Just got through installing a RHEEM performance platinum hybrid water heater 50 gal. (Model #XE50T10H45U0 ) with Shark bite attachments to the top copper fittings connected via Pex for a very easy install. Home Depot wanted $825 to install, another local plumber $425. I followed your video with my (Pex materials, clapping, etc.) parts costing around $100 and installed myself with help from my son. Home Depot price for Rheem water heater was $1,299, Subtotal , Discount -$600.00 (on Sale on slickdeals via Home Depot) Shipping $75.00, Sales Tax $50.31, Order Total $824.31, Utility rebate -$500=$324.31+ $100 above parts $424.31 TOTAL PRICE, Not bad, Thanks for your video.
Thank for a nice comprehensive video. You demonstrated with confidence. I will be doing this same project in a few days and look forward to the savings. Based on my general experience that I bring to the project I'd like to offer a few thoughts to benefit others contemplating this task. The galvanized elbows were not the best choice. Brass is forever and safe. I plan to intentionally not pipe above the unit. It's an invitation for leaks or condensation to do damage. This also streamlines filter servicing and is a lifesaver if the bonnet ever has to come off. I have concern that that the pipes will be subjected to water hammer effect since the PVC or PEX shown is braced. When insulating elbows, snipping the foam at 45 degrees to create miters can provide virtually full coverage. Those cold water brass PEX fittings will drip with condensation. It is important to also insulate the entire cold water size to prevent condensation. This is double important when running over the unit. Even in Maine, cold lines will sweat a lot in the summer. A heat trap loop is recommended on the cold water intake to prevent convection cooling. I have not seen anyone do this. However, it's very easy to include heat trap nipples at the tank exit. They are simple check valves that only allow intentional water flow. Some codes require the addition of a mixing valve on the hot water line. This does 2 things. First, once you set it to the desired temperature it will blend cold water to maintain the set point in the event that the hot water over heats. Scald prevention is the objective here. In practice this valve may barely function if you are set to perhaps 120F. Most of these heaters are running merely on the tank's control's to ensure a safe output. Secondly, it makes it possible to run the water heater a little hotter, knowing that say, 130F water will be diluted down to the desired safe temperature. This can extend the capacity of the hot water in the tank. It's not the most efficient mode but it can have it's uses. I saw the expansion tank topic mentioned in other comments. If there is a check valve at the city water supply or well expansion tank then an expansion tank is need to accommodate expansion of the water as it's heated. Running Romex down to water heaters seems to be an accepted practice, at least it used to be. A junction box at the ceiling with the conductors in a seal-tite flexible conduit whip offers more protection an looks neater. You can use the same copper wires. Again, thank you for a nice video.
Nice job! I would connect water lines higher to make more clearance for air filter. It’s bendable, but if u have more space it will be easier for removing and installing filter. Just got one for myself
Looks good, only things I'd definitely change is I'd run the wire to a metal switch box and run flexible metal conduit to the water heater and maybe brass elbows at the heater connections
Just finished my install of this water heater, it replaced a 13 year old propane one that cost me 40 dollars a month to run. Lessons learned: 1. IF you have an expansion tank where are you going to mount it on the new system? This new system has mounts on the sides not the top. So plan somewhere on a wall away from the unit because you can't do it from the ceiling or hang it from pvc pipe. This added a day and a few more trips to local big box do it yourself store. I installed it on a wall where the plumbing originated from the main. And I found out my old expansion take was broken for who knows how long because I knew nothing about it. Expansion tank is half air / half water inlet. And you pressurize it to your water inlet pressure. So buy one of those faucet water pressure gauges. see what your pressure is at if its at 60 psi your good they say that is a good low pressure coming from your supply. if its above that try to turn it down by the water pressure device going into your house off the water main. The valve on the expansion tank when pressed should not contain water if it does the tank is bad and replace it. Check pressure with tire gauge, while your water system is empty, ( main closed with empty pipes). If its low or high and doesn't match your water pressure inlet, put more air in it to match. Then open mains close faucets and your good. 2. Plan your new pipe runs carefully and have extra pipe / fittings just in case. 3. USE PLUMBERS TAPE! How I forgot this with 90 degree all metal fittings on metal fittings is beyond me but I did. Got it all setup and of course leaks. Had to tear it out and redo it. All metal fittings use plumbers tape, wrap it around 3 times top to bottom on the threads. 4. Remember you can run 90 degree elbows with metal fittings off the water heater so it goes straight up to attach to existing piping, just add 2 90 degree turns to existing piping that was cut off. If its copper to cpvc you can use shark bite to avoid anything with fire and solder. 5. If you need to run 220 wiring, get 10/2 ( 10 gauge wiring with 2 wires it includes a ground). So its physically 3 wires. 10/3 is 2 hot wires and 1 common white wire and the ground wire. Would of saved me some money and time and effort if I knew this before. that 10/3 is meant for outlets where appliance may need 120 volt and 220. 6. The 30 amp breaker is meant to protect wiring. So use 30amp for 10 gauge. I couldn't find a 30 amp so I bought a 40 amp and then found out why you need to match appropriately. 7. Frist time this unit fires up its going to run constantly until all the water is up up to temp and its full of cold water. So prepare for a cold room if you don't vent. But after that mine barely runs at all so the room isn't bad at all. 8. Water temp, my old one was in the 130's, this one does just fine for some reason at 125. I have hot showers with no issues. 9. For the condensate drainage, I just used a 3/4 NPT to barb 1/2 elbow 90 degree turn, so its a simple flexible clear tube running to the drainage pump. This part doesn't get hot so no issues. Just keep the tube away from the hot outlet and high pressure release valve because they get hot enough to melt it. I used some heavy duty tape to steer it away.
Good video. I'm thinking about replacing my water heater with one of these since my current one is about 12 years old and I would love to do the savings dance too. One thing about pvc pipe, you don't need to let the purple primer dry before using the cement. Would love to see a video in a month or two showing the difference in your power bill. Thanks.
AlabamaDad thanks for the purple primer tip. The instructions on the box just said use primer first then the glue. But I just pulled the cans out and read the instructions directly on the can and sure enough it states use the glue while the primer is still wet. Hopefully people read these comments because that is great information. I received my $500 rebate check from the power company. As soon as I recieve 2 electric bills after the new water installation I’ll do exactly what your talking about. So people can officially see the savings! I have 6 in my house (4 girls) so I am super excited for the savings.
Just installed 50 gallon one for my self after your video. Thanks. For my family of 4 people more then enough I was afraid it will be to small. I using only heat pump mode. But it can’t entirely replace my dehumidifier, rated for up to 2000 sqf. It was able to keep 58% humidity, here in eastern PA, few days later I turned on dehumidifier in help
After I installed it took less than hour. I don’t remember exactly how long. I was trying to see how long it will heat with heat pump mode only. But maybe it was programmed to heat for the first time in full force, look like it used coil and heat pump together. Now I using only heat pump mode. So far I like it
I just installed one in my house . I had an oil fired before this . I knew it wasnt going to be as fast to heat the water . Just feel like it takes a long time and I haven’t seen any condensation yet come from the heat pump .
I was waiting for condensation to come out too. I think fitting little bit higher than bottom of the pan for condensation. In heat pump mode it take some time to heat up. If it’s not fast enough recovering for your needs you can set in hybrid mode.
I just put hybrid h.w.h. in my garage and i am wondering if the output temperature will be hotter in the summer or if the cool air i feel now will be consistent. Its only average 50 degrees this week.
