sloeffle
Minister of Fire
I have both a Marathon ( tied into my DSH on my geo ) and A.O. Smith HPHW. The Marathon was costing me roughly $55 a month to run ( 3 of us ). My HPHW costs me around $5 a month to run. And like @3fordasho I don't have to run a dehumidifier now in my basement and it is using the excess heat from my wood furnace in the winter to essentially make almost free hot water. The ROI on my HPHW was 18 months. If it goes bad after 18 months, I'll go buy a new one. It paid for itself vs running the Marathon. I have had mine for 3 years without any issues. That is over 1k ( adding in the cost of running an electric sucking dehumidifier ) I can put back in my wallet. I clean the screen every few weeks and and turn on the elements every month or so to keep the scale from building up on them. I believe @woodgeek has had his even longer.I’ve been extensively researching the HP WH and I’m still unsure. The complexity and expense if they go bad gives me pause. Also, when they’re not in heat pump mode, they seem to lose a lot of their adnpvamtage. If I had to decide now, I’d go with the marathon just due to longevity.