$1500 Heat Pump Water Heater - Worth it?
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2018
- In this video we will discuss three electric water heater tanks and talk about their advantages, costs, output, and warranties.
Huge thanks to Moore Supply in Austin, TX for sponsoring today's video. Go visit them if you are a Builder, Remodeler, or Plumber in TX for all your plumbing supply needs. www.mooresupply.com/
Destroying Water Heaters -
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They should make a refrigerator hot water heater combo unit.
INDUSTRY NEDD TO SELL TWO THINGS WITH SHORT LIFESPAN...
That would be an awesome idea!
Great idea. Here is one that can be done now. Transferring the heat from the central ac into your waterheater.
Those of you who voted for more regulation voted for this hen house horse manure. And it does not save money or help the environment, but most importantly it won’t work as well. The environmentalists are about big government, not people.
When they say how much money I am going to save on this thing, aren’t they the same people who publish MPG claims on new cars? Because no one ever got the miles per gallon that was listed on the window sticker, ever. Not on the road not in the city it never happened the way the government says it would.
We picked up the 50 gal Rheem proterra hybrid electric at HD on sale in Dec 22’ for 1380. There is a rebate but we haven’t got the details . Annual useage is Est. energy star $104/yr . It has 4 settings . We scheduled the energy saver mode from 10pm - 6am . Then heat pump mode 120 degrees from 9:00am - 11:00am .. back down to 110 degrees at 11am after the showers . All day on heat pump mode till 10pm.
Those cost of ownership numbers are very interesting, indeed. Thank you!
Wow, those are some really interesting numbers. Thank you for your time in doing this review.
Clear and concise, the technology is improving all the time. Here in the England 🇬🇧 we're slowly catching on to mini split systems. These air to water units look like a good companion. Enjoy your videos keep them coming.
Thanks Matt, we are building a house currently and the cost breakdown makes the optimal choice clear.
Needing to replace my water heater soon. What a great video & so informative! Thanks so much.
In my Canadian city our electricity is provided through a "smart meter" which charges at three different rates depending on the time of day when electricity is consumed. The schedule also changes by the season. I have double insulated my 50 gal. tank and operate it on a 240 VAC timer. I only heat during the lowest rate time of day....never allow the water heater to call for heating during the peak period. The total element run time during each 24 hour period is less than 1.5 hours. Limit the amount of time that it runs and when it does, run only at the cheapest rate. The saving is 50 percent over allowing the thermostat alone to call for heat. Household of four people and we have never run out of hot water
Good tip.
Pretty smart.
Matt the prices have came down since this video. I purchased one of the heat pump models by Rheem for 1200 from Home Depot. Saved $100 dollars by opening a Home Depot card. Also the power company had a $300 energy saving rebate. Bring my initial cost down to $900. You can really get a great deal if you do your research.
Lol...just did the same. Rheem hp 50 gallon for $1200. $100 off for HD card. 10% off online ($32 on eBay). $500 off from my electric company. Well, well worth it over the standard, run-of the-mill water heater.
I have the AO Smith version of the heat pump hot water heater. It was about $1200 minus local utility rebate and fed rebate...cost me about $500. It's already paid for itself for the ~5 years I've had it.
So have water tanks. You shouldn't count discounts
M Detlef what is the advantage of gas? Upfront cost cheaper but no a/c for garage where I live (Florida). I live in a no gas neighborhood. How do solar panels get you to net zero if you have gas water heater? You can’t get net zero. It would be the only gas appliance I have and require propane tank. Different solutions for different people. No one right answer.
@M Detlef Tankless gas is the WORST one you can buy. Way too complex for what you get in return.
Thank you Matt! Super awesome presentation. Probably getting the hybrid more for the AC & energy efficiency aspects. Cheers
A video like this on low end HVAC systems and high end /high efficiency system would be awesome !!
I have a marathon for 22 years and so far one element and 2 top thermostats ,not bad !
Love the long term cost comparison!
Wish you did that for gas tank/tankless water heaters.
Great videos!
im wondering if there's a 60 gallon gas hybrid of heat pump or not as im using gas right now and don't want to give up that part
if you have bad water tankless only lasts about 3 to 5 years, so be careful,,
Great video!!. Gave me a lot to think about when it comes to replacing my water heater. Thanks a million.
I’m just beginning an all off grid home. Thank you for doing this comparison. It made the water heater decision easy thanks to you!
