Eternal Hybrid Water Heater

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Ballvalve

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If you want a "new item" hot attic water heater, here is one that sucks that heat out of it - domestic, and cheaper.

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=GEH50DNSRSA

First hour rating of 63 gallons.

Edited by Terry to remove rant about a product that Ballvalve has never seen.

The link above is for a tank type heater that uses electrity. A heat pump water heater needs to be installed in a non-heated portion of the home; like in a garage.
First hour rating of 63 gallons.
It needs a condensate drain, just like the tankless heaters.
ge_geospring_condensation.jpg
 
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Ballvalve

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If you want a "new item" hot attic water heater, here is one that sucks that heat out of it - domestic, and cheaper.

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=GEH50DNSRSA

First hour rating of 63 gallons.

Rant? Just a comment on companies that have no domestic track record, and about the 100 year old heater that is a perfect device for 1/15 the cost.

But I guess I forgot to notice that the boss here is selling and installing these things, so I got dinged. People are suckers for shiny new technology, but may be genieu pigs in the long haul. I realize plumbing houses need to make a profit like car dealers too.

I did see the unit - you showed a diagram. Its filled with devices that are absent on a simple tank heater. We should know that tubes and trays and upside down cumbustion is a concept that may not have longevity.

Thats an OPINION. I thought this was a forum, not a sales pitch thread.


I purchased the GU145 last April and have had nothing but problems with the unit from the start. It appears to have inherent low GPM problems. So if I run a shower or a faucet for a few minutes the heater sputters, fails and shuts off. I've placed a dozen service calls with my plumber and Eternal and have yet to have the problem fixed. My plumber (Rite-Way) has been great throughout the whole process and is actually more frustrated with Eternal than I am. The plumber tried to get the whole unit replaced, but Eternal instead wanted them to replace nearly every individual piece on the unit. Eternal has wasted both of our time and my money. Avoid this expensive piece of junk. Don't buy into the hype. **Eternal Water Heater Complaint**

Why didnt this guy get deleted? Sure sound like INFERNAL to me.
 
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Terry

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That fellow has seen one, therefore it's a user comment. It sounds like the gas connection was undersized.

About your comment........
Speculation doesn't really count for much.

The pictures I posted above are from customers that say, "The system is working great."
That's a user comment too.
But then maybe our installers are just better.
With any device, you have to install it correctly. That hasn't changed.
 
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Master Plumber Mark

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Is this your installation?????

:cool:
Leaking 13 year old Rheem gas water heater



New Eternal water heater.

wh_hightower_09.jpg

Endless hot water.
Or should I say, eternally?

$300 tax credit from IRS
$200 rebate from PSE in the Seattle area.


It looks pretty good
what is the extra flu pipe for going ont the sid eof the building...??

Is that an air intake??? It does no tloook to hard to install at all compared to a tankless heater... and did you have to increase the gas size???



it looks really good but I think you went a little overboard with the commercial
pipe hangers for the PVC flu pipes.....


looking at the unit, it makes me wonder if the gas line is not undersized
I suppose it is ok

The flex you see on the left is for the furnace.

We used a 1" CSST for the water heater.
And we like to "overkill" things.
Terry
 
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Trouthead

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in a closet?

Can the eternal go in an interior closet, which presently houses an electric tank? It appears to get outside air from one of the two PVC pipes.
 

Jadnashua

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The installation instructions will list minimum clearance distances and maximum intake/exhaust lengths. As long as you can meet at least the minimums, you should be okay. Keep in mind there are restrictions on where you can exhaust any fired appliance in relation to windows, doors, or other intake or exhaust vents. Usually not hard to abide by, but could be a factor.
 

Trouthead

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noise

Certainly sounds noisier than an electric tank:) Hard to tell from the video if the noise level would be noticable in a closet right off the living room. I need to find someone in my area (good luck) that has had one installed. Out local gas company has been promoting them each month with a flier in with the bill. Someone will get one sooner or later. Noise would be a killer for my household, not me as my wife says I am deaf but for my wife acceptance factor.
 

acpstx

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We just started selling the GU 145s, GU 195s, and GU 195m models of the Eternal Hybrid water heater. So far, I have discovered that it is more difficult to install than most heaters, but overall it is definitely worth it. Our customers have been happy so far.

