Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread - Page 30

michika · #**726** 01/03/2008, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
He arrived, parked in front of my mailbox so the mailman skipped my house again

I'm sorry, but I have to ask...does the USPS just drive around, lean out the truck and put mail in mail boxes? I thought it was like it is here, a post person who walks around delivering mail door to door....

jnarowe · #**727** 01/03/2008, 02:34 PM

oh, and dude, skip the damn tank water heater and get with the times. I have had a whole house tankless for years and it is great. Seriously, too much to post about but PM or call me. You don't need to heat that stupid tank 24/7 for God's sake.

melev · #**728** 01/03/2008, 02:38 PM

I know about tankless water heaters. I do not have gas though. While I'm at Home Depot, I'll check if they have an electric version for on-demand hot water but odds are I'll go with what I have now.

Btw, I looked on the front of my old water heater, and it stated if I pay .12kwh, it costs $693 a year to heat the water.

Stile2 · #**729** 01/03/2008, 02:38 PM

Couldn't agree more, Jonathan, on all fronts. I have had tankless for several years, only way to go.

And those prices are outrageous!!!

In Dallas you should think about going solar power as well, we did it a couple of months ago and my last months bill was $1.03 and that's in SoCal!!!!

melev · #**730** 01/03/2008, 02:42 PM

That's a great electric bill, Stile. I've not done my research on solar power, but in passing I think the upfront cost was around $5000 to $6000. What did it cost you, and what is your annual expense on replacement storage batteries?

NanoGurl · #**731** 01/03/2008, 03:02 PM

What size water heater did you have? That sounds really expensive to heat. We got a 75g installed so I'm wondering if I'm going to have to work p/t now to run it!

Stile2 · #**732** 01/03/2008, 03:18 PM

The installation cost was $28K and change. I know, that's a lot!!

But if in the dead of winter, running my whole house heat, my bill is $1.03, where normally it would have been $180-$220. Then when the days get longer and sun shines higher in the sky I should be paying nothing, until I have to run the AC. But we are at 3700 ft so I only have to run AC part of August and September. So if I only pay $100 per year for electricity then it will take 12 years to recoop the cost. We don't plan on moving anytime soon, and if we do move before the twleve years I'm sure it added value to the home.

BTW, no batteries. I use what is called net metering, any extra I produce during the day gets pushed into the grid and runs my meter backwards, so I just use that power at night when I need it.

Do you have any gas in the house? Could you get Propane installed? It might be cheaper to do that than to run the electric heat, AC, cooking and water heating.

jnarowe · #**733** 01/03/2008, 03:27 PM

And Marc, I don't have gas either. That's why i suggested you contact me. I have an electric tankless that is on the upper end, but it measures incoming water temp and only uses enough current to make the water leave at your set temp.

As I said, it's too much info. for this thread, but I would certainly be willing to help you out with that. I did not buy mine through a Big Box store because they didn't have them at the time. I got mine direct. HTH.

Lordhelmet · #**734** 01/03/2008, 03:47 PM

listening to you guys makes me want a house and all the upkeep that go in it.

not.

Kentanner11 · #**735** 01/03/2008, 03:56 PM

AHS was horrible for us as well. We are soon going to convert to a tankless, soon. Hey marc when was the last time you replaced the sacrificial rod in your H20 heater?

jnarowe · #**736** 01/03/2008, 04:53 PM

Tanner...most people are unaware of that, nor that they should replace the elements if they want to get the "projected" life out of a water heater. Anyone notice that water heaters used to last a lifetime, and now you are lucky to get 9 years out of one?

I have a whole-house filter before mine.

Kentanner11 · #**737** 01/03/2008, 04:59 PM

yea, seriously.

jnarowe · #**738** 01/03/2008, 05:00 PM

And based on the materials mine is made out of, I expect to get at least 25 years out of my tankless. But I did pay extra to get a good one.

flyguy7150 · #**739** 01/03/2008, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
The new coral I just dipped was easily in the water 20 mins or longer. I got distracted a little bit and had to stop in the middle of something to move the coral out of the dip and into the reef.

