Really getting bad reviews here:
http://www.amazon.com/GE-GeoSpring-...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
http://www.amazon.com/GE-GeoSpring-...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
Geospring bad reviews
- Thread starter velvetfoot
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brant2000
Feeling the Heat
That's interesting and somewhat surprising. Someone I work with just asked me about advice on a new water heater and I starting pushing him towards a HPWH, namely the geospring. I'll have to use caution in the future.
I don't have any experience with this model, but am surprised that one of the flagship models of the industry would perform so poorly. I have an Airtap add on HPWH that I've used for 3+ years with no issues. After rebates, I actually made money on the unit, so I started out ahead.
I don't have any experience with this model, but am surprised that one of the flagship models of the industry would perform so poorly. I have an Airtap add on HPWH that I've used for 3+ years with no issues. After rebates, I actually made money on the unit, so I started out ahead.
Aren't there two versions of this water heater? The original blue top made in China and the newer red top made in the USA? I wonder which units are getting the bad reviews there. It sounds like maybe these are the older Chinese ones. Still, its not good if the company isn't supporting the product.
Eeek! I was thinking more and more about installing one of these things. Now I think not. Think I will go down and pat the old electric water heater on the head.
brant2000
Feeling the Heat
They're not the best choice, but conventional electric water heaters get a bad rap. I'm always surprised to see how the propane industry is pushing everyone (and people are biting) towards tankless water heaters. Especially when propane often costs more per BTU than electricity. Just think about if the elecric industry started advertising that these new electric water heaters are 100% efficient, people would switch back.
The red top is also getting bad reviews.
On the Lowes site, they seem to love 'em.
OH, WAIT A SEC: They're all from the GE website, "Written by a customer while visiting geappliances.com "
I think that explains a lot.
I can't talk myself into replacing our basic electric hw heater with one of these units. Our hw bill is not high enough to justify the expense.
Plus you can get a $500 rebate from a lot of utilities which brings the cost way down to the same as an electric tank or maybe even cheaper.
Its too bad they are having problems with these units. The GE's seem to be the most popular by far because they are the cheapest and they are going to give HPWH's as a whole a bad reputation. I'd like to get one, but I have propane now and even though this would save me money to operate I'd have to have my panel rewired to power an electric/heat pump unit.
Its too bad they are having problems with these units. The GE's seem to be the most popular by far because they are the cheapest and they are going to give HPWH's as a whole a bad reputation. I'd like to get one, but I have propane now and even though this would save me money to operate I'd have to have my panel rewired to power an electric/heat pump unit.
Our local utility offered the same deal for awhile so that they were essentially free. Now they are about $199 after rebate I think. Still couldn't talk myself into installing one.
The red top one doesn't get raves either:
http://www.amazon.com/GEH50DEEDSR-GeoSpring-Hybrid-Electric-Heater/dp/B00826MC3W/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t
Glad I have held off as well, I have a natural gas hot water heater in my shed out back so it takes a while for the hot water to get into the house, I was going to put one of these in my unconditioned attic. Guess I will just wait longer to see if they get the bugs worked out 
Natural gas one has been going good for 10 years so I figure any year now that is going to fail.
Natural gas one has been going good for 10 years so I figure any year now that is going to fail.
Yeah the reviews on the Lowe's site will be positive. The "smart" water heater we have came from Lowe's. They all had a bad circuit board and the manufacturer kept ignoring everybody. I finally sent a letter to the manufacturer giving them ten days and I was suing Lowe's in small claims court. On day eight a new updated circuit board and instructions for the five minute installation magically showed up in the mail. After months of them denying anything was wrong with them.
All of the reviews on the Lowe's site raved about them and the one negative I posted never showed up there.
All of the reviews on the Lowe's site raved about them and the one negative I posted never showed up there.
Interesting. Not easy to tell what is going on with amazon reviews. Folks will buy one model, and then post reviews on a different model years later, v confusing.
There were clearly some lemon units in the first run a few years ago, and it seems that GE is making good on repairs (and reimbursement for energy bills) with many of these commenters. Are these 5% of units or 50%??
Lots of geospring users on the site....anyone have any problems?
My AOSmith HPWH seems ok, 22 mos in.
There were clearly some lemon units in the first run a few years ago, and it seems that GE is making good on repairs (and reimbursement for energy bills) with many of these commenters. Are these 5% of units or 50%??
Lots of geospring users on the site....anyone have any problems?
My AOSmith HPWH seems ok, 22 mos in.
I've had mine since August '13. It's the new American made version. So far it has worked perfectly and I am very happy with it.
Right now up here the rate for 1,000,000 BTU is $32.23 at $0.11 per KWh. The same BTU's for Propane is $22 @ $2.00 a gallon. I buy my propane in July and it has never cost more than $1.50 a gallon and the gas I have now cost me $1.24 a gallon so I don't see how propane often costs more than electricity unless maybe if you use a Marathon heater and a low off peak electric rate which isn't available here.
I suspect that's because you're looking at the midwest pricing for propane which seems to be cheaper than anywhere else. In the NE it appears to be a lot higher. My last price was close to $3/gal and I'm afraid to call for a fill up as I suspect it's gone up even higher, though maybe if I can wait a bit longer the price will come down a bit. Also, I can only store 250 gal and use about twice that a year so need to buy more often than once a year.
Price of elec is about $.15 kwh, so I'm about right in figuring spot heating with space heaters is about the same if not less than LP for me, not even considering 100% efficiency for elec vs 80% for LP, along with the fact that I can limit more the areas of where I add heat with electric.
Yes, the best way to heat your home or DHW is different for many. My furnace is 95% efficient and I've taken steps to make my HWH more efficient with a automatic damper and a blanket. And with a wood stove for heat and a larger LPG tank I can fill it when LPG is in low demand hence cheaper during the summer. My electric bill that came just days ago shows I only used 244 KWh and that's typical.
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Uh oh, mistakes here. An average storage tank propane water heater has an EF of .6, so only 60% of the input energy goes to heat water. An average electric tank water heater has an EF of 0.90. So let's run your numbers again with the "reality toggle" engaged. Now electric costs you 35.81 per million and propane costs you 37.00 per million.
Dang. Propane does cost more than electric using the old technology. Not to mention you have to deal with buying and storing propane when your house already has unlimited electric piped to it.
You can spec out a propane heating unit that condenses and has no tank and you could get 95% steady state efficiency but that efficiency only occurs during a long burn when everything is warmed up and not a typical of a hot water draw. You can also spec out a heat pump water heater that gets 300% efficiency so that blows propane out of the hot water.
Yes, as shown in this thread. There are other brands and superior technologies but I am still an electric tank heater type guy. For me it's the noise these HPWHs make, ridiculous.
Hey, I thought the reality toggle was engaged! I am a fan of HPWH's, but nobody who lives in the north half of the country is getting 300% efficiency in the winter time unless they have an awful lot of waste heat to capture out of a boiler room or something. The reality is that many if not most folks are going to be either using the electric resistance mode of the HPWH or "stealing" from their home heating system to make hot water in the winter.
I think that claiming 200-250% efficiency is more realistic if the reality toggle is still on.
Yes, I love the quietness of the resistance models. However, if I'm going to get dehumidification out of it, and only run it during the summer when a dehumidifier would be running anyway....
Here's an above average one which captures 68% of the heat and uses PVC, ABS, etc. for venting.
http://www.pexsupply.com/AO-Smith-G...onnection-LP?gclid=CLCgruTTs70CFcyTfgodLxgAxw
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