Water heater being installed as we speak... Goodbye oil!

[AddictiveStew]

Bought myself a Marathon 50 Gallon water heater over the weekend and the plumber is putting her in right now (not to mention severing my DHW coil on the old oil burner). Can't wait to shut down that old oil monster for the summer! Pellets + Electric HW FTW.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

50 Gal !! Thats a big one. Iv found my 30 Gal Electric does the job even with 5-7 people in the house.Lower standing loss with smaller heater. WHen i went to replace it i found the 30 hard to find at HD. Mostly 40s and up. OVERKILL for most homes.

 

[AddictiveStew]

50 Gal !! Thats a big one. Iv found my 30 Gal Electric does the job even with 5-7 people in the house.Lower standing loss with smaller heater. WHen i went to replace it i found the 30 hard to find at HD. Mostly 40s and up. OVERKILL for most homes.

Well I almost went 85... after I did the calculations I believe 50 to be the right size for us (planning on kids in the future). The Marathon is one of the most energy efficient ones out there, and it has a lifetime warranty (plastic tank vs metal so no anode rod/rusting).

 

[moey]

I installed a 80 (Rheem) a few weeks ago nice not to hear the boiler running.

 

[AddictiveStew]

I installed a 80 (Rheem) a few weeks ago nice not to hear the boiler running.

Nothing boils my blood more than hearing the boiler run.

 

[Defiant]

Nice job Stew, any photos?

 

[AddictiveStew]

Nice job Stew, any photos?

I'm at work right now, but I can certainly take some when I get home if you're interested!

 

[john193]

How long will it take to get a return by going to electric? It's something I have looked at in the past but my numbers didn't add up.

 

[AddictiveStew]

How long will it take to get a return by going to electric? It's something I have looked at in the past but my numbers didn't add up.

Considering I burned a tank last summer heating my water alone (old boiler, 65% eff), the ROI for me will be fairly quick. Maybe 6 months to a year? Just knowing I'm not using oil is enough to make me happy. I'm doing everything in my power to stop that beast from running.

 

[john193]

Considering I burned a tank last summer heating my water alone (old boiler, 65% eff), the ROI for me will be fairly quick. Maybe 6 months to a year? Just knowing I'm not using oil is enough to make me happy. I'm doing everything in my power to stop that beast from running.

Yes that is a good feeling. I've burned about 100 gallons of oil since Oct, it's pretty much used for hot water. Electric is about 15.5 cents a kW/h here so the numbers aren't in my favor. The local paper was advertising oil at 3.24 here.

 

[moey]

Yes that is a good feeling. I've burned about 100 gallons of oil since Oct, it's pretty much used for hot water. Electric is about 15.5 cents a kW/h here so the numbers aren't in my favor. The local paper was advertising oil at 3.24 here.

Sounds like you have a modern system. The hybrid systems can be had for pretty cheap right now. Most states have a $300 rebate and there is a federal $300 tax credit. Lowes has a GE model for 999 use a 10% off coupon and your getting it for $300ish after your credit/rebate. Cheaper is you have a Discover card probably $250ish. If you did the install yourself the payback could be pretty quick.

 

[bdaoust]

My plumber was telling me that he could install a electric water heater (I believe 40 gal) for $600 installed. He even said that he could put a value so you can switch over back to oil if you ever wanted.

Tempting..............

 

[AddictiveStew]

My plumber was telling me that he could install a electric water heater (I believe 40 gal) for $600 installed. He even said that he could put a value so you can switch over back to oil if you ever wanted.

Tempting..............

Thought about doing that, but then decided not to. Plan on replacing my furnace in the near future with something more efficient. I'll save about $2k buying one without domestic hw coil.

 

[ironpony]

50 Gal !! Thats a big one. Iv found my 30 Gal Electric does the job even with 5-7 people in the house.Lower standing loss with smaller heater. WHen i went to replace it i found the 30 hard to find at HD. Mostly 40s and up. OVERKILL for most homes.

OVERKILL.............. says the guy with 4 stoves and a boiler....................................

 

[john193]

OVERKILL.............. says the guy with 4 stoves and a boiler....................................

I don't think they are all in one location...

Not that I care either way, just an observation.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

OVERKILL.............. says the guy with 4 stoves and a boiler....................................

They are indeed in 4 different locations. Theres is one instance where i would need a larger WH ,THat is if you have a jacuzzi bathtub. One on my rentals has one and a gas 40 Gal WH. The tub does drain the whole 40 gallon heater on the first fill. At home though iv had the 30 Gal electric for about 20 years,with any where from 5 to 7 people staying here at a time and only turned up about half way to boot. I guess its possible to run out if your in the shower long enough but i never have.

