Disappointed with your tankless water heater system? Get VESTA’d!
There is something about hot water in a house: you just have to have it! Just ask 2,800 Atmos customers in Dallas about that. On one of my visits west to my son’s house, I arrived late at night, and he informed me (half asleep he was) that oh by the way, they had no hot water. The heater, a tankless, was broken.
It was about 45 degrees out. I needed two heating pads to warm up that night. I love hot water and, high maintenance me, I use plenty of it: bathtub, dishes, showers, and, of course, hair.
We built our home in 2000 with four 80-gallon tanks. But in about 2005, builders started singing the praises of the new hybrid “on-demand” hot water heaters: heating water on demand rather than keeping 50 to 100 gallons hot in a ceramic tank with a pilot light. They saved energy because water is heated “only as needed.” Plus they take up much less space than the big old tanks.
I also once had a hot water heater flood in another house life, right during a party. T’was a lot of water. So the idea of a smaller, tankless concept “married” to a tank was quite appealing.
Except the unit we chose, Eternal, turned out not to be so eternal.
No sooner than my Eternal was installed, I received a notice of an important part that had to be repaired. Or else!
Their product had as many issues as Donald Trump has lawyers. For one, they used a plastic water pressure switch (a gizmo that makes sure there is water in the unit) with plastic threads, which deteriorated over a short period of time. That caused extensive leaking, which caused property damage and catastrophic failure of the unit. Ugh.
That was the notice I got in the mail, instructing me to replace the water pressure switch. Fortunately, I called and replaced in time, and we never had a leak. The company offered $75 in plumbing support for a certain period of time after which, YOU had to pay the plumber.
Eternal was a division of Grand Hall. There were thousands of their tankless units out in the field, but the company only reached a small proportion to correct. Which gave the tankless heater industry a bad rap.
Enter VESTA.DS, Inc. 
VESTA.DS is a USA corporation that is a new leader in tankless hot water heaters and boilers. The company is all about water heating. It manufacturers highly-efficient, energy saving condensing Tankless water heaters; a versatile condensing Tankless Combination boiler that provides space heating & domestic hot water; and a new Hybrid condensing water heater.
The units are designed and engineered for North America by a South Korean manufacturer that’s been supplying eco-friendly products made of premium grade stainless steel since 1947, making gas products for about 20 years.
They build a tankless unit with the tank incorporated, so owners have the luxury of not ever losing water pressure. One VESTA unit even has a recirculation pump (VRP) built in.
“We have been in business almost two years,” says Thomas Murrell, tech support manager for Vesta.DS. Inc. “Top contractors across the country tried the units and really liked them. The great news is the VESTA tankless heaters work, are reliable and perform.”
Which has not always been the case with other tankless heaters.
“The VESTA has been tried for 18 months all over the country, “he says. “It was tested in the northeast and at 17,000 foot elevation in Colorado, to flatland fast food restaurants in Houston.”
Fast food restaurants: talk about a high demand for hot water!
“Now VESTA is trying to overcome the stigma against the tankless hybrid,” says Thomas Murrell. “Because the concept is really an excellent idea, to combine the two into one unit. It gives consumers the best of both worlds, endless tank water with the high efficiency of the tankless.”
Like lower utility bills not constantly having to keep 50 to 100 gallon tanks hot.
Like the option of a built-in recirculation pump, with the VRP unit.
Oh and forget plastic. That Seoul, South Korean manufacturer is all about steel, baby. So the VESTA has a 316 grade stainless steel heat exchanger and stainless steel threads. That also results in thermal efficiency. Most tank units run at 80% efficiency, losing heat thru the exchange flue. As water goes through the heat exchanger, it doesn’t absorb all of the heat. It is nearly impossible to absorb it all, but because of the steel design, the VESTA unit performs at 98% thermal efficiency.
If you like engineer techy-talk, there are no crevices or weak points in the welding; fire tubes are double welded, both top and bottom; 40 fire tubes allow for excellent air flow and three gallons of hot water storage to maximize heat transfer. These pups are engineered by the best, and built to last. The water separation board integrated in the heat exchanger even prevents the coldest water from hitting the hottest part of the exchanger when it enters the tank: smart.
Though the units are manufactured in Seol, South Korea, they are tweaked for our various climates and environments.
How to buy a VESTA? Distribution channels are through wholesale distribution through contractors and plumbers. If you have an “Eternal Hybrid Water Heater”, yikes! Call your contractor and tell him you want to replace it asap. And replace it with a VESTA: they come with a 15 year warranty: 15 years on parts, 1 year on labor.
There are several now in the greater DFW area… including at MY house. And we are swimming in hot water!
