Rheem PVG- User Manual

Update Bulletin No. 811

www.dulley.com

Jim Dulley

T

h a n k y o u f o r

your interest

in writing to me about
high-efficiency gas wa-
ter heaters. On the fol-
lowing pages, I have
listed the most efficient
( E F r a t i n g s f r o m
GAMA’s Consumers’

Directory of Certified Efficiency Ratings)
models that each company makes. Since
installed prices vary so much depend-
ing on region, unit size and installa-
tion details specific to your house, it
is best for you to contact a plumber
for an estimate. Installing a gas
water heater is not a typical do-it-
yourself job.

When selecting a new gas water

heater, you should consider the effi-
ciency (and the resultant operating
cost) and the amount of hot water
it can produce. The efficiency is
rated by the energy factor (EF)
and this determines the operating
cost. See page 4 for a table of
various energy factors and the ex-
pected annual operating costs for
a family of four. A sample calcu-
lation and worksheet are also
shown to use when comparing models.

To use this chart: Determine during what general time of day (morning, noon, evening) there is usually
the most use of hot water in your home, keeping in mind the number of people in your home. Using the
table, determine what your maximum usage of hot water in one hour could be; this is your peak hour
demand. The right size water heater for your needs will be within one to two gallons of your peak hour
demand.
NOTE: This table does not estimate total daily hot water usage. As an example, an average of 2 gallons
of hot water is used each time dishes are washed by hand but dishes washed by hand are usually done
3 times a day. The average daily hot water usage for hand dishwashing, 6 gallons, is about the same as the
average hot water usage for an automatic dishwasher, used once a day.
Example: Your household uses the most hot water in the morning. In the busiest one hour period of
the morning, the uses are: 3 showers/10x3=30, 1 shave/1x1=1, 3 shampoos/2x3=6 handwashing of
dishes/2x1=2, Total Peak Hour Demand = 39 gallons.

Rheem Water Heaters

•

Brass drain valve

•

Exclusive porcelain enamel tank lining resists

corrosion and prolongs tank life

•

Flue baffle minimizes heat loss

•

Gasmaster™ burner with precision port align-

ment for even heat transfer

•

High efficiency models feature 2 1/2" foam
insulation with approx. R-value of
R-20 (models with .62 en-
ergy factor)

•

Higher BTU input and

higher efficiency than
standard models

•

Meets or exceeds National

Appliance Energy Con-
servation Act (NAECA)
and California Energy
Commission (C.E.C.) re-
quirements

•

Models up

to 50K BTU feature a top
connect T&P valve open-
ing. Higher input models
have a side-mounted re-
lief valve opening

•

Premium grade anode rod

•

Robertshaw® control

combination thermostat

•

Temperature and pressure
relief valve included

Worksheet to Estimate Peak Hour Demand

Use

Average

Gallons of Hot

Water Usage

Times Used

During One

Hour

Gallons Used in

One Hour

Shower

10

x

______________

=

______________

Bath

20

x

______________

=

______________

Shaving

1

x

______________

=

______________

Hands & Face Washing

2

x

______________

=

______________

Hair Shampoo

2

x

______________

=

______________

Hand Dishwashing

2

x

______________

=

______________

Automatic Dishwasher

8

x

______________

=

______________

Food Preparation

2

x

______________

=

______________

Clothes Washer

20

x

______________

=

______________

TOTAL

Peak Hour Demand

______________

Series 12

from Maytag

Conservationist
from A.O. Smith

The next factor for you to consider is

the amount of hot water your family
needs for morning showers (usually
the heaviest hot water demand of the
day). The first hour rating (FHR)
indicates how much hot water is avail-
able in one hour after a long period of
no use, usually over night. The first
hour rating includes the volume of the
hot water stored in the tank plus the

amount of water the burners can

heat in one hour. I have
included a hot water demand
chart below to help you to
estimate how much hot wa-
ter you will need in the heavi-
est usage time.

Two of my favorite

models are the reliable A.O.
Smith “Conservationist” and
the Maytag “Series 12”
shown on this page. Both have high
EF ratings. Although Maytag’s mod-
els are fairly new, they are made by
well-established State Industries to
Maytag specifications. As is typical
with Maytag products, their water
heaters use extra-heavy gauge steel,
dual anode rods, heat trap fittings,
etc. This allows them to offer a 12-
year warranty.

If you work around your water

heater area and there are any flam-
mable chemicals (cleaners, paint thin-
ner, gasoline, etc.) stored or used
nearby, their vapors can be ignited
by the water heater burner causing
explosions and fire. American Wa-
ter Heater currently has a special
“Flame-Guard” burner design (see
page 4) that traps any burning vapors
inside the burner unit so it does not
spread throughout your utility room
or basement. Within this year, all gas
water heaters will be required to have
this safety feature in their burner
design.

If you current have an electric

water heater and would like to switch
to gas because it is much less expen-
sive to operate, you can select a di-
rect-vent or power-vent model (see

page 4). These models do not require you to
install an expensive chimney or a vertical
flue to exhaust the gases of combustion.
They are somewhat more expensive to pur-
chase than a standard gas water heater be-
cause of the extra parts, but their efficiency
is usually quite high. They can supply more
hot water (higher FHR) from a
smaller water tank than can an
electric water heater.