Great video, I'm going to be (hopefully) installing one tomorrow. I don't want to be "that guy" but as a licensed electrician I cant help but point out that your electrical line from wall to heater is not to code. You should have a j-box secured to the stud in the wall and the use either m.c. (metal clad) or seal tight to the unit. Exposed non shielded or romex is a big no no. That's probably how it was when you purchased your home, witch is surprising that the inspector didn't catch that but you totally rocked the Plumbing! Again nice vid!
robergeernest thanks for the input hopefully others can incorporate the advice into their installation. My power cable was like that when I bought the house which no one ever said a word during the inspections. It does for sure make sense to me. Thinking back about the last house I sold the people bought it and used a VA loan and the inspector made me put sealtite conduit from the jbox to the water heater. That was several years ago and I totally forgot about it until reading your comment. Again thanks because that could help some people out!
I noticed that too... I setup a server rack, and had a electrician come in to install a 2x 30 amp sockets. The connections aren't that hard to use. Not sure why it'd be missing on a water heater. Maybe gotta wait 10 or 20 more years for water heater technology to catch up to modern electronics! Also couldn't be sure if you connected the ground wire to the ground plug. Although I think the stainless steel would conduct ground anyway...
Looking forward to a follow-up video with your impressions after a few months. Not just savings but also if you keep it in heat pump only mode or rely on supplemental electric for heating and quicker recovery. What temperature do you have it set at and have you ever run low on hot water? Recovery time after a few family members have showered? Any plans to duct intake or exhaust air? My natural gas hot water heater with power vent was replaced less than a year ago but I am wondering if I should go hybrid next time. But with our colder climate (Canada), perhaps a larger capacity would offset having a longer recovery time.
I have the 50 gallon model with three people in the house and have never had a situation where we ran out of hot water. I always run it and heat pump mode only. Recently I put a mixing valve on the heating line leaving the tank so I could crank the temperature in the tank to 140° but the mix going out to the house is 125°. This ensures all bacteria is killed in the tank but nobody gets scalded in the house plus you effectively have more hot water.
I installed one of these yesterday and will remove it and return it on Monday. The heat pump fan is so loud, over 70 decibels, that you could hear it throughout the house.
Also, a commenter on amazon mentioned that if you had the water heater set to heat pump only- most efficient mode, then it won’t kick on to reheat the water until it goes to about 80 degrees. Is this true? Could you adjust that kick-in temp higher?
Thanks for the video, did you ever use a killawat to see how much you saved from the traditional water heater? In my household we have a 40 gallon gas heater, and it seems to lose hot water after 2 showers in a 4 bedroom house. :( I also think all of our water lines aren't insulated.. but I can't be sure... cause it takes about 4 minutes for the water to heat up.
I installed one of those in November 2018 and I'm already having trouble with the heat pump part of it. So it only operated trouble free for about 17 months. For anyone installing one of these; just an fyi that the heat pump enclosure needs to slide up about 15" to service the heat pump and sensors. So be sure if your old water lines are directly above the unit that you maintain ample clearance.
17 month only trouble free work? Look like this heater will “save” a lot money. Good my electric one not leaking yet. It maybe good idea do not trash it. May some day I will be dancing after installing back old one
J J if you have copper lines (which I love) you will need to adapt to something easy to hook up such as a shark bite copper to pex adaptor. It’s basically same install as what I have except I had to convert from cpvc to pex. Good luck
Nice job on video, have the 50 gallon model several years, in hot southern ,States, climate, works great ,saves $$, think recall that hot water thermal expansion tank is indicated in instructions, I used on my installation, think its code required most places ?? , not a licensed plumber,
Thanks for the compliment. I mainly did it because it can be overwhelming for some people but this thing is really easy to install and the saving are real!
Ad An I have the pipe going to the drain pan but nothing comes out unless there is an over pressured situation which my water pressure is only 65 psi so no where near the pop off pressure
Ad An you’ll be even more excited in a couple month when you get your electric bills. Also don’t forget to check your local electric company most offer rebates for buying high efficiency water heaters. Mine gave me 500 dollars
Thanks for the video and awesome job! What is the tank size of the hybrid you went with? I have a family of four and I’m trying to figure out which tank size fits our needs. Thanks
Are you not supposed to tilt the WH on it's side since it's a "refrigeration" unit and the liquid refrigerant can leak into the compressor causing damage? That is common precaution of not tilting for transporting refrigerators and AC units.
I am about to install one of those-also wondering about an expansion tank. I have an artesian well, and the same gray Well Mate tank that I see in the background of your video. Not sure whether I need to add a pressure tank or not, it seems as though the Well Mate would be performing the same task.
It is a bladder tank so if any expansion happens it just goes right back to the bladder tank. But in certain areas usually city water systems they require an expansion tank.
In some cases the well expansion tank will have a check valve to prevent household water from going back into the tank. If you have such a system you will need an expansion tank on the "house" side. Otherwise the well tank will do double duty.
Great video! Very comprehensive! Would love a video in a few months to hear about your savings. Question what area of the country are you in, asking because I am in the Pacific Northwest.
Robert Rodriguez I live in southeast Missouri where it is very humid. This water heater has also become a permanent mounted dehumidifier for us. I was operating a portable dehumidifier before and it is now stored in the garage. The savings in my area are substantial. I plan on doing another video showing my bill before and after once I receive 2 months of electric bills. Also don’t forget to check your local electric company for rebates they offer. My electric company Ozark Border Coop paid 500 for me to purchase this water heater.
Power Plant Man this is main reason I bot this hybrid water heater. I’m running 8 months a year dehumidifier. Hope I will no need it any more. I wasn’t able to find any reviews on internet about how much it can dehumidify. U r the first one why stated no more use of dehumidifier. Thanks
AG Pawpaw it’s doing the entire basement which is 1200 square feet and it is noticeable dryer than before. This thing has a 10 year warranty so I am really hoping to get the full 10 years. I have bought several portable dehumidifiers they don’t last well for some reason.
You may want to change that galvanized 90 out to a brass one. Galvanized isn’t good to have in your domestic water. Just trying to help you out, thanks for the video!!
I was looking at the Rheem Ducted vs Not Ducted information sheet according to room size. Does this make the room colder? The room my existing water heater is in is usually warm because of other electrical equipment in there.
It definitely keeps the room colder. In fact my room is less than 60 degrees so I will probably add some ducting to mine. I’ll do a video of that as well.
@@PowerPlantMan Nice motivating video for DIYers! Are you referring to potential inlet or outlet air ducting? I live in Colorado and want to replace an 80 gallon 10 year old natural gas system with one of these (we are generating excess rooftop solar now). It’s in an unfinished basement that we recreate in, but I don’t want it any cooler than it is in winter. Ideally I was thinking of ducting the cool exhaust straight up between joists then 90 degrees for 2 feet to exit at the head wall of the garage under my workbench. Not so concerned about the garage being a few degrees cooler in winter and in summer that would be great! Can this type/length of run be done without back pressure issues or voiding warranty? Thanks in advance for your response.
@@PowerPlantMan Be careful with that! Adding a duct could create negative pressure in your house which will draw more cold air in from outside during the winter months. That will raise your overall heating bill and eat away at your savings. So long as your pipes aren't at risk of freezing I wouldn't mess with venting your water heater.
I'm about to install one myself. Looks pretty straightforward just a couple of observations/ ?'s. You installed a galvanized 90* elbow on the outlet/inlet nipples. Were they also galvanized? You then installed a brass fitting on the galvanized. Any concern about galvanic action between the metals? The installation manual also shows the use of heat traps on the piping. Why did you skip this step?
