Water Heaters

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  • Electric Heat Pump Water Heater Upgrade Experience

    –
    Jun 9, 2023

    We are considering upgrading our gas water heater to a heat pump water heater. Has anybody here completed this project? Do you recommend your plumber? Did they seem trustworthy? Reasonable on price? I understand there are some tax credits. Has anybody here worked with BayRen or gone through a federal tax credit? 

    TIA 

    Paul

    Jun 9, 2023

    We recently had a heat pump water heater installed through Hassler. It was expensive (about $10,000 for a 65-gallon water heater and installation) but they do offer very good customer service and they process the rebate applications through BayRen for you. I appreciated that they were willing to discuss the pros and cons of the project with me in detail ahead of time. The units do make noise approximately equivalent to a clothes dryer, and they also will substantially cool the area that you place it in, so make sure to consider those factors. 

    Jun 14, 2023

    We recently switched out out both our gas water heater and  gas furnace for a Harvest Thermal system.  It's a very efficient, very quiet heat pump system that used only one 15-amp circuit in our box (so we didn't have to upgrade our panel, which can get pricey).  It was expensive, and the whole system is still pretty new, but it's been great so far. If you have some means, I suggest you look into it: https://www.harvest-thermal.com/ 

    We used a BayREN contractor for the installation, and got our rebate promptly.  EBCE also has a rebate, but we're still waiting for that one (six months post install).

    The IRA tax credits just started this tax year, so no experience with it yet, but I suspect it should be straightforward when the time comes.  If you qualify for the IRA rebates (different from the tax credits), I think those details are still being worked out state by state. This site has good info: https://www.rewiringamerica.org/

    By the way - we have solar panels, which helps a lot.  Our total PGE bill is now about $5/month for gas (we still have our gas stove) and  approximately $12/month for PGE's required electric usage charges.

    Jun 14, 2023

  • Heat pump water heater installation

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    Mar 16, 2023

    We're looking to replace our nearly 20-year old (!) gas water heater and are considering either electric or electric heat pump ("hybrid") water heater since we also have solar. Our water heater is in the garage so space is not an issue, and we shouldn't need an electrical upgrade. Does anyone have any experiences or recommendations with making the switch to electric water heater, particularly to heat pump water heater? Did you purchase it directly (e.g., from Lowe's or Home Depot) and used their installation contractor, or went through a water heater contractor? Any specific recommendations would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks so much!

    Mar 16, 2023

    We installed a heat pump water heater about two years ago and used a local HVAC company since at the time our go-to plumber was not installing them given the electrical work required (though now that they are more popular, he is doing some). It was pricey and probably would have been wiser to buy it directly and use a third party installer, but at the time our 25-year-old heater had failed, it was mid-pandemic, and we needed someone to do the work as soon as possible. Some lessons learned: our water heater technically has an app but it doesn't do much, and specifically it doesn't allow us to control when the heater heats the water. I would LOVE to be able to set it to wait until the rates drop to bring the water back to temperature after evening showers. (We are moving to solar soon so maybe that's less important then?) Some models offer this, though--wish we had known to ask for it. (Ours does allow us to manually put it on vacation mode, switch between hybrid and electric mode, etc.) It is also incredibly loud--we put it in our basement where the old one was, but should have put it in the garage because you can hear it throughout the house when it is on. (Sound is similar to an a/c unit, which makes sense but which we weren't prepared for.) We have a 66-gallon tank for a household of four and do run out of water when we have three back-to-back showers. I have heard that gas on-demand heaters can handle that better. One solution is apparently to have a temperature mixer in line with the heater so that you can keep the tank at a higher temperature and then bring it down to 120 degrees before feeding it into the house (thereby using less of the tank water for each gallon of hot water needed). Something to ask your installer about. I will say that energy-wise it has been terrific--barely affected our electric bill at all. It is nice to be less reliant on gas--we did look at on-demand electric heaters but at the time, they were not well reviewed.

    Mar 20, 2023

    I had a fantastic experience with A-1 Heating and Cooling

    Mar 22, 2023

    I just realized my gas water heater is also 20 years old when the plumber came over to unclog a drain. He quoted me approx $7k to replace it with a 40 gal heat pump. I looked up pg&e's website for rebates, and they were linking to heat pumps that were more like $2500 with a $500 rebate. I haven't decided to do it yet, nor compared exact specs, but it sure seems like the home depot option will be much cheaper!

