't have a shut off valve now is the time to install one, installing it on the cold water side is most common, die-electric unions are also a good idea if you have any copper pipe in your house because the tank tends to be cast iron and of course any time you connect iron pipe to copper you need a die-electric union or you will create a battery in the pipes and the iron will get eaten away. Assuming that everything is in good shape, you should be able to turn off the water and power, pull your old water heater, hook the new one up, plumb in the drain and be done within a few hours, the hard part is hauling the nearly 400 pound water heater around. Last edited by Ryland; 05-04-12 at 08:03 AM..

05-05-12, 10:57 AM	#14
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Expansion tank? Did I miss something? I thought this was just for domestic hot water. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

06-20-12, 11:53 PM	#17
Gator Air & Energy, LLC GatorDone Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Gainesville, FL. Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Works great in Florida Excited about installing my Rheem Ecosense heat pump water heater I purchased on closeout from Home Depot for only $524.00 The local utility company rebate went up from $300 to $500. I purchased a State brand 3 months ago for $1,500. They are dumping them now because no one understands the technology. The drawback I see is that they (mine) can be noisy- glad its in my garage. Great having a cool garage this summer, and my electric bill is down $30 a month. Running the condensate line can be a pain on these units, if I can find a quiet one that can go in a living space, it would also provide cold air for the house in the summer. Looking forward to seeing how quiet the Rheem one is compared to the state. I've heard people have had them in their kitchens here in Florida, providing cold air in the summer. I'm sure you'd want to switch it back to electric in the winter though.

05-04-12, 12:25 PM	#12
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	definitely remember the die-electric unions. The previous owners installed my current tank with standard galvanized unions between the tank and the copper. The unions don't look great but the tank connectors are rusted beyond recognition. The tank is 6 years old according to warranty dates....

05-05-12, 09:03 AM	#13
cholcombe Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 56 Thanks: 13 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Yeah I'm with you guys. DIY all the way! I'm putting in the order tonight I think. Then I just need to figure out how to properly size the expansion tank and which condensate pump to buy and I'll be good to go. Thanks for the tip on the dielectric union and the shutoff valve. I looked through the docs on hotwater.com and I thought haha.. this isn't a big deal. I bet that plumber just didn't want to do the job. Oh well... his loss.

05-07-12, 04:13 PM	#16
cholcombe Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 56 Thanks: 13 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Exactly. It was just a recommendation in the install manual. I was planning on following it. I was planning on ordering it tonight. I'll shoot some pictures for you guys Thanks for all the help. I'm feeling confident about this.