PS, mods, for some reason I can't post the link to my site about these units because the link contains "censored words" - buy and plumbing together.
 

Terry

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The plumbers sell them too.
Since you are wholesale, why are you selling online?
I don't have to compete with my local supplier that way. Does "your" supplier know what you are doing?
 

ReviewinMalibu

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After our 2 yr old water heater failed, we had to replace it with a new model that required $1600 in parts and service. Grand Hall refused to pay any. We purchased a brand new home in 2010 that had an Eternal water heater by Grand Hall. Two years later the heater failed and had to be replaced with a new one. Eternal no longer manufactured the model we had, so they sent us the newer one that replaced it. The problem is that it cost over $1,600 in parts and labor to reconfigure and install this new model -- and Eternal (Grand Hall) refused to reimburse any of it. They said that the warranty only covered the unit, which they sent. But it was so different from the original it was very expensive to install. After only two years of use, we feel very strongly that Eternal (Grand Hall) should have backed up their product when it failed. It is ridiculous that we are out $1,600 for replacing a brand new water heater we only had for two years. If they changed the model so drastically, they need to pay for the installation when they replace a defective unit. I had multiple phone and email conversations with Eternal representatives, finally getting escalated to district manager Shawn Bacon. I emailed him the receipts for the expenses we incurred in replacing the unit. He told me since their warranty didn't cover the extra parts and labor Eternal was not going to reimburse us.
 

catman

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So what is an approximate cost of installing one of these eternal units? I would be going from a traditional atmospheric venting tank unit.
 

RebeccaE

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I see these go for $1000-$1200, my propane company wants $3890. I'm thinking that sounds excessive for installation and profit.
I'm single, so, a bathtub is my biggest demand to run in this house. I'm only here in CT in the winter. Anyone have other suggestions? I'm thinking I can install a tankless myself, it's only the venting, propane line and the water connections. Why the h*ll would they be asking so much?
 

Jadnashua

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You may need to run a new, larger gas supply line back to the tank...these things are energy hogs while running. Their advantage is that they only run when you actually need hot water. The exhaust (and likely inlet) piping can be quite expensive, depending on the type (pvc is cheap, but if it requires SS, it gets expensive quickly). Isolation and purge/clean valves for descaling the thing add cost and complexity (and therefore time and materials) to install. Not justifying the cost, but it can be a lot of time and materials to install. Then, it will require regular maintenance, whether you do it or pay someone, probably on an annual basis. Winter and high volume to fill a tub in a reasonable timeframe mean a substantially sized unit. Something that may work fine in the summer or for a single shower is not in the same league as one needed to fill a big soaking tub in the winter in a (moderately) cold climate. Your water temps may not be as cold as say someone in northern Maine, but certainly are colder than someone in say Florida. Temperature rise, volume all play into what's needed for satisfactory operation. You can put in a tank type for a lot less, and a lot less maintenance. Unless you're going to be refilling the tub numerous times, it may be a less expensive option.
 

Dana

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I see these go for $1000-$1200, my propane company wants $3890. I'm thinking that sounds excessive for installation and profit.
I'm single, so, a bathtub is my biggest demand to run in this house. I'm only here in CT in the winter. Anyone have other suggestions? I'm thinking I can install a tankless myself, it's only the venting, propane line and the water connections. Why the h*ll would they be asking so much?

If you're only there in winter and are heating with propane you'd be much better off spending the $3890 on a mini-split air source heat pump, which even at CT type electricity pricing would cost less than half what it costs to heat with $3/gallon propane.

Most of the standby loss of a standard ~0.60 EF propane tank type hot water heater accrues primarily to the house- the losses from the water heater come directly off your heating energy use. Turn the thing off when you leave, and you'll have no summertime standby loss. There is effectively ZERO payback on going tankless in your winter-use-only situation, only additional maintenance headache.
 
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