 

[moey]

They are indeed in 4 different locations. Theres is one instance where i would need a larger WH ,THat is if you have a jacuzzi bathtub. One on my rentals has one and a gas 40 Gal WH. The tub does drain the whole 40 gallon heater on the first fill. At home though iv had the 30 Gal electric for about 20 years,with any where from 5 to 7 people staying here at a time and only turned up about half way to boot. I guess its possible to run out if your in the shower long enough but i never have.

That would never fly in our house, dishwasher bath and shower all going at the same time in the evening or back to back. My only experience with a 40 gallon electric in a rental was getting a cold shower constantly if the bath tub was just used no thanks. New electric tanks have very high EF.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

That would never fly in our house, dishwasher bath and shower all going at the same time in the evening or back to back. My only experience with a 40 gallon electric in a rental was getting a cold shower constantly if the bath tub was just used no thanks. New electric tanks have very high EF.

Exactly! A bathtub will use many times more water than a shower. Here we all use showers maybe 10 Gal hot water use at a time. Lots of 1 and 2 person households out there so one size dont fit all.

 

[343amc]

I 'sprung' for a Geospring heat pump water heater a couple months back when my old Richmond started to leak. The past couple electric bills have been about $20/month less than normal. Works out well as its on the same side of the basement as the pellet furnace.

Congrats on helping keep the oil truck parked.

 

[moey]

I 'sprung' for a Geospring heat pump water heater a couple months back when my old Richmond started to leak. The past couple electric bills have been about $20/month less than normal. Works out well as its on the same side of the basement as the pellet furnace.

Congrats on helping keep the oil truck parked.

Do you run it on "heat pump" only or the mix ( not the correct name ) setting?

I'm thinking of getting one right now I could get one at Lowe's for $250 after rebates etc. Problem is I just installed a new electric hot water tank a month ago haven't even got my first bill for it. Not sure I can convince my wife to do the hot water tank exercise again to get it into the basement.

 

[iceguy4]

If you have hard water you need to drain tank regularly. calcium will bulld up in the bottom to the point of covering the bottom electrode...funny thing is the shape of the calcium...exact shape of the electrode in reverse...anyone else see this? also, I have an electric 40 gallon (just wife and I ) ...all i have to do is turn the breaker on and flip a few ball valves...we cant tell the difference in our electric bill. Last year I still used it in the winter OIL is way too much

 

[DexterDay]

That would never fly in our house, dishwasher bath and shower all going at the same time in the evening or back to back. My only experience with a 40 gallon electric in a rental was getting a cold shower constantly if the bath tub was just used no thanks. New electric tanks have very high EF.

Same here.. Washer, Dishwasher, wife with hair to her @!$, 2 kids and myself. My 50 gal doesn't get it done. And that's with my 2 minute quick shower. Prob gonna step up to a 75-80 myself.

Bought myself a Marathon 50 Gallon water heater over the weekend and the plumber is putting her in right now (not to mention severing my DHW coil on the old oil burner). Can't wait to shut down that old oil monster for the summer! Pellets + Electric HW FTW.

Congrats.... We don't use oil, but have LP instead. The only LP item left, is the stove we cook on. And I believe we will be getting an electric model. Even though I love fire and hate how uneven electric stoves are!?! We have gone 3.5 yrs in the same 500 gal tank and are under 40% now.... So we went from 3-4 tanks a yr, to 1 tank every 4-5 yrs, or so Love it

 

[briansol]

Are you planning to install one of those circulatory things to keep the water moving every few hours?

i'm seriously considering doing this too. I burn wayyyy too much oil in the summer months.. winter too.

 

[AddictiveStew]

Are you planning to install one of those circulatory things to keep the water moving every few hours?

i'm seriously considering doing this too. I burn wayyyy too much oil in the summer months.. winter too.

Nope. Probably just set a reminder in my phone to turn the furnace on once a month and let her run for a little. I will set my Nest to give the boiler an exercise over the winter though. And a pic was requested, so here it is! Don't mind the horsehair plaster.

 

[moey]

Same here.. Washer, Dishwasher, wife with hair to her @!$, 2 kids and myself. My 50 gal doesn't get it done. And that's with my 2 minute quick shower. Prob gonna step up to a 75-80 myself.

You could always buy one of the hybrid hot water heaters and use your existing tank as a booster tank. Heres a article about it:

(broken link removed)