GeoSpring Heat Pump Water Heater

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ChrisJA

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Good evening-

First, I love this forum as I have learned so much about water heaters, water softeners, plumping, etc...thank you!

Soon after moving into our new home last year, we realized the water heater was not sufficient for our family of 5 (myself, husband and our 3 girls). Our builder installed a 50 gallon GeoSpring Heat Pump Electric Water Heater. In our previous homes we have always had a 50 gallon conventional gas water heater that was sufficient for our needs. We did some research on the GeoSpring and learned that an 80 gallon unit is recommended for a family of 5 with average hot water consumption. Additionally, our utility room is 550 cubic feet and the GeoSpring 50 gallon requires at least 700 cubic feet to run efficiently. Too small of a water heater for our family + added inefficiency due too small of a utility room + pathetic 8 per hour recovery = an unhappy homeowner and mother! The utility room is in our finished basement across from our teenager's bedroom. We thought about adding a louvered door to increase air volume and in turn efficiency, but the output of cold air billowing into our daughter's room and the family room would not be good. We live in the Northwest (Spokane, WA).

Our builder is giving us a few options and I would really appreciate any advice. Here is a paste from his e-mail....


1) Add high/low venting to the mechanical room.

a. We can do this and see if the water tank runs better, and provides more hot water.

2) Add a ventilation duct for the exhaust of the current water heat. This will remove the cold air from the house.

3) Install an 80-gallon water tank in lieu of the current 50.

a. The unit would be a G.E. GeoSpring 80-gallon 240-Volt unit. Model #GEH80DFEJSR.

b. This unit,with an added high/low vent to the mechanical room would provide a substantial increase to the hot water capacity in the home.

c. The unit could also be vented to the outside.

4) Replace the current tank with a 50- gallon gas heat pump unit. Spec as provided.

a. http://www.americanwaterheater.com/residential/gas/pvg62-50t50-nvs/


We are leaning toward option 3, 80 gallon GeoSpring with high/low venting because we have concerns about the gas power vent noise level and long term cost. Apparently due to Washington State Code and our basement being complete, our builder is not giving us the option of a conventional gas water heater. Can you explain high/low venting and what impact that would have? Do you think that would be adequate to accommodate the 80 gallon unit that I assume needs even more air volume than the 50 gallon to run efficiently?

Thank you in advance for your time,

Christie
 
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