    Mar 22, 2023

    A few considerations:

    Remember that there is a $2,000 federal tax credit you can take for a heat pump water heater starting this year.

    You can also get a $1k rebate through BayREN, but ONLY if you use one of their authorized/trained contractors (there are a lot of them).  I believe the contractor takes care of submitting for the rebate9and might charge a very small amount for that service), but the check is made out to you. https://www.bayren.org/hp-water-heaters

    Depending on who supplies you electricity, you may be entitled to additional rebates as well.  For example, EBCE is offering another $1k last time I checked (this one goes to the contractor, but they should pass along the savings to you). https://www.bayren.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/2023%20BAYREN%20List…

    It is considerably more expensive, but if you have the means, I suggest you also look at the SanCO2 heat pump water heater.  Is it SUPER quiet (the part that makes any noise at all is outside, and is maximum 36dB - practically inaudible), SUPER efficient (I believe you can even set it to do more of its heating when your solar panels are generating and electricity rates are low), uses only one 15-amp circuit, and uses CO2 instead of the more environmentally damaging refrigerants that are still used in the vast majority of heat pumps (including WH) in the United States (other countries have banned these already, and moved on to somewhat less damaging kinds, but, well, that's years away here). The SanCO2 is also made of stainless steel (no anode rod!), and has a really long warranty.  But it is definitely considerably more costly than other HPWH options.

    Mar 22, 2023

    Just wanted to mention BayREN as a resource: https://www.bayren.org/hp-water-heaters

    There are rebates available if you use one of the contractors listed there.  We haven't replaced our water heater yet, but we had a heat pump for HVAC installed with a contractor we found through BayREN and we were happy with the work.

    Mar 22, 2023

  • Water heater - Failed again. Looking for quality brand that will last

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    Mar 29, 2017

    I've had it with water heaters.  We've lived in our home for 22 years.  And in those 22 years we have had to replace the water heater 6 times.  (Last 2 didn't even last 3 years.)  I've purchased GE, Rheem, and AO Smith, Sears/Kenomre and always by the one with the longest warranty.  Brand doesn't seem to matter, they all prematurely fail.  And it's not just at my house either.  I've have rental property and for 10 year only had to replace one or two.  But in the last 10 years I have replace 12.  And like for my house I've buy the ones with the longest warranties.

    ​Last night my tenant who has a 3 week old baby called to say the water heater is leaking all over her kitchen floor.  Sure enough the tank failed leaving her with no hot water.  This water heater had just been replaced 2.5 years ago and has a 12 year warranty.  (Previous water heater lasted over 20 years.)  What's with these well known American selling products that fail prematurely?

    I prefer tank water heaters over tankless.  Should there be an earthquake I will have several days worth of water in the tank.  And if there's a power outage there will be hot water with a tank water heater.  Would not have any hot water with a tankless because they re quire electricity. 

    Anyone else find water heaters just don't last anymore?
    ​Any recommendations on brand of water heaters that will last?

    Mar 29, 2017

    I would recommend a tankless water heater that operates on gas, as mine does, and buying some 5 gallon jugs to store water in for earthquakes.  While the water heater is a resource for water in an emergency, storing your own water is just as easy.  This one reason should not keep you from going with a gas tankless.  There are 10 people in my house.  I installed my tankless gas water heater over ten years ago.  NOT ONE SINGLE PROBLEM EVER.  You may need a plumber to install a gas line, but if you have a gas dryer, you can install it on the exterior of the building, adjacent to the dryer area to limit the run to plumb gas to the water heater.  Your heater is causing never ending problems, probably is costing you a lot of money, and the only reason you won't go tankless (because it can be gas powered) is to have water in an emergency?   There are better options...

    From a happy single mother with a large family, and tenants, all of whom share one tankless, gas powered, water heater.

