# GeoSpring electric hot water tank



## moey (Jul 12, 2013)

For those of you in Maine ( perhaps some other states )

They have at Lowes the GeoSpring Hybrid hot water tank for $999

http://www.lowes.com/pd_386797-83-G...UserSearch=geospring&productId=3664968&rpp=32

If you live in Maine you can get a rebate $500 rebate along with a $300 Federal tax credit.

You also can usually find a 10% off lowes coupon somewhere, they post codes a lot on deal sites if you order online.

Grand Total would be:

$999 - $500 ( state rebate ) - $300 ( Federal Tax Credit ) - $100 ( 10 % off coupon ) = $100 + tax 

*$100 + tax*

( if you order with Discover you can get another 5% off from Discover site )


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## Justin M (Jul 12, 2013)

I just got one of these for $950 shipped from Interstate Appliance.  I can't wait to shut down my oil fired boiler for good.
http://www.interstateappliance.com/ge-water-product-geh50deedsr.html


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## BrotherBart (Jul 12, 2013)

Don't forget that you have to deduct the state and/or utility rebates from the purchase price before calculating the Fed tax credit.


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## moey (Jul 12, 2013)

BrotherBart said:


> Don't forget that you have to deduct the state and/or utility rebates from the purchase price before calculating the Fed tax credit.


 
Never heard of that. Costs are the prices paid at installation, at installation you would not have any rebate from the state or utility. Please correct if Im wrong.

IRS form

Costs. For purposes of both credits, costs are treated as being paid
when the original installation of the item is completed, or in the case
of costs connected with the reconstruction of your home, when
your original use of the reconstructed home begins. For purposes of
the residential energy efficient property credit only, costs connected
with the construction of a home are treated as being paid when
your original use of the constructed home begins. If less than 80%
of the use of an item is for nonbusiness purposes, only that portion
of the costs that is allocable to the nonbusiness use can be used to
determine either credit


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## slls (Jul 12, 2013)

I have seen the ads, really don't understand how it works. 50 gals is a lot of water. I have been running a 30 gal since 08, have saved a lot not burning oil.


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## St_Earl (Jul 12, 2013)

found what looks to be an excellent in depth review -


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## BrotherBart (Jul 12, 2013)

moey said:


> Never heard of that. Costs are the prices paid at installation, at installation you would not have any rebate from the state or utility. Please correct if Im wrong.
> 
> IRS form
> 
> ...


 

Do what ya gotta do. But your cost is the sales price less any credits you receive from other sources. 

Standard Disclaimer: Contact your tax adviser. Or just wait for the IRS to contact you. 

Internet tax and legal advise is worth every penny ya pay for it.


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## EastMtn (Jul 12, 2013)

Next year I'll be upgrading the water heater in my continuing quest to lower the propane bill.  Was thinking about a Phoenix light duty 50 gal made by HTP. Stainless steel to deal with the hard water and no anodes needed. Modulating burner gets 95% efficiency.  I've never thought about using an electric water heater.  I think I'll look into that Geo hybrid


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## sinnian (Jul 13, 2013)

moey said:


> For those of you in Maine ( perhaps some other states )
> 
> They have at Lowes the GeoSpring Hybrid hot water tank for $999
> 
> ...


 


Moey do you have a link to the CMP rebate?  I couldn't find anything other than their electric thermal storage heat rebate.


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## moey (Jul 13, 2013)

sinnian said:


> Moey do you have a link to the CMP rebate? I couldn't find anything other than their electric thermal storage heat rebate.


 
Its through efficiencymaine not aware of CMP having anything. Lowes raised their price they seem to put them on sale every couple weeks. The link from the other poster was $950 though.

http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/application-rebate-program/heat-pump-water-heaters/


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## slls (Jul 13, 2013)

St_Earl said:


> found what looks to be an excellent in depth review -




The word heat pump turned me off, they can be trouble, it goes bad and there go your savings.


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## 343amc (Jul 13, 2013)

I bought one back in February. It was $999 at Lowes then as well. I got the 10 year extended warranty for $99. I couldn't pass up the warranty for that price. 

My electric bills dropped about $20-25/month. My dehumidifier runs less now which is a bonus. 

Some pressure sensor gizmo took a chit when it was 3 months old. That locked the heat pump out but the elements still worked. Called GE and a tech was out in a few days. 

No extra incentives in MI, just the federal deduction.


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## smwilliamson (Jul 14, 2013)

Sounds like it may get a damp basement under control too. I've got some advanced technology for ya...how about capturing the condensing moisture back into the storage tank?


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## TheMightyMoe (Jul 14, 2013)

Really interested in one, but I don't have hot air to spare.


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## Tom Wallace (Jul 14, 2013)

I bought this model last February from Lowe's. For the record, there is also a $500 rebate from Seattle City Light if that's your electric provider.

http://www.seattle.gov/light/conserve/resident/hpwhrebate/

There is the stipulation in the rebate that the installer must have received training from the manufacturer of the water heater. In my case I installed it myself with my step dad and neither of us received said training. However, on the rebate form, in the field for where the installer (me) received training I entered a YouTube URL for a GE video which went over the details of the water heater. About 3 months later, my rebate check arrived.​​I have no complaints about the water heater. My old one was working fine, but was 18 years old. I decided to upgrade while I still had hot water. Mine's installed in the garage, so I don't mind that the heat pump cools the surrounding area.​​Also, you can get 5% off if you sign up for a Lowe's card, which I did. I just paid it off at the end of the month and never used it again. So mine was $999 - $50 (Lowe's credit card) - $500 (rebate) for total of $450+ tax.​​


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## smwilliamson (Jul 14, 2013)

Tom Wallace said:


> on the rebate form, in the field for where the installer (me) received training I entered a YouTube URL for a GE video which went over the details of the water heater. About 3 months later, my rebate check arrived.
> ​


perfect...you probably know more than an average plumber now about that unit


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## Heaterhunter (Jul 14, 2013)

So I installed a similar unit in my house(Steibel Eltron) last fall and went to off on the oil boiler switch.  I can't say enough about it.  Love the efficiency.  My electric bills have gone up $20.  The unit will pay for itself in one year with the amount of hot water my family uses and the inefficiency of my boiler.  Prior to purchasing/installing I made a few phone calls and was told no credit from CMP(local electric company), the state(Maine), and no fedral tax credit.  Did these credits just start back up here in Maine???