I have a Gas Heater and am thinking about this Hybrid Heater (50 Gal) due to the fact that when on sale and along with the rebates it would cost about $200 delivered ($400 utility rebate + $400 Tax Credit and cost of about $950 delivered on sale). 1) These things are very efficient so if saving $1000 over the cost of a Gas Water Heater, would it make sense to switch? Gas cost is about 80cents vs KW cost of 8Cents. 2) Can you use the inlet venting option from a basement of about 1300sq for the heat pump? 3) The drip pipe; can that be connected to an upflow toilet or separate pump as the closest drain is 30 feet away. AMS
That’s a hard question because if you are on natural gas and you have a high efficiency water heater it is very difficult for electric to out do natural gas. If your on propane it’s not quite as cheap to operate. For example I work at a power plant and we burn natural gas and convert to electric and sell the electric for 8.551 cents per kWh. Also keep in mind during the winter this water heater will be cooling the air around while the heat is heating the house. To stop this you would have to change to electric elements. In my situation mine helps me keep my basement dry. As far as your 1300 square foot basement that is more than enough air volume. The drain pipe will potentially need a pump like you said cause if you don’t you may get the condensate drain alarm. But with rebates and tax credits paying a majority of the cost your getting a great water heater with a 10 year warranty. Can’t go wrong!
I wanna know if you have 5 ppl in the house is this still a good option for hot water or will you run out we have a 40 gallon regular tank now and all 3 kids take showers in a row sometime 3 kids and 1 adult b4 it starts to not have hot water will this do that much or better..
Chase Brown I would say you would need to at least go the next step up in size. I am running at 125 degrees and heat pump only mode. You can’t take a shower without cold being mixed in. It works for us with no problems.
Question-I';d like to put one of these in my garage where my old electric tank is now but I don't have a drain in my garage so this wouldn't be feasible?
You can use a condensate pump to get the water to a drain in the garage if you have one available such as a washer drain etc. Or you can just run a drain line out the garage door. As long as it runs downhill the water will go.
My propane was expensive and cost me 40 dollars a month to run the old water heater, this new one which is said to cost 100 dollars a year in electric. So for me im planning to save hundreds a year. So it was a no brainer.
I have not had a drop leak out so I have been very happy with how it turned out. I thought I primed everything but video doesn’t lie I missed that 1. I think priming definitely helps insure no leaks and would recommend not missing like I did. Good catch!
@@PowerPlantMan I good video you posted BTW. I'm thinking about switching over to the HPHW tank. Our PUD is providing a minor discount. The one I'll need for our home will require the 80 gallon tank.
According to the documentation they can be laid on their side for transport. A quote from the paperwork follows: Easy to install-Easy access to electrical connections and two-side shipping, which means it can be laid horizontally, so it’s easy to get the unit to the installation location.
Power Plant Man good to know. I didn’t realize that. I ordered a 65gal that just arrived last week. The Rheem 65gal sticker says $155/yr. I had it delivered freight and it came on a pallet. I wasn’t trying to pick it up.
Technically they can be laid flat. However, you're not supposed to let the compressor run until the water heater has been in an upright position for a certain amount of time. There's oil in the compressor's freon gas and they say the oil might not be where it's supposed to be if the compressor has been laid flat.
I will be doing a video but I will tell you I’m using around 19 kWh per week. At our price of 8.55 cents per kWh it comes up to 1.62 per week which is a monster savings for us. I haven’t had any trouble.
@@PowerPlantMan I have a Bradford white 80 gal electric water heater that just went on me.I called the company it has a 10 year warranty and they told me they stop making my model.Due to not being energy efficent.Lol that why my electric bill is like $200 a month.
Enjoyed your video with a few questions. Are the crimpers available to rent? If there is no drain nearby, any suggestions for catching the condensate or simply using a pan work? How much condensate would you expect? I’m sure on a humid day in a garage you’d get quite a bit. Another comment regarding using teflon tape. Besides getting a better thread seal, where you’re using dissimilar metals together the teflon provides an insulator preventing galvanic corrosion. This is true with any two dissimilar metals including stainless steel to steel. The steel will act as a sacrificial anode and corrode. .
No drain - if it's near your HVAC system (with central air), then use the drain that the AC coil drains into (which sometimes could be a condensate pump).
@@PowerPlantMan Thank you for your prompt response, appreciate it. Are you happy so far with your new hybrid unit? Can you add a re-circulation pump to the hot water pipe?
I love this water heater and the associated app. Our electric bill has dropped nicely. I love it so much that I just bought the smaller unit to install upstairs to replace a standard water heater as well. As far as a recirculating pump you can add that to any water heater and it would give you instant hot water at the faucets or shower. So it would prevent water from going down the drain waiting for it to get hot. If you have insulated lines you won’t lose too much heat in the lines. But if the lines aren’t you will at least have some heat loss.
Question about expansion tank. Currently I don't see one in my setup. After I replaced with the hybrid water heater, do I need an expansion tank? I didn't see one in your video. Please comment. Thank you.
Normally the reason you don’t want to do that is the cold water dip tube can break. This water heater does not have the dip tube because the cold water goes in at the bottom not the top.
I have heard that putting a piece of copper pipe in helps with algae control but I haven’t had algae in my water. But I have a really deep well where I live. I guess depending on where the water came from there could be some algae. I had no copper piping in my house from initial installation so I left that just as it was.
@@roshi98 18” of copper from the connection and then you can connect pex. Doesn’t appear they did it correctly in the video but from research, it’s more of a concern w a gas heater. I personally would follow the code.
Do you have an electric clothes dryer? If so, during the winter you can remove the vent, put a womans stocking over the tube and let the hot moist air fill the house. Just gotta clean the stocking every few loads. They also make kits to have it vent indoor
We do have an electric drier when we moved here the old owners had the dryer venting to the garage and let me tell you. That garage had water running down the walls. The windows were fogged over and dripping with condensation . I finally diverted it outside to dry the garage back out. It was causing tools to rust thank goodness for WD40 to coat them. Of course at the time we also had 2 more boys which are now in the military so slightly less drying. But we also hang out clothes on the back deck when the weather is nice! Thanks for the comment some of the viewers may want to research that as an option!
Yikes! Yeah you dont want to much moisture! Causes more damage than good... another option then is look into a solar heater, it uses soda/beer cans to heat your home in the window. Uses 0 electric , might cost 100 to build but have for a lifetime
I have one and it's not loud but mine is in my garage. I personally would NOT put this water heater inside my house because of the noise it makes (it sound like a big refrigerator running) and also because it takes the heat and humidity out of the air and puts out cooler air (not cold air like an AC) but it is cooler air. This may effect the air temperature in your house.
That's funny how much has changed, mine wasn't mounted on a crate like that, just a thick cardboard base. And there was no setup or anything like that for internet, it said to download app connect to the tanks wifi, and go from there. Also all those other menus you mentioned aren't there on mine... I have the Rheem Performance Platinum, not sure what one you have? As far as Pex, I just don't see the benefit here. You already had cpvc in there, so why not just add a few more pipes / fittings for pennies vs all those expensive metal adapters and tools... And I can't help but think of a child's toy when I see the red / blue rubber looking tubing that flexes and moves all over. Pex is great for a new install but here it seems expensive and well, silly.
I think using cpvc would have been much easier. Everyone was raving about the pex so I tried it. The pex was expensive and easy but for cutting and crimping those short pieces the crimping tool didn’t always fit easily. Cpvc in tight places for me.