Out Past Curfew off grid? You can use excess solar to do much of your water heating. Look up Engineer775 here on RUclips, he is all about direct PV (solar) to load
I'm a spread sheet dependent person who looks at the cost of energy befor buying appliances. Thanks to the US Navy teaching me basic electronics and thermal managment of equipment heat I calculated my yearly savjngs at about 50% yearly and 70% if I use off grid power. 12 to 15 ,dollars a month over 10 years is a significant amount of money. . The elimination of 6 tons if power plant pollutants is no small thing to me.
you dont have to have a permit here and most areas to replace an electric water heater or just c repair a broken window or replace heating element on water heater in most cases this is maintenance not building.. Unless you tie in different or change location of plumbing or plugs etc you shouldn't need any kind of permit. I do know the codes in my area . About the only thing that might have changed in special circumstances is if a 120v outlet nearby change to GFCI ( heater would be 240v though 99% or more of the time. There won't be any insurance claim there can't be any significant damage where they are. Only remote possibility would be a fire and I think I can plug it in same as any plumber etc. I won't respond further if you dont want to be educated then seek information on your own.
I guess some codes might require a water sensor in pan etc though. Still very easy to install many of them.
Don't forget they also teaching you to leaving widows behind along destruction
Get a Natural Gas water heater, 1/2 the price to run than electric.
@@teekay1785
I really need to get out of California. In my city, you are supposed to pull a $70 permit to replace your toilet. And, I'm sure they won't be coming out to inspect it anyway.
I had a hybrid electric heat pump water heater for about 5 maybe 6 years beginning about maybe a decade ago. Worked great until the heat pump needed a repair. The typical a/c company in my area of FL wouldn't touch it, which meant the repair became so expensive, even pro-rated under warranty that it ultimately was better to get a new water heater. Hence, until repairs can be done by your average ac person, I'm not convinced.
The Rheem hybrid heat pump section is not serviceable, therefore some failures would mean a new water heater, if under warranty you would simply exchange the heater for a new one. Sensors and thermistors and such are easily replaceable.
Every single heat pump sold in Europe can be serviced, and I thought americans were so far ahead. Seems you are slipping.
@@fred1418 heat pumps are designed to be repairable. The cost to repair is more than the cost of a new system, it’s unfortunately part of our throw away economy.
@@rickpowell1402 That should be illegal. There is nothing special about heat pumps that don't allow for repair.
@@_PatrickO as stated above. Not that it cannot be serviced it’s just not likely to find anyone that can service it properly. Rheem will just swap out the heater if under warranty but anyone is welcome to make repairs if that’s what is best for them. And they can find a tech to make the repairs.
I have a Reams heat pump 60 gallon, and my power runs off a 8.4 kw solar panels system. The great think about HP is it takes the humility out of basement in the summer. In the winter, (NH) I vent it out side. I run in heat pump mode year round. Recovery is not as good in the winter but the savings it worth it. Very happy with this unit.
I'm trying to determine if this will work on the PV system Im gonna be installing. Do you know the kwh yours uses? Also does it run throughout the day, or does it only heat when water is needed like a tankless heater? Im looking at a 7.3km system, and im wondering if I need to give it its own break so i can shut it off when I dont need it.
I do enjoy your commentary and appreciate the number of items over
Hi Matt, I live in Waskom, Tx where water is 62 degrees average. I just replaced my Rheem 40 gallon with a Steibel Eltron 20 KW and could not be happier. It will fill my bathtub over and over again and will give 3-4 gpm flow rates. I bought this one because it's fully power modulated and also has a throttle valve (like a gas model) if in case of too much demand. I have found with an amp clamp that it will pull about 35 amps with just using the kitchen sink and obviously 70 amps for the bathtub. Originally I was really worried that it wouldn't fill my bathtub but it fills @ full pressure so I'm very happy! Enjoy your clips - Josh
I was just looking at these three for my house!!!
This was useful, thanks Matt
one thing Matt left out that is important: a heat pump water heater REQUIRES a drain. mine produces enough condensate to keep my rose bed watered through the summer.
if one can do a garage install, that's a pretty smart solution
Good point! And, code requirements for those condensate drains rule out or at least, create a significant additional cost to the total.
@@tharais it kind of depends on where the water heater is. It can go into the drain system, or outside.
I purchased a GE GeoSpring Heat Pump water heater back in 2016 and it started throwing fault codes 6 months after the extended 5 yr service warranty ended. Bradford now covers these as GE no longer sells this type of heat pump water heater. I just replaced the fan and Bradford sent the part for free (10 years parts) but, again labor is NOT included. Literally 1 month later it throws a FF code and stops working again. Now it looks more serious and unfortunately nobody works on them. My HVAC guy sniffed it looking for a leak, but couldn't find it and he said the evaporator coil looked very rusty (this is located in a clean conditioned space) and said unfortunately they don't work on water heaters. I called over a dozen hot water heaters service companies and plumbers in around Atlanta and no luck and Bradford doesn't have a support/ service list. So looks like this is now going to be a standard electric heater until that stops working. Highly recommend not buying one of these heat pump water heaters and just buy a Rheem Marathon.
Thank you very much for pointing out that heat pump water heaters are a huge win for lowering the capacity needed for offgrid or tie in solar array systems.
I've watched loads of videos on renovations in this channel and I don't even plan to renovate, not even using the same materials here in Dominican. I guess being son of an engineer and spending time at the hardware store as a kid makes me want to learn this stuff. Keep it up mate.
