Marathon electric water heater

[Brandon Whitmore]

Does anyone have any experience with these new high efficiency water heaters that have a lifetime warranty? I am thinking about putting one in my place, but figured I would ask here first

http://www.marathonheaters.com/

[Jim Katen]

It looks like a marital aid.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Richard Moore]

hmmm...

Component parts of the Marathon water heater such as the thermostats and elements are warranted for a period of six years from date of manufacture for all residential applications.

The tank is warrantied not to leak as long as you own the home...probably not transferrable to a new buyer. I know nothing about these (good or bad) but the above hardly seems like a "lifetime warranty". I would imagine that the power to heat up cold water would be about the same as a "regular" heater so the efficiency would seem to be mostly from the improved insulation for when the hot water is just standing there unused. So...how long will it take to recoup the extra initial expense? Sorry...no idea, but if you plan on staying in the home for longer than the lifespan of one regular heater I can see the benefit. That is, as long as the "6-year" parts don't need to be constantly replaced.

For our benefit I say go ahead, and then please report back to us in, say, about 12 years?

[Brian G]

The most durable water heater ever made? Have they seen the one somebody posted made of monel?

I appreciate the efforts to be environmentally friendly and efficient, but it seems to me a tankless would be better at both for that kind of money.

Brian G.

Built Like a "Tank"? []

[hausdok]

I think we're being a little harsh here.

When you think about it, the Achilles heel of storage type water heaters is the tank. One can get replacement thermostats and heating elements for decades after a tank is no more because electrical components are pretty standardized. It's the piping to the tank and the tank itself that goes bad.

So, they've produced a tank that will outlast other tanks. Yeah, one must still replace the electrical components occasionally, but that's a whole lot simpler than hauling a new tank in and out every 8 to 15 years and all of the plumbing work that's associated with that.

Is it more efficient than an on-demand type? Probably not, but it's an efficiency that can be measured a different way. When someone else has gone through 2 or 3 conventional tanks, the owner of one of these might have had to replace one or two heating elements or a thermostat in the same time frame. Given escalating labor rates, over 2-3 decades, that could translate into substantial savings over the replacement costs involved with several times replacing a regular storage type tank.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Brandon Whitmore]

The electric on- demand water heater I found said to allow for 120 amps for the water heater alone -- based on memory from yesterday's reading. [:-bigeyes

[hausdok]

Hi,

Yeah, that sounds about right. For most whole house electric on-demand units you need a minimum service size of 200 amps. Those pull more amperage than a typical electric storage tank water heater. We have some homes around here which are all electric, including the water heaters, and they run fine on 100 or 125 amp panels. It's really a question of how the home is configured, its size, and what type of devices are used.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Brandon Chew]

This forum is suffering from curmudgeonitis. First ya didn't like trusses with webs made out of Popsicle sticks, and now it's electric water heaters with plastic tanks.

It's usually a lot cheaper to repair rather than replace a storage type water heater, gas or electric, if anything on it goes bad except for the tank. When the tank goes, it's time to put in a new unit.

Back in 1992 I converted my oil-fired furnace to a high efficiency Cat-IV gas furnace. Shortly afterward, I replaced my electric water heater with a gas water heater, using the chase for the old oil fired furnace to run the new vent for the water heater from the basement through two stories and out the roof.

That gas water heater is now 14 years old and while it looks and runs fine, the tank could go at any time. I'm going to put a new roof on my house this summer. I've had my eye on that Marathon unit for a couple of years. When my gas heater bites the dust or when I do the roof (whichever comes first) I plan to run the numbers and see if it makes economic sense to convert back to a well-insulated Marathon unit.

When doing the comparison, as Mike pointed out, consider that during the real lifetime of the Marathon, you might go through 2 or 3 conventional units. Add replacement cost of the conventional units to the operating cost of the conventional units. Figure out the break-even point and compare that to how long you plan to live in the home.

Also, in my case, by converting from gas to electric, I can eliminate a penetration through my roof, completely close off and seal the chase that runs from basement to attic and which provides a nice "stack effect", eliminate energy loss that comes from drawing combustion air from within the conditioned air space of the home and venting it to the outside, and not have to worry about back-drafting through the water heater vent when I use my fireplace. None of that really has anything to do with the Marathon, but is a factor in the conversion from gas to electric.

I believe that the Marathons are either made by or are owned by a division of Rheem. It might be a good idea to surf or post on a professional plumbers forum to see what they have to say about the units. I haven't taken that step yet but plan to when I start getting more serious about it.

[Richard Moore]

"This forum is suffering from curmudgeonitis...."

Brandon, I'd like to think it was healthy skepticism but, after re-reading my last few posts, I think you might be right. I do seem to have caught something and developed an allergic reation to change! Do you know if curmudgeonitis is one of those new-fangled deseases that's not as good as the old ones?

[Brandon Whitmore]

Here is a link that compares the costs of different types of water heaters.

http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/waterheating.htm

Also, Roto- Rooter has a deal going on in Oregon (through the Energy Trust of Oregon) through the end of April where you can get a 50 gal. Marathon water heater installed for $765.00. That is only about double the price of other inefficient models. I have not seen a better price, but am still looking.

[charlieb]

Originally posted by Brian G

The most durable water heater ever made? Have they seen the one somebody posted made of monel?

I appreciate the efforts to be environmentally friendly and efficient, but it seems to me a tankless would be better at both for that kind of money.

Brian G.

Built Like a "Tank"? []

For your reading pleasure. Consider the source.

Download Attachment: Tankless WH whitepaper.pdf

173.15 KB

Let's try to add the file again