@@PowerPlantMan Now Shark bite with CPVC, that is amazing when you need to do angles, I had to mount my expansion tank on the wall, and of course the pipe ran along the wall, but the expansion pipe is about 5 inches out. So I put in a shark bite T ran a length of cpvc out from the wall, put in an elbow and then a female npt. cpvc with glue would of been much more difficult if it was even slightly off on the angles but shark bite lets you move the pipe after its installed and you can even remove it. As far as Pex its great if you are starting from scratch through walls and all that as a contractor or something. Fast quick and doesn't leak and lasts forever.
Mine has 10 gauge wire and 30 amp breaker because the old water heater required it. This one requires the same if you plan to use the heating elements. But there is an option to use heat pump only which saves the most electric but it also takes longer to heat up. It’s customizable to your needs.
Look at this old house they did a split unit the heat pump can go outside and transfers the hot water from the tank outside to the unit that way you can use your old hot water tank and when it falls replace the hot water tank if a gas hot water tank is properly included and maintained I've seen them last over 30 years but the anoid has to be replaced regularly and so will your dip tube and regular flushing of the sentiment off the bottom of the tank how often depends on how hard your water is and how much dirt is in it add yes municipal water supplies have dirt in them some more than others but unless you have a water softener you will have dirt which will eventually ware out your dip tube and leave sentiment on the bottom of your tank copper pipes conected directly to the tank will wear down the anoid I've seen tanks with the copper lines attached last as little as 5 years the anoid lasted probably half that time then it found a pin hole in the glass liner ond that's were it sprung a leak Most people who drain their tank shut it off and gravity drain it the pob
these tablets are very frustrating I was going to say once the sentiment has settled it won't drain out with the water it needs to be flushed out with running water also have a cap for the drain valve as quite often the leak after flushing tank
jim bo it’s definitely dependent on your area. We are hot and humid in the summer so this thing is saving me a ton of money. I was also running a dehumidifier in the basement. So this thing is an acting dehumidifier permanently installed. Yesterday’s kW usage was 2.55 and our rates are 8.551 so total cost 21.8 cents. Thanks for the comment!
Yesterday marked 1 month since I installed the water heater it has used 111.2 kWh our cost of electric in Missouri is 8.551 cents per kWh for the first 1200kWh then it drops to 7.743 cents. At the higher rate that means I have used $9.51 that is way way cheaper that what I was paying. I originally thought our cost per kWh was .089 so I just discovered I was wrong in a good way on our electric rates here!
Scores of neighbors here in Texas just got new tankless heaters after the long power outage in near zero degrees weather. Beware, you need to drain that tankless when the cold comes and you are without electricity. :-)
Heck yeah, those things are heavy. I got the 50gal GE Unit... *hernia included*! ;-) Coupla things to be aware of... the heat pump makes *noise*, it's more than a fridge, in our case. Also, you can't put them in *closets*... they need a minimum amount of air space from which to draw the heat... I got a buddy who figured out a way to put in a duct to suck attic air and get it to the unit, but I'm pretty sure that's above & beyond, warrantywise... ;-)
I don't think it affects the warranty if you duct it that way. I have mine in a storage room connected to the house so I can barely hear it. Originally I had the intake ductedr to the attic and it would dump the exhaust into the storage room which had an exterior door with a vent in it So no problems regarding the room getting pressurized. I ended up closing up the vent in the door and I just pulled heat from the house, in the winter it's too cold in the attic, and now in the summer I keep pulling from the house and I exhaust back into the house also to help with air conditioning load. The water heater is a little less efficient that way but it adds some good cooling in the kitchen...
Not trying to knock you. I commend you for doing it yourself. There is just so much wrong here. 1 you can’t use galvanized on potable water. 2 your pex needs to be 18” away from the heater. 3 you never put brass male into and pvc/cpvc fitting. It will crack Always pvc/cpvc male into brass female. 4. Bottom fed water heater MUST have a vacuum breaker on the cold side .
430 $ equals 40 $$per month add 180 $per month grid tied fees equals 280 $$per month to operate that isn't cheap in my area you have jusr tied yourself to the grid or if you ever want to cut the grid and go solar 8 grand minimum for split phase electric I'm still looking for a hybrid water heater preferably a split unit as one of them uses water for the transfer
My bill has dropped significantly with this water heater but that’s based on me being all electric and I was running a dehumidifier all the time to so it’s saving me a lot of money. But I will throw in this information as a power plant worker that works at a power plant that converts natural gas to electricity it’s hard for any electric to compete with natural gas. So if you have natural gas at your house it’s a close call but I would go with natural gas. But if your talking about propane I would still lean toward this water heater.
4:30. Well, take a closer look you will see the energy label uses some kwh usage and electricity rate. But your kwh usage and electricity rate are anything but those numbers. First, find out your kwh usage, perhaps the app can give you that. 2nd find out your electricity rate. Then multiply the two numbers to get your annual cost. Believe me it will be far more than 105. I am very curious how much.
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Just got through installing a RHEEM performance platinum hybrid water heater 50 gal. (Model #XE50T10H45U0
) with Shark bite attachments to the top copper fittings connected via Pex for a very easy install. Home Depot wanted $825 to install, another local plumber $425. I followed your video with my (Pex materials, clapping, etc.) parts costing around $100 and installed myself with help from my son. Home Depot price for Rheem water heater was $1,299, Subtotal
, Discount -$600.00 (on Sale on slickdeals via Home Depot) Shipping $75.00, Sales Tax $50.31, Order Total $824.31, Utility rebate -$500=$324.31+ $100 above parts $424.31 TOTAL PRICE, Not bad, Thanks for your video.
I have the same one but I did it the hard way and ran soldered copper then flexible corrugated stainless steel lines to complete the connections
Thank for a nice comprehensive video. You demonstrated with confidence. I will be doing this same project in a few days and look forward to the savings. Based on my general experience that I bring to the project I'd like to offer a few thoughts to benefit others contemplating this task.
The galvanized elbows were not the best choice. Brass is forever and safe.
I plan to intentionally not pipe above the unit. It's an invitation for leaks or condensation to do damage. This also streamlines filter servicing and is a lifesaver if the bonnet ever has to come off.
I have concern that that the pipes will be subjected to water hammer effect since the PVC or PEX shown is braced.
When insulating elbows, snipping the foam at 45 degrees to create miters can provide virtually full coverage. Those cold water brass PEX fittings will drip with condensation.
It is important to also insulate the entire cold water size to prevent condensation. This is double important when running over the unit. Even in Maine, cold lines will sweat a lot in the summer.
A heat trap loop is recommended on the cold water intake to prevent convection cooling. I have not seen anyone do this. However, it's very easy to include heat trap nipples at the tank exit. They are simple check valves that only allow intentional water flow.
Some codes require the addition of a mixing valve on the hot water line. This does 2 things. First, once you set it to the desired temperature it will blend cold water to maintain the set point in the event that the hot water over heats. Scald prevention is the objective here. In practice this valve may barely function if you are set to perhaps 120F. Most of these heaters are running merely on the tank's control's to ensure a safe output. Secondly, it makes it possible to run the water heater a little hotter, knowing that say, 130F water will be diluted down to the desired safe temperature. This can extend the capacity of the hot water in the tank. It's not the most efficient mode but it can have it's uses.
I saw the expansion tank topic mentioned in other comments. If there is a check valve at the city water supply or well expansion tank then an expansion tank is need to accommodate expansion of the water as it's heated.
Running Romex down to water heaters seems to be an accepted practice, at least it used to be. A junction box at the ceiling with the conductors in a seal-tite flexible conduit whip offers more protection an looks neater. You can use the same copper wires.
Again, thank you for a nice video.