Thanks for your constructive comment.
I've had a GE Hybrid for around 5 going on 6 years now. So far no issues other than a few clogged filter alerts over the years.
I'm really surprised over the operating cost of the Marathon. Thank you for the video.
I have had the same one, both the old and the new version. Both performed flawlessly and paid for themselves long time ago.
God, Matt’s come a long way. Awesome bro.
I just bought and installed the hybrid yesterday. So far so good. I’m looking forward to the savings long term. Thank you for a great video.
Good to see heat pumps getting the respect they deserve.
Harvesting renewable heat energy from the outside air makes so much sense. It's also cheaper than purchased energy of any type.
Our heat pump is a Sanden (which has the compressor unit as separate) and has CO2 as the refrigerant gas, making it most efficient, and heats even when ambient temp down to -20degC. (-4F)
Sanden also has a stainless steel tank.
do thay do hybrids of gas? or tankless? and is it also for the main house? as the 🇺🇸 a/c is junk and got to go
When I was younger, and living in an old house, the water line going to the kitchen sink broke, and I needed to do dishes
So we had a black 75 ft long garden hose laying in the front yard, I went out and grabbed the end of it, pushed it through the window and brought it over to the kitchen sink, it had a valve on the end to turn it on and off so it was already filled up with water.
There was enough hot water in that hose to fill one side of the sink, with water. Far hotter than came out of the hot tap when it was working.
5 minutes and the hose would be exactly hot enough again to fill up the other side
So with 100% free solar heating, every 5 minutes I could fill up a sink to do dishes with piping hot water.
I honestly don't understand why every home doesn't just have a solar preheater before the water comes in to the house. It's already outside in the sunshine, you might as well run it back and forth before it comes in
I have the hybrid and it's one of the best dollar for dollar values there is. We have hard well water and no softener. We constantly had clacium chloride build ups on all fixtures. Since I installed this unit, the deposits we already had began to disappear and the faucets work better.
The typical electric heater does is boil the water at the element releasing the deposits into the water and causing them to bond with metal surfaces. The hybrid calmly and slowly heats the water through the warming coils eliminating the boiling action. If your budget means you must choose a good water heater or a water softener pick the hybrid.
I like the reasoning and I really hope what you are saying proves true cause it is very beneficial as a side effect. You are the first to say this that I have seen and it sounds like you know what you are talking about.
I've had a similar Heat Pump model in my house for almost 10 years. Initially when I purchased it my household monthly electric cost was cut in more than half. Since then its functioned flawlessly. The resistance models all need to have their heating elements replaced routinely which also adds to the cost of operation. Highly recommend heat pump models.
Where is your water heater located? I am asking because I am thinking about getting a heat pump water heater, but mine will be located in my house under a stairwell that is next to our living room. Would it make our room a lot colder in the winter and are they noisy? Thanks so much.
Mine is in a 1000 square foot concrete basement. When the fans run it does get a little noisy, but you can soundproof the area that would house the unit. Placing the unit in an area as small as underneath the stairwell though could present another issue. Would there be enough air space for the heat pump to work effectively? The government web site discussing heat pump water heaters recommends a minimum of 1000 cubic foot of space for efficiency. Another issue that you may need to consider is where to run the condensation drip line. There should be a drain for condensation to be removed from the heat pump. energy.gov is the source for the space efficiency mentioned above.
Thanks so much. Thankfully I have a drain line already installed for my current water heater, but I will measure my closet. I may need to figure out a way to put it in our garage. Thanks again.
Yes, you need volume of air to have the heat energy for the unit to pull in. If you put it in a small space it will quickly pump the thermal energy of that air into the tank and then have diminishing returns and have to rely on the heating elements more and more. They are ideal for garages because garages are large, generally not conditioned, and a dehumidifying and cooling effect in a garage is useful. A garage also will be warmer in the winter then outside air even if not insulated.
Inside the home is second best. Not bad for a home in a hot climate but otherwise in the months you will be heating your home you are then using energy to pump that thermal energy you paid to generate into the water tank.
@@darkshadowtech they don't recommend use under 45F. they loose a lot of efficiency. They aren't that loud but the bigger the space the better they work. I have a Steibel Eltron Acella 300 and it'll keep up with any use. If has about 150 gallons of hot water. It shows the water availability on the side of the tank and its temp on a digital display. It's about $140 a year to run and has a 10 yr warranty. They are spendy at about $2500 but have a lot higher use load.
I have lived in 4 different houses over 40years in Georgia and my experience is
the Water Heater warranty length is a very accurate predictor of when it will fail.
10year Warranty 1983 Sears Water heater failed at 118months; still covered and I got a replacement, whoo-hoo!
2,3,6year Electric Water heaters will begin to leak due to corrosion in about 2,3,6 years.
Common Electric-Resistance water heaters will corrode even with regular replacement of the Anode Rod.
The Anode Rod is there to SLOW down the tank corrosion. Cannot prevent it.