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## moey (Jul 14, 2013)

Heaterhunter said:


> So I installed a similar unit in my house(Steibel Eltron) last fall and went to off on the oil boiler switch. I can't say enough about it. Love the efficiency. My electric bills have gone up $20. The unit will pay for itself in one year with the amount of hot water my family uses and the inefficiency of my boiler. Prior to purchasing/installing I made a few phone calls and was told no credit from CMP(local electric company), the state(Maine), and no fedral tax credit. Did these credits just start back up here in Maine???


 
The federal tax credit has been around for a while I believe. Are you sure your not eligible?

The rebates for efficiency Maine come and go. They usually list dates only for a couple months so they don't over allocate money.

I dont have one of these units I have a geothermal system for heat though that makes hot water. Im still contemplating getting one of these units my geo system only makes hot water when its running.


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## jdp1152 (Jul 14, 2013)

If going from electric to heat pump, mass has 1k incentive.  I couldn't take advantage, but bought it anyway. So far no issues


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## BrotherBart (Jul 14, 2013)

All electric house here. I cannot imagine having a boiler fire up just to heat DHW. Our water heater costs squat on the electric bill. It would take me ten years to make up the difference for a heat pump water heater. Or longer, or never.

Full discloure: Just two people in the house.


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## slls (Jul 15, 2013)

BrotherBart said:


> Full discloure: Just two people in the house.


 
30 gal electric, 2 people $61 electric bill last month, hard to beat.


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## iceguy4 (Jul 15, 2013)

I just picked up an AO Smith 60 gallon.. love it so far,...dry basement


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## jdp1152 (Jul 16, 2013)

slls said:


> 30 gal electric, 2 people $61 electric bill last month, hard to beat.


 
I can beat that with 3 people and AC for 3800 sq ft, but the up front cost of heating and cooling was far from cheap.  7 years from now however....


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## moey (Jul 17, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> I can beat that with 3 people and AC for 3800 sq ft, but the up front cost of heating and cooling was far from cheap. 7 years from now however....


 
Ive still thought about installing one of these with our geo system. During the summer ( Maine )  it does not run enough to really make much hot water. This week excluded. I suppose I could set the thermostat at 62 freeze and run my pellet stove then Id have hot water.


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## velvetfoot (Jul 17, 2013)

How well does a heat pump water heater in the basement during the winter?  My basement walls are insulated.
Running a dehumidifer in summer isn't cheap.


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## Tom Wallace (Jul 17, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> How well does a heat pump water heater in the basement during the winter? My basement walls are insulated.
> Running a dehumidifer in summer isn't cheap.


 

If the temperature stays above 40, the heat pump feature will still work. I would think that it becomes less efficient as the temperature drops, but I'm not sure about that part. Mine's in a garage in Seattle, so it probably never drops below 50 in there thanks to our mild winters. Perfect location for a heat pump water heater I think.


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## slls (Jul 17, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> I can beat that with 3 people and AC for 3800 sq ft, but the up front cost of heating and cooling was far from cheap. 7 years from now however....


 
You didn't post your monthly bill. Or total cost of complete system.


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## moey (Jul 17, 2013)

slls said:


> You didn't post your monthly bill. Or total cost of complete system.


 
My system was about 22k A/C, Heat, new ductwork. As far as monthly cost not sure its only been in 2 months. My electric bill last month was a little less then it was the previous month before it was installed. Can't really conclude much from that although I probably ran the A/C 10 or so days on that cycle. Hot water is more or less free in the summer if the A/C is running. Rather then dump the heat back underground its going in the hot water tank. In the winter there is a cost though for hot water takes away from heat for the house.


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## 343amc (Jul 17, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> How well does a heat pump water heater in the basement during the winter?  My basement walls are insulated.
> Running a dehumidifer in summer isn't cheap.



I was a bit worried about the basement being too cold in winter, but I get enough waste heat off the pellet furnace  which is about 40 feet from the water heater that its not an issue. No problems running heat pump only mode.


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## Pellet-King (Jul 18, 2013)

*GE GeoSpring 50-Gallon 120-Month Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater ENERGY STAR*

Item #: 386797 | Model #: GEH50DEEDSR

$1,199.00 now

Anyone know if there's any rebates in connecticut?


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## Heaterhunter (Jul 18, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> How well does a heat pump water heater in the basement during the winter? My basement walls are insulated.
> Running a dehumidifer in summer isn't cheap.


 Mine ran fine last winter in an uninsulated basement.  I don't run my pellet stove in the basement unless it's cold(less than 15 typically)  so it's normally around 55 in my basement.  I installed a KWh meter so now I'm seeing what the HWHP is actually using.  My electric bills have been consistently $20 higher since I installed it so I'm thinking it runs just fine at a wide range of temperatures.


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## moey (Jul 18, 2013)

Heaterhunter said:


> Mine ran fine last winter in an uninsulated basement. I don't run my pellet stove in the basement unless it's cold(less than 15 typically) so it's normally around 55 in my basement. I installed a KWh meter so now I'm seeing what the HWHP is actually using. My electric bills have been consistently $20 higher since I installed it so I'm thinking it runs just fine at a wide range of temperatures.


