Protech

The elements are for high demand/backup only. The heat pump is the primary heater. The heat pump is by far more complicated and probably the most failure prone. Bad compressor,pressure switches (assuming it has them), clogged throttling device, leak in evaporator coils or condenser heater exchanger then it the HVAC guy only.

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Protech

They are transistor controlled. How many plumber here are schooled in electronics? Few.

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TheMaster

I think its gonna be a problem with servicing them. Plus it has a filter that they say should be cleaned once a month. If you install it inside the living space its going to be kicking out cool air....that could be a bad thing maybe.

UnclogNH

I'm sure I won't see these new GE water heaters around here for a while still 1980s around here.

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Charging less does not mean more call volume it just means you have to work harder to reach your goals.

plumbrsteve

hey, check this out, curious how old this 30 lp wh is. called a day & night, registration #, [never heard of this] 046343 631279 i'll try to get some pictures. looks like 50s or early 60s, anyone? still working!

TheMaster

I've talked about those before....I believe it has a copper tank.

plumbrsteve

tried to google, but need a better way to research I guess, the thing is real pretty

Redwood

The GE Heat Pump water heaters are at Lowe's and Sears.
Rheem has them as well but they appear to be different from the GE.
Both the GE and Rheem have 2 4500-watt elements in addition to the heat pump on a 50-gallon tank with options to go full heat pump, both heat pump and elements and elements only.

AO Smith just introduced the Voltex Heat pump water heater as well.
They haven't given any details on it yet.

Stiebel Eltron has the Accelera 300 which is really the only true heat pump water heater which places a major reliance on the heat pump for heating water. It has the highest energy factor coming in at 2.5 and it has an 80-gallon tank to supply a higher 1st hour delivery than the others. It also has only a 1700-watt backup element at the top of the unit. While the other still require a 30-amp circuit the Stiebel Eltron Accelera 300 only needs a 15 amp circuit...

You can check them out here...
http://411plumb.com/category/heat-pump-water-heater

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Protech

The Stiebel Eltron Accelera owns all the rest IMHO.

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Redwood

I'll agree with that however the others in their keeping the 2-4500 watt elements have made a unit that would be acceptable in the northern tier states where the heat pump has a limited usefulness. This of course gives them a bigger market appeal...

Based on the climate in different areas the southern states would see economical heat pump operation 90-100% of the year.

Middle latitude states would see economical heat pump operation 60% of the year.

Northern states get economical heat pump operation 50% of the year.

The highest efficiencies will be achieved when installed in locations where the unconditioned air temperature is between 40°F – 120°F. Attics, basements, and garages typically provide optimal performance.

Some years ago here in Connecticut Northeast Utilities ran several tests on heat pump water heaters. One was in the 90's and I don't have info on that program but, the second program they ran was in the early 2000 years called the "Hot Shot" program. I had the pleasure of replacing one of their heat pump water heaters from the test program a while back when the tank failed. Here's a couple of links to the program results, keep in mind these heat pumps were much older and had some reliability problems. the new units use more modern refrigerants that work a lot more efficiently at transfering heat.

http://www.homeenergy.org/hewebsite/...-6_feature.pdf
http://www.cee1.org/eval/db_pdf/277.pdf

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