If your water heater's already rusting out, I'd lean toward replacing rather than patching it up. Rust usually means corrosion inside the tank, and once that starts, it's pretty much downhill from there. Hybrids are solid, but yeah, they can sound like a jet engine warming up—had one customer jokingly ask if it came with complimentary earplugs. Still, the efficiency savings are legit, and the noise isn't too bad once you're used to it. Just make sure you've got enough clearance around it for airflow.
Yeah, replacing seems like the smarter move here. Ever tried showering with rusty water? Not exactly spa day vibes, trust me... I switched to a hybrid last year, and while the noise startled me at first (seriously thought my garage was prepping for takeoff), the energy savings have been awesome. Just curious, anyone notice hybrids needing less maintenance overall? Mine seems pretty low-key so far, fingers crossed it stays that way.
I hear you on the rusty water—been there, done that, and definitely not keen on repeating it. I swapped mine out about two years ago, but I stuck with a traditional gas model. Hybrids intrigued me, but honestly, the noise factor you mentioned had me a bit cautious. My garage is right next to my bedroom, and I'm a pretty light sleeper... didn't want to risk waking up thinking aliens were landing every night.
As for maintenance, my neighbor has a hybrid and swears it's been pretty hassle-free. He did mention something about occasionally cleaning filters or vents or something along those lines—nothing major, but still something to keep an eye on. Personally, I prefer fewer moving parts and less complexity. Maybe I'm overly cautious, but simpler feels safer to me.
Still, the energy savings you're seeing sound tempting. If mine ever kicks the bucket again (knock on wood it doesn't anytime soon), I might reconsider hybrids.
"Personally, I prefer fewer moving parts and less complexity."
Same here, honestly. When mine started rusting out last year, I briefly looked into hybrids, but the upfront cost made my wallet hurt just thinking about it. Ended up going with a basic gas model on sale—straightforward install, no weird humming noises at night, and fingers crossed it'll hold up for a good while... Sometimes simple really is better.
"Sometimes simple really is better."
Couldn't agree more. Had a tenant once who insisted on installing a fancy hybrid heater—claimed it'd save him big bucks. Well, it did...until something went wrong and the repair bill wiped out all those savings overnight. Since then, I've stuck with basic gas models myself. Curious though, anyone had long-term luck with hybrids actually paying off, or is it mostly hype?
