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Which is Best Gas water heater

Water heater manufacturers
How to install gas water heater
Install gas water heaterAll manufacturers make good heaters.
All brands have same basic parts doing same basic job, with differences depending on type of heater: Atmospheric-vented (with passive vent pipe as shown in Fig 2), blower-assisted (including flue damper and power vented), high-volume heaters (condensing), and whether heater is low NOx, ultra low NOx, or has the ordinary pancake burner.
This analysis covers the most common type of heater: the atmospheric-vented heater Fig 2 ... made for family of 4-5 people with ordinary consumption ... and is fully repairable by homeowner, with simple upkeep and maintenance.
Resources:
Review flue damper heater
Review Polaris condensing heater
Troubleshoot power vented heater
Two water heaters

There are three major manufacturers of residential water heaters: AO Smith, Bradford White and Rheem.
Each manufacturer makes different grades of product with varying length of warranty ... with ratings such as residential, commercial grade and commercial grade for residential. Each manufacturer has folks that like-or-dislike their product.
This webpage offers specific things to consider when purchasing a water heater.

Which is best of plumber installs and maintains heater?
A. If you have plumber install water heater: Choose the one he normally installs, and maintains.
Reasoning behind recommendation:
If plumber installs, then he knows the product and has relationship with manufacturer. Note: new water heaters are wider and sometimes taller because of April 2015 energy standards. Make sure plumber knows the size and installation differences since the old heater in the corner might not fit the same. Differences can cause delay and additional cost. For example if the old water heater is 60 gallon, you might want to downsize the gallonage to fit the space and the budget. If the plumber has to move gas line or vent, then a permit might be required. Read more about permits

Honeywell gas controlWhich to avoid for family of 4-5 people with moderate consumption
-Avoid tankless recommendation for whole house: the $4-8 per year energy savings does not warrant additional cost of installation, and expense of repair. The promise of 'endless hot water' is not consistent with saving money, and not attainable with very cold incoming water. High volume system
-Avoid condensing water heaters unless home requires large volume hot water. Higher levels of maintenance are required. Electronics are susceptible to surge, parts are proprietary, and repairs might not be DIY, and best-case energy savings from high efficiency does not warrant additional risk and expense of repair for average home. Review Polaris condensing heater
-As general rule
, electronically-controlled water heaters, like blower-assisted and condensing heaters, carry higher risk of expensive repair.
Exception: the Honeywell electronic gas control valve thermostats shown Fig 3 can be diagnosed, and replaced DIY. The status and error codes often make it simple to troubleshoot potentially baffling problem.
Resources
Gas control valve troubleshoot
See error codes and temperature adjustment by type of gas control

+++++++
If you buy and install water heater yourself, then read information below:

Which is best for DIY installation, maintenance and repair?
B. If you install and maintain water heater yourself: then 6 year warranty AO Smith are good choice.  American, Lochinvar, Reliance, State, Craftmaster, and Kenmore etc all sell AO Smith heaters under their own brand name.
Resources
DIY resource: How to install gas water heater
Difference between surge and ground

Gas water heater partsReasoning behind recommendation:  
AO Smith brand heaters have a product manual that shows specifics of installation, basic required maintenance, parts sheet, basic part replacement, troubleshoot steps ... and AO Smith brands generally have service manuals. All these things combine to keep cost low, and maximize life of product ... plus serve to educate the public. It's a win win for everybody.

DIY Installation
Remember new water heaters are larger today...
Plan ahead. Check manufacturer website for dimensions. MEASURE before you buy. Measure door openings, stairways, location of vent, TP valve, and available space.
Incoming gas line might need to be moved. Vent pipe shortened or offset elbow installed.
DIY resource for handling gas lines etc: How to install gas water heater

The challenge of installing new larger water heater is real. In one example, see photo of tipped installation, the plumber tipped new water heater to one side so the vent pipe lined up with old vent line. The nice new Bradford White tank was pushed into the gas shut off causing slight dent. The water heater worked fine, but customer was unhappy with the crooked installation, and future home buyer might see it as a negative. The plumber saved cost of installing offset elbow on the 4" double-wall vent pipe, or moving gas line a few inches. A permit would probably be required if plumber altered either the vent or gas line, and this would cause delay and increase cost. Good argument for installing yourself, and measuring before you buy.
DIY resource: How to install gas water heater
Gas water heater parts
1)  Warranty:
Warranties are same across all brands. But vary in length of coverage, with general trend for shorter warranties. Some companies have option to buy extended warranty ... that might be carried by third party vendor and not the manufacturer. Warranties may be pro-rated.
- For residential water heater warranties, the first year parts-tank-labor are covered for original homeowner, single-family non-commercial installation when installed by instructions in product manual. Correct installation is key for warranty coverage.
- After first year, parts and tank are covered, but no labor.

