Trouble finding large tank replacement - 65+ electric only

[astrila]

Can anyone recommend a tank or a solution for this? We have a large indoor tank water heater hooked to a large jacuzzi tub and bathroom. It’s 20 years old and when we bought our house and did the home inspection the inspector recommended replacing it. It’s a 65 gal (71 capacity) and the size just barely fills the large tub so we can’t go smaller. Its location is in a walk-in closet on the 2nd floor.
So the only one Home Depot has in this size is a hybrid tank. I just called to buy it and have it installed, but the guy said hybrid tanks have to be installed in a garage or basement type spot, a cool location, they won’t install in an indoor closet. Smaller tanks won’t do the job, now I’m like... what now? How do we replace this thing?? He said we could add a mixer on to a smaller tank, but we really don’t want any decrease in temp at all because the jacuzzi already cools off fast with the bubbles etc. Tankless also won’t work, we don’t have the necessary electrical capacity.
I then checked with Lowes and they have an 80 gal electric tank which would fit... but it only comes with a 3 yr warranty and doesn’t look nearly as high quality as the one we currently have... although it does say designed for commercial use...but it seems to be the only choice anyway? It’s an “American Water Heater” brand. The one we have now, a GE, is already 20 years old and can’t last forever... But should I actually wait for it to actually really breakdown then before going for this less-than-ideal replacement that only comes with a lousy 3 yr warranty?... We do have a leak-system set up so if it did start leaking it goes outside... Or is there anywhere else that sells water heaters I should look into? I also see the 80 gal Geosprings Hybrid available online has an option to run in electric-only mode... Would that be a better option than the 3 yr one?

 

[Clog]

Why not call Terry Love Plumbing to give you an estimate? He is right there on the other side of the Sammamish Lake.

 

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[hj]

A Ruud Marathon "all plastic" tank is available in electric only.

https://www.rheem.com/group/rheem-Residential-Electric-Water-Heaters-Marathon/

 

[Phog]

Hi astrila, I have heard of hybrid heat pump / electric water heaters installed in closets with pass-through wall vents (or even fans & ducting) to circulate outside air to the heat pump coil. I believe this is an approved method of install and one that is covered in the installation manual for many brands. You should also be able to get large electric water heaters up to 100 gallon size installed through local plumbers. So call around and get a few estimates. The big box home stores are not even close to your only option.

 

[Dana]

Hybrid water heaters use a lot less power, but also take a long time to recover. That's fine if you only use the big tub occasionally and can schedule your other water use around it.

Home Depot sells a 4500 watt 80 gallon all-stainless Westinghouse with a lifetime warranty, which won't need any wiring upgrades, should drop right in.

For more money they sell a commercial all-stainless 80 gallon Westinghouse with a 10 year warranty. It's not cheap, but it'll outlast any glass-lined mild steel tank by 2x, independent of the warranty. At 16,500 watts it takes more than 3x the power of a standard residential water heater for faster recovery times, which may be useful after filling a huge tub, but will most likely require heaver wiring than what your last water heater took.