Archives for January 2019

The idea behind tankless water heaters is to provide hot water on demand. They reportedly use less energy to heat the water you use and are supposed to save you money as well.

They can typically be installed in a more convenient area of your home as opposed to the giant water heaters that you often find in a garage. You can have them installed inside or outside depending on what you prefer.

Noritz tankless water heaters are just one of the options you have when you start thinking about installing a system like this. Keep in mind that not all tankless water heaters are exactly the same although they do the same job.

Noritz is just one manufacturer behind these water heating wonders. Within their line, they have several different models that will provide you with hot water that the turn of a knob.

Noritz tankless water heaters are unique because many of them can be installed inside or outside without any issues. That makes installing one of these heaters on your own completely realistic.

The truth of the matter is that you don’t need a professional to install one of these water heaters. It certainly wouldn’t hurt, but it will cost you significantly more if you call up a local plumber and have it installed.

If you have the unit installed by a professional as opposed to doing it yourself, you can expect to pay up to several thousand dollars depending on what the process is going to be. The fees that are charged also tend to include the water heater disposal of your old water heater.

Of course, you can dispose of the water heater yourself, but you may need to take it directly to your local dump. If you do, you’ll end up paying a much smaller fee, but you have to make sure you have the means of transporting the heater, too.

If you take the time to read the reviews, and you should, you’re going to see that the majority of the reviews are positive as long as you take into account the total water capacity for the unit you’re interested in purchasing. In other words, don’t buy a unit that can handle a smaller amount and expect it to heat the water in your mansion.

You’ll also need to be aware of the temperature you expect your water to be at when it comes pouring out of your faucet. This affects the heater you choose because colder climates require more energy to reach the desired temperature.

You may need more than one tankless water heater depending on how much water you want to have available for use. If you have three bathrooms, in order to maintain a steady water pressure, you’re going to have one set up for two bathrooms and a second unit for the other bathroom and maybe the washer.

Overall, the idea of going with a tankless water heater has merit, but if you like to take long showers, you may be disappointed in how long the water stays hot. As far as the Noritz tankless water heater goes, it’s a decent choice for the price, but if you were willing to spend a couple hundred more, you could get a water heater that has higher capacity and a better warranty.

Ultimately, we think it’s a good choice in tankless water heaters even if it isn’t the best choice out there. If you were to go with a tankless system, you would likely be satisfied with what Noritz will provide for you as long as your expectations are realistic.

Chances are that you’ve seen Nest thermostats with their ultra-sleek round design that seems perfectly fit for a contemporary living room. It may even be the preferred look for a commercial space, but is that the design that you want for your home?

There are plenty of reasons why this may be the perfect way for you to go if you want to jump on board the smart thermostat train, especially if you want something simple.

As it is far more affordable than many of its counterparts, the Sensi still connects flawlessly to other smart devices making it easy to integrate into existing smart infrastructure. It’s also extremely user-friendly, which is a definite plus if you want to set it and forget it.

Beneath its seemingly plain demeanor, the Sensi wifi thermostat will surprise you with what it can do. While not exactly full of that “wow” factor, it can still compete alongside other smart thermostat veterans like Nest and Honeywell.

Emerson’s Sensi does not replicate more modern designs and instead is reminiscent of thermostats of yesteryear with its rectangular design and simple interface. Even still, the buttons are quick to respond, the display is supremely readable, and it works with Alexa, too.

Installation is also easy for the DIYer. You can just as easily pull off your old thermostat off the wall and connect the Sensi without any issues because it doesn’t need to connect to the C-wire to function properly. The only exception is if you will be connecting the thermostat to a heat pump system.

The simple design makes it easy for just about anyone to use. The associated app is also extremely user-friendly, as is the web portal. This smart thermostat will do what it is meant to do – control the temperatures in your home at the touch of a screen.

As a bonus, the Sensi wifi thermostat is also compatible with multiple systems including gas, radiant heat, and even geothermal systems. You can set the system up to work with up two different cooling stages and four distinct heating stages, too.

There are systems that are not compatible with the Sensi, so you’ll want to verify whether or not yours will work. Examples of systems that are incompatible include things like proprietary designs, in-floor systems, and certain wall systems. If you’re not sure, you should contact Emerson for more information to find out, so you don’t accidentally hurt your system or your new thermostat.