Excellent video! You've walked through every step so perfectly!
Well done and appreciated the detailed description. Well done. I am delayed by the plumber so I may do this myself. Cheers
Nice job! I would connect water lines higher to make more clearance for air filter. It’s bendable, but if u have more space it will be easier for removing and installing filter. Just got one for myself
Great job! Thank you for all the detailed video and instruction.
Looks good, only things I'd definitely change is I'd run the wire to a metal switch box and run flexible metal conduit to the water heater and maybe brass elbows at the heater connections
Just finished my install of this water heater, it replaced a 13 year old propane one that cost me 40 dollars a month to run.
Lessons learned:
1. IF you have an expansion tank where are you going to mount it on the new system? This new system has mounts on the sides not the top. So plan somewhere on a wall away from the unit because you can't do it from the ceiling or hang it from pvc pipe. This added a day and a few more trips to local big box do it yourself store. I installed it on a wall where the plumbing originated from the main. And I found out my old expansion take was broken for who knows how long because I knew nothing about it. Expansion tank is half air / half water inlet. And you pressurize it to your water inlet pressure. So buy one of those faucet water pressure gauges. see what your pressure is at if its at 60 psi your good they say that is a good low pressure coming from your supply. if its above that try to turn it down by the water pressure device going into your house off the water main. The valve on the expansion tank when pressed should not contain water if it does the tank is bad and replace it. Check pressure with tire gauge, while your water system is empty, ( main closed with empty pipes). If its low or high and doesn't match your water pressure inlet, put more air in it to match. Then open mains close faucets and your good.
2. Plan your new pipe runs carefully and have extra pipe / fittings just in case.
3. USE PLUMBERS TAPE! How I forgot this with 90 degree all metal fittings on metal fittings is beyond me but I did. Got it all setup and of course leaks. Had to tear it out and redo it. All metal fittings use plumbers tape, wrap it around 3 times top to bottom on the threads.
4. Remember you can run 90 degree elbows with metal fittings off the water heater so it goes straight up to attach to existing piping, just add 2 90 degree turns to existing piping that was cut off. If its copper to cpvc you can use shark bite to avoid anything with fire and solder.
5. If you need to run 220 wiring, get 10/2 ( 10 gauge wiring with 2 wires it includes a ground). So its physically 3 wires. 10/3 is 2 hot wires and 1 common white wire and the ground wire. Would of saved me some money and time and effort if I knew this before. that 10/3 is meant for outlets where appliance may need 120 volt and 220.
6. The 30 amp breaker is meant to protect wiring. So use 30amp for 10 gauge. I couldn't find a 30 amp so I bought a 40 amp and then found out why you need to match appropriately.
7. Frist time this unit fires up its going to run constantly until all the water is up up to temp and its full of cold water. So prepare for a cold room if you don't vent. But after that mine barely runs at all so the room isn't bad at all.
8. Water temp, my old one was in the 130's, this one does just fine for some reason at 125. I have hot showers with no issues.
9. For the condensate drainage, I just used a 3/4 NPT to barb 1/2 elbow 90 degree turn, so its a simple flexible clear tube running to the drainage pump. This part doesn't get hot so no issues. Just keep the tube away from the hot outlet and high pressure release valve because they get hot enough to melt it. I used some heavy duty tape to steer it away.
Thanks for the details!
Good video. I'm thinking about replacing my water heater with one of these since my current one is about 12 years old and I would love to do the savings dance too. One thing about pvc pipe, you don't need to let the purple primer dry before using the cement. Would love to see a video in a month or two showing the difference in your power bill. Thanks.
AlabamaDad thanks for the purple primer tip. The instructions on the box just said use primer first then the glue. But I just pulled the cans out and read the instructions directly on the can and sure enough it states use the glue while the primer is still wet. Hopefully people read these comments because that is great information. I received my $500 rebate check from the power company. As soon as I recieve 2 electric bills after the new water installation I’ll do exactly what your talking about. So people can officially see the savings! I have 6 in my house (4 girls) so I am super excited for the savings.
Just installed 50 gallon one for my self after your video. Thanks. For my family of 4 people more then enough I was afraid it will be to small. I using only heat pump mode. But it can’t entirely replace my dehumidifier, rated for up to 2000 sqf. It was able to keep 58% humidity, here in eastern PA, few days later I turned on dehumidifier in help
Does it take a long time to recover a full tank ?
After I installed it took less than hour. I don’t remember exactly how long. I was trying to see how long it will heat with heat pump mode only. But maybe it was programmed to heat for the first time in full force, look like it used coil and heat pump together. Now I using only heat pump mode. So far I like it
I just installed one in my house . I had an oil fired before this . I knew it wasnt going to be as fast to heat the water . Just feel like it takes a long time and I haven’t seen any condensation yet come from the heat pump .
I was waiting for condensation to come out too. I think fitting little bit higher than bottom of the pan for condensation. In heat pump mode it take some time to heat up. If it’s not fast enough recovering for your needs you can set in hybrid mode.
I just put hybrid h.w.h. in my garage and i am wondering if the output temperature will be hotter in the summer or if the cool air i feel now will be consistent. Its only average 50 degrees this week.
Great video, I'm going to be (hopefully) installing one tomorrow. I don't want to be "that guy" but as a licensed electrician I cant help but point out that your electrical line from wall to heater is not to code. You should have a j-box secured to the stud in the wall and the use either m.c. (metal clad) or seal tight to the unit. Exposed non shielded or romex is a big no no. That's probably how it was when you purchased your home, witch is surprising that the inspector didn't catch that but you totally rocked the Plumbing! Again nice vid!
robergeernest thanks for the input hopefully others can incorporate the advice into their installation. My power cable was like that when I bought the house which no one ever said a word during the inspections. It does for sure make sense to me. Thinking back about the last house I sold the people bought it and used a VA loan and the inspector made me put sealtite conduit from the jbox to the water heater. That was several years ago and I totally forgot about it until reading your comment. Again thanks because that could help some people out!
I noticed that too... I setup a server rack, and had a electrician come in to install a 2x 30 amp sockets. The connections aren't that hard to use. Not sure why it'd be missing on a water heater. Maybe gotta wait 10 or 20 more years for water heater technology to catch up to modern electronics! Also couldn't be sure if you connected the ground wire to the ground plug. Although I think the stainless steel would conduct ground anyway...
Awesome job.
Great video
Looking forward to a follow-up video with your impressions after a few months. Not just savings but also if you keep it in heat pump only mode or rely on supplemental electric for heating and quicker recovery. What temperature do you have it set at and have you ever run low on hot water? Recovery time after a few family members have showered? Any plans to duct intake or exhaust air? My natural gas hot water heater with power vent was replaced less than a year ago but I am wondering if I should go hybrid next time. But with our colder climate (Canada), perhaps a larger capacity would offset having a longer recovery time.
12.30.20 Thanks for the video I am thinking of getting the 50 gallon model.
I have the 50 gallon model with three people in the house and have never had a situation where we ran out of hot water. I always run it and heat pump mode only. Recently I put a mixing valve on the heating line leaving the tank so I could crank the temperature in the tank to 140° but the mix going out to the house is 125°. This ensures all bacteria is killed in the tank but nobody gets scalded in the house plus you effectively have more hot water.
I installed one of these yesterday and will remove it and return it on Monday. The heat pump fan is so loud, over 70 decibels, that you could hear it throughout the house.
Also, a commenter on amazon mentioned that if you had the water heater set to heat pump only- most efficient mode, then it won’t kick on to reheat the water until it goes to about 80 degrees. Is this true? Could you adjust that kick-in temp higher?