- In some cases, you might need local service technician to verify installation to get warranty coverage. For example, the warranty might not cover if water heater was installed in wet environment, non-ventilated space, dirty crawlspace or storage room with chemicals since dust, dirt, lack of air supply, bad venting, exposure to water and trace amounts of chemicals will affect gas appliance performance. Read about air supply. Clorox, pool chemicals, even in trace amounts, are inhaled by gas appliances and can destroy combustion parts. Read about corrosive environments. Dirt and dust can trigger lock out. Flammable vapors can destroy a water heater. Read about FV failure. Read warranty information before you buy, and install according to manual.

Warranty coverage might require you to perform maintenance shown in product manual, which means inspecting anode to prevent tank from rusting ... plus cleaning combustion parts periodically, cleaning air intake and avoiding dust, chemicals and flammables. Make sure home has proper electrical grounding. If electric panel is grounded to metal water pipes instead of ground rod, this can cause stray current corrosion, making pipes and steel water heater tank more reactive to water, rusting out tank prematurely despite anode rod. The advent of plastic pipe, PVC, poly etc, has reduced the risk of stray current corrosion.
Resources
DIY resource: How to replace anode rod
How to install gas water heater
Troubleshoot gas water heater
Why you need ground wire

a) Not covered by warranty
-Incorrect installation, exposure to flammable vapors, chemicals, moisture, etc. Read advisories in product manuals.
-FV sensor located on front of water heater at bottom is not covered if heater has been exposed to gasoline vapors. Sensor must be kept dry and clean. They are simple to test and replace. How to test and replace FV sensor
- Required maintenance is not covered, such as inspecting and cleaning burner parts, but a failed thermocouple or failed burner assembly are covered. How to clean burner
-Alterations void product warranty.
-Scalds caused by high temperature setting unless water heater thermostat and all safety features suspiciously fail at one time.
-Lightning strike, flooded heater, dropping heater down attic stairway, etc
Anode rods
- Anode rods are not covered by any warranty. Periodic replacement of anode with aluminum or magnesium rod will NOT void warranty and is recommended. However, complete removal of anode rod voids product warranty. Addition of 2nd party power anode might void product warranty. Buy power anode rods
Note: Anode rod is not covered under any warranty since it is designed to sacrifice (deplete) itself to prevent tank from rusting. Read about replacing anode rod   Exception: if heater comes with a power anode rod, such as blower-assisted Effex, then the anode is covered during the warranty period. Review Effex water heater

b)  Difference 6 year, 9 year or 12 year warranty
Some companies offer a shorter warranty to keep cost low, but have option to buy extended warranty to meet customer differences. Other companies start with high-priced longer-warranty heaters.
- Clear information is scant today, but in past years, the main difference between 6-9-12 year warranty was anode rod diameter, or sometimes 2 anode rods. Typically, a 6-year had .75-inch; 9-year .84-inch; 12-year .90-inch anode. You can convert 6 year tank into 12 year or 15 year by inspecting anode each 1-3 years, installing larger diameter anode if you choose, and maintaining tank as shown in product manual. Check for leaks every 6 months. Check incoming water pressure and ensure it doesn't exceed 80 psi. Keep thermostat set at 120°F or less and reduce consumption. These actions will prolong life of heater.

One thing for certain, water heaters have doubled in price between 2009 and 2019, so you pay yourself a premium by doing the required maintenance and performing periodic inspection. Buying an AO Smith heater that arrives with solid and detailed repair, maintenance, and troubleshoot steps, plus a service manual, will pay off better for the DIY crowd than a difficult-to-navigate warranty claim that wants you pay for a service call and/or to remove the heater yourself and take it back to place of purchase.
Resources
DIY resource: How to replace anode rod
How to maintain water heater

Brass drain valveThere may be other differences between water heaters that are not considered on this webpage, such as brass drain valve vs plastic, heavier materials associated with longer warranty tanks. For example, commercial water heaters are made much heavier, which could imply that longer-warranty residential heaters are better than shorter warranty. Exactly what is the difference? It would be nice if manufacturers informed the public, but dynamic of commodity prices, design changes, competition, and the legal environment might make it difficult for manufacturers to say what is being used.