Gas Water Heaters will last longer.
But I find that people are "afraid" of Natural Gas.
Scared to install, worried about flame and Carbon-Monoxide.
Final note, Electric Water Heater is simple to replace;
especially with modern plumbing available today(like sharkbite).
Swapping out Electric Water Heater is a 3-hour job and that includes the HomeDepot trip.
Additionally, get your kids to help,
teach them that repairs are simple, easy
and most importantly, you can do it yourself.
Best friend's parents had a gas water heater in their garage. It caught the garage on fire. Insurance paid for new garage and gas heater. New heater burned down garage and house. Insurance paid for new house, garage, and water heater. New heater was electric this time.
As a plumber and boiler technician living in Victoria, Australia, I find some of your comments quite interesting, but I would politely advise AGAINST singing the praises of Sharkbite, it is a garbage product that makes a mockery of our tradecraft and is only good for guaranteeing repair work in the future, WHEN it fails 😉 And I suppose in the US the differences in building design and convention are also part of the problem, flame and Carbon monoxide spliiage are are extremely low risk occurrences when you install the system OUTSIDE , as the vast majority of installations are down under, but conversely we don’t have basements and we have very small amounts of people living in the parts of Aus where winter snow fall occurs ( southern NSW, and parts of northeast Victoria and parts of Tasmania). As a final thing that may interest you, in Aus we don’t solder ANY plumbing joints in water or gas supply piping , we braze it all- and have done so for decades..👍🏾
Awsome video. I just purchased the hybrid water heater and, so far, I am very happy.
Great video thank you for helping me make a decision I definitely think that the hybrid water tank is by far the best ,And I’m going for it , thank you again
I have one of these hybrids, been very happy with it so far (5 years in). Free A/C is nice side benefit, it is basically like running a small window unit when it runs and can easily chill down my entire laundry room where it lives. Another nice benefit is that if you have an extended power outage, you can run it off a smaller generator, no problem. The one issue is recovery time. If you want it to be the most efficient, you set it so it never runs like a regular hot water heater and uses the heat pump exclusively. There is plenty of hot water for a couple of people in that mode. But when we have a bunch of guests staying with us, I have to kick it into a high-demand mode that runs more like a regular water heater for a few days so we don't run out of hot water. So this is going to be ideal for smaller families, not so much really big ones. You also need to have a place to run a condensate line just like your AC system, because it pulls humidity out of the air and needs to send the resulting water to a drain.
Great video, got a good black Friday deal on the hybrid at home depot.. One thing worth clearing up is that these units are called hybrids because they have 5,000 Watt electric backups for high demand.. It requires 240v, 30 amps with 10-2, awg, not just a standard 110. Loving it so far, even here up north!
The unit Matt is showing here is 15A. It's a lot slower to heat the water, but you can plug it into a 240V garage wall outlet.
@@pheadland if you want to run the supplemental heat source you'll need more than 15 amps, I have the same water heater.. So not sure what you are talking about
Thanks Matt. This was a Great Video. Thanks for addressing the Solar Component!!!
Good video Matt, I have criticized a few others, especially the tankless one, but this one was informative. Job well done.
After watching this I have decided to no longer bathe. I will save so much money.
lostintime86 Just make sure to unplug your water heater
@@CessnaPilot99 Really we all should. It doesn't make sense to heat water all night when everyone is asleep.
wash in cold water, you burn more calories this way, so you excercise as you wash rofl
@Up Your's being a single guy and all I have no one to tell me that I stink
Shower at work and turn off your water heater at home.
I have a GE heat pump hot water tank, it’s awesome. Keeps the garage cool and uses very little power,, maybe 10 bucks a month.
I have the 80 gal rheem heat pump model. I set it to heat pump only mode which heats a little slower but costs less. I’m very happy with it.
I had oil hot water from my boiler- common in New England-, and by switching to a heat pump water heater was able to shut off my burner and saved a 250 gallon tank of oil that summer, and my finished basement was air conditioned. In winter since it was in the utility room with the furnace it mostly used waste heat, but the basement needed a bit more oil. My electric bill was about $100 more for the year. Now we're going to ductless minis for all or heat so the boiler will only be backup, so it will be iterating so see how one pump warming the basement and one stealing that heat to heat the water will work out. Heat pumps are the way to go.
Good comparison for locations that use air conditioning most of the year, but in the north the equation is a bit more complex. Because of freezing temperatures in the winter, water heaters are located inside so a heat pump water heater is pulling heat from the air that has been heated by your furnace. You are effectively heating the water with your home heating system, be it natural gas, electric, propane or heat pump.
I think it is not useful in the country like Canada, where we need to keep our homes warm most of the year.
I don’t see a response to this concern - I’m curious if this heat/cool issue has been addressed?
It's not an issue. The only heat loss is what goes down the drain. This is like saying that a fridge makes your ac work harder. The heat is not leaving your house just moving into a different space.
