I recently went through the exercise of getting quotes to replace my Polaris heating system and basically came to the conclusion that there’s no point until the Polaris tank dies.

Keep in mind that the Polaris water heater is very high efficiency and there aren’t many (any?) other options that come close in terms of cost of operation. Depending on your current configuration, the cost of a replacement furnace might get pretty high. That is the problem I ran into – a new furnace would require duct changes, gas line changes, new electrical, etc., etc.

I was quoted between $1500 and $1800 to have a “standard” 50G natural gas tank installed. Yes, you might be able to get it done for less.

When I ran the numbers, it just wasn’t cost effective to replace my Polaris based system, even though I’m still renting the tank from Direct Energy.

Oh, as for the “buyout” option – when was your tank installed? If it was before Sept 15, 2010, you do not have to buy it out as you would be on the “OLD” rental terms. I’ve got a whole series of posts I need to write about Direct Energy and the Polaris tank. Thanks for reminding me!

The system works reliably other than one ignitor problem I had on a different unit (which lasted 16 years). However, I suspect I’ll save money by replacing the entire system and buying a conventional tank and a mid-efficiency gas furnace.

I don’t see any reason why a Polaris water heater wouldn’t work with well water. Assuming it’s potable and clean it shouldn’t be any more of an issue for the Polaris vs any other water heater.