 
I assume you mean lower?? Nevermind maybe you had oil/propane before and it went up $20.


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## iceguy4 (Jul 18, 2013)

velvetfoot said:


> How well does a heat pump water heater in the basement during the winter? My basement walls are insulated.
> Running a dehumidifer in summer isn't cheap.


The long and short of it is it takes the heat from the space here it is set up. so if you have it in the basement it ill rob that area of heat. your furnace will be supplying that heat.   Mine will be shut off in the winter as my pellet will supplie an indirect HW heater on its own zone. as for dehumidifying it is great. I use to use a dehumidifier  and don't need to now so basically I'm getting my HW free


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## Pellet-King (Jul 19, 2013)

I'm really interested in this, my 5 yr old 50 gallon electric hog has to go, my biggest concern is how to drain, there are several drains in my basement floor but none closer than 15' away form where my present hot water heater is which is in the center of my basement, the drains are off to the the side where my washer/dryer is and there is a what was susposed to be a shower installed in the floor cement many year's ago in which my dehumidifier drains into, also there is my cellar door between my heater and drains to deal with.
Ct has a total of $700 in rebates.


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## moey (Jul 19, 2013)

Pellet-King said:


> I'm really interested in this, my 5 yr old 50 gallon electric hog has to go, my biggest concern is how to drain, there are several drains in my basement floor but none closer than 15' away form where my present hot water heater is which is in the center of my basement, the drains are off to the the side where my washer/dryer is and there is a what was susposed to be a shower installed in the floor cement many year's ago in which my dehumidifier drains into, also there is my cellar door between my heater and drains to deal with.
> Ct has a total of $700 in rebates.


 
This is usually what is used. I have no drain and my heat pump drains into one of these which drains into the drain for my washer.

https://www.acwholesalers.com/Littl...ump/30398.ac?gclid=CMKtt6i0u7gCFZCe4AodvAIAEw

This was the first google link dont take it as a endorsement of this brand.


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## Dodge (Jul 19, 2013)

Just got mine today. Does anyone know were the Anode Rod is located on this unit?


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## briansol (Jul 19, 2013)

Can you disable the heat pump?  ie, run heat pump in summer, turn off oil pig.
in winter, when the pig will be on as backup, turn off heat pump and just use the electric portion of it and keep some heat in the basement


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## Tom Wallace (Jul 19, 2013)

briansol said:


> Can you disable the heat pump? ie, run heat pump in summer, turn off oil pig.
> in winter, when the pig will be on as backup, turn off heat pump and just use the electric portion of it and keep some heat in the basement


 
Yes, you can specify what heating mode it will use. Typically mine's in hybrid mode (heat pump and normal element). You can run heat pump only, hybrid, electric only and something called high demand. I'm not sure what the last one does, but I've never used it.


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## Pellet-King (Jul 19, 2013)

So this was onsale last week for $999?, anyone how long it will take to go if ever to $999, I will NOT buy it for $1199


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## Justin M (Jul 19, 2013)

$950 shipped
http://www.interstateappliance.com/ge-water-product-geh50deedsr.html


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## Pellet-King (Jul 19, 2013)

Dont know about buying on line, rather buy local and use lowe's discounts and ease of returns if a lemon
read the lowes reviews and someone bought a lemon and it took 2 days to get a tech there.....that's 2 days NO HOT WATER!!


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## DaveGunter (Jul 19, 2013)

iceguy4 said:


> The long and short of it is it takes the heat from the space here it is set up. so if you have it in the basement it ill rob that area of heat. your furnace will be supplying that heat.   Mine will be shut off in the winter as my pellet will supplie an indirect HW heater on its own zone. as for dehumidifying it is great. I use to use a dehumidifier  and don't need to now so basically I'm getting my HW free



Yes it takes heat from the area it is working in, but the beauty of it being in a basement, besides dehumidifying, is that your basement temp is maintained by the earth, in my house a consistent 55F.

I have my 80G stiebel-Eltron unit set to heat the water in the tank to 160F, with a mixing valve on the output mixing in cold water so the water being delivered to the faucet is 115F, that way the resistive element never kicks in, it makes the 80G of 160F more like 120-140G of 115F, depending on the temp of the cold water being mixed in.


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## iceguy4 (Jul 20, 2013)

> your basement temp is maintained by the earth, in my house a consistent 55F


   In most homes this is more then likely not true.  Most homes with basements , 2 or so feet are above the ground. then the next 2 feet below the ground are subject to the "frost line". So more then 1/2 of the area of your walls are NOT next to a constant 55° you mention. IMHO these are not a good choice for winter use in a cold climate....at least in the heat pump mode. Mine(AO smith 60 gallon)  really pushes COLD air when it runs


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## Dodge (Jul 20, 2013)

My GeoSpring unit is running for a day now, (heat pump) mode. 4 showers no complaints, although because of the heat wave, showers, by choice have been on the cool side. I enjoyed the water, it was an even temp., no messing with the dial, not like my OHW. My electrician was impressed with the unit and the deal I got. He had his meter on it and it pulled just 2+ amps in the heat pump mode and as the tank was filling up for the first time, it went to hybrid mode and was pulling 18+ amps. I went right from Oil DHW to this unit. I hope it is like a (winning) slot machine for me. We cleaned the pig and removed the coil and replaced the boiler plate as it was getting rusty. I covered my chimney to prevent water and such from going down and tagged my breaker fuse. Any concerns out there about condensation etc about leaving the pig unplugged until October? I got my GE at Lowes, $1199, - $120. military disc and $300 from PP&L. and 6m financing. My tax guy said I maxed out my federal credit 3yrs. ago. As for the concerns about heat loss, a review on lowes website said he had it in a room that was a normal 65 degrees, after installation the room was 62-63 degrees. If it is an issue, I can push a little more heat from the (oil pig/ Big E or run the water heater in a different mode that doesn't throw cool air.


