It's been nearly 3 months since I installed the new water-delivery-system for my fish room, so I thought I'd do an update. The system is working great; my only regret is that I didn't do this upgrade sooner.
First, the new water heater is
da bomb. The old heater was a 2008 model, and its time-of-recovery compared to the new unit was like a Ford Model T compared to a Ferrari Superfast. WIth 165°F water in the tank mixed down to 120°F at the hot-water outlet, I can easily get 200+ gallons of 80°F water when running the water
continuously. And since the recovery time is so fast (~30 minutes after draining 200 gallons of 80°F water), the water heater can easily keep up with me as I use up hot water, which is to say, I can do my whole fishroom in one go. That's a sea change from what I was able to do with the old system.
Second, the hot-cold mixing valve in the laundry room that provides 80°F water is rock-solid, not varying by more than 1-2°F during the whole process. I was concerned that the temperature of the output might vary more than that, but was pleasantly surprised. Not having to fuss with the temperature during water changes is a
huge plus.
Finally, the chance I took on the stainless steel hose has also paid off, big time. The hose is very flexible, super light, and never kinks, just a joy to work with. The only negative comments in online reviews concerned it's durability, and that might be an issue if used as a garden hose, which leads a tough life, but as long as I'm careful not to tug on the ends or step on it, I see no reason that it can't last a long time.
So just two words to anyone contemplating doing a mixing valve setup for your fishroom- Do It.