    Apr 5, 2017

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Questions Related Pages

2013 - 2104 Recommendations

New Water Heater Needed

Feb 2014

We need a new water heater, and maybe some new pipes. Do we call a plumber? A contractor? I'm new to the whole house improvement world, so advice and recommendations for learning the process before we buy anything would be helpful as well as specific recommendations for people to work with. Plumb Confused

Hello, Regarding a new water heater install/replacement. First, if you care, you are supposed to pull a permit. That said, a contractor or a licensed plumber will probably require one to be pulled. A general handyman, may not. There are some code issues, but this is an expense, and legal issue you may want to consider. Depending on the difficulty of the swap out, you should be able to go with either a plumber, handyman, contractor. I suppose it all depends on your level of comfort with liability and cost. It sounds as if you maybe a new homeowner, so if you are not sure about how to proceed and not interested with learning (but that is probably not the case, otherwise you would not be posting here) you could hire a contractor. The contractor may then hire a plumber, a carpenter if needed and a add their fee. Trouble is most contractors will not want to take on such a small project. A plumber should be able to do the job, but if there turns out to be construction issues,you may again need to find that person. Personally, I want to know what is going to be done, what is the correct way to do it, what are the options for water heaters; size, efficiency, lifespan, etc. And since I can do the work, I usually end up doing the job myself after I've figured out all the pieces. I've installed several water heaters, they are pretty simple, IMHO. If you would like some assistance, I'd be willing to talk to you more about it. Good luck, Tim

Great local plumber can help with water heater, make trust-worthy recommendations--super nice guy, won't overcharge, honest,, the best! Sammy Capurro, Capurro Family Plumbing, 510-220- 6697 Raissa

Just another recommendation for Anam P of a Green Eagle Plumbing. He recently did number of plumbing problems at our house, installed new tankless water heater and fixing our toilet and a sink drain.etc , All were done efficiently, cleanly, and with a smile. Again he is super nice guy and he does perfect work . You can reach him at 510 928 0759 Ben G Ben G

2010 - 2012 Recommendations

Hot water heater needs to be replaced

April 2011

We really need a new hot water heater and are considering an on- demand one. After doing some reading it seems like there are some issues and do not save that much money per year. Do you have one? Do you love it? Hate it? Also, we could use a recommendation for a licensed plumber to relocate and install it. Many thanks, Barbie

I highly recommend Brian Borghi of Borghi Plumbing in Oakland for any hot water heater replacemtn. He alos does tankless water heaters. Contact 653-6281 very reasonable, professional and offers great advice too.

Rey Lacayo of Lacayo Colt Plumbing and heating is a excellent plumber and very good guy. He has done a major plumbing remodel at my home, including tankless water heater installation, complete new copper pipes that ties into a 80 year old system, two new bath rooms etc. etc. He also does small jobs and he is my go to guy when the furnace stops or the sump pump stops draining completely. He is easy to reach, returns calls immediately, comes by to do the work quick, and best, he is efficient, jobs are done well and quickly and therefore reasonably, certainly in comparison to the large firms that have a lot more overhead. I highly recommend Rey for big and small plumbing and heating jobs. His number is 510-336-3496 office, and 415-726-8549 cell. Larry

Need a new water heater

May 2010

Our hot water heater is on its last legs so I want to start looking now for an energy efficient replacement. I know there's a lot of options out there and find it all a bit overwhelming. Any suggestions on a good expert/plumber who can sort through what's available and give us good, solid advice on what would work best for us and our budget? Thanks Reva

Call Eric/Cal Plumbing, (510)229-8022. My wife and I had done our research and had our hearts set on a new tankless water heater to replace our leaking tank heater, mostly because our friends told us how energy efficient they are. When Eric from Cal Plumbing came by to look at our house, he said the layout of our house made us a poor candidate for a tankless. He advised us that a better choice for us would be to install a well-insulated tank water heater with a hot water recirculating pump...this would conserve water and get us hot water faster. And it was half the cost of a tankless! Other plumbing companies tried to sell us the more expensive tankless option, but we felt comfortable with Eric and knew he would do a good job (he personally installed the water heater himself, and it passed inspection easily). We couldn't be happier! Brian

Need to replace 19-year-old water heater

Jan 2010

We have a 19 year old water heater and feel that we are pushing our luck by not replacing it now. We are looking for recommendations for a good, honest and knowledgeble person/company. Our water heater set up is probably not up to code any longer so we are assuming it's not a quicky job. There will most likely be some extra plumbing work/maneuvering involved. anon

I highly recommend Justin Aulday of Aulday plumbing. I hire him as a sub contractor for all the plumbing work on my remodeling projects. He is very professional, does quality work, runs his own business and does his own work and is very affordable. Check him out, you won't regret it. His phone number is 510 815 0931 Idan