Thanks for the video, did you ever use a killawat to see how much you saved from the traditional water heater? In my household we have a 40 gallon gas heater, and it seems to lose hot water after 2 showers in a 4 bedroom house. :( I also think all of our water lines aren't insulated.. but I can't be sure... cause it takes about 4 minutes for the water to heat up.
I installed one of those in November 2018 and I'm already having trouble with the heat pump part of it. So it only operated trouble free for about 17 months. For anyone installing one of these; just an fyi that the heat pump enclosure needs to slide up about 15" to service the heat pump and sensors. So be sure if your old water lines are directly above the unit that you maintain ample clearance.
That’s really good information thanks for sharing!
Thanks James Lotz. Good I read your comment before doing installation!
17 month only trouble free work? Look like this heater will “save” a lot money. Good my electric one not leaking yet. It maybe good idea do not trash it. May some day I will be dancing after installing back old one
J J if you have copper lines (which I love) you will need to adapt to something easy to hook up such as a shark bite copper to pex adaptor. It’s basically same install as what I have except I had to convert from cpvc to pex. Good luck
@J J yes I can’t answer that part because I installed before ever hearing about it.
What is the maximum temp setting for the water?
Nice job on video, have the 50 gallon model several years, in hot southern ,States, climate, works great ,saves $$, think recall that hot water thermal expansion tank is indicated in instructions, I used on my installation, think its code required most places ?? , not a licensed plumber,
Great video. Rheem should give you a commission for doing this they don't even do this. I'm installing one today
Thanks for the compliment. I mainly did it because it can be overwhelming for some people but this thing is really easy to install and the saving are real!
@@PowerPlantMan Oh ok thanks, one question, the relief valve goes into the Pan or a drain? does that even leak water at all??
Ad An I have the pipe going to the drain pan but nothing comes out unless there is an over pressured situation which my water pressure is only 65 psi so no where near the pop off pressure
@@PowerPlantMan thank you I just installed mine today. Super easy thanks to your video thanks you again. This is a great water heater
Ad An you’ll be even more excited in a couple month when you get your electric bills. Also don’t forget to check your local electric company most offer rebates for buying high efficiency water heaters. Mine gave me 500 dollars
No way you installed this stress free. Your personality is real laid back, did you have any troubles at all??
Thanks for the video and awesome job! What is the tank size of the hybrid you went with? I have a family of four and I’m trying to figure out which tank size fits our needs. Thanks
I went with the 65 gallon. I have it turned to 125 degrees and there have been no problems.
Are you not supposed to tilt the WH on it's side since it's a "refrigeration" unit and the liquid refrigerant can leak into the compressor causing damage? That is common precaution of not tilting for transporting refrigerators and AC units.
Looks pretty good, except you cannot have pex within 18 inches of any tank connection.
Yes Joe, you are right. No pex within 18" of heater per plumbing Code. Not sure why???
@@stevesperanza2015 National plumbing code says so. I assume the 18 inches closest to the tank is the hottest, so likely to protect the pex.
I am about to install one of those-also wondering about an expansion tank. I have an artesian well, and the same gray Well Mate tank that I see in the background of your video. Not sure whether I need to add a pressure tank or not, it seems as though the Well Mate would be performing the same task.
It is a bladder tank so if any expansion happens it just goes right back to the bladder tank. But in certain areas usually city water systems they require an expansion tank.
Thank you, and thank you for the video. Hopefully I can get a helper on pick-up day :-)
In some cases the well expansion tank will have a check valve to prevent household water from going back into the tank. If you have such a system you will need an expansion tank on the "house" side. Otherwise the well tank will do double duty.
Great video! Very comprehensive! Would love a video in a few months to hear about your savings. Question what area of the country are you in, asking because I am in the Pacific Northwest.
Robert Rodriguez I live in southeast Missouri where it is very humid. This water heater has also become a permanent mounted dehumidifier for us. I was operating a portable dehumidifier before and it is now stored in the garage. The savings in my area are substantial. I plan on doing another video showing my bill before and after once I receive 2 months of electric bills. Also don’t forget to check your local electric company for rebates they offer. My electric company Ozark Border Coop paid 500 for me to purchase this water heater.
Power Plant Man this is main reason I bot this hybrid water heater. I’m running 8 months a year dehumidifier. Hope I will no need it any more. I wasn’t able to find any reviews on internet about how much it can dehumidify. U r the first one why stated no more use of dehumidifier. Thanks
Power Plant Man how many sq f it was able to dehumidify?
AG Pawpaw it’s doing the entire basement which is 1200 square feet and it is noticeable dryer than before. This thing has a 10 year warranty so I am really hoping to get the full 10 years. I have bought several portable dehumidifiers they don’t last well for some reason.
You may want to change that galvanized 90 out to a brass one. Galvanized isn’t good to have in your domestic water. Just trying to help you out, thanks for the video!!
I was thinking to use pex 90 fitting instead.
Glad I’m not the only one. I cringed at the galvanized
Actually there’s no pex 90. I got straight male and than regular 90. No it’s sticking out further than I want
I was looking at the Rheem Ducted vs Not Ducted information sheet according to room size. Does this make the room colder? The room my existing water heater is in is usually warm because of other electrical equipment in there.
It definitely keeps the room colder. In fact my room is less than 60 degrees so I will probably add some ducting to mine. I’ll do a video of that as well.
@@PowerPlantMan Nice motivating video for DIYers! Are you referring to potential inlet or outlet air ducting? I live in Colorado and want to replace an 80 gallon 10 year old natural gas system with one of these (we are generating excess rooftop solar now). It’s in an unfinished basement that we recreate in, but I don’t want it any cooler than it is in winter. Ideally I was thinking of ducting the cool exhaust straight up between joists then 90 degrees for 2 feet to exit at the head wall of the garage under my workbench. Not so concerned about the garage being a few degrees cooler in winter and in summer that would be great! Can this type/length of run be done without back pressure issues or voiding warranty? Thanks in advance for your response.
@@PowerPlantMan Be careful with that! Adding a duct could create negative pressure in your house which will draw more cold air in from outside during the winter months. That will raise your overall heating bill and eat away at your savings. So long as your pipes aren't at risk of freezing I wouldn't mess with venting your water heater.
I'm about to install one myself. Looks pretty straightforward just a couple of observations/ ?'s. You installed a galvanized 90* elbow on the outlet/inlet nipples. Were they also galvanized? You then installed a brass fitting on the galvanized. Any concern about galvanic action between the metals? The installation manual also shows the use of heat traps on the piping. Why did you skip this step?
I have a Gas Heater and am thinking about this Hybrid Heater (50 Gal) due to the fact that when on sale and along with the rebates it would cost about $200 delivered ($400 utility rebate + $400 Tax Credit and cost of about $950 delivered on sale).
1) These things are very efficient so if saving $1000 over the cost of a Gas Water Heater, would it make sense to switch? Gas cost is about 80cents vs KW cost of 8Cents.
2) Can you use the inlet venting option from a basement of about 1300sq for the heat pump?
3) The drip pipe; can that be connected to an upflow toilet or separate pump as the closest drain is 30 feet away.
AMS
That’s a hard question because if you are on natural gas and you have a high efficiency water heater it is very difficult for electric to out do natural gas. If your on propane it’s not quite as cheap to operate. For example I work at a power plant and we burn natural gas and convert to electric and sell the electric for 8.551 cents per kWh. Also keep in mind during the winter this water heater will be cooling the air around while the heat is heating the house. To stop this you would have to change to electric elements. In my situation mine helps me keep my basement dry. As far as your 1300 square foot basement that is more than enough air volume. The drain pipe will potentially need a pump like you said cause if you don’t you may get the condensate drain alarm. But with rebates and tax credits paying a majority of the cost your getting a great water heater with a 10 year warranty. Can’t go wrong!