Some of the other perks of the Sensi include the way that they don’t need extra wires. It works without needing a C-wire unlike other systems, and it will still pull the necessary power to make it function correctly. The only reason you’d need to consider a C-wire is if you had a system that was dedicated to heating or cooling only.

You can also program days individually which is great if you’re going to need to have a different set up at random days of the week. This scheduling is easy to access, too, via the app or the web portal. You can even change it multiple times a day if you wanted to.

Most of the other smart thermostats learn your routine, but with Sensi, you tell it exactly what you want regarding temperatures and times of the day. If you need to override one setting with another, that’s also easy to do with the tap of the screen.

As great as the price is, do keep in mind that there are some key features that are missing from the smart thermostat like motion sensors. The lack of certain features likely helps in keeping the price far more reasonable than other similar thermostats out.

There are features that the Sensi has, though, that you will appreciate. As an example, you can link Alexa to your Sensi so that it can talk to your thermostat. Then you can instruct Alexa to change the degrees as needed. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

With every purchase, your Sensi will also have a three-year warranty that covers the thermostat. If you were to opt for professional installation, you could get an extra two years added to your warranty coverage.

Earl Ax left a thorough review about the Sensi stating that “This, Sensi, is what I want in a thermostat. Convenient, reliable, programmable, understandable. I am okay with a modest premium for being internet enabled. It’s half the price of Nest and doesn’t intimidate non-technical users. You can keep your auto-programming feature – I always fought with the schedule it created and with two young children we’re home most of the time anyway. You can keep your monthly energy usage report – it didn’t include enough detail to be useful anyway. And you can keep the space-odyssey design – it might be alright in the stainless-and-black kitchen, or media room, but it doesn’t work upstairs.”

Of course, just after that review, there’s a 1-star review that is worth mentioning and considering as you make your decision, too. Denny C. writes, “Love the remote thermostat. App is simple to use and easy to access.” It all sounds great as you read through the review, too. He writes that it’s easy for those that prefer the DIY aspect of things like this. It’s not until the very end that there is an update reporting the negative experiences that occurred. “The entire reason to get the Wi-Fi enabled thermostat was to be able to check and adjust the thermostat when not present. The Sensi is off-line at least 50% of the time.”

Several reviews state the same thing about the thermostat being offline on a regular basis. In another one from Warren Jordan, you can see that the “Thermostat worked for months until I upgraded our router and internet service. After the new service was installed the thermostat has all kinds of connection issues and connects and disconnects randomly. I emailed the tech department and they blame the router. Which is an xfinity/commcast (sic) router that’s in 80% of the businesses in my area. They gave me a list of tech crap to try that would likey (sic) fly the space ship and way above my tech grade. So I will throw this POS in the trash and buy a Honeywell. Judging by the random auto resets and strange connecting issues when I switched the thermostat to the new internet system. It seems that the thermostat is having some kind of issue between the old and new internet switch.”

If you really want something that looks a bit more modern and less like a traditional thermostat, you do have another choice. Back in 2017, Emerson introduced the Sensi with the color touchscreen. Functionality remains the same, but as far as looks go, it’s a step up towards a more contemporary design.

Going with the color touchscreen can lead to a problem with reading the display thanks to a somewhat glossy display, but it’s still not that difficult to read if you have the brightness all the way up. This is a marked difference from the Nest which has the clear, large, blue display that you are ready from across the room.

The app is also extremely user-friendly, unlike some of the other apps that are out there for some of the other smart thermostats. One of the features of the app is the way that you can adjust the temperature as much as you’d like without any issues. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that the Sensi will not learn your daily schedule. Honestly, though, that’s not something you necessarily need.

We think the Sensi wifi thermostat is a solid choice for a smart thermostat. The app makes life easy for you, and it gives you plenty of information. As an example, you can see the expected highs and lows for the day in addition to the current temperature for where you are.

The bottom line is that the Sensi is a fantastic option if you want a smart thermostat that you can connect to via wifi. The fact that it comes from a company like Emerson speaks volumes of what you can expect in terms of quality as a product.

You won’t have access to a history of usage reports, but unless you’re one of those people that is obsessed with knowing what the temperatures are at any given time of day, it’s just not an essential feature. We feel confident that you don’t really need to have anything more than what the Sensi has to offer.

If you decide to go with it, weigh the reviews so you’ll get that warm fuzzy about making the best choice for yourself. With the exception of the occasional network drop, which might be user error, you should be satisfied if you decide to move forward with the Sensi.

