[TheForge] sweat

[CGRAF]

  Cost

  New ignition system guidelines, mostly proprietary pilots ( no just 
sticking a new thermocouple in any more.) Venting altered to make it 
safe for those folks who insisted on working with gasoline on the floor 
next to the water heater. ( Be wary of that little screen that the 
combustion air passes through now. If , no WHEN, dust blocks it 
sufficiently the flames will back down and melt the fusible link in the 
"thermocouple" which is now an integral part of the pilot on most units. 
Make sure you have a spare, or s secure supply of these. They are 
proprietary as I said so you may make a run back to the manufacturer, 
assuming they sell directly to the public.)

Add to this all the R&D and testing for these NEW Products, with 
attached insurance costs, $500 sounds cheap.

Oh Yeah these are largely government mandated changes.
They had to fix it, after all they had a product that worked, was 
essentially unchanged since the 1940's and was relatively trouble free, 
and cheap. It clearly needed fixing.

Mike Graf

On 6/22/2013 8:10 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> Sure makes one wonder why the cost of water heaters has soared so disproportionately...
> Hardly a high tech item with expensive materials.
> I noticed that there was no real any competition between brands locally anymore.
> The "magic of the market" doesn't seem to hold much sway here on the ground anymore.
> Been wondering if it'd pay to get a tankless/ on demand version would pay for itself,
> seeing as we heat water with propane?
> Need propane for the forges anyway...no Nat gas here of course.
> Submitted pics and text on a recent commission to the CBA rag.
> What i got back sure wasn't what i had to say...Fug that...Withdrew the submission.
> Been part of a discussion trying to determine if the touted AllStates propane torch
> was equal to the sales hype.
> Impressive claims of fast, intense, economical, spot heat for metal working.
> Still unclear how much is BS and wishful thinking.
> Beginning to look like it's worthwhile if a shop has a big oxygen generator to back it up.
>
> On Jun 22, 2013, at 5:37 PM, Kim George wrote:
>
> Of coarse this had to happen in the hottest weather this year. I had
> a 20 gal.  water heater go bad Thur.. So Fri. I had to drain and
> disconnect the old one and buy a new one. ($500) Talk about sticker
> shock. Got the new hooked up about noon today. Did  I mention this was
> in the attic? I hope to cool down and take a shower today up stairs.
>