After digging around available resources in 2016, Kenmore revealed the difference between 3-year and 6-year tanks was anode, drain valve, inlet tube, nipples, burner orifice and manifold door assembly. Each of these items is repairable.
No differences were shown in critical safety components, implying that gas control valve thermostat, TP valve, flammable vapor resistance, and thickness of tank wall were not lesser quality between 3 and 6 year tanks. This casual analysis is an example of possible differences, but not a reliable sample.
I do not recommend 3 year tank except as a lower-price opportunity.
DIY resource: Gas valve resources

c) 1-dimensional Warranty math
- Simplified Math shows that shorter warranty has greater percentage of full labor-and-material coverage. But other factors are excluded, for example, what if you need a new gas valve in year 7.
Simple math comparison between 6 and 12 year heaters: if 6 year heater costs $550, and 12 year heater costs $800, the cost difference is $250. In exchange you get 6 years of extended part warranty, or $41 per year for longer warranty. Since a typical gas control valve costs $100 - $140 to purchase at retail (2016), the longer warranty might be best choice.
DIY resource: Gas valve resources

Cost of installation is a factor. Let's say installation cost for do-it-yourself is $100 no matter which heater you choose, then that adds 18% onto the price of the cheaper heater, but only 12% onto the more expensive heater. Typical items you might need include new flexible water connectors, flue pipe elbow, flue tape, screws.
If new heater is larger than existing space, then the additional cost could include moving gas line, walls etc, unless you opt to buy water heater with less gallonage.

2) Can you buy heaters larger than 55 gallon?
Yes. But remember, a typical new 50 gallon gas water heater with 40,000 BTU burner will supply 80 gallons of usable hot water in a single continuous draw. This is adequate for 4 person home ... and adequate for 6 person home that staggers use .... and 80 gallon first hour is adequate for soaker tub.
If home has higher consumption patterns, or more people, there are higher-output heaters ... but they require larger gas supply, and possible vent changes:
a) There are large volume 75,000 BTU commercial-grade for residential heaters with atmospheric vent. Read spec sheet
b) Condensing gas water heaters, with 75,0000 - 199,000 BTU burners, have high output of hot water, but have blower that requires 120 volt dedicated outlet .... and different venting: they are power vent or power direct vent that release combustion by-product through side wall or roof. Read spec sheet  Read review of condensing heater

c) Other options to achieve more hot water include, raising temperature of tank and install mixing valve to temper the hot water. Choose 50,000 BTU instead of 40,000, but be careful that gas supply can keep up and not starve other appliances. Add total BTU demand of all appliances and compare with BTU rating on gas meter. Observe other appliances with water heater running to see if there are problems. Adding 20 gallon electric point of use heater can offset some issues since average shower uses 9-12 gallons hot water.
Conservation is best solution, but if you need more hot water, I recommend installing two heaters in series. This lets you turn off one heater when not needed.
Resources:
Two water heaters
Advantages of mixing valve
Point of use water heater
Ways to increase amount of hot water
Gas water heater timer
Calculate peak hour demand

reliance heaters3)  Why buy ordinary AO Smith, American, State, Craftmaster, Reliance, Lochinvar, Kenmore gas water heater ?
- Widely sold at local store or online.. for example Lowes carries AO Smith, Sears carries Kenmore, McCoys sells Reliance etc.
- These heaters can be maintained and repaired by homeowner. Anode rod is standard hex head and removable from top of heater.
Product manuals show required maintenance, parts, and basic part replacement steps. Parts can be purchased directly from manufacturer. There are service manuals available if needed. See service resources
-Air intake is located on bottom and can be cleaned easily. See image of air intake location for AO Smith heaters A clean intake screen ensures good air supply and good air supply keeps efficiency high read about air supply. Water heater intake screens are not easily clogged unless unit is installed in dusty environment (garage, basement, shop, attic, laundry room, outside porch etc), but a clogged  intake screen will cause shutdown and gas control will issue error code that can be intepreted via troubleshoot section in product manual.
- Tip: Set 3-legged water heater on bricks so air intake can be inspected and cleaned more easily.
- AOS service manuals are posted online, parts are designed for quick, ez replacement. -Key point: Installation manual shows how to perform maintenance in 2016.
Troubleshoot gas water heater

