I’m finally going to pull the trigger on a new water heating system and I was convinced a tankless with storage tank design was the way to go. I’ve read multiple message boards talking about this design and one really nice Fine Homebuilding article from 11/2007 describing the design in detail. I actually emailed my plumber that article:
However, this morning my plumber shows up with a brochure about a hybrid water heater. It’s similar to what the above article describes except this company has put all the best features of tank + tankless into one unit. Here’s the website:
http://www.eternalwaterheater.com
Anyone have any experience with this unit or one like it? Or is it so cutting edge that none of us know what the long term results will be like?
Replies
You might try posting your Q over here as well.
http://heatinghelp.com/
The FH article ... install the tankless to elminate tank losses ... then install a tank. While I'm sure it has its applications, seems kind of silly. Why not just install a tank style heater that is efficient? If you use water daily (i.e. like any normal family), the tankless offers minimal benefit at a huge installed cost. As a GENERAL statement, I think they are oversold as "BIG" energy savers, when they are not.
Went to your other site and took a quick look. IMO they don't really describe how it works very well so that us technical sorts can pick it apart. Looks like a 'high tech' heat exchanger type system ... beyond that they seem a bit tight lipped about how it really works. The animated graphic is glitzy, but again, it doesn't really reveal much. The technology of their device is tucked away in their trade secrets ... but the principle of 'how it works' should be shown [more clearly]. There are plenty of plumbers, engineers and the like that should be able to scrutinize it enough to recommend it. It doesn't seem like we can.
Companies that are so secretive about such matters make my intuition buzz a bit. I have a tendency to be skeptical. Admitedly, I didn't spend a lot of time at their website, but there ain't a lot there to really look at. I simply refuse to read the "testimonials". May be the best thing since sliced bread, but if they are going to hide it, they can't give us a warm and fuzzy feeling that it is in fact good.
Maybe someone else can add to this and help clarify.