sorry, yes it is gas and I frequently run out of hot water. Thanks for the advice!

I second that opinion. Rheeem is pretty mainstream for price and value. You should expect to get about 12 years from a tank water heater.

I read the Consumer Reports article and I'm not as convinced about the longer warranty issue. The other thing is that I would buy a $10 insulation blanket instead of paying considerably more for the "high efficiency" model.

Check the Energy Factor on any unit you buy. Claims of energy savings can be exaggerated... the Energy Factor rating cuts through the BS. Higher is better.

You might consider tankless. It's not right for everyone, but if you can keep the installed costs reasonable, the payback can be around 5 years. The advantages are about a 35% reduction in operating costs, continuous hot water and small size. Down sides are the installed cost and it takes about two more seconds to get hot water.

I thought I would have replumb some lines and get a bigger incoming gas line size to go tankless? my home was built in 1986 and is on a slab.....

blakeas,

"I thought I would have replumb some lines and get a bigger incoming gas line size to go tankless? my home was built in 1986 and is on a slab....."

None of that is a given. The first thing I would do is see if you could install a tankless with a short vent (or even an exterior install). A through-the-wall vent is the least expensive. A two-story through-the-roof installation is the most expensive.

The second thing I would do is to speak to your gas supplier. I don't know what size tankless you would need, but the largest is usually around 200k BTU. Talk to your supplier and tell them what you want to do-- they will need to know the BTU input of all of the other gas appliances-- particularly the furnace. They can probably estimate the stove and dryer if those are gas.

They should be able to tell you if the gas service to your home will supply your needs.

Once you have that information you can make a reasonable decision. A long flue or needing a new gas service is a deal killer.

Do you know how many hot water faucets you need to supply at the same time? Also, do you have any unusual demands, such as multi-head showers?

Lastly, what part of the country do you live in? How cold is it in the winter?

Cant I use my existing vent if I went tankless that my existing setup for tank water heater uses?

To answer your questions:

I live in atlanta, GA

I have 2 and a half baths - each bathroom has one faucet, I also have a kitchen faucet, laundry room washing machine connection and a wetbar sink.

in the master bath I have a seperate shower and a seperate bathtub. In the spare bathroom I have a single tub/shower combo

And no I do not have any multihead showerheads.

You could be a good candidate for a tankless. A 200k BTU unit would allow you to run two showers and a faucet at the same time-- or roughly 6 gpm.

You can not re-use an existing flue with a tankless or share a flue with another appliance. The flue must be the stainless steel flue with silicone gaskets... it's expensive. That's why you want the run to be short.