I live in Western Massachusetts. My hybrid heat-pump water heater lives in the basement. It cools an 800sq/ft. basement by 2 degrees F from 62 degrees down to 60F. It might cool a smaller space more than that. The basement is heated only by the fact that the furnace resides down there too.
Titan Tankless water heater....$205 unit cost...endless hot water...the size of a large lunch box...no standby loss. It does need like a 50 or 60 amp connection. I have some that have lasted 15 years, and are till working with no issues.
I got a heat pump model installed for ~1400 because my local utility had a $600 rebate that only took a month to come in. Mine was a larger unit and did require a 20a double pole vs a 15a.
Amazing new technologies. Thanks for the vid.
Thanks for doing this! I've been curious about them for some time now.
That was a great video, but you forgot to disclose the heat pump model for longevity.
Great video! I'd love it if you did a comparison of the hybrid electric brands and options.
thank you, convinced me to go hybrid! really like the cooling in the garage extra here in Sothern Virginia
Remember kids: Heat pumps are basically like souped up fridges... so they do make a particularly audible hum and sound that can be annoying.
Before deciding where to place your heat pump go stand next to one in operation for 10 minutes...
In my country (The Netherlands) there's been issues with entire suburbs of newly built houses where every house got a heat pump installed and throughout the entire neighborhood you can hear that annoying droning hum of all the heat pumps.
Hot water heat pumps are usually indoors. Mine is in my utility room (I provided ventilation to that room) and it has a small humming noise but I can live with that. When the door is closed I don't hear it at all.
In the USA we're use to it, especially in the south where air conditioning/heat pumps are a necessity. In the summer months 100f plus or 40c temps are common. That hum is a comforting white noise for some.
That’s my first thought when I heard about heat pumps, especially in densely populated areas.
Matt - Please do more episodes for homes in cold climates like Boston. Topics like heat pump water heaters (how well do they work, how much electricity (kWh) do they use given outdoor temp, desired water temp) vs gas tank/tankless, etc... Same for air source heat pumps for heating/cooling. Another is insulation, attics, ice dams, etc...
I’m interested in the same and also live in Boston thank you !
I would think the only necessary change would be to locate the heater in a heated/stable part of your house. That way, there is heat to be had all year. I don't know where your wh is located now, but I live in a double wide, so mine is behind the drywall in the master closet. There isn't an aircon vent in the closet, so there's plenty of heat in the summer and enough heat in winter. You could also get the hybrid unit to use the element in the winter and the heat pump in the warmer months if it goes in a non climate control location. I'm not an expert like Matt but I have done a decent bit of youtubing on the subject
Very interesting. I will now seriously consider a hybrid on my next replacement.
Good video - and I totally agree man. Best 3 choices if you have to or want electric Water heaters. I’m a comfort consultant mainly selling resi hvac systems. Obviously I sometimes have to address water heater issues as well. Love the videos where you cut them in half. ✌️😁✌️
For our local utility company charging $0.30-0.40 per kWh, the unit will pay off itself a lot faster. And we just installed solar panels.
Holy crap. That's some high electric rates. That's 3-4x what our is. We have Arkansas Valley and our average rate is just shy of $0.10. After taxes and fee's (franchise fee & availability charge), ours averages about $0.13 per kWh.
I live in the southern United States and bought a hybrid water heater. Bought it for 1200 and I’ve Been using it for 4 months and I’ve only used 7 bucks worth of electricity in that time.
That's where they work. Up north you would buy nat. gas to supply the heat for the heat pump during the 7 month heating season.
kkarllwt, if I had gas I would of went that way, much cheaper.
@@brettvanwey9419 The problem is gas water heater lifespans. They appear to last about half the time of the electric one's.
Red Baron, it’s a gamble either way I guess.
Great video. It's nice to see someone educate ppl on types of water heaters. Hybrid WH do have different settings from pure heat pump, hybrid or full electric as needed. Also a separate condensation line is required for the heat pump. Your net zero comment was informative but the wording on the solar comment indicates that you are running the WH directly with solar ( this propagates the misconception of hooking solar panels to individual appliances. )Tho this can be done it makes more fiscal sense to grid tie the solar thru main distribution panel. Tks for the vids. Keep up the good work.
I have one of those hybrid hot water heaters in Florida and it definitely keeps my garage cooler. Great video by the way
Did u have a regular Electric Hot water heater before if so notice any difference in the power bill? This video really got me considering a hybrid for my next heater.
If you ever get a chance to do an "installed review" follow-up, that would be great. A few things that seem to get overlooked a lot, is you can't put them in a closet, they cool the room they're in, and they're loud. I'm waiting for the manufacturers to facilitate ducting from the attic to get warmer air to the unit...
One other things folks should be aware of... the "name brands" sold in big-box stores are not the same as the ones the Plumber sources. Got an AO Smith from bigbox, and the "duct kit" was not available for that model, unlike the AO Smith that the plumber would have sold me.
