Hot Water Heater poll

[T. Erdelyi]

First off let me start by saying hot water heater is in correct you don't need to heat hot water, it's hot already...

Anyway I'm curious what you all have our would prefer for heating your water?

There are lots of ways to get hot water what is your preference?

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I've really liked the times I've stayed somewhere with a tankless water heater, but I don't have extensive experience with them so there may be downsides I'm unaware of.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

The biggest downside is that as a home owner unless you have some type of supplemental water heater during the summer your furnace/biker has to run to make hot water, with the efficiency of the electric water heaters I think it's a chapter alternative to running the furnace to make the water hot.

I installed a bypass and then an electric water heater in my buddy's house so he can switch from tankless coil to electric when the water weather comes.

On a side note my cousin made an outside water heater shower which I thought was pretty cool by painting the exterior black, during the morning and by afternoon it would get warmed by the sun and he had enough hot water to take a 15 minute shower.

 

[Bob W]

Our home was set up for natural gas or electric water heaters. We use electric.
Natural gas prices were sky-high at the time we made the decision. Then NG got very cheap and would have cost less than electric. Currently, I think it's a toss-up.

Unable to predict which utility is less expensive and more efficient/effective over the long term, our home is split between the two. Electric stove, dryer, and water heater. Natural gas for the heat boiler. It's nice to not have a gas bill in the summer.

A plumber once told us he could rig up the hot water to the heat boiler and eliminate the need for even having a dedicated water heater. But I'd rather have the boiler turned off completely in the summer.

 

[Bufford]

I have an electric hot water tank and in recent years I installed a timer for it, so that it only runs during the off peak times when electricity is cheaper. I live in Ontario which has amongst the highest electricity prices in North America.

 

[jstrykr74]

Rinnai on demand gas heater. When I had a conventional heater I never ran out of hot water (there's only two of us), but with the on demand, it's nice not spending money just to keep the tank warm.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

How many remember these, we called them Jack stoves, they were coils of pipe in a cast iron wood stove, we would feed corn cobs into it to get hot water for a bath, much better than mom boiling water on the stove and dumping scalding water into the tub trying to find the right temp.

 

[Charlie_K]

We use a tankless gas heater. However it needs to be run for several minutes before the water actually gets hot.

One problem I've run into a lot recently is with electric water heaters. When the heating element goes bad it needs to be swapped out. But the last few elements have managed to arc themselves into the structure and become impossible to remove. So instead of a cheap element change out, you need to replace the entire water heater.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Unless your using a water softener you should flush your water heater once a year and inspect the elements every other year. You could keep them running till they rot out in the seams...

I got 10 years from my last water heater without doing any service maybe I can double the life on this one by taking care of it...

 

[Bob W]

How many remember these, we called them Jack stoves, they were coils of pipe in a cast iron wood stove, we would feed corn cobs into it to get hot water for a bath, much better than mom boiling water on the stove and dumping scalding water into the tub trying to find the right temp.

Living in the backcountry a few years I've used all sorts of hot water systems such as wood-burning boilers, black plastic tubes on the roof, heating water in pans on a stovetop, and SolarShower bags. I've even gone for weeks bathing out of a coffee can over a fire pit.

That "Jack Stove" looks similar to an army surplus stove that heated one house I lived in. The owner called it a Franklin Stove. Heavy black cast iron, about four feet tall, and cylindrical.

 

[bdmicarta]

I've only owned gas water heaters. In over 30 years in 2 different houses, I've had to replace all 3 water heaters. We just moved into another house with water heaters that are 13 years old, so I will be replacing both of them in the near future. (And you can buy a lot of very nice knives for what it costs to replace 2 water heaters.)

 

[Bob W]

What can go wrong with a gas hot water heater?

Our electric one burned out a few years ago, and there must have been a leak or something because the tank exterior was expanded and the insulation was bursting. Before installing the replacement I built a raised concrete platform to keep the tank off the floor. :thumbup:

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Bob, you must of been a neighbor of mine I lived totally off the grid twice for 3 years at a clip each time, no electric, no running city water, no sewer, basically we had a homemade composting toilet.

When Katrina rolled through here we lost power for 8 days, I know that was nothing compared to the folks who still aren't home from the damage the hurricane did.

I had to laugh at all the city folk who were freaked out when the power didn't come back by the second day we were in the house reading, eating, spending time together, my friends on the other hand were losing their minds because they had no contingency plans. We survived perfectly fine with the exception of a few things we lost fun the freezer.

 

[Professor]

Bob, you must of been a neighbor of mine I lived totally off the grid twice for 3 years at a clip each time, no electric, no running city water, no sewer, basically we had a homemade composting toilet.

Dang Deadheads.

My electric water heater's got a bad element currently, and as a result, no one can shower within about twenty minutes of one another. In a 4-person household, that makes mornings interesting.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Careful if I could ever get the rest of the Dead Heads organized I'll get them to start a drum circle... is that rope I smell burning?

 

[Ajack60]

Gas is the was to go, down hear in the south, its the power failures that kick butt. Going through Rita without power was a lesson learned for most. I've installed gas to a bunch of generators since then. At least I could cook and take a hot shower with the gas water heater. I prefer conventional over on demand/tank less due to the initial cost. I really don't mind maintaining 50 gal. of hot water year round. The draw back to the on demand/tank less is that if it doesn't sense enough flow it will not turn on. That's the one biggest complainant I get called back for. The Rinnai's highest temp is 120 degrees and the 9.4 g.p.m. unit is rated at 200,000 BTU's

 

[ron_m80]

It is a mixed bag of tricks. Not each type is suited for each region of the U.S.

-Tanks can be poor where you have extreme temperature differentials due to the increased thermal losses.
-Electrics are generally bad in urban areas where the cost of a Therm of gas pales in comparison to the cost of a KW/Hr. (this is generally opposite in the more rural areas where many residents get their gas delivered at a high cost, and electricity is given away)

Efficiency has not much to do with cost of operation in most cases.

 

[plumberroy]

First you need soft water for a on demand heater they lose efficiency fast when they lime up, My electric heater is on a timer and runs 5:00 to 9:00 A.M. and 6:00 to 10:00 P.M. It was in the house when I bought it. gas is good too.

 

[RevDevil]

First you need soft water for a on demand heater they lose efficiency fast when they lime up, My electric heater is on a timer and runs 5:00 to 9:00 A.M. and 6:00 to 10:00 P.M. It was in the house when I bought it. gas is good too.

That is a good idea to put the heater on a timer. I just got a Kenmore 40 gallon tall, electric water heater. The landlord sent the "handiman" over and he about burned my place down. I had to redo the work when he left, I took pictures of the mess and emailed them to the landlord. So far so good, been about 35 days.

 

[Burke]

We've got a 40 gallon tank off the oil boiler. I hate having oil but I like having the hot water off it so it runs in the summer. Helps to prevent condensation and therefore rust. Sometime in the next year or two I want to explore solar hot water or geothermal as a way to preheat the water for the hot water and heating system.

One interesting option you left off is the heat-pump or hybrid electric water heater. Uses a heat pump so can have >100% efficiency of electric. They work especially well in warmer climates where there is plenty of free heat to "scavenge."