(OT) Stay Away From American Water Heater Company...

[jcarter]

Sometimes I wonder how up-to-date Consumers Report magazine is.
It is difficult to track some of the newer products, especially when they move their manufacturing plants from USA to another country to take advantage of cheaper labor and other things.

We bought a nice Bosch dishwasher which had the wires going into the door, and thats why it failed, the wires flex constantly when the door is opened.  I do think that is more of an engineering flaw than cheapening up.  Or a bit of both,,,,,

Thank god my husband can fix most anything, otherwise we would have to pay for these 'flaws' to be fixed.
Jane

[Jack W]

We had an AO Smith 40 gal heater installed by a plumber in Feb'94.

About 5-6 years ago, I was doing the "recommended maintenance" of draining off some of the sediment thru the valve at the bottom. AND "some of the sediment" lodged in the valve, not allowing it to be shut without leaking.

So I called a plumber, who proceeded to remove the valve, and take a hefty screwdriver and ram it around thru the opening. You should have seen the crud that flushed out. And that screwdriver treatment made me very nervous since the water heater is glass lined.

But anyway, after he finished cleaning it out, he installed a new valve, and all is well ever since. BTW, I don't do the "recommended mainenance" any more.

Anyway, I like AO Smith heaters. This is the third one I've had in around 35 years of living here.

- Jack

[krissel]

http://www.fastwaterheater.com/FAQ.htm

Interesting commentary here from a plumber:

http://www.contractormag.com/articles/colu...fm?columnid=356

http://www.contractormag.com/articles/colu...m?columnistid=1

[jcarter]

Quite interesting.
On our new heater, my husband said that the bottom drain valve is a cheap plastic one, and would probably not stand up to being used much.  One of our old ones did not shut off properly either.
That is another reason that a good quality filtering system for any well water is important. I would rather see the crud end up in the filters(even tho they can get expensive) than inside the hot water tank.
We have also heard that the tankless heaters work well, we see them in hotels and B+Bs a lot in Costa Rica and other places.

We do have an electric hot water heater in our house in Maine, but its only used 4 months a year, and my husband or brother drains it every October.  But we use spring water, which is virtually crud-free.
Jane

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

the hot water tank

If you have a 'hot water tank', why do you need a water heater?

Seriously, all the 'crud' that is not always solid stuff in the water, it is also concentrated chemicals that are dissolved in the water, chemical reactions from different metals inside the tank and chemicals that dissipate as the water is heated. Filtering is probably a must with well water, shouldn't be needed on a utility supply line. Hard water may also require a water softener to extract some of the KH.

Tankless systems are great for small amounts and fast supply; showers and hand basins. I'm not sure they would be very economical compared to a well-insulated tank system. Main reason I think they are popular in Europe/GB is the lack of space and older plumbing found in older construction. We've decided to not replace an under sink, "instant" hot water supply in the kitchen. The third unit started leaking in less than 8 years. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, what kind of fool am I? Should we sell the house, we'll replace it then!

[jcarter]

The tank, I guess you would call it a 'storage tank', is where the heated water is stored, and the burner is under it, tank is incased in steel, perhaps ceramic lined, gas, oil, or elec. Ours here is 50 gallons, the one in Maine perhaps 30, its electric.  Insulation inside the outside cover.
But when a tankless heater is used, the water is heated by electricity going thru coils in close contact with them, thus there is no storage.  They can also be called "on demand" heaters.
Im not good at the terminology here, I just know how the doggone things work and really good at knowing how they fail.  And how they manage to do so when you just need that hot shower!
As to the iron, magnesium, and other sediment that gets into well water,,,,,some can be filtered out.  The acidity of the water also can determine how much of this, and other compounds and chemicals are dissolved, and the temperature also effects this.  
Corrosion is a problem around here due to these factors.
Relatively pure spring water is the best.
Jane

[Gregg]

Jim, the article I referred to was lambasting the hot water heater tank as being very inefficient. Reason: that 40 gallons of hot water is held in reserve constantly. Energy is used to keep it hot while you're not home - at work, or on a 4 week safari.