[Shop-talk] Natural gas tank-based water heaters?

[Douglas Braun]

Most new construction seems to use the kind with an exhaust blower,
because they don't need a flue and chimney, just a PVC pipe to the
outside.  But the "classic" model is still easy to get, since there
will always be a demand for replacements.  I think the main
differences these days are better insulation and something in the
burner that detects CO or a lack of oxygen, and shuts it down.

Consumer guides always seem to say the the biggest predictor of
quality is the length of the warranty, not the brand.

Doug


On Fri, Jul 22, 2011 at 8:06 AM, Jimmie Mayfield
<mayfield+shoptalk at sackheads.org> wrote:
> Not really shop-related but...
>
> My current water heater is approaching 20 years old so it's probably time
to
> preemptively replace it before it suffers a failure.  This one is a 40gal
Rheem
> Fury and given its resilience, I might be naively tempted to buy another
> Rheem and be done with it.  But the cynic in me says that a lot can change
in
> 20 years.
>
> So what brand/models of tank-based gas water heaters should I avoid?
>
> Do they still typically use pilot lights or do they use hot-surface or
spark
> ignition (meaning that I'll need to run a circuit to the water heater's
closet)?
>
> Thanks!