Tankless H2O heater verdict

[Dean Hoffman]

Some Eccotemp water heaters froze causing burst plumbing etc.

[George]

Too much drama in the article. If they froze they must have been installed outside. If the pipes burst what was the big trauma when water was running outside?

The best part is this caption "The units froze when the temperature reached 38 degrees, according to Amo's attorney." really?

As with most fluff pieces nothing useful was conveyed. it would be nice to know the actual story.

[HeyBub]

Try this link:

[Attila Iskander]

Last time I checked the temperature to freeze water was 32 degrees F not 38.

[Paul Drahn]

Google shows they are all gas fired and made to mount on the outside of a wall for direct venting. Why they were installed in an area with freezing temperature is beyond me.

Paul

[Dean Hoffman]

I missed those words of wisdom in the caption. Rinnai makes an outdoor model that is supposed to not freeze until the temperature reaches -4º F.

It sounds like the plumber screwed up but maybe he got bad advice from the manufacturer. Thirty percent cheaper than the competition should've raised the red flag.

[Attila Iskander]

Except for Hawaii and Death Valley, I don't know of any area in the US that is not exposed to freezing temperatures at some time or other.

[jamesgang]

a > wall for direct venting. Why they were installed in an area with freez ing > temperature is beyond me. > Except for Hawaii and Death Valley, I don 't know of any area in the US that is not exposed to freezing temperatures at some time or other.

I think southern florida and the tip of texas might both be tropical. Whic h normally means no freezing.

[dennisgauge]

Yup, and water doesn't instantly freeze at 32 degrees F. If it only gets down to

32 F at night odds are good that the water wouldn't freeze. There is enough latent heat and insulation in the unit to stave off a few hours at 32.

That's some cartoon physics to get water to freeze at 38 F.

[Jon Danniken]

Fun fact: it takes about 80 percent of the amount of energy to cool water from 212ºF to 32ºF as it does to turn that same amount of 32ºF water into ice.

Jon

[George]

Rinnais system works. They basically cycle the burner on just long enough to keep things warm.

Lowest possible price with no consideration for value is a powerful thing for some...

[gregz]

Normally. I was in ft lauderdale at 32 degrees. Dan Diego has gone below freezing.

Greg

[Attila Iskander]

I think southern florida and the tip of texas might both be tropical. Which normally means no freezing.

============================================

What on earth are you using for a newsreader ? You have effectively stripped out all the line feeds making your post just about completely illegible. I suggest you fix that soonest..

As to South Florida and Texas not freezing

Think again.

[Attila Iskander]

Yup I demonstrated that to my kids by building ice towers on our front lawn We installed colored lights on and in the towers They really looked cool at night..

So we left water in different sized and shaped containers to freeze outside and tried to assess which would freeze fastest and why.

5 gallon buckets filled with plain water took longest. 5 gallon buckets filled with ice and plain water were next Hollow cylinders of standing water did better. Water sprayed in layers to a mold did best.

The problem with the last option was setting up a sprayer system that would remain warm enough not to freeze up.. Was a fun exercise in creative thinking for the kids.

[Robert Green]

My guess would be that the heaters didn't cycle the burner often enough if it all - not certain from reading the case information. If so, there are more failures to come. They reworked some of the units, but apparently to no avail. I wonder how many homeowners buying single units just absorbed the loss if there was a failure. This suit was brought by a plumbing company and covered a substantial number of units. We probably haven't heard the last of this.

[Jon Danniken]

There is a lot of science that can be taught using common household objects and attention to details.

Jon

[krw]

to 32 F at night odds are good that the water wouldn't freeze. There is enough latent heat and insulation in the unit to stave off a few hours at 32.

There are situations where water can freeze when the air temperature is well above 32F. This isn't one of them, though.