First I want to say how much I enjoy reading posts on this forum! I try to learn from advice given by the pro’s who are kind enough to help others who are having issues. My system is close to 10 years old and is a Climatemaster split 2-stage 4-Ton system. I just lost the ECM blower motor on my AHU last month. It was a real scare for me and I was glad it was nothing too complicated. I am still very pleased with the performance of this system and have no regrets on the investment that I made. My question is on the life of the storage tank and if I should change it when the water heater finally goes out. I have municipal water and there is calcium build up at some of the piping connections. Other than that it is of good quality. Everything is installed in a utility room, with very little piping involved to the geo unit.
storage tank is a hot water heater tank (unpowered)? If so, tank longevity is based on the anode rod. The bigger the anode rod, the longer it lasts with corrosion attacking the anode rod before the tank. Ever wonder why there are water heaters with 6, 9, and 12 year warranties? The anode rods are just bigger. They calculate how long it should take the rod to corrode and provide a warranty that ends just before the rod is gone. You can essentially keep a hot water heater tank going forever if you just change out the anode rod every so often. The rods are typically available online and just thread into the top of the tank.
Some more discussions here: https://www.geoexchange.org/forum/threads/non-metal-buffer-tank-recommendations.8040/ Use the search function. Lots of discussions regarding tanks and anode rods. If you never want to worry about replacing your hot water heater or buffer tank, look into Rheem Marathon. Plastic tank, lots of insulation, and lifetime warranty but you pay for it