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## moey (Jul 20, 2013)

Dodge said:


> Any concerns out there about condensation etc about leaving the pig unplugged until October?


 
If its a boiler watch for leaks (small) if its been maintaining temp for years some gaskets may need tightening up. When I had mine serviced when I installed my tank the tech said they are designed to be shut down your not going to hurt it just have it cleaned fairly soon after you shut it down.


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## Dodge (Jul 20, 2013)

I just had it cleaned Tuesday and we replaced the boiler plate and gasket yesterday when we removed the coil.


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## briansol (Jul 23, 2013)

does the 10 year warranty scare anyone?  IRRC, the last time I had an electric heater at my condo, it was a 20 year.  (built in 86, left in 2006, still had orig heater)


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## Justin M (Jul 23, 2013)

Brian Sol said:


> does the 10 year warranty scare anyone?



Nope.  Warranties on electric water heaters these days seem to range from 6-12 years.


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## jcleary47 (Jul 23, 2013)

This is mind blowing. I was going to do this and even get this specific unit in the spring but saw there were no funds left in the Efficiency Maine program. I desperately want to use a water heater for my hot water instead of my furnace. Bummer the price is back up to $1199 though. I'll have to scrounge up a Lowe's coupon.


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## moey (Jul 23, 2013)

jcleary47 said:


> This is mind blowing. I was going to do this and even get this specific unit in the spring but saw there were no funds left in the Efficiency Maine program. I desperately want to use a water heater for my hot water instead of my furnace. Bummer the price is back up to $1199 though. I'll have to scrounge up a Lowe's coupon.


 
They seem to do it in a couple month cycles keep checking back. They had the promotion for a while then didnt have it then had it again.


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## Tom Wallace (Jul 23, 2013)

moey said:


> They seem to do it in a couple month cycles keep checking back. They had the promotion for a while then didnt have it then had it again.


 
Yep, I bought mine in February from Lowe's and it was $999 back then.


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## TheBean (Jul 23, 2013)

Been thinking about a HPWH for awhile. Kills me when it's 90* outside and the oil kicks on for hot water. Does anybody know if these things can be plumbed into the oil furnace as a backup. The furnace has a hot water "zone" the heats water in a 40 galloon tank (basically an electric water heater w/out elements). Not sure there would be any real advantage, just wondering.


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## slls (Jul 25, 2013)

Ad in local paper this morning. Good deal if you like GE products.


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## Justin M (Jul 25, 2013)

That's a good deal, but with those rebates it's still only $150 at Interstate Appliance.
http://www.interstateappliance.com/ge-water-product-geh50deedsr.html


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## sinnian (Jul 25, 2013)

slls said:


> Ad in local paper this morning. Good deal if you like GE products.


 

Where was the ad for?


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## slls (Jul 26, 2013)

Dunnett's Bangor


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jul 27, 2013)

slls said:


> Dunnett's Bangor


 
Are they still in Penobscot Plaza?


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## ChadD (Jul 27, 2013)

Pellet-King said:


> *GE GeoSpring 50-Gallon 120-Month Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater ENERGY STAR*
> 
> Item #: 386797 | Model #: GEH50DEEDSR
> 
> ...


 
If you have CL-P $400


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## Pellet-King (Jul 28, 2013)

I saw that chad, now i'm just gunna wait till it's $999 again, have until the end of the year before the rebates expire.


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## slls (Jul 28, 2013)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> Are they still in Penobscot Plaza?


 
Yes


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## Pellet-King (Aug 14, 2013)

Back to $999 at lowes till monday, I'm in!!


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## Countryboymo (Aug 15, 2013)

*I am going with the marathon from Rheem/Ruud. It is not a heat pump unit but has a poly tank that is fiberglass reinforced and has a lifetime warranty on the tank and 5 years on the elements and stats. Most utilities or Coops have discounts on them because they are in the 700+ range and have spray on insulation. I might later add a stand alone heat pump unit but I do not ever want to lug another water heater out of the basement because of rust. I calculate a much faster payback on this unit than any other electric hot water heater on the market. It might not save the $$ of a heat pump unit but it is extra insulated compared to a conventional electric and it should be the last whole unit I will have to fork out the money for as long as I own the home. *

*I absolutely love the technology and idea of a heat pump water heater and know they have actually been used for years in other countries with high electric rates. I just can't justify the cash unless the rebates jump here but I can justify spending the money on something with a lifetime tank warranty.*

*http://www.marathonheaters.com/consumers.html*

My coop price for the 50 gallon tall heater is 713.00 and a 40 is like 675


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## slls (Aug 16, 2013)

Countryboymo said:


> * I do not ever want to lug another water heater out of the basement because of rust. *


 
I retired a 32 year old oil fired water heater in 08, went electric. Need to change the anode every 5 years.


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## iceguy4 (Aug 16, 2013)

TheBean said:


> Been thinking about a HPWH for awhile. Kills me when it's 90* outside and the oil kicks on for hot water. Does anybody know if these things can be plumbed into the oil furnace as a backup. The furnace has a hot water "zone" the heats water in a 40 galloon tank (basically an electric water heater w/out elements). Not sure there would be any real advantage, just wondering.