I've had a Geospring Heat Pump since 2014! It's Definitely paid for it's $1200 cost already! And still running great.
Where did you purchase your geo spring...trying to find a reliable hybrid model and i have to buy one in the next day or two...
@@robmontgomery8117 I got it at Lowes in 2014! Still great!!
@@DsmB2007 are you in bonaire, ga?
@@robmontgomery8117 No...Northeast! =)
Great video Matt! Very surprising comparison!
I installed a regular 40 gallon electric water heater 20 years ago for about 275 bucks.... Still going strong. I look at it at this point like I do my pickup. It might burn more gas "electric" but after ten years and no replacement cost I might be ahead in overall cost versus my friends that buy new hybrid every two to three years! I might actually go with the hybrid when it's done though. I can deal with a 5 year payback. But of course that is only if there are no repair costs. Heat pumps and their controls can be expensive. Thanks!
I just had a 50 gal Rheem hybrid installed a few days ago. Love it! Cost pennies to heat the tank initially.
Steven Bloomfield what did it cost for the install??
@@ltsgarage7780 maybe as much as $40 if you do it yourself or as little as $0
tee kay . Do you know Steve Bloomfield personally???
How can you answer for him??
I’ve installed many of these things. They don’t cost pennies to heat up from the beginning. (Cold)
tee kay if you can replace a water heater for as little as 40 dollars or 0 dollars. You’re doing it completely wrong.
Everything around that water heater is 25 to 30 years old. Why wouldn’t you replace it also?
Plus, it’s not plumbed to today’s codes.
So when or if it fails. Then your insurance company ask “who installed your water heater and didn’t bring it up to code?”
You tell them you did it! What do you think they are going to say to you??
They can actually refuse to pay any claim of damages it caused from leaking water through your house.
You see, it’s not just the cost at the point of installation. It’s the long term that you must worry about.
@@ltsgarage7780 you don't know anything about my current installations in 5 rental properties all with flexible stainless steel about 2 foot long attachment to heater and push on brass ball valves onto either PVC or PEX. Pans already present. Only things that might need replacement is fitting on inlet and outlet to heater and this is doubtful since they are metal and put on with NOox and can be easily unscrewed from current heater. They are on heavy duty plastic trays that cannot rust and drained piped to outside. Codes haven't changed in 30 years that I know of for a standard heater at least not here. The only other thing I could even imagine would be too short of cord but since it doesn't need to be long in my application and I wouldn't buy one with too short a cord anyway its not a factor. Nothing to it drain water unplug disconnect 2 lines replace heater and repeat in reverse . Don't even need to cut water off with ball valves on both inlet and outlet. Whats so hard? Physically getting it set is the only thing some people cannot easily do. Of course if you replace with Hybrid you might have to change locations or make sure adequate ventilation is present for efficient heat exchange. Now converting to Tankless gas etc is a little more involved but then no physical problem. Converint to electric tankless usually requires much more electrical work if for whole house due to the large guage wiring needed usually 1-3 6 guage or larger wire sets and 80 or higher amp 240v breaker and often upgrading service panel etc.
Remember you dont know what you dont know and its best not to assume since you should know what that can do to you.
Matt, you forgot to add to your calculations that electric rates are constantly rising and the Hybrid would actually save even more money!
Again, Great information. Thanks for sharing!
Great video and breakdown of the pros and cons.
I'm waiting for someone to invent a basement water heater + fridge combo unit that runs the refrigerant lines from one appliance directly into the other, instead of using the surrounding air as a heat sink/source. Bet the efficiency of both units would improve. Obvious downside is having your hot water heater next to your fridge, but for a lot of folks a basement fridge is already used as "bonus" space, not regular in-and-out use.
Of course, Matt barely ever sees a basement... :D
They do have a box that takes your AC heat and heats your water heater
Heat removed from the box freezer is not enough to heat ur water heater.
@@lvracho9639 Well, no, but neither is the heat removed from air in those hybrid units (at least, for most basement situations...). They still have standard elements for back-up and during high demand.
I await the day that one central air or ground source heat pump unit/condenser can handle all heating and cooling applications for a home. Heat and cool the home, heat water, cool the refrigerator and freezers, heat the clothes dryer. There's no reason these appliances should all have separate condenser units, they should all be treated as zones in a larger whole home heat pump system.
@@taylorlightfoot Sounds like a very complex and expensive set up. A failure could knock out everything. I prefer redundancy. I can live a day or two with out my dryer until it gets fixed or replaced, not so good if my refrigerator or HVAC gets knocked out as well.
Wow, I had never even heard of a hybrid water heater and it's perfect for a workshop I'm building.
Great, as always. Thank you for doing cool stuff.
In NY I’d have to add some gas based heat cost in the winter to counter the cooling effect from the heatpump, would be useful to know an engineers caculation and add that into operating cost.
Great info!
I'm still rocking a 1978 Rheem Ruud Pacemaker 40gal water heater, with regular maintenance it works like a champ.