Eric , Cal Plumbing. 510-229-8022. Plumber. As honest as they come. Has done many plumbing jobs for us, the last being replacing our hot water heater with an exterior tankless water heater. It ended up being the only legal solution, in terms of the code requirements for venting, etc. He is great! CK

You should have an experienced, licensed plumber give you an estimate. We found out the hard way that even if a company is licensed, the plumber they send out to do the job may not know what they're doing. Eric with Cal Plumbing is knowledgeable about tank and tankless water heaters and does everything to code. He was effective in communicating what was involved in replacing our very old (20+ years!) water heater, and he charged us what he told us he would when he gave us the bid, even though it turned out to be a more involved project than anticipated. I highly recommend Eric: 229-8022. Happy Customer in Oakland

I highly recommend Hank the plumber. Our water heater stopped working, so I looked on Berkeley Parents Network and found a good review for Hank. I called him and he came right over. He recommended a fix, instead of replacing the heater. He was fast, honest and very reasonably priced. He is a contractor and can install new water heaters if needed. I will call him in the future. His phone number, 1 800 411-hank Michelle

2007 - 2009 Recommendations

Water Heater Making Knocking Sounds

Sept 2009

How much water should a normal hot water heater 'overflow' pipe be draining? And where should it drain to?

Our hot water heater 'overflow' pipe just juts out the side of our house now. It seems to me it drains 'a lot'. It fills up a large-ish watering can every day. Is it supposed to overflow so much? This seems like a huge waste of water to me.

I don't like it sticking out the side of the house. I'd like to have it drain to the sewage system, but I'm really wondering if so much water should be coming out. I mean, if everyone's heater is doing this, I'm appalled at the amount of waste. It just doesn't seem right to me.

Where does your hot water heater overflow drain into? Any plumbers (professional or lay) have a sense of a 'normal' amount of water draining from the overflow pipe?

Thanks

Your Water Heater should not be overflowing at all! There must be something wrong with the WH overflow pressure valve. Check with a plumber. Andus

Water heater is running out of hot water too soon

Dec 2008

Lately, our water heater has been running out of hot water much sooner than it used to. I don't see a leak, but we want to get it checked out. The water heater is the original from the house when it was built in 1985, so replacing it might not be out of the question in any case (we have lived in the house since 2006). We are in Walnut Creek and are wondering if folks out there have any current recommendations for whom we might contact for such work. Thanks!

The average life of a hot water heater is 15 years! Brenda

Hi, I've been repairing and installing hot water heaters for quite some time now and it sound like you have a broken dip tube. This is the tube the brings the cold water into the tank all the way to the bottom. It's usually plastic and over time it degrades and splits or breaks. This results in having cold water being released much higher up in the tank than it should be. The hot water at the top is displaced and suddenly you have a lot less hot water than you used to. Depending on the head room above the tank, it's a relatively simple and cheap repair. Most plumbers will simply tell you to replace the unit, usually for between $700.00 and $1000.00. Due to the quality of the water in most of the East Bay, I find that with timely maintenance and some simple upgrades and repairs, a water heater can last almost indefinitely.

Water Heater Making Knocking Sounds

August 2008

For the last few months, our water heater has been making a knocking/thumping sound after we've used the sink or shower from the master bathroom. It doesn't make any noise when we use water from any other source in the house (kitchen, second bathroom). Has anyone ever experienced this? Do we need to take action now? Linda

Sounds like you have a water hammer problem, not with the water heater but with the plumbing to the master bath. If this is the case, you need some risers (or extensions) on your hot water lines above your sink/shower connections. Ray

sounds like it's water hammer - pipes vibrating/slamming when the water is suddenly turned off - as it only occurs at those fixtures. is the sound AT the water heater? does it sound like pipes vibrating in the wall near the water heater? Jeff

2004 - 2006 Recommendations

2003 & Earlier

Efficient water heater for small house

2001

I need a recommendation for an energy efficient water heater for my small house; and also someone to install it -- is this the kind of a job you need a plumber for, or are there companies that specialize in installing water heaters, or can a regular appliance store handle it? CD

You might want to try an on-demand heater, which heats the water going through the pipe only when you turn on the tap, rather than keeping a tank full of hot water all the time. We installed one; it was easy for us, but we're pretty handy. They're not cheap ($500) compared to a regular water heater, but the gas savings are looking pretty sweet right now. Be warned: this is not a good option if you like to run your dishwasher, washing machine, and hot shower all at the same time.