I agree. I use very little gas to heat my water for my hydronic system and the tap. I replaced an old oil hydronic heater and traditional electric water heater with a natural gas combi boiler that does both home heat and hot water. My utility bills went through the floor, and over the whole year I put a fraction of the CO2 into the atmosphere than I did in just a winter of the old oil furnace.

Yeah, go for a good quality one like a Spears or a Cepex. Those hardware store white ones get brittle, lock up, and snap like you saw. I spend the 30-40 on one of the good ones and it stays smooth forever.