[LeeFowler]

Sometimes I get addicted to kick starter and back everything without thinking. Tonight I ran across this water heater and thought you guys might find it interesting.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1132758406/heatworks-model-1-your-next-water-heater

 

[kambrooks]

I'd be curious to see the price point.

I can't see people installing these anywhere but new construction. Hard to imagine a unit costs less than a hot water run in 1/2" copper.

Neat, though.

 

[svronthmve]

I'd be curious to see the price point.

I can't see people installing these anywhere but new construction. Hard to imagine a unit costs less than a hot water run in 1/2" copper.

Neat, though.

It says they are expected to retail for $395.

 

[kambrooks]

It says they are expected to retail for $395.

So a typical house in my demographic would require 8! That's a lot of upfront coin.

 

[Tinstaafl]

I'll pass. Has a lot of shiny market-speak, still relies on a main water heater, and has electronic control circuitry that is a heckuva lot more fragile than the old tried & true.

And I'm still crosseyed from that contribution/reward matrix. :blink:

 

[LeeFowler]

Most rewards are set up like that on kickstarter, it's how crowdfunding works. Admittedly I know almost nothing about water heaters, just thought it was interesting. I didn't notice the part about an average house needing so much units.

 

[hdavis]

It has the same issue as point of use units. 2 GPM at 48 Amps. That's a honking draw for not much flow.

As for the claims that they avoid plating by using a graphite electrode, whether plating happens depends on the water coming in, not just the electrode - I call BS on that claim. Also, graphite electrodes exposed to water flow can erode. Laminar flow gives slow erosion, turbulent flow gives fast erosion - I don't see a way around this.

 

[njbuilding]

I think the fact that an average house will need so many is going to be the downfall of this concept.

 

[flashheatingand]

I wouldn't say that I would pass on that product, but I would wait to see what the customer is after a year or two. No need to be first on that line

 

[MarkJames]

Sometimes I get addicted to kick starter and back everything without thinking. Tonight I ran across this water heater and thought you guys might find it interesting.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1132758406/heatworks-model-1-your-next-water-heater

What you mean by "backing everything..."? Are you seeing or expecting any real returns yet?

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

What you mean by "backing everything..."? Are you seeing or expecting any real returns yet?

You dont get returns as in stock returns but you get one of the first run items at a vastly discounted rate.

 

[LeeFowler]

What you mean by "backing everything..."? Are you seeing or expecting any real returns yet?

Mostly I mean on friday night I tend to drink a few to many margaritas and start spending money on things I don't need. A backer is just someone who promises to spend money if the company reaches it's goal. In return you get a reward which is usually one of the first products.

Such as:

Laser measure with lidar point cloud feature.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ikegps/spike-laser-accurate-measurement-and-modelling-on

A 3D scanner that quickly scans entire objects and can model it in real time.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/occipital/structure-sensor-capture-the-world-in-3d

Or these awesome bioluminescence plants.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antonyevans/glowing-plants-natural-lighting-with-no-electricit

 

[Sabagley]

Did you back the biolumessent plant? Did you get seeds from it? That looks pretty cool.

 

[LeeFowler]

Did you back the biolumessent plant? Did you get seeds from it? That looks pretty cool.

I did back it but it's a long process. I won't expect the seeds till this summer. I also backed the other two projects which I hope come out okay. Especially the spike as I think it would be useful for exterior measurements.

 

[Widdershins]

You dont get returns as in stock returns but you get one of the first run items at a vastly discounted rate.

I did this with an Android 'dongle' the size of an oversized thumb drive that you plugged into the USB port on your 'Smart TV'.

It worked great for about 6 weeks before it went tits up. I only shelled out $150.00 and despite the shoddy construction of the beta, I still think it was worth it.

I also kicked in some money for the Veronica Mars movie.

 

[Widdershins]

I think the fact that an average house will need so many is going to be the downfall of this concept.

It sounds like an interesting product. I can see some limited uses for it in the remodel/addition market.

I'm doing a master bedroom/master bath addition right now where protecting the landscaping, the stucco exterior, the terrazzo floors and the Venetian plaster walls in the existing structure takes precedence over everything else.

The current plan is to trench alongside the house and deliver a gas supply, a cold water supply, a waste stub and an electrical service for a new service panel. This is the route we chose because it's the least intrusive. An issue with the trenching is that home hosts some of the oldest Rhododendron and Azalea cultivars on the West Coast, so the trenching has been painstaking. Rhodie's and azalea's are also notorious for having massive root balls/ root mats.

Using this heater (current plans call for a Rinnai tankless) would eliminate the need for the gas service and make the trenching less invasive and less destructive on the landscaping.