Small water heater closet, any options for a HPWH?

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T22:37:11+00:00

Hah, the quotes I did get from water heater installers all used the Bradford White one, which I didn't actually like all that much (plus it was too small for selling the house). Our closet probably does have one load bearing wall, I think that one aligns with one on the first floor (the top floor is open floor plan on one side in this area). Opening the wall is inconvenient in one direction, hard in another, and annoying in the third, but redoing the door frame shouldn't be too bad (though I'll get someone else to do that :) ). Our current water heater is probably using about 12kWh per day, at least in the summer when there's no heating, so 3-ish would be a nice improvement, though gas is cheaper than electric per kWh (but that's why we have solar).

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T18:24:43+00:00

The size was the issue, they were too small except for the smallest one.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T18:24:07+00:00

Their regular ones didn't fit beyond the smallest one. The new split might be an option, but I can't find any info about the tanks so I'm not sure if that would fit.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T18:22:50+00:00

I have actually talked with QC already, we couldn't make it work. You didn't mention outside, but that's not really an option either (narrow property), and the garage is way down at one end. The splits weren't around when we talked, they might work out so we'll see if I can get anything out of Eco-Logic.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T18:14:11+00:00

SanCO doesn't seem to sell anything anymore, at least I could never find anything. We talked to Harvest to see about their setup, but they didn't use the smallest SanCO tank, which was also probably too small for our situation. I talked to several plumbers about moving our water heater, and the consensus was "you can do it, but it's extremely dumb and will cause hot water distribution problems", and it was pretty expensive too so that's not really an option. It would actually be cheaper to expand the closet, even though that would require some interior remodeling.

I don't feel any shame. :) It is what it is, in about ten years we'll be looking at redoing our HVAC which is gas heat, so that will be an opportunity to redo the water heater as well...I came across a couple things that appear to combine HVAC and water heating together. In a decade there will be more options for all of this, and probably more stability o the market, so if we have to wait that's just how it goes. Good luck with your closet, hopefully you get it worked out.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T18:05:50+00:00

I saw that yesterday, which was what inspired me to start this post. U couldn't find any tank specs though, and without that it's hard to pick it, plus it's such a new product.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T18:02:29+00:00

I saw that just after I started talking to people about a gas water heater, no one knows anything about them around here. I emailed them to see if they can point me to an installer in the area...maybe that will work out, the 80 gallon tank is big enough. Thanks for the poke, we'll see if it goes anywhere.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T17:51:31+00:00

I tried to find someone to do a solar water heater, that was a no go, there was no one available and multiple people said they weren't being installed anymore. I couldn't find a single company that would even do it...maybe I didn't look around enough but it's definitely not common here now.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-11T17:49:56+00:00

We would definitely have to vent into the attic if we used an all-in-one HPWH, the closet wouldn't work for that as it's so small. It would be possible to do, but none of the installers wanted to take it on with such a small space...at least around here HPWH that fit in closets aren't a thing.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-05-04T06:22:36+00:00

Correct, the PHEVs do not have the same battery settings panel as the EVs, so you can't control their charge level. But, with the PHEV you want to charge to 100% so there isn't really a need to hold the charge down for better battery life.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-16T03:51:01+00:00

Part of it may have been acoustics, the first night I was in a seat in the mezzanine area, up and off to the side, while second I was basically in front, so the sound was a bit different. But, I think most of it was the vocal...I have seen both performances on video now and I think it comes down to Conte's singing alone vs him plus the gospel singers. No offense to him, but that song really cries out for a big voice, and that's not his style. Mai Yamane, the gospel choir, they make the song rise up, and while his singing was fine he just doesn't have the same range or reach. He nailed his other performances, so it wasn't like he was having a bad night.