 
First off a HPWH is way more efficient then oil...second ..plumb your system to use either or. its a simple plumbing job. for me, I don't have to use a de-humidifier in my basement now as the HW heater does the job.As near as I can figure not having to use my dehumidifier now means I'm getting one or the other free and "anything free tickles me" BTW I have the AO Smith unit...60 gallons for just me and the missis


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## Pellet-King (Aug 16, 2013)

Anyone know how much water comes out using HP mode?, for now i might just use a 5 gallon bucket and dump it until figure out to get a pump to drain in my washer drain


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## 343amc (Aug 16, 2013)

I've been getting about a half gallon per day of condensate from my Geospring this summer.  I have a bucket under the drain outlet pipe.  I use the water on the plants in the garden.


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## Pellet-King (Aug 17, 2013)

343amc said:


> I've been getting about a half gallon per day of condensate from my Geospring this summer. I have a bucket under the drain outlet pipe. I use the water on the plants in the garden.


Thanks for the reply, thats not bad, i dont know how much my dehumidifier uses as it drains into a drain in the floor that was susposed to be a shower when they poured the foundation


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## Justin M (Aug 17, 2013)

Just get a condensate pump so you won't have to worry about it.   They are not expensive.


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## Pellet-King (Aug 18, 2013)

Picked it up saturday, the height of my old tank is 4" lower, it was installed in 2008 when i bought the house, appears to be copper to a 3/4"10" long pex with shutoff valve, i will need to cut off the tank fittings and install new, now need to buy pex tools,which are not cheap, i added a toilet and used some pex clamps, but I'm nervous using those on my water heater, i have a automotive CV boot clamping tool which worked great on the pex clamps
Got it for $899...no tax!!


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## Justin M (Aug 18, 2013)

Mine has been sitting in the basement for a month waiting for my basement finishing project to be over.  It will be hooked up next week using Pex, and drained in to the sump pump.


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## saladdin (Aug 18, 2013)

Stolen from an article, but wanted those taking the fed credit to make sure they still have any of that credit to claim. Would be a kick in the pants to buy based on getting the credit and then find out you don't get it.



Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-tax-credits-energy-efficiency.html#jCp
The program still has a cap of $500 in total credits. That limit goes all the way back to 2006, when the very first credits became available, Kweller said. That means if you've already claimed $500 in credits for energy-efficiency improvements, you're not eligible for more.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-01-tax-credits-energy-efficiency.html#jCp


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## Clarkbug (Aug 18, 2013)

Pellet-King said:


> Picked it up saturday, the height of my old tank is 4" lower, it was installed in 2008 when i bought the house, appears to be copper to a 3/4"10" long pex with shutoff valve, i will need to cut off the tank fittings and install new, now need to buy pex tools,which are not cheap, i added a toilet and used some pex clamps, but I'm nervous using those on my water heater, i have a automotive CV boot clamping tool which worked great on the pex clamps
> Got it for $899...no tax!!



What about using sharkbite or similar fittings?  Would save you the cost of buying the tools...  they sell a water heater kit that is two flexible connections with 3/4" nipples on one end, push-to-connect on the other.  Also available with built in ball valves.  They aren't cheap, but are cheaper than pex tools (if you won't be using them again, that is)


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## Pellet-King (Aug 18, 2013)

Yea i was going to go with sharkbite because the cold water pipe is offset to the hot water on my heater now, which would turn the new heater slighty side way's as the condesate drains to the rear, I dont like the idea of using a stainless flex-line sharkbite line either.
So I have a plumber buddy that will hard pipe it in next Sat.


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## briansol (Aug 19, 2013)

Nice, I want to do this so bad, but the plumbing and electric costs involved scare me.  Plus, I don't want to get rid of my boiler.... simply not use it as much, but keep it alive and cycling water...


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## moey (Aug 19, 2013)

briansol said:


> Nice, I want to do this so bad, but the plumbing and electric costs involved scare me. Plus, I don't want to get rid of my boiler.... simply not use it as much, but keep it alive and cycling water...


 
If your boiler is "cold start" its going cold in the course of the day in the summer which is not much different then having it off. Now if its maintaining temp then that can be a different story even in that case though they are designed to go cold.


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## ChadD (Aug 19, 2013)

Ordered mine today with 10% off coupon code. $899.10


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## briansol (Aug 20, 2013)

It runs a few times a day to maintain, and as needed when the faucet is on.   I burn through a full 1/2 tank (175 gallons) from may - October.   for strictly hot water.   it's ridiculous.


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## abrucerd (Aug 20, 2013)

I' just hit 3 years with my Geospring and no complaints.  I posted the following 2 years ago in the DIY forum, but I'll paste it here in case it helps anyone.



abrucerd said:


> I just stumbled upon this topic, and figured I'd chime in with my experience since I've had the Geospring for about a year now. I originally had an oil-fed hot water heater, which sprung a leak last year. After researching, I decided to replace it with the Geospring... less dependency on oil and all that jazz. My unit is in an unheated, unfinished, humid basement. The instillation went great... only took 2 or 3 hours. If anyone in central mass wants an experienced plumber, let me know... my guy was great and he did his research before he came to inspect my old setup. It was up and running mid-August 2010, and I had it set to Pump-only mode. My wife didn't notice any differences... so no complaints  Around November, I did start to notice a difference in water temperature. My wife showers first in the morning, and then me. The water was noticeably colder (but not cold... more luke warm). This is because of my low temp basement that houses the unit. To combat this, I raised the set temperature and put it in Hybrid mode throughout the winter... water was much better. When we have company over, I put it in high demand mode, just because I don't want my guests to notice anything. In may, I went back to pump-only mode. As for cost, since I didn't have a standard electric hot water heater before, it's hard to compare. But in the past year, I'm noticing a $50 dollar difference each month. But again, the flip side is I don't have to order oil every year, so you can do the math there  Overall, I'm very pleased with the unit. I like that I can set the controls based on my needs any given day/week/month. If anyone wants other specific information, let me know. Cheers!