I took about 2g of tank water in a bucket and added 5 capfuls of the product. It was mixed up for a few seconds, then the coral was put in. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I carefully stirred the water again to make it swirl around the coral, and set a timer. I would really not recommend going past the time TLF's states as the coral may not tolerate it.

TLF doesn't really give a specific amount of time, they just say a couple of minutes, or something like that. It says though to mix new saltwater and add the product, I was thinking of doing it the same way you do it using tank water, and adding the capfuls to that. Do you think that makes a difference?

bohlke · #**740** 01/03/2008, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev

And after paying AHS $3500 since 1999, I canceled my policy. It really hasn't saved me much in that time, when I needed repairs (and that number doesn't even count the payment for each service call). It was nice to get someone out here quickly, but since they tend to not cover items as one would expect, it was a losing endeavor.

If it makes you feel any better it took me 8 years to dump AHS, I had it on my home since I bought it and some of the major appliances were old. I kept waiting for the A/C unit from 1977 to fail to justify the warranty and it never did. I would have been better off replacing the A/C and the furnace from the beginning and saving the heating costs and the cost of the warranty. Electricity is so cheap up here (0.03 - 0.05 per kwh) that it really only would have helped with the gas charges in the winter but oh well.

gkarshens · #**741** 01/03/2008, 06:02 PM

I got AHS for free for the first year I owned my house. My A/C went out so I called them. They claimed that is broke from lack of maintenance so it wasn't covered. Needless to say I didn't not continue their service once the year ran out.

jnarowe · #**742** 01/03/2008, 06:15 PM

It was offered to me and I just broke up laughing. I think what I said was, "You've got to be kidding!"

Alaska_Phil · #**743** 01/03/2008, 06:21 PM

Insurance is always betting against yourself. I never insure anything I can afford to replace without it.

Jonathan, I PM'ed you regarding those tankless heaters.

Phil

melev · #**744** 01/03/2008, 09:22 PM

My water heater was a 40g, and my house is all-electric. I don't even want to consider burying a propane tank in my backyard, assuming that is even allowed in my neighborhood. We have a lot of limestone which makes even running sprinklers a tough job.

Anyway, while I was at Home Depot, I checked on a tankless system. The price of one was under $900, but I'd need three 40 amp breakers to run it. I'd have to have an electrician come out for that, and odds are add a subpanel since my current water heater uses a mere 30 amp breaker.

Plus I wanted hot water now, not in a few more days.

$280 later, I have a new one with a 6 year warranty. I installed a plastic drip tray under it to protect it from any saltwater damage in case my fishroom leaks water.

Lunchbucket · #**745** 01/03/2008, 09:39 PM

Ok, you guys have freaking sweet stuff. On demand hot water in a tankless system and solar panels that cost you 1.03 in electricity for a month! Awesome I want that but I couldn't afford it. I would like to look more into the tankless option as I'm sure my hot water heater will take a crap on my sometime soon.

jnarowe PM me sometime as I need more info

Lunchbucket

melev · #**746** 01/03/2008, 09:44 PM

I too would like to hear from you Jonathan, but I just had to do something about this today. If I can get your phone number, I can call you at whatever time is good for you.

NanoGurl · #**747** 01/03/2008, 09:45 PM

ugh... so are you going to hire me now Marc (:

poppin_fresh · #**748** 01/03/2008, 09:48 PM

Im surprised you just didn't take a couple old heaters, a tub and powerhead to make yourself a new water heater Marc! I'm sure you got most of that stuff laying around doing nothing anyway.

Kentanner11 · #**749** 01/03/2008, 09:48 PM

Looks good marc,
bury a propane tank? Are you like in the middle of no where? lol! No city gas supply?

Stile2 · #**750** 01/03/2008, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
I don't even want to consider burying a propane tank in my backyard, assuming that is even allowed in my neighborhood. We have a lot of limestone which makes even running sprinklers a tough job.

OK, WOW. Out here in California we just pour a pad and put them in the sideyard. (above ground) Would you really have to bury it?