Rheem Hybrid Waters heaters are a combination of two water heaters. One being the electric hot water storage tanks and the other is heat pump water heaters. The reason why heat pump is installed in Rheem Hybrid Water heaters is that heat pumps can pull heat from outside air which in turn allows water to heat in the storage tank. The system is similar to that of an air conditioner at home, but unlike air-conditioner where the heat is transferred back to the air, the Rheem hybrid water heater heats the water with the help of heat exchanger.
When hot water is generated using outside air you will be able to save a lot on the energy bills. This allows users to control the usage of energy as the heat pump provide a back up of heat & more efficient heat pumps can even supply hot water for daily usage.
Rheem Hybrid water heaters come in two sizes, one is the 40 gallons hybrid water heater and the other is the 50 gallon hybrid water heater, both these water heaters use the heat-pump technology. Moreover, Rheem Hybrid water heaters are provided with ENERGY STAR rating which means that these heaters can save about 30% of energy bills every year. These water heaters are also qualified for the Federal Tax Credit for the year December, 2010.
Rheem Hybrid Water heaters come with a solid 10 year warranty on parts, along with energy factor (EF) at 2.0. These heaters also come with a solid thick 2½ inch foam insulation which means that the heat inside the storage tank does not cool down easily. The operating range for Rheem Hybrid water heaters is between 40 deg. To 120 deg. It comes with a built in overheat/ freeze protection, & a washable air-filter.
Rheem Hybrid water heaters can be operated in three modes. The heat pump mode is the best mode if users are living in Florida, since no electric energy is used as the water is heated from outside air pulled by the heat pump. This mode is undoubtedly known as the ‘Energy saving’ mode.
The next mode or the second mode is known as the ‘Normal Mode’. Normal mode makes use of electricity; the advantage that you will get on operating the heater on this mode is that the users will get unlimited hot water as electric energy is used for heating. In the normal mode, Rinnai Hybrid water heaters heat pump automatically is put in use when the temperature of the water goes below 110deg. Or 105deg. This depends upon the setting of water temperature through the heater’s control panel.
The third and is known as ‘Electric elements’ mode. In this mode, the water heater takes charge of a normal electric hot water heater to heat the water and the heat pump remains idle during this period. If users set it in electric elements mode, in two weeks period the Rheem water heater will be reset to its previous settings provided.
Rheem Hybrid Water heater also has an additional mode known as ‘vacation mode’ which heats the water at 90deg. The heater qualifies for the Federal Tax benefit.