This is terrible advice. Water can be AGGRESSIVELY corrosive and often times replacing the anode rods 3 times will cost you more then a new tank . Insurance companies recommend 10 years . I think 15 is reasonable. But water quality is the BIG variable
@@mikepict9011 it's not advice, it's a testimony. In the newer tanks yes this wouldn't work, because they literally don't build them like they used to. The inside of my water heater is plated, something none of the (edit: consumer grade) water heaters offer anymore.
@@rotaryenginepete stainless steel water heaters exist, mostly indirect or tankless , stone lined as well . It's fine. I've just seen so many flooded basements and waiting for an emergency isn't worth what you think your saving. I've seen people emotionally and financially devastated over the loss of family heirlooms, photo albums and property damage caused by water heaters. Metal work hardens along the bottom, welds crack even on stainless steel because the tin was cooked out of them . Good luck but its against all good advice what your doing
@@mikepict9011 understood and I appreciate your concern. There are no basements around here in Florida. My tank is on a ground level slab with knee high concrete walls in a dedicated utility room below the rest of the house which is on a pier foundation. I literally have nothing to worry about if it blows out, as the water drains straight outside...but I also flush and scope it twice a year. I only need an 8ft hose to flush it with, and as far as corrosion and buildup, it's clean. If/when it cracks, it will have paid for itself many times over.
@@mikepict9011 It's a Ruudglass (glass lined/plated)...I wish I could post pictures of it on here, I know you'd be astonished. The thing looks pretty much brand new, inside and out.
excellent video, very well presented and very informative
this was super duper useful, thank you for posting!
It would be really nice if there were more companies offering heaters that work in conjunction with solar heaters - using the sun to directly heat up the water is much more efficient (and cheaper) than turning it into electricity first.
You can get them, $$$$$
I mean, if you want them to work "in conjunction" you can put your solar heating loop before your tank, and it won't require any special control logic or configuration.
@@microcolonel You need control logic to keep the water from getting too hot in full sun.
I bought a heat pump water heater years ago, a little after the one year warranty was up it stopped working so I did some research on line and found GE had the same problem on many units so I called for service and told them they should fix it under warranty and they did other wise it would have cost me $500 so after that it lasted about 6 or 7 years until one day I didn’t have hot water went down in the basement and nothing on the screen so I bought a tankless water heater that I can fix myself. I liked the heat pump water heater but very expensive to fix when it stops working so in the long run it doesn’t save you any money.
I have the Rheem hybrid heat pump water heater. It has save me about $30 a month in electric bills plus I got a $300 tax credit and also a rebate. You also have the options of setting it on how you wanted to operate. Fast response, heat pump only, electric-only, vacation, Etc you can also easily adjust your water temperature. It was well worth the investment
Living in Maine my HPWH in the basement is great in the summer months. Keeps the basement dry and cools my living space above but on the coldest days in winter I just switch it to electric mode as it cools my living area and makes my mini split work a little harder.
burningkarma are you running it off of solar?
Can’t wait for the TEARDOWN .👀👍🙈
Yeah lets go REPAIR costs to the HYBRID water heater during 10-15 years....LOL
It would still cost less to completely replace the HYBRID unit after 10 years than to purchase one of the resistance units along with their yearly operational cost for 10 years. The $$$ difference would spread even more after that time.
@@Real_Tech_Skills Not to mention all the tax credits and rebates for the Hybrid.
@@Real_Tech_Skills yea you also have to run it in low power mode for any of that. Hope you don't use much water.
@@godzilla2k26 : I understand the differences between the standard Heat Pump Mode and the Boost Mode. Everything depends upon proper system sizing to accommodate the expected daily usage.
The heat pump water heaters are still worth installing in such situations since most people would only use the Boost Mode a few times per year on a properly sized system. For example: I would install a large insulated water holding tank as part of the system in order store a larger volume of hot water. This would allow a home owner to use a heat pump water heater in the standard mode 95%+ time over the course of the year.
1st tank is only 45gal, marathon tank is a true 50gal, so the energy cost is slightly higher.
it sure doesn't seem like there is much to show for having a "heavily insulated" tank in that case.
John Gault But the MARATHON does NOT have any corrosion problems so no leaks, and minerals do not build up on its walls, you are paying for that technology.
Leighton Samms lifetime warranty is only for the tank not heating elements, they’re made out of metal which will corrode quicker
@@evgenyananyev7174 just a quick google $31 for the heating element from Home Depot. Seems decent i know metal body Water heaters can rust out so I donno \-.-/
First tank is 50 US gallons; says so on the box. The 45 gallons was imperial and in smaller font.
JUST found you. Excellent work in your calculations
Thank you very much this was great Information keep up the good work
Totally worth it for me. I'm pretty much REQUIRED to use the heat pump to get the required energy credits in order to build a house.