4)  Avoid Rheem?
Rheem apparently makes Reliant, Richmond, Ruud
Why avoid this company? Read details why I don't recommend Rheem
- Rheem makes a good product ... just like other manufacturers. Their products generally have longer warranty and cost more. This saves buying extended warranty .... except my website is for do-it-yourself folks.
- Rheem product manuals do not show required maintenance, a full parts sheet, part replacement ... they don't even show the anode rod ... and there are NO service manuals or service resources made specifically for their products that you can access without being a certified dealer.
- Instead the Rheem manual says to 'call for service' if you need basic 'maintenance or repairs' .... this is a major drawback for folks who want DIY repairs. Phone call to Rheem might yield assistance, but then the resources for repairs are not at your fingertip. You are at the mercy of whatever the phone representative tells you ... which is usually a list of service providers.

- I disagree with this attitude toward do-it-yourself since people can fix water heaters, and a skilled public makes a better workforce.
- Rheem does not offer products that somehow need specialized treatment. I think the long-term plan is designed to funnel customers into brand-loyal service providers and installers ... which will be large company manned by few people who are overpaid to sell add-on service. Rheem makes more money, and you pay for their decision to lock down information.
- Remember gas appliances are dangerous,and do-it-yourself carries risk, and might void warranty on any brand heater if done incorrectly or with previously-used or non-matching parts. However skilled technicians, handymen, DIYers, and the homeowner want to see a service manual and be able to check basic stuff, and Rheem web resources and product manuals do not provide these resources. While AO Smith and Bradford White do.
Service manuals and Troubleshoot for other brands gas water heater

5 Bradford White makes good heaters:
- All manufacturers make good heaters
- Are BW made better? Warranty is identical to other brands.
- Service manuals are available and the overall design highly recommendable.
-Air intake located on side helps prevent clogged intake screen See image of BW of air intake/ flammable vapor system, and similar to AOS heaters where screen is located on bottom of tank, the BW requires you to disconnect gas valve and pull out burner assembly to clean the intake screen with compressed air see DIY resources. Keep in mind that manuals for all brands of water heater generally recommend removing and cleaning burner parts each year, although it's usually not necessary, rarely done, and requires moderate level of DIY knowledge about gas appliances see DIY resources. Removing burner parts for maintenance might require gasket to reseal combustion chamber.

-BW parts are ez to replace, except for anode rod.
-One negative: In 2016 Bradford White uses combo anode rod on most models of heater. Look at parts sheet before buying. The combo anode is different than hex head anode found on AO Smith heaters. The hex head is removed with a 1-1/16" socket from top of heater. The combo anode is connected to hot water nipple. You have to remove hot-side nipple to inspect and replace anode rod, except the nipple on top of new heaters doesn't stick up far enough to attach a wrench without tearing up the pipe threads. How to remove short nipple.

Other companies have identical short hot-and-cold nipples on top of heater, but they use standard hex-head anode for most, but not all models. To determine which model has standard hex head anode vs combo, look for 2" diameter hole in the sheet steel with a plastic plug located on top of heater see image, then it's most likely a hex head anode. Read about anode rods

It is very difficult to do, but you can replace the short nipples on new water heater and install longer pex-lined nipple, or non-corroding brass nipple. But a combo anode rod that has a longer nipple may not be available. I hope the problem of short nipples will be addressed by manufacturers.
Buy from my affiliate links
Longer pex-lined nipple
3/4 x 4 brass nipple

Anodes are not a problem until the tank rusts or hot water has odor. The expense of buying a new heater and need to stretch budgets into the future make the anode a real consideration for maintaining your investment. Read about anodes
Note: Warranties do NOT cover anode rods. And some warranties say you must inspect the anode rod. So there you are. The combo nipple on Bradford White heaters is too short to easily remove. So inspection of combo anode rod is difficult. This is the only negative I can offer for Bradford White, otherwise their heaters are highly recommendable.
Read about anode rods   
How to remove short nipple

