Rheem Heat Pump Water Heaters

Rheem hybrid water heaters

Rheem heat pump water heater is one of the latest products in electric water heating that provides the affordable and efficient hot water production.

Heat pump is the only type of electric water heaters that is Energy Star recognized, which makes it eligible for federal tax credits and other incentives and rebates. Find how heat pumps water heater works here.

Rheem Heat Pump Water Heater Features

RHEEM 50G Heat Pump Water Heater HP50RH

Rheem heat pump is the super efficient heater with the energy factor, EF of 2.0, which is more than double of the most efficient electric water heaters. The reasons for the increased energy efficiency are few, from the process how the heat is created and transferred to the water to its thicker foam of 2.5".

Rheem Heat Pump works as other heat pumps, like a refrigerator in reverse; it extracts the heat from the warm air, increasing the temperature with a compressor and delivering the energy to the water. It also uses two 2kW incoloy heating elements as the backup heaters, which are designed as the high quality stainless steel resistor heating elements.

Only one Rheem heat pump model is available, HP50RH, with the size of 50 gallons, and by providing the fast recovery it is perfect for the average family of four and their everyday needs. First hour rating is 72 gallons per hour when the heat pump works in the normal mode (model with the heating element backup).

Heat pumps are easy to install, similar to the conventional electric units with the standard water inlet and outlet, size and location. The best spots for Rheem heat pump installation are basements, garages, attics or rooms where the other heating sources (furnace) are installed.

This is what helps the Rheem electric heat pump water heater to increase its efficiency; it extracts the heat from the warm surrounding air while it exhausts the cooler air. One of the main requirements for this kind of installation is that the fresh air has to be provided in the volume of 1000 cubic ft.

Heat pump is equipped with the easy to use control LED display and touch pad for hot water temperature control and with the three energy efficiency settings to choose from. LED control panel is conveniently located in the upper level of the unit, at the eye level and behind the small door for protection.

Rheem heat pump is designed with a few safety features; one is its freeze protection, to protect the unit when subjected to the freezing temperatures, and the other is the overheat protection.

The heat pump water heater can work in three modes while providing the hot water temperature from 40 to factory set 120 F (maximum is 140 F):

Energy Saver is the mode when the heat pump achieves max. thermal efficiency of 2.0.
Normal setting is perfect for situations when the hot water demand is high. Both heat pump and electric heater are engaged as needed, providing max of 1.5 EF.
Electric heating only mode is a temporarily mode utilized on a short term basis when the heat pump is disabled.

For the most efficient operation, recommendation is to use the Energy Saver mode. By pressing the key on the control pad labeled as Energy Saver, LED will light up upon activation. When the heat pump is working in this mode, compressor operation will be maximized and use of the heat will be minimized.

Use Normal mode if the previous mode doesn't supply enough hot water. This mode will maximize the performance while still providing energy savings.

If you need to adjust the temperature on the temperature control, simply use the arrow key up to increase or down to decrease the hot water temperature.

Rheem manufacturer provides a decent 10 year limited warranty on the tank and water heater parts. What helps RHEEM HP50RH to have long life is the resistored anode rod to protect the steel tank from corrosion and the exclusive Rheemglas tank lining. This feature and features described above are what makes this unit a good buy.

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