I wanna know if you have 5 ppl in the house is this still a good option for hot water or will you run out we have a 40 gallon regular tank now and all 3 kids take showers in a row sometime 3 kids and 1 adult b4 it starts to not have hot water will this do that much or better..
Chase Brown I would say you would need to at least go the next step up in size. I am running at 125 degrees and heat pump only mode. You can’t take a shower without cold being mixed in. It works for us with no problems.
Question-I';d like to put one of these in my garage where my old electric tank is now but I don't have a drain in my garage so this wouldn't be feasible?
You can use a condensate pump to get the water to a drain in the garage if you have one available such as a washer drain etc. Or you can just run a drain line out the garage door. As long as it runs downhill the water will go.
Just run a hose outside
I drilled a hole in the wall and ran pvc to the outside
Any update on your savings?
My propane was expensive and cost me 40 dollars a month to run the old water heater, this new one which is said to cost 100 dollars a year in electric. So for me im planning to save hundreds a year. So it was a no brainer.
I use 2.5kwh a day on this heater with a family of 4..
Using both PTFE tape and paste INCREASES the chance that it will leak, not DECREASE.
you didn't prime the ball valve only applied the cement. will this be an issue for a potential water leak?
I have not had a drop leak out so I have been very happy with how it turned out. I thought I primed everything but video doesn’t lie I missed that 1. I think priming definitely helps insure no leaks and would recommend not missing like I did. Good catch!
@@PowerPlantMan I good video you posted BTW. I'm thinking about switching over to the HPHW tank. Our PUD is providing a minor discount. The one I'll need for our home will require the 80 gallon tank.
These water heaters should never be laid flat. Must remain upright.
According to the documentation they can be laid on their side for transport. A quote from the paperwork follows: Easy to install-Easy access to electrical connections and two-side shipping, which means it can be laid horizontally, so it’s easy to get the unit to the installation location.
mtrske1 it’s true for Smith one, or how it called, from Lowe’s
Power Plant Man good to know. I didn’t realize that. I ordered a 65gal that just arrived last week. The Rheem 65gal sticker says $155/yr. I had it delivered freight and it came on a pallet. I wasn’t trying to pick it up.
Technically they can be laid flat. However, you're not supposed to let the compressor run until the water heater has been in an upright position for a certain amount of time. There's oil in the compressor's freon gas and they say the oil might not be where it's supposed to be if the compressor has been laid flat.
Also this one does not have a dip tube to break which is the other issue with laying a normal one on its side.
Just a question: how is this wh holding up after 3 years. How's it money wise ?
Could you give us a update on the Rheem water heater?Any issue's or problems.
I will be doing a video but I will tell you I’m using around 19 kWh per week. At our price of 8.55 cents per kWh it comes up to 1.62 per week which is a monster savings for us. I haven’t had any trouble.
@@PowerPlantMan I have a Bradford white 80 gal electric water heater that just went on me.I called the company it has a 10 year warranty and they told me they stop making my model.Due to not being energy efficent.Lol that why my electric bill is like $200 a month.
Enjoyed your video with a few questions. Are the crimpers available to rent? If there is no drain nearby, any suggestions for catching the condensate or simply using a pan work? How much condensate would you expect? I’m sure on a humid day in a garage you’d get quite a bit.
Another comment regarding using teflon tape. Besides getting a better thread seal, where you’re using dissimilar metals together the teflon provides an insulator preventing galvanic corrosion. This is true with any two dissimilar metals including stainless steel to steel. The steel will act as a sacrificial anode and corrode. .
No drain - if it's near your HVAC system (with central air), then use the drain that the AC coil drains into (which sometimes could be a condensate pump).
Ours was installed today. What mode do you suggest we use?
I use heat pump only mode but energy saver is a great mode as well! Enjoy the savings!
I just got one and the condensate alarms keep going off! Any idea how to fix?
How far is your drain running? I haven’t ran into this problem so I would be guessing?
Power Plant Man then length of the heater. As of today no alarms all is good
Once the bugs are worked out you will be doing the save me some money dance.
Carl Lile after reading your comment, to avoid trouble like you with drain, I used 3/4” black pipe for sprinkler system. Thanks
No thermal expansin tank?
Great video, appreciate your sharing. Quick question, what is the power requirement (110V or 220V) for your unit? Thank you.
220 volts
@@PowerPlantMan Thank you for your prompt response, appreciate it. Are you happy so far with your new hybrid unit? Can you add a re-circulation pump to the hot water pipe?
I love this water heater and the associated app. Our electric bill has dropped nicely. I love it so much that I just bought the smaller unit to install upstairs to replace a standard water heater as well. As far as a recirculating pump you can add that to any water heater and it would give you instant hot water at the faucets or shower. So it would prevent water from going down the drain waiting for it to get hot. If you have insulated lines you won’t lose too much heat in the lines. But if the lines aren’t you will at least have some heat loss.
@@PowerPlantMan Thank you again for your prompt reply. Have a nice day and stay safe.
Question about expansion tank. Currently I don't see one in my setup. After I replaced with the hybrid water heater, do I need an expansion tank? I didn't see one in your video. Please comment. Thank you.
Well done. But the romex just coming out of the wall like that...shotty job.
I saw you transported your hot water heater in a trailer on its side, any problem with transporting this way??
Normally the reason you don’t want to do that is the cold water dip tube can break. This water heater does not have the dip tube because the cold water goes in at the bottom not the top.
Really good video. Isn’t it necessary to have at least 18” of copper or metal pipe from the water heater before connecting pex?
I have heard that putting a piece of copper pipe in helps with algae control but I haven’t had algae in my water. But I have a really deep well where I live. I guess depending on where the water came from there could be some algae. I had no copper piping in my house from initial installation so I left that just as it was.
Power Plant Man cool. Thanks for the response.
Keep plastic 18" from the tank is the requirement.
@@bokchoy335 18" from the tank or 18" from the connection point into/out of the tank?
@@roshi98 18” of copper from the connection and then you can connect pex. Doesn’t appear they did it correctly in the video but from research, it’s more of a concern w a gas heater. I personally would follow the code.
Do you have an electric clothes dryer? If so, during the winter you can remove the vent, put a womans stocking over the tube and let the hot moist air fill the house. Just gotta clean the stocking every few loads. They also make kits to have it vent indoor
We do have an electric drier when we moved here the old owners had the dryer venting to the garage and let me tell you. That garage had water running down the walls. The windows were fogged over and dripping with condensation . I finally diverted it outside to dry the garage back out. It was causing tools to rust thank goodness for WD40 to coat them. Of course at the time we also had 2 more boys which are now in the military so slightly less drying. But we also hang out clothes on the back deck when the weather is nice! Thanks for the comment some of the viewers may want to research that as an option!
Yikes! Yeah you dont want to much moisture! Causes more damage than good... another option then is look into a solar heater, it uses soda/beer cans to heat your home in the window. Uses 0 electric , might cost 100 to build but have for a lifetime
x14inchdubsx it is crazy humid here in Southeast Missouri.
Yeah, that’s not very smart advice, to put that much moisture into the dwelling. 🤦♂️
How has it been overall with hot water coming out
I have mine set at 125 so it’s pretty hot. It has to have cold nicked in with it.
I'm surprised there is no neutral connection to the wiring??
