Rheem Heat Pump Water Heaters Prestige Series
Rheem heat pump water heater
is one of the latest products in the industry whose hybrid design
provides
the affordable and super-efficient hot water heating, reliable and
durable operation.
Rheem heat pump HB50RH is coming
from the Prestige series and is the only type of
all
tank-type electric water heaters that is Energy
Star recognized, which makes it eligible for federal tax credits and
other incentives and rebates. Find out more how heat pumps water
heater work.
Features
Efficiency and Recovery
Rheem
heat pump is the ultra-efficient heater whose energy
factor, EF, is 2.45, which is more than double of the most efficient
electric water heaters. The reasons for the increased energy efficiency
are several, from the process of how the heat is created
and transferred to the water, powerful compressor of 8700 Btu/h,
to its thicker foam of 2.5". High efficiency means less energy waste
and high fuel savings, where the stronger compressor heats water faster.
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 with the dry-fire protection.
The HB50RH model is the 50-gallon unit that heats water 33%
faster than the conventional 50-gallon models, and by providing the
fast recovery (and first hour
rating is 57 gallons per hour) it is perfect for the
average family of four and their everyday needs.
Easy installation
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 technical rooms where the other heating
sources
(i.e. furnace) are installed.
The environment with the higher air temperature 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.
Advanced electronics
Heat
pump is equipped with the easy to use control LCD display
and
touch pad for hot water temperature control and with the five energy
efficiency settings to choose from. LCD control panel is conveniently
located in the upper level of the unit, at the eye level. The touch
screen comes with the full-color and back lit appearance and it allows
the use and monitoring in the dark places.
The service button shows you the current status of the unit,
it displays the model and series number, shows the temperature,
diagnostics, testing and alarms.
The operation control button can either activate water heating
(enabled)
or put the water heater in standby mode where it doesn't heat.
The arrows allow you to set the temperature from the warm,
through hot and very hot.
The EcoNet feature makes the heat pump compatible with home
automation, energy management and demand response system.
Safety features
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.
Operating modes
The heat pump water heater can work in five operating modes
while
providing the
hot
water temperature from 37 to 140 F where the factory set is
120 F. The Mode button allows you to set the following:
-
HP mode - is the mode when
the heat pump achieves
max. thermal efficiency of 2.45 and it is used when the demand for hot
water is low. The mode will minimize power consumption. -
High Demand mode - is used
for high demand applications,
when two or more hot water fixtures are used at the same
time. Both heat pump and the electric elements are
engaged as needed. -
Electric Heat mode - the
water heater heats water by using
the heating elements only, while the heat pump is disabled. The water
heater in this mode will maximize the use of energy. - Vacation mode allows you to
set the water heater from 2 to
28 days or put on hold indefinitely. Tank temperature will be set to 82
F. -
Energy Saver mode is factory
set and is the best in
efficiency for normal demands of hot water. The heat pump will use the
compressor fully while the use of heating elements will be minimized.
Rheem manufacturer provides a decent 12-year limited warranty
on the
tank and water heater parts. What helps Rheem HB50RH to
have long
life is the resistored anode rod to protect the steel tank from
corrosion and the exclusive Rheemglas tank lining found on most other
tank-type heaters from this manufacturer. This feature and
features described above are what makes this unit a good
buy. Check out the price on Amazon.
You
might also find the HB50ES model, which is the same as the HB50RH
model from above. HB50ES model is made for Canadian market.
(Photo credit to Rheem)
Heat Pumps Reviews