@@8634StJamesAve I'm guessing you haven't built any houses where I live? I've built several. On a "medium size project" which is a house over 1500 sqft, but less than 2000, you are required to get five energy credits. You can get one credit if you install the right type of windows, etc. I needed the two credits I got from the the water heater to get to five. There are some other things I could have done, but probably more expensive than the water heater. I've never been able to convince the local planning department that I didn't need to follow their bullshit requirements.
@@8634StJamesAve Sure. You're a homebuilder. That's why you said "Energy credits are not required." Based on your VAST experience building homes. The key to blowing smoke up somebody's ass is to find someone has no idea what you're talking about. And BTW, saying "I've never been able to convince the local planning department that I didn't need to follow their bullshit requirements." That's actual sarcasm.
@@8634StJamesAve And if you're upset about comments regarding body parts, you've definitely never worked construction.
What totalitarian country do you live in?
The heat pump water heater is 240V, not 120. Yes it is 15 amps, but still 240V. They also have a 30 amp unit. The difference is the capacity of the back up resistance elements. A good topic for HPWH would be the settings on the unit (eco, normal, etc.) and how the affect efficiency.
That was true when this comment was made but Rheem now has a standard 120v hybrid water heater.
I agree but perhaps the one he is showing does not incorporate an electric element back up. if so the unit is worthless. the heat pump could never keep up with the demand
Excellent video and Matt has a great presentation style.
Ive got a 101 gallon marathon water heater love it
You had me at "cools off my Texas garage" now I just have to wait for my cheap builder grade water heater to die...
I replaced all of mine before they died. It only takes about 3 years for those things to break even.
You think you’re gonna ac your garage for $110 a year you need to rethink it.
@@wjanis1 It helps cool the garage as the heat pump creates cold waste air. I never said you would be able to hang meat in there...
@@aintquitewright1480 not enough to really matter
@@wjanis1 what hillbilly hvac outfit do you work for little buddy?
didn't see you say how many years the water pump hybrid one last like is it 10-15 or is it longer 0.o
Im in the market for a new water heater and this was very informative.
I have a hybrid water heater and I like it for the most part. It has cut my electric bill significantly but they left out some things. Hybrid Water Heaters need a drain and/or condensate pump. Hybrid water heater in a unheated space does not work very good below about 45 degrees. Mine still requires 240V as it has resistance backup for when it is cold.
When I looked up the specs on Lowes.com about the hybrid water heater it says it’s 220V/30 Amp not 110 as stated in the video at 3 min
You are correct about the voltage. It (model: PROPH50 T2 RH350D) operates between 208-240v, but indeed requires only a 15 amp breaker. s3.amazonaws.com/WebPartners/ProductDocuments/B68404C8-F5F0-4033-A295-761DCACBBE05.pdf
It needs to be run in low power energy saving mode.
Great video but seing as how my heater is in a closet that hybrid heater might not work great in that's small area.
Check the mnf install instructions and, your local codes. From what I've been able to come up with, you will be stuck with some additional air exchange requirements for the closet and some sort of hood for the hybrid unit.
I've had the GE heat pump water heater, discontinued, and it's been great for the last 6 years. I have solar so this is easily powered and has plenty of hot water.
thank y'all kindly
I put a heat pump unit in my garage 7 years ago, it paid for itself 2 years ago.
I would also if I lived where it never froze. It can get down to minus 28 F. here.
@@kkarllwt It gets below freezing here but not that low, it still works as normal electric when it gets that cold.
@@kkarllwt The heat pump unit works better when the ambient is warm. In very cold weather, it probably wouldn't work too well because it uses the ambient heat to heat the water. .
Hi John, I was told that there really isn't much of a decrease in garage temperature. How much would you say your garage cooled with the hybrid water heater? Do you have a two-car garage? Are you in the south? I'm in Florida. I hate working in my garage during the summer.
@@tonysantamaria19 I have my Rheem hybrid in my utility room (basically 3rd bedroom ) and it keeps that room 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the house. BUT it also keeps it cooler in the winter. Back story -- it is a 1 yr old home w/3 in. spray foam walls/ceilings in northern alabama. So far I love this thing. It is as loud as the a/c. In heat pump mode it will run about 2-3 hr a day for 2-20 min showers BUT our incoming water temp is 45 in the middle of winter. Hope this helps
Loving the info here but you didn't talk about the lifespan of the hybrid?
Typically this kind of heatpump need to replace the compressor after 10-15 years.
More moving parts much greater chance of failure.
also where do you get parts for this unit if it breaks on a friday night? wait 5 days for it to be shipped to you.
@@devinbresee3712 they usually have an installed electric heater for backup/peak load hot water production that kick in automatically if the heat pump fail or produces to little heat.
@Bill Williams to be honest, i installed a heat pump with separate tank, to avoid this problem. So i can replace tank or the heat pump/compressor easy.
My house water heater is 35 years old and I’m still using it. I replaced the igniter Part once.
Thanks for doing this! Super helpful.