American is rolling out 3 new products…
1. High Efficiency Gas heater. Standard vent. 70% efficient compared to 60-63% for standard heaters. Features pressurized air intake to create a turbo charge effect, tighter baffling for better heat transfer, and LCD control panel. 43 GPH with 90deg rise. http://www.americanwaterheater.com/products/productDetails.aspx?ID=1148
2. Hybrid Electric Heat Pump heater. Similar to the Rheem we have in stock now but has some key advantages. Rheem is 50 gallons. American’s is 80 gallons (with a 65 gallon model coming soon). American is convinced you need more storage capacity in order to get more advantage of the cheap hot water produced with the heat pump. If demand is above what the heat pump can handle, standard elements kick in. So with only 50 gallons, the electric elements would work too much in most homes. Unit has “powered anode rod” rather than the typical sacrificial anode rod in the Rheem. http://www.americanwaterheater.com/products/productDetails.aspx?ID=1150
3. Hybrid Gas heater. This is the one American developed to compete with Navien. It combines a tankless heater with 20+ gallon tank in a package about the size of a washing machine. 121 GPH recovery…189 gallons first hour. 90% efficient. 100,000 btu’s so it works with the typical ½” gas line. The heated flue gases from the tankless heater (which is the first one made by AO Smith/American) are routed through the tank, providing additional heat to the water in the tank. Vented with PVC pipe. Don’t get confused though…the unit has a small circulating pump in it but it only keeps water circulating from the tank back to the tankless…not for re-circulating water throughout the house. Copper heat exchanger. http://www.americanwaterheater.com/products/productDetails.aspx?ID=1149