6 Thickness of insulation
Insulation is thicker on new 30-55 gallon water heaters due to 2015 energy standards. This ends decades of mystery surrounding water heater insulation, and has corrected years of factual vagueness by manufactures who stopped showing thickness as a selling feature on their spec sheet while claiming that additional insulation blanket was not needed and voided product warranty.
- Despite having more insulation on sides and top of new heaters, the nipples on top of tank are still about the same height from floor, the flue pipes is in the center but may be higher, and the TP valve on side can be slightly different than older tank.
- One negative: the short nipples on top of heater makes it hard to near-impossible to replace.  Buy longer pex lined nipple
Some water heaters have combo anode rod connected to short hot-side nipple which is near-impossible to remove. Read about anode rods   How to remove short nipple

You can still add thermal blanket if you choose, but it cannot cover air intake, combustion chamber at lower part of heater, TP valve, or top of heater. As a footnote: improperly installed insulation blanket can cause excess moisture, and cause gas heater to malfunction: It is not always advisable to install a blanket on a gas water heaters, and today's thicker insulation makes the decision easier.
Resources:  9-ways to save with water heater
Low hot water pressure
How to wire under counter water heater
Ways to increase amount of hot water
Tempering tank

7 Energy factor:
-A new water heater will be more efficient than your old heater. Why? Old heaters lose efficiency. New heaters have more insulation.

a) EF is a FORMULA that factors in tank volume.
EF or Energy Factor is NOT efficiency.
EF is a formula for calculating efficiency, and a way to roughly compare heaters across different models and brands.
Generally, the higher the energy factor, the more efficient the water heater will be.
Actual efficiency is the 'combined thermal (combustion) and standby efficiency of a water heater' as estimated by manufacturer's testing.
The EF formula for 'residential grade' gas water heaters between 30 and 55 gallons is .675 -  (.0015 x V) =  efficiency.
You subtract .0015 x volume of heater in gallons to calculate efficiency.
For example, 30-40-50 gallon residential heaters each have the same EF .675 - (.0015 x V)
30 gallon has efficiency of .63 ... which is considerably lower than the EF .675
40 gallon .62
50 gallon .60

b) Smaller is better? For example, a 30 gallon heater will save $5 per year energy cost vs 40 gallon. However, buying heater that is too small can 'overwork' the small heater and shorten lifespan.
Resources:
How much does it cost to run gas water heater
Calculate first hour delivery

-Using less hot water is best strategy for saving energy. Resources:  9 ways to save with water heater  Ways to increase hot water
-Maintaining water heater will keep efficiency higher and investment will last longer. Resource How to maintain water heater

c) 3 reasons why the 2015 energy standards fail
1) Higher cost of buying new energy-compliant heater, plus the increased natural resources needed to produce, package and deliver larger heaters might exceed financial gain from improved efficiency. All costs are energy.
2) Manufacturers conduct their own testing using the DOE's (department of energy) UED (uniform efficiency descriptor) that applies to water heaters manufactured after April 2015. It's like giving the student answers to the test, and then expecting the test to show the answer while letting them grade their own test.
3) EF applies only to residential water heaters. Manufactures are selling a different grade heater called 'commercial grade for residential' that sidesteps some of the energy testing rigors to meet market demand for hot water, and the only difference is you pay more.

8 Gas water heaters that plug into 120 volt outlet

If you do not have dedicated outlet located within 6-19 feet of water heater location (depending on model and brand), then a blower-assisted type heater with higher efficiency is not correct choice. Review flue damper heater  Review high efficiency Effex heater
You can install new 120 volt line. Basic house wiring
Dedicated outlet offers less interference and is recommended for electronic gas control valves. Dedicated outlet means no other outlet, light or appliance is served by that circuit breaker. See image
Loose electric plugs, wires and connections, and GFCI can cause interference with water heater. Plug water heater directly into outlet. Do not use extension cord.
Outlet must have correct polarity and be fully grounded for the gas control valve sequence to work correctly. Use outlet tester. See image
 Buy: Outlet testers at Amazon
Reversed polarity see image will cause continual and difficult-to-diagnose problems with electronic devices.
Outlet that is not grounded can cause error codes, especially on power vent models.
Resources:
Can you unplug water heater to act as a timer? not recommended
Install whole-house surge protector
Difference between surge and ground

a) Surge protection? Multiple surge protection on same line is okay.
Buy: 15 amp surge suppressor receptacle
-Note about electric surge:
-Any electrical device that plugs into outlet, or is connected to grounded or ungrounded copper pipes is susceptible to power surge.
Electronic gas controls can fail during a surge event.
Surge can be caused by nearby lightning strike, or simple power outage. Install whole-house surge protector