 
A few updates since then... I've used the Vacation Mode several times, which is a nice feature. No issues with hot water when I come back from vaca.  Also, I've only gotten the "clean filter" alarm once in 3 years... so very little maintenance. I stopped putting it in Hybrid Mode in the winter because I read that if it's in Eco mode (pump only) and it can't maintain the temp, it just kicks on the electricity anyway, so I wonder if there's much of a cost difference (???).

Anyway, like I said... no complaints what-so-ever.


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## Pellet-King (Aug 20, 2013)

Great new's abrucerd!!, good to hear yours has been good as I've read so many problems with the heat pump part and error codes, mine says a march 2013 build date, I Installed mine sunday, I have not used yet a condensate pump yet as i'm just draining in a bucket on the side, so far 1" water a day in a 5 gallon bucket, I used sharkbites to install as I dont want to spend $200 for a plumber, But might as I really dont trust Bites in the long haul


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## WKB (Aug 20, 2013)

We bought the GE GeoSpring two years ago and I tried to enough research on the product ahead of time. Of course, MassSave introduced a $1000 credit for the same unit the next year. Another sign that early adopters of cleaner, greener energy often pay the price. But I digress.

The first year, we were able to run the unit exclusively on heat pump mode, which is the most efficient. That was a warmer winter. The second year (last year) it would sound an alarm indicating that the ambient air temp was too low, which was about 50 or 52 degrees. The manual says it's good to 45 degrees, but I was told by the GE tech that this is approximate. I got the codes to reset the unit and it's worked fine, but I had to monitor the basement temp for the remainder of the winter season. The dehumidifying function is a definite bonus. And I use the condensate to water houseplants. 

Efficiency is determined by both incoming water temp and ambient air. The warmer the incoming water and the ambient air, the more efficient the heat pump becomes. I wonder if you could set your oil boiler or pellet boiler to heat the water to a certain temp then have it enter the unit. 

The different modes basically are designed to kick in the thermal resistance rods once a certain amount of heated water is consumed. Heat pump mode won't use any electric resistance; hybrid, high demand differ only by the amount of heated water contained in the unit. And then there's 100% electric resistance, which sucks juice big time.


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## saladdin (Aug 21, 2013)

abrucerd said:


> I' just hit 3 years with my Geospring and no complaints. I posted the following 2 years ago in the DIY forum, but I'll paste it here in case it helps anyone.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

Would you mind posting what you are charged per KWH?

I know the oil savings offset the increase. 50 increase a month is a crap ton where I live. I already have electric water heater so don't know if it's worth it for me.


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## moey (Aug 21, 2013)

saladdin said:


> Would you mind posting what you are charged per KWH?
> 
> I know the oil savings offset the increase. 50 increase a month is a crap ton where I live. I already have electric water heater so don't know if it's worth it for me.


 
geez theres a good chance in Tennesee ( TVA at least ) you could heat with electric cheaper then wood pellets... Not quite but its probably not that far off specially if you dont have a good pellet source.. Most the northeast in somewhere in the range of .14 - .20c per kw/hr


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## Pellet-King (Aug 21, 2013)

6.89 cent's a kwh here, you will save alot of $$ if you already have a energy hog electric hot water heater, my basement does get down to 45ish in the winter, so I will switch it over to Hybrid mode by Nov.
WKB, why would you have to add a code to reset it?, why couldn't you just switch over to electric mode?


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## moey (Aug 21, 2013)

Pellet-King said:


> 6.89 cent's a kwh here, you will save alot of $$ if you already have a energy hog electric hot water heater, my basement does get down to 45ish in the winter, so I will switch it over to Hybrid mode by Nov.
> WKB, why would you have to add a code to reset it?, why couldn't you just switch over to electric mode?


 
I think if you took your final total and divided by number of kw used it would be much higher. Usually there is a delivery fee as well that is charged per kw as well.

Its amazing how relatively inexpensive just a straight electric water heater is. We pay about $35 - $40 a month with 2 adults and 2 small children with a 80 gallon straight electric tank. We are at 13.3 c kw/hr thats final bill total divided by kw used. Ive thought about getting one of these systems but we just had a geothermal system installed which will make a lot of the hot water in the winter.


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## abrucerd (Aug 21, 2013)

moey said:


> I think if you took your final total and divided by number of kw used it would be much higher. Usually there is a delivery fee as well that is charged per kw as well.


 
If I do this, I get 0.1473684210526316. Is that what you're looking for?


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## Pellet-King (Aug 22, 2013)

So your saying your very expensive 13 cents is including delivery fee's?, 4 yr's ago we were at 12 cents


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## moey (Aug 23, 2013)

Pellet-King said:


> So your saying your very expensive 13 cents is including delivery fee's?, 4 yr's ago we were at 12 cents


 
Most of Maine is 13c to 14c (supply plus delivery). Its a bit cheaper then the rest of NE.


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## mithesaint (Sep 28, 2013)

Does anyone have any idea how effective these are at dehumidifying a room?  My basement dehumidifier was part of the recall, so I need a new dehumidifier.  However, my propane water heater is also 16 years old, and I'm just waiting for that to die.  

I'm tossing around the idea of switching to a heat pump water heater.  The downfall is that I'll have to have a wire ran, which isn't going to be cheap, and I think my propane supplier is going to start charging me rent on the tank if my propane consumption falls that far down, and the two of those could really negate any savings the heat pump gets me.  I'm already under the amount on my contract, and going to electric water heating is going to put my propane consumption down to almost zero.  Still need it for backup heat though...