Air conditioning is clearly a first world amenity, and it has left us needing to keep cool when we’re indoors. The fresh air feels good and keeps you comfortable when you’re inside, especially when it feels like ten million degrees outside.

At the same time, it can be expensive to run a central air unit day in and day out, so you may feel like reconsidering if you need to save some money on utility costs. To save on those costs, many people are choosing units like the LG ductless air conditioner instead.

While other personal air conditioning options exist, having a ductless air conditioner allows you to cool a single room conveniently and efficiently. There are also options to be able to keep them hidden from view if you’re worried about that.

Ductless air conditioners are air conditioners that use an outdoor condenser that further pumps cooler air indoors.

The units available have different makes and models. Some are mounted directly to the wall or ceiling while others sit on the floor.

In between the unit and the condenser, you’ll find a conduit that connects them. The conduit contains the power cable, a drain, and refrigerant.

A ductless air conditioner works similarly to central air but in a single room. It’s a great option if you don’t want to install traditional air ducts inside your home. These types of air conditioners are also very energy efficient.

There is a multitude of units available that are both single zone and multi-zone systems. All are designated by the total amount of space they can cool effectively.

Among the options, you’ll find units that can cool rooms as small as 350 sq. feet and rooms are as large as 2400 sq. feet. They’re also available in modern designs and will look fantastic in contemporary homes or commercial properties.

Ductless air conditioners have unique qualities that may end up being perfect for you and your needs. As an example, units like the LG ductless air conditioner are highly energy efficient. They tend to have a better performance compared to other A/C units. Those that are rated Energy Star-Certified are even better.

Because of the vast range of products available from LG, you can find a unit for any size room. The HYV1 and HYV2 are fantastic options for smaller rooms in hot climates.

Some ductless air conditioners also have a heat pump option to allow you to have warm air when it gets cold out. Depending on the type of unit you purchase, you have a range of prices you can expect.

Pricing for any of the LG ductless air conditioners should include considering both equipment costs in addition to the installation costs that you may incur.

On the lower end of equipment costs, you can expect to pay at minimum around $1600 for the unit. For a larger unit, you can end up paying close to $8000 for a multi-zone system.

Installation costs mirror the amounts that you can expect to pay with the minimum price range being between $2300-$2400 on the lower end for smaller single-zone units. You can expect the maximum to be upwards of $12000 for a multi-zone ductless air conditioning system.

LG has a reputation for being sleek and modern when it comes to having the best tech and devices. They tend to be known for having outstanding products, but when it comes to the LG ductless air conditioner, there are some interesting things to think about according to multiple customers.

Instead, they claim that Daikin and Mitsubishi are the cream of the crop when it comes to mini-split systems. Not only does the Mitsubishi offer incredible efficiency comparatively speaking, but it is equally efficient in both heating and cooling.

Daikin wins the honor of being better than most competitors because it also has more features than the LG ductless units that are on the market. It is also easy to store and install as needed.

Both of these models are also quieter than the LG units, and both offer better warranties as well as customer service. Daikin has the best warranty as it is a 12-year limited warranty, but it is still better than the 5 year and 7 year warranty on the Mitsubishi for parts and the compressor respectively.

LG does do fairly well when comparing the sound levels as it is the quietest of the different models. Even still, it does not have the same features or efficiency as compared to the Daikin or Mitsubishi units. These options make the Daikin models some of the best on the market.

Something that you should also keep in mind is the fact that in order to purchase a Daikin model, you have to reach out to an authorized dealer. It’s the same way for Mitsubishi ductless systems. You’ll need to go to each of their websites to find somewhere to purchase these systems if these are what you want.

A ductless air conditioner is a splendid option for many reasons. From overall efficiency to a lesser operational cost, there are a lot of positives for these types of units.

On the positive side, because LG does have so many models available, you can easily select the one that would best fit the rooms you want to cool. It makes the application of these units feel as though they are fully customizable to your needs.

At the same time, because customer service is lacking, selecting an LG ductless air conditioner feels more like a “do at your own risk” kind of choice. You need to know going in that if you choose to install one of their units, you run a good chance of dealing with a less than stellar customer service department.

Truly, we feel that you’d be better off going with a different manufacturer for several reasons. The limited number of features on these systems from LG, the high costs for the units combined with the installation expenses, and the negative customer service experiences reported by consumers would indicate you should probably steer clear unless you’ve got your heart on purchasing an LG system.