9 Gas water heater timer
Yes there is a reliable gas water heater timer that fits both the older mechanical gas control valve and the newer electronic gas control valves.
I have examined and tested this device. It can be operated by timer, or home-automation modules using wifi, zwave or Insteon. The timer attaches to front of gas control valve and manually rotates dial between vacation setting (50°F to prevent freezing) and your normal water heater temperature setting. Typical bath is 105° and generally not much higher. Read about gas water heater timer and get $5 promo code

low nox burner10 Low Nox/ CO2

Low NOx (20 ppm) and ultra low NOx (14 ppm) residential water heaters below 75,000 BTU have a burner that reduces amount of NOx nitrogen oxide released into atmosphere. Ordinary heaters with pancake burner release 54 ppm NOx. There is no regulation, limit or technology for reducing CO2 emissions.
All states, because of federal mandate, require burners over 75,000 BTU to meet Ultra Low NOx standard of 20 ppm. Some states require ultra lox-NOx for 30,000-40,000 BTU residential heaters, while other state legislatures declare the issue void because of 'free choice' and worry over increased consumer prices ... yet oddly care little about high prices for drugs, schooling, day care, corporate welfare, war, etc.

Pollutants from burning fossil fuel include CO2, CO, NOx, SO, acidic water. These pollutants are puffing out of every vent stack across the globe.
Remember one thing about air pollutants: when your body is working, thinking, living, or in distress, the best choice is O2 and not CO2, CO, NOx, SO or acidic water. Same is true for the food chain. At no time does a gas water heater vent stack pump out O2, implying that reducing consumption, downsizing, and using alternative energy sources is best option. Improperly vented gas water heater will fill home with deadly gas that kills people ... this alone proves that the stuff is killing us. Emergency aid: move people outside and lay on side, never lay on back, and call for rescue.
Resources:
Is gas clean-burning?
Venting gas water heater

Alternative energy sources
Resources:
Connect AC electric water heater directly to solar panels/ high voltage DC
Connect AC electric water heater to solar panels/ low voltage DC
Should you buy solar glycol water heater

Tankless
Avoid whole house tankless. Smaller electric tankless are useful for point-of use applications but are expensive for whole house.
Resources:
How to wire tankless electric
How to troubleshoot Rheem tankless water heaters
Home automation water heaters/ privacy concerns?
I am skeptical about privacy issues if manufacturer has included pre-installed wifi on appliances.
You can install gas water heater timer and use home automation module. This will offset spyware installed by gas water heater company, avoid broadcasting your water heater information, and keep home automation out of your life. Gas water heater timer

When smart meters were installed across the country... there was a privacy uproar ... except smart meters broadcast such small packets of information that nothing of value was available for the amount of investment needed to gather it. The lack of useful information was one reason why the 'rash of new smart-grid products' has not yet materialized.
But hope springs eternal for grid spyware as 'demand response' is gaining favor among electric providers, especially for large electric water heaters ... but probably not so favored by the public Read demand water heater spec sheet

So the big outcry when smart meters came out ... but compare smart meter with modern wi-fi.... wi-fi sends huge packets of information over the internet.
You do not own internet content. You are a consumer. You are using somebody else's product when you consume internet... and the owners profit by stealing your information and selling it to other parties. I'm not talking about the waterheatertimer.orgs of the world, since I collect nothing. I'm talking about googles, bings, firefoxes, email trackers, ad servers, internet providers, social media etc... because those services now own the internet, and you are using their 'product.'
When you agree to terms-of-service for a product that has wi-fi connection, then your information is being stolen. Your right to privacy is yielded, and there is nobody protecting you.