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## ChadD (Sep 28, 2013)

mithesaint said:


> Does anyone have any idea how effective these are at dehumidifying a room?  My basement dehumidifier was part of the recall, so I need a new dehumidifier.  However, my propane water heater is also 16 years old, and I'm just waiting for that to die.
> 
> I'm tossing around the idea of switching to a heat pump water heater.  The downfall is that I'll have to have a wire ran, which isn't going to be cheap, and I think my propane supplier is going to start charging me rent on the tank if my propane consumption falls that far down, and the two of those could really negate any savings the heat pump gets me.  I'm already under the amount on my contract, and going to electric water heating is going to put my propane consumption down to almost zero.  Still need it for backup heat though...



I turned off my dehumidifier after I installed mine and my 850 sq ft basement has been at about 50% humidity since.


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## Justin M (Sep 29, 2013)

I've been running my GE Geospring for a little over a month.  I keep it in heat pump only mode, and have plenty of hot water for a family of 4.  I shut down my dehumidifier when it was installed and have been able to maintain a reasonable humidity level.  However, I also installed a ductlees mini-split system at the same time with dry mode as part of my basement finishing project.  So I think it will depend on your individual moisture situation as to whether the Geospring will be adequate on it's own or not.  Also keep in mind that opposite of the dehumidifier, the heat pump will cool the air around it.


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## Justin M (Sep 29, 2013)

And I have had no increase in electricity usage since I also shut down my dehumidifier and boiler at the time of install.


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## Pellet-King (Sep 29, 2013)

With a meter reading coming oct 2nd looking at my meter i've only used 600kwh so far, thats alot less than the 1900kwh i used in july because of non stop a/c's for a month, i just mailed in my rebate today i'm very pleased so far with this heater, our hot water is alot hotter than the old heater which was only 5 yrs old and my dishes come cleaner in the dishwasher also, best $199 after rebates I've ever spent, better than that $120 i blew last night eating at Cheesecake Factory....was not impressed


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## jtakeman (Sep 29, 2013)

Dang it, I just replaced my water heater. Guess I should of read this before! 

Something that pays for itself in a just few seasons is an excellent RTOI.


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## 343amc (Sep 29, 2013)

Mine didn't totally remove the need for the dehumidifier, but it doesn't run as much as it used to. I keep it set at 55%, and most times the readout on the display reads 50%.


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## Tom Wallace (Sep 29, 2013)

Justin M said:


> Also keep in mind that opposite of the dehumidifier, the heat pump will cool the air around it.



I thought dehumidifiers also cool the room. The one I have in my basement definitely blows out cool air when it's running. I have a 120 gallon saltwater aquarium in the basement, so I'll always have to run that in the winter. My GeoSpring water heater is in the garage, so I don't think it helps to dehumidify the basement.


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## heat seeker (Sep 29, 2013)

Most dehumidifiers also blow warm air out, same as an air conditioner blows hot air outside. The difference is that the dehumidifier blows the warm air into the room it's in. The net effect is zero warming or cooling - except for the heat generated by the motors. So, there is a net gain in heat in the room.


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## LuvMyPellets (Sep 29, 2013)

I bought the GeoSpring the first year it came out. It is the best investment I have made for the house energy wise other than the pellet stove. I never heated water with Electric. It was always the boiler and when the pellet stove went in we were running the boiler to get hot water. My boiler is incredibly efficient and I had a 40gal separate stainless hot water storage tank yet it still was using a crap load of oil. When I shut all this off and turned on the Geo the electric bill went up $7 a month. There is only 2 of us. GE is fantastic. My unit failed and was out of warranty. They fixed it for nothing. It seems they were made in China and they used cheap material for the condenser. The repairman informed me they turned out so successful they now have an entire GE division up and running over here and Mexico that is using only US made parts. On the plus side my basement is way cooler in the summer and much less humid.


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## saladdin (Sep 30, 2013)

LuvMyPellets said:


> I bought the GeoSpring the first year it came out. It is the best investment I have made for the house energy wise other than the pellet stove. I never heated water with Electric. It was always the boiler and when the pellet stove went in we were running the boiler to get hot water. My boiler is incredibly efficient and I had a 40gal separate stainless hot water storage tank yet it still was using a crap load of oil. When I shut all this off and turned on the Geo the electric bill went up $7 a month. There is only 2 of us. GE is fantastic. My unit failed and was out of warranty. They fixed it for nothing. It seems they were made in China and they used cheap material for the condenser. The repairman informed me they turned out so successful they now have an entire GE division up and running over here and Mexico that is using only US made parts. On the plus side my basement is way cooler in the summer and much less humid.


 


That's the scary part. I've read a ton of reviews and they pretty much start the same "I had to have it repaired but now it works great." Sounds like these things are designed to have a breakdown.


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## Justin M (Sep 30, 2013)

saladdin said:


> That's the scary part. I've read a ton of reviews and they pretty much start the same "I had to have it repaired but now it works great." Sounds like these things are designed to have a breakdown.


The old units had problems with chinese made heat pumps.  Current models are made in USA and have been reliable.


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## briansol (Sep 30, 2013)

Pellet-King said:


> With a meter reading coming oct 2nd looking at my meter i've only used 600kwh so far, thats alot less than the 1900kwh i used in july because of non stop a/c's for a month, i just mailed in my rebate today i'm very pleased so far with this heater, our hot water is alot hotter than the old heater which was only 5 yrs old and my dishes come cleaner in the dishwasher also, best $199 after rebates I've ever spent, better than that $120 i blew last night eating at Cheesecake Factory....was not impressed


 what rebates did you get?  i'm in ct as well and can only find federal ones...


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## Justin M (Sep 30, 2013)

briansol said:


> what rebates did you get?  i'm in ct as well and can only find federal ones...