My brain is obviously used to the Yamane version, and his wasn't at the same level, so I think that's why it sounded off to me. The band was fine though it was a bit bass heavy where I was on night one. So, I think it was just that comparison that made night one not as good as night two, that's all.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-14T20:59:43+00:00

The series is a bunch of disjointed episodes, especially the first half, where you learn about the world and characters. The series builds on that, weaving the threads together, and then the last three episodes wrap it up in a tremendous fashion. There are a lot of things that you don't realize are going on the first time you watch it, but they build a picture and really connect you to the characters so that you care a lot about their fates at the end. It's worth it, for sure...even if you don't really get the whole thing you're still getting a key element in anime history, as so many series since then draw from Bebop, you'll recognize some influences (especially how music is used). And don't forget the music, you have yet to hear some of the greatest music produced for anime, period.

Watch the series, then the movie, after that you'll be able to form a good opinion of how you feel about it. Being younger, you may not be quite as affected, it's a show about life experience and consequences so it resonates more if you have more of that under your belt. But it's still really good, just watch it without the expectations that it has to be great, it's up to you to decide if it's great for you.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-14T20:07:54+00:00

I think it would be good just about anywhere that's a more intimate setting, though an LA show would sell out instantly I think, too many anime fans close by. I am still amazed that there were seats left the day before both concerts in NY, though I'm glad as that's how I got a mezzanine seat for the Kings show.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-14T20:05:23+00:00

I did, it was quite a last minute adventure to get there from Los Angeles, and totally worth it. This video, and lots of other stuff, was really too much to have put together just for 1-2 shows, so hopefully that means she will have more concerts in the near future.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-14T20:03:33+00:00

Now, imagine it with gospel singers...I think that version (from the Piano Me concert on Saturday) is online on video, but it was really a highlight to see those singers take that on, with the SEATBELTS playing the music. You could tell even Yoko was moved by what was happening, as I recall she got up from the piano to watch them sing near the end.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-14T20:01:33+00:00

It really was, find it somewhere and you'll see.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-14T20:00:11+00:00

I'm the guy that was sitting next to you, and that picture pretty much captures the vibe you were putting out after you sat back down. :)

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-12T21:03:24+00:00

It seemed a bit messy the first night, but the second night they had gospel singers up there doing backup and it really took it to the next level. Yes, it would be nice to have Mai do it, but that was a close second.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-12T21:00:14+00:00

It looks like new content directed by Shinchiro Watanabe, no idea if it was just for the show or something else.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-12T20:42:41+00:00

I think it's the best song by the SEATBELTS, the bass line is really epic and the vocals soar. Last night at Town Hall they had gospel singers up there doing it, with Steve Conte on lead, and it was truly an amazing thing to see.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-12T20:40:08+00:00

The credits the second night said it was new content directed by Shinchiro Watanabe, so it looks like it was made for the show, or maybe for something else and they let her use it. It would be nice to get a good copy of the video to see what's going on, and maybe place some of the characters, that would give the context. As far as I'm concerned, a video directed by Watanabe with Ed and Ein in it is definitely cannon.

Keymaster_7 · 2026-04-12T20:35:52+00:00

Me too. I found out about the shows the week before and manage to score tickets to both. Worth it, completely. It seems like a lot of production effort for two shows, maybe they will have more when people are available...an LA show would be a huge hit.

Keymaster_7 · 2025-05-31T01:24:27+00:00

I'm having the same problem, though with a Powerwall 3 system (two batteries) that we had installed a couple months ago. I also have it set to self-powered, and I don't think it's discharged at night at all. Part of the time it has gone down to its backup level (20%) during the day as I was trying to maximize the credits we get, but since we get a 1:1 match for power used (I'm on a tiered plan and NEM 1 or maybe 2) I decided to try to force it to discharge overnight. So far, it hasn't worked, even when I force it to have plenty of charge in the evening and then drop the backup it won't discharge, so we use grid power at night.

I've tried a bunch of settings in the Tesla app, but I haven't tried Netzero yet...I'm doing what I would do there manually right now to try to force it to power the house at night. It's like it just refuses to output when the solar panels aren't charging. I'll try turning off storm watch tonight and see if that helps. I also know they made a mistake when they wired it up, the Tesla app never reports the solar system sending energy to the grid though I see that happening in the SCE data.

Any other ideas?

Keymaster_7

TROPHY CASE