But wait... the terms of service includes a 'privacy policy?'
In my opinion, the privacy policy guarantees that you cannot see what private information has been collected and distributed about you, because the information-they-collect-about-you is 'private.' This means the owner of your information can accumulate 'preferences' that might stop you from seeing full array of choices, or set a pre-determined price point based on past spending habits, or target you socially or legally. Additionally the privacy invaders can sell your contract to a service provider who will control which businesses appear in your search bar.
Let's face it ... a privacy breech, where a company 'loses' your data to thieves, simply means the thieves didn't pay for the information that was being sold on the world market at huge profit ... and the story is broadcast to considerable fanfare, expecting you to be sheep enough to demand the government protect those companies from theft of the information that they stole from you.

2016/ For example Windows 10 is a privacy invader of the highest order: Tracking location, e-mails, contacts, writing 'style' etc. Windows 10 is embedded inside medical equipment. Consider Windows 10 interface next time the doctor sticks a probe in your ear. However you can rest comfortably knowing that your cousin cannot see the x-ray because of 'privacy' ... yet the entire office staff, hospital and insurance company can see the results, and your boss can glimpse a copy for the price of purchase.
Moreover the new robots can mimic your voice, and your face ... opening your life to all sorts of new frauds and control by people not of your choosing.

Since your private information is valuable, I assume future water heaters will offer wi-fi on all models  ... letting the manufacturer accumulate 'error codes' from your equipment. Of course you must agreed to terms of service when you purchased the thing, and this opens the door to a soft text message every six months suggesting a check-up or risk losing warranty coverage. Then if water heater breaks down, you automatically receive 'repair offers from several competing service providers' which all arrive from the same company disguised as several companies. And that single company purchased the rights to your service contract from the manufacturer. I'm just saying, be careful, but it's probably too late because the 'smart' TV already heard what you said, and the police have been dispatched to enforce corporate ownership of their serfs.

3-phase electric water heaters for home use:
People frequently have opportunity to own commercial grade 3-phase electric water heater.
Three-phase electric water heaters are not more efficient, unless they are fully balanced and connected to commercial three-phase power.
Most commercial electric water heaters are non balanced, and have same efficiency as residential heaters.
3-phase (non-balanced or balanced) can be converted to single phase for home-use with wiring change-over.
When installing 3-phase commercial water heater in residential home, pay attention to thermostat range and element rating.
Elements and thermostats are generic for both residential and non-balanced, and can be replaced, however if element is rated 440 volt, then it will only produce 1/4 the heating power when connected to residential 240 volt power. Solution: look at rating printed on end of element and change element
Likewise, commercial thermostats look the same and work fine with residential power, but the temperature range is higher, approaching 170-180°F. Residential hot water over 135° is extremely dangerous. Solution: make sure temperature setting is 120°F or less. Typical bath temperature is 105°F, while 120° will scald in less than 1 minute.
Resources:
How to convert 3-phase water heater to single phase
Commercial 3-phase thermostats

Which is best commercial gas water heater:
When you buy commercial-grade table saw... it is big and heavy and WILL cut wood without a doubt.
Same with commercial grade water heaters.
They will heat the water and last for years.
Sales price usually includes professional installation.
Caution: a commercial gas water heater usually has too large a BTU rating for household gas meter, and will not function for residential installation.
gas meter
Gas meter: install on water heater, or for renter
No power needed, optional remote readout

Buy:
EKM gas meter

Resource:
Installation and manuals
gas water heater
Gas water heater
Buy from my affiliate links:
50 gallon Gas water heaters at Amazon
40 gallon gas water heaters

Resources:
How to install gas water heater
Troubleshoot gas water heater
Support the economy:
Buy water heaters from my associate links:

50 gallon Gas water heaters at Amazon
40 gallon gas water heaters at Amazon
50 gallon Electric water heaters at Amazon
40 gallon electric water heaters at Amazon
Hybrid / heat pump/ water heaters at Amazon

Resources:
How to install gas water heater
How to install electric water heater
Troubleshoot gas water heater
Troubleshoot electric water heater
Point of use water heaters
Resources:
Troubleshoot Gas valves with manuals
Icon gas valve

How to replace water heater element Waste King disposal
How to wire tankless electric

How to install tankless recirculation


Install point of use water heater
Titan tankless

Contactors/ relays
Install and troubleshoot garbage disposal Waste King disposal
Programmable timers

Woods timers
surge protection
Anode rods anode rods
Recirculation system

Tankless recirculation
Point of use water heater
Type 1 and type 2 surge protection surge protection
Buy
Electronic parts

Industrial supplies

Tools and home improvement

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