A.O. Smith FPTU-66 - 66 Gallon Capacity - Residential Heat Pump Water Heater

This water heater was very easy to install. It's been running in the heat pump mode since I installed it. You can hear the fan running, but it's more from the air movement perspective. I do like how it doubles as a dehumidifier. So if you're like I am with an older home that has a damp basement, I no longer need to run my dehumidifier. So I'm not sure if I'm getting free hot water or free dehumidifying, but feels great to not be paying for both of them. I've only had it running for a month, so I'm looking forward to my next electric bill. I marked the value as 5 stars because I did get a $600 rebate from my state efficiency program. If I had to pay full price without the rebate I would have given 4-stars as the return on investment would have been longer.

From the moment I saw this heat pump water heater I knew it was a great product. I have a large, mostly unfinished basement and these water heaters are ideal for my space. I am new to using them so cannot speak to the efficiency overall. By maintaining the units as suggested in the use and care guide, I am confident they will live up to my expectations. I gave the performance rating an excellent and will update that rating at some future date when I have had a chance to "live" with these for a while.

So far so good, only two weeks into new install. It takes a little getting used to the sound, but it is pretty unintrusive. I purchased a hybrid due to the need for a dehumidifier in the equipment room and boy does it remove the water. It also puts out a noticeable amount of cool air. The connections are a little weird as to positioning of the control panel, electrical, and plumbing connections all being a little scattered. Nevertheless I was able to accommodate the non-standard connections as well as an extra(condensate drain) connection with little problems. I used 18" stainless braided hot water heater connections as well as shark bite tubing and fittings. With two people I have absolutely no issues with capacity. I have not seen a utility bill yet. It recovers very fast. I also installed a whole house surge protector(Leviton) as we have a plethora of surges. We are extremely rural. The controls are easy to use. It looks really nice as well, so much nicer than my old electric with fiberglass blanket.. And it seems to only run to replenish heat after usage, I have not noticed it once running just to re-heat the existing tank leading me to believe it has good insulation. I went with A.O. Smith because of the revues, and due to the fact that our existing dual electric setup was A.O. Smith pro and they were still going great after 17 years of use in an area known for killing water heaters before 15 due to hard water. It is heavy, but I loaded and unloaded by myself using my small trailer and a refrigerator dolly. I also installed a 3+ gallon expansion tank and check valve to increase efficiency. Ed Begley would be proud.

I would definitely recommend the surge protector and the expansion tank. They added another $300 to the project, but it is worth the safety factor. I really like to do things once if at all possible. I would also recommend the larger tank models for more than 3 people. This 66 gallon model seems to recover very quickly.

With eComfort free shipping, and my geographically odd position of two weeks to everywhere, this really worked out well for me. I could not find a lower price anywhere. So I am not sure how they do free shipping.

Just be aware that you need 180 degrees clear to make all of the connections as none of them are on top of the unit.

There was a straight electric(Marathon) with a lifetime warranty that I was looking at due to it's efficiency, but the revues had multiple tank failures, and for near the same cost I decided to take the plunge and go hybrid. So far I am very impressed.