There is, or atleast there was a rebate from CL&P if you were replacing an electric unit.  I did not qualify for that, nor did I qualify for the federal rebate because I used that on my pellet stove.


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## briansol (Sep 30, 2013)

I won't be replacing an electric unit... so I don't get that one either.
but I have not used any other rebates (got my stove a year before the $500 ones   )


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## charly (Sep 30, 2013)

Our Geo Spring has worked flawlessly for 3 years now..  100 dollars for an extended 10 year warrantee, couldn't pass on that..


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## Pellet-King (Sep 30, 2013)

Main page of this thread shows the lowes link, there are the rebate forms below the price , i just sent my CLP $400 in today


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## jcleary47 (Oct 2, 2013)

I have a 40 gallon electric water heater (Rheem I think) being installed on the 16th. I was going to spring for the GeoSpring (pun intended I guess) but wasn't in the budget and was a little wary of the mixed reviews.

I just really got tired of wasting oil throughout the summer, and by all accounts I should be able to save some money having an electric heater for my hot water.


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## Pellet-King (Oct 2, 2013)

COULD OF HAD IT FOR $199,PAYMENTS ON YOUR LOWES CHARGE


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## ChadD (Oct 3, 2013)

CL&P rebate came in 3 weeks! If you find a 10% off coupon 9 year extended warranty is basically free!


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## Pellet-King (Nov 14, 2015)

Clean filter light has been on and beeping, have cleaned the filter twice,after a day warning comes back.....


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## LuvMyPellets (Nov 14, 2015)

Just give GE a call. Customer service is excellent on these things.


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## Pellet-King (Nov 14, 2015)

LuvMyPellets said:


> Just give GE a call. Customer service is excellent on these things.


Opposite what I've read online, It's over 2 yr's old,i only ended up paing $199 for It, Worst case I'll just switch it over to electric, I have not seen any saving's on my electric bill anyway


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## Wilbur Feral (Nov 15, 2015)

Had ours for about a year now.  Flawless.  Love it.  Saves a few bucks on the electric bill, and will require much less power to run on the generator if power goes out.  Have not yet tried that, though, so hoping it performs well on the gen.


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## anthonyj124 (Nov 15, 2015)

Had our geospring for a little more than a year and a half. Never saw this thread. 

Ours had the lower element gasket torn during manufacturing. Worked great for 6 days then leaked about 40 gallons into the basement before we came home to the battery operated water alarm screaming. 

We turned off the power and water then I drained the remaining water in the tank. Rented a carpet cleaner from Home Depot (the rental dept is open until 10p here) to pull the water up out of the carpet (luckily with no padding under it in the basement). Ran the carpet cleaner- not soaping, just pulling water up- for about 4 hours that night and also rented a big dehumidifier and fan then ran those for 10 days. Soaped the carpet good twice the next day with no permanent damage. Only some staining to drywall, and luckily no mold. I replaced the element and gasket (these are standard GE elements) on my own the next morning so we'd be able to continue use, but I never mentioned that to GE so we'd still get prompt service since this was a brand new WH- and I wanted GE to come out GE parts back in.

The bastard was GE support. I won't go too crazy on the story since I'm still a bit bitter about it, but I grew up in Schenectady, NY (home of GE) and my grand father was an engineer for GE for 30+ years. We ONLY buy GE product in our family. At the time we had just ordered a full kitchen of new GE appliances too. 

IT TOOK GE 5 DAYS TO GET A TECH TO OUR HOUSE. We live 25 miles from Boston, so we're not remote by any means. I spent those 5 days calling the GE water heater hotline relentlessly, then the local service co non stop. I was fuming. It took me posting a disappointment tweet on Twitter for any real action to happen. The VP of the appliance division called me directly and offered to get involved. The tech came the next day and replaced the element (again since I did it once) and verified the failed gasket for GE's insurance claim.

In the end, GE's insurance cut us a fair check for the damage so it really didn't hurt. However the service provided by GE was abysmal, and I can only imagine what would happen if a person wasn't able to turn the water off or replace the gasket on their own for 5 days... 

The water heater works well. We use the boost function often when people visit, since the recovery on hybrid is marginal even for a two adult household. Our next unit will likely be a bigger standard style water heater. The power savings is fair, but I'm sure once we start adding to our family, we'll exceed the capabilities of the geospring.


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## Pellet-King (Nov 15, 2015)

I found some Info online to stop the beeping, push the reset button 10 times, then hold it for 5 seconds, did that yesterday morning, so far so good, I do like the dehumidifier effect as I don't have to run my dehumidifier anymore, another weird thing is past 2 late fall the water will get cold, I have to turn off the breaker to "reboot" it and It's fine for another year, this is running on heat pump only mode, this fall I left it on hybrid mods and did not have cold water


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## Pellet-King (Jan 3, 2016)

Pellet-King said:


> I found some Info online to stop the beeping, push the reset button 10 times, then hold it for 5 seconds, did that yesterday morning, so far so good, I do like the dehumidifier effect as I don't have to run my dehumidifier anymore, another weird thing is past 2 late fall the water will get cold, I have to turn off the breaker to "reboot" it and It's fine for another year, this is running on heat pump only mode, this fall I left it on hybrid mods and did not have cold water


Still after a day beeping would come back, finally got around to calling them past week and there shipping some part's I can install myself, see how it goes when part's get here


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## Brian26 (Feb 17, 2016)

Pellet-King said:


> Still after a day beeping would come back, finally got around to calling them past week and there shipping some part's I can install myself, see how it goes when part's get here



The filter light on mine just started beeping. I tried the same thing you did with reseting the filter light but it keeps coming back. Going to call GE today. What parts did they send you and we're you able to fix it?


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