No neutral current, so no nuetral needed.
Did your water leak detector come with it? Mine was missing the white probe.. Called them and they said it was a separate purchase....
The leak detector sensor is located in the bag with the owners manual attached to the side of the water heater. It is included.
My water heater is in the laundry room, and I would like to know if the heat pump fans are noisy
Mine is pretty quiet
I have one and it's not loud but mine is in my garage. I personally would NOT put this water heater inside my house because of the noise it makes (it sound like a big refrigerator running) and also because it takes the heat and humidity out of the air and puts out cooler air (not cold air like an AC) but it is cooler air. This may effect the air temperature in your house.
That's funny how much has changed, mine wasn't mounted on a crate like that, just a thick cardboard base. And there was no setup or anything like that for internet, it said to download app connect to the tanks wifi, and go from there. Also all those other menus you mentioned aren't there on mine... I have the Rheem Performance Platinum, not sure what one you have? As far as Pex, I just don't see the benefit here. You already had cpvc in there, so why not just add a few more pipes / fittings for pennies vs all those expensive metal adapters and tools... And I can't help but think of a child's toy when I see the red / blue rubber looking tubing that flexes and moves all over. Pex is great for a new install but here it seems expensive and well, silly.
I think using cpvc would have been much easier. Everyone was raving about the pex so I tried it. The pex was expensive and easy but for cutting and crimping those short pieces the crimping tool didn’t always fit easily. Cpvc in tight places for me.
@@PowerPlantMan Now Shark bite with CPVC, that is amazing when you need to do angles, I had to mount my expansion tank on the wall, and of course the pipe ran along the wall, but the expansion pipe is about 5 inches out. So I put in a shark bite T ran a length of cpvc out from the wall, put in an elbow and then a female npt. cpvc with glue would of been much more difficult if it was even slightly off on the angles but shark bite lets you move the pipe after its installed and you can even remove it. As far as Pex its great if you are starting from scratch through walls and all that as a contractor or something. Fast quick and doesn't leak and lasts forever.
Did you need to add an expansion tank??
Mine already had an expansion tank so I reused it.
Hi, I just got this same water heater and plan to install it soon. What type of wire and circuit breaker do you have connected to it? Thanks.
Mine has 10 gauge wire and 30 amp breaker because the old water heater required it. This one requires the same if you plan to use the heating elements. But there is an option to use heat pump only which saves the most electric but it also takes longer to heat up. It’s customizable to your needs.
I see in one of your pictures its laid down. I was told not to lay mine down.
What about the maintenance problems?
It’s been a couple years and other than cleaning the filter it has been flawless
Whoever has a hot water heat pump, do you like it? I’ll convert my propane gas hot water tank if enough people approve of the conversion! Thanks!
Look at this old house they did a split unit the heat pump can go outside and transfers the hot water from the tank outside to the unit that way you can use your old hot water tank and when it falls replace the hot water tank if a gas hot water tank is properly included and maintained I've seen them last over 30 years but the anoid has to be replaced regularly and so will your dip tube and regular flushing of the sentiment off the bottom of the tank how often depends on how hard your water is and how much dirt is in it add yes municipal water supplies have dirt in them some more than others but unless you have a water softener you will have dirt which will eventually ware out your dip tube and leave sentiment on the bottom of your tank copper pipes conected directly to the tank will wear down the anoid I've seen tanks with the copper lines attached last as little as 5 years the anoid lasted probably half that time then it found a pin hole in the glass liner ond that's were it sprung a leak
Most people who drain their tank shut it off and gravity drain it the pob
these tablets are very frustrating I was going to say once the sentiment has settled it won't drain out with the water it needs to be flushed out with running water also have a cap for the drain valve as quite often the leak after flushing tank
@@douglaswindsor120 I appreciate your comments!!
Cool video man. I was thinking of getting one but winters are just too cold where I'm at, got a tankless instead. Hope you save a lot of money.
jim bo it’s definitely dependent on your area. We are hot and humid in the summer so this thing is saving me a ton of money. I was also running a dehumidifier in the basement. So this thing is an acting dehumidifier permanently installed. Yesterday’s kW usage was 2.55 and our rates are 8.551 so total cost 21.8 cents. Thanks for the comment!
Yesterday marked 1 month since I installed the water heater it has used 111.2 kWh our cost of electric in Missouri is 8.551 cents per kWh for the first 1200kWh then it drops to 7.743 cents. At the higher rate that means I have used $9.51 that is way way cheaper that what I was paying. I originally thought our cost per kWh was .089 so I just discovered I was wrong in a good way on our electric rates here!
Scores of neighbors here in Texas just got new tankless heaters after the long power outage in near zero degrees weather. Beware, you need to drain that tankless when the cold comes and you are without electricity. :-)
You forgot to put primer on the inside of the on off valve
Heck yeah, those things are heavy. I got the 50gal GE Unit... *hernia included*! ;-) Coupla things to be aware of... the heat pump makes *noise*, it's more than a fridge, in our case. Also, you can't put them in *closets*... they need a minimum amount of air space from which to draw the heat... I got a buddy who figured out a way to put in a duct to suck attic air and get it to the unit, but I'm pretty sure that's above & beyond, warrantywise... ;-)
I don't think it affects the warranty if you duct it that way. I have mine in a storage room connected to the house so I can barely hear it. Originally I had the intake ductedr to the attic and it would dump the exhaust into the storage room which had an exterior door with a vent in it So no problems regarding the room getting pressurized. I ended up closing up the vent in the door and I just pulled heat from the house, in the winter it's too cold in the attic, and now in the summer I keep pulling from the house and I exhaust back into the house also to help with air conditioning load. The water heater is a little less efficient that way but it adds some good cooling in the kitchen...
You should use CPVC glue on CPVC not PVC glue.
Not trying to knock you. I commend you for doing it yourself. There is just so much wrong here. 1 you can’t use galvanized on potable water. 2 your pex needs to be 18” away from the heater. 3 you never put brass male into and pvc/cpvc fitting. It will crack Always pvc/cpvc male into brass female. 4. Bottom fed water heater MUST have a vacuum breaker on the cold side .
Thanks for pointing those things out Thomas ... and I do appreciate the video Power Plant Man also!
I thought galvanized eventually corroded s and becomes toxic for drinking water
I've never seen anyone use Teflon tape and pipe do
watch for electrolysis between the brass and iron fittings
Who has drains in their garage floors ?
I have a drain in my basement floor but not my garage floor.
430 $ equals 40 $$per month add 180 $per month grid tied fees equals 280 $$per month to operate that isn't cheap in my area you have jusr tied yourself to the grid or if you ever want to cut the grid and go solar 8 grand minimum for split phase electric I'm still looking for a hybrid water heater preferably a split unit as one of them uses water for the transfer
You can’t use galvanized fittings. It’s not code
Have you noticed the bill is high for this? Debating whether to buy gas or electric
My bill has dropped significantly with this water heater but that’s based on me being all electric and I was running a dehumidifier all the time to so it’s saving me a lot of money. But I will throw in this information as a power plant worker that works at a power plant that converts natural gas to electricity it’s hard for any electric to compete with natural gas. So if you have natural gas at your house it’s a close call but I would go with natural gas. But if your talking about propane I would still lean toward this water heater.
4:30. Well, take a closer look you will see the energy label uses some kwh usage and electricity rate. But your kwh usage and electricity rate are anything but those numbers. First, find out your kwh usage, perhaps the app can give you that. 2nd find out your electricity rate. Then multiply the two numbers to get your annual cost. Believe me it will be far more than 105. I am very curious how much.