JASchneider
New Member
Hello. Just bought a new, old house (1925) that has a crappy (or so I've read), but almost new US Craftmaster atmospheric-vented 50-gal tank. We're thinking of removing the furnace chimney for a kitchen remodel, as we'll also be replacing the very old and worn out furnace, so I'm thinking of just dropping some more dough and getting a better tank that's not AV. I might be interested in doing an incentive program, which means a model with an EF of 0.67 or higher.
First off, I think I see a vast preference for BW tanks, with Rheem maybe a distant second. Also, I think plain old direct-vent will be difficult, because I had one in my old house, and the concentric vent looks like it would require cutting all the way through a rim joist to fit (my old house had a low foundation and pony wall, so that wasn't an issue). Plain DV would also require more replumbing.
I have a laundry area that is by no means airtight and is also not near any living space, so I don't think noise will be an issue. I'm not sure whether the power drain of a forced-vented WH is an issue, given that these models also tend to be efficient on gas, but I've never really seen that question discussed. Supplying the power for a fan is not a problem.
Anyway, I'm trying to decide on power vent or power direct vent, BW or Rheem. Thing is, BW's models mostly seem to have EF below the incentive target, until they get very pricey.
So, looking for recommendations. Is there any more advantage to power direct vent over power vent if this isn't an airtight space? Is Rheem that much worse than BW? Should I be thinking about anything else?
Thanks
First off, I think I see a vast preference for BW tanks, with Rheem maybe a distant second. Also, I think plain old direct-vent will be difficult, because I had one in my old house, and the concentric vent looks like it would require cutting all the way through a rim joist to fit (my old house had a low foundation and pony wall, so that wasn't an issue). Plain DV would also require more replumbing.
I have a laundry area that is by no means airtight and is also not near any living space, so I don't think noise will be an issue. I'm not sure whether the power drain of a forced-vented WH is an issue, given that these models also tend to be efficient on gas, but I've never really seen that question discussed. Supplying the power for a fan is not a problem.
Anyway, I'm trying to decide on power vent or power direct vent, BW or Rheem. Thing is, BW's models mostly seem to have EF below the incentive target, until they get very pricey.
So, looking for recommendations. Is there any more advantage to power direct vent over power vent if this isn't an airtight space? Is Rheem that much worse than BW? Should I be thinking about anything else?
Thanks