JRStern wrote in
:

I see Home Depot has a line of GE/Rheem gas water heaters:

* 40 gallon, 6 year warranty, $488
* 38 gallon, 9 year warranty, self-cleaning, $498
* 40 gallon, 12 year warranty, self-cleaning, $578

Other specs seem the same.

My question is, what does this self-cleaning mean, and is it likely
that the extra bucks for the 12-year is a good investment?



(given that I'll also be paying to have them install it, which given
venting and access issues will at least double the cost, the extra $80
isn't a big deal, but I'm still curious about it)

--

(not sure if this link will work, comparing three models)
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...048+527050+780

Thanks.

J.



And none of them qualify for a tax credit. Doing some .gov clicking I
learned that standard storage tanks pretty much don't qualify. Gas, Oil
and Propane Water Heaters need to have an Energy Factor = 0.82 or a
thermal efficiency of at least 90%. The 3 referenced are in the .6
range.

And here's a list of a ****load (specific unit of measurement
back in VT) of storage water heaters. They're all in the .6 range.
Pretty handy for lots of comparisons besides EF too.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?...products_ pdf



From: http://preview.tinyurl.com/y954grz

1) Storage tank

Most storage tank water heaters can not qualify for the tax credit
because they can not meet the Energy Factor requirement of .82. However,
there are some commercial storage tank water heaters that can qualify
for the tax credit because they have a thermal efficiency of greater
than 90%. These models are larger than what is typically considered a
residential unit and may not have the standard safety features of
residential models.