Stupid water heater question...

[LewisLegion]

Ok, so let's say you have a gas water heater that needs replacing. Can you replace it with an electric only heater? Or do you have to replace it with a gas heater?



Told you it was stupid

[csquared]

Not a stupid question.

You will need to determine if you have the electrical capacity and room in the circuit break/fuse box for the new circuit.

You will also need to see if there will be any issues with running the wire to the water heater. It could get expensive.

[Kittish]

Ditto what csquared said, and I would recommend you have an actual electrician do both of those.

Plus, have your gas company come out to cap off the gas line once you've got things set up to install the electric water heater.

[LewisLegion]

Thanks guys The reason I asked is because it looked like an electric water heater was cheaper, but from what I've read now it seems it's more expensive in the long run (even though we're switching to solar next year). I'll get another gas heater when the time comes.

Thanks again!

[CaptainJaneway]

if you want to save your self some money try and get one of those hot water on demand water heaters. I think they also call them tankless. It only heats the water when you turn on the tap. So you don't have to waste gas heating up an enitre 35 gallon water heater all the time.

I think too the government is giving out tax credits this year for putting in one of those not too mention the solar panels.

if i get my house this year i am definetely going to do the water heater and possibly the solar panels.

[LewisLegion]

I did not know those existed! *runs to do a google search*

The plumber is coming out on Tuesday to inspect and flush the water heater so he'll let me know just how swiftly it needs replacing. I'm hoping it can last for at least a little bit since I've got to replace carpets and get a fridge, washing machine, and possibly a dishwasher already.

But I'll definately look into those tankless heaters for when the time comes!

[draggar]

OP - check with local ordinances - sometimes you have to stick with what you have / had (I doubt water heaters are covered but you'll never know).

if you want to save your self some money try and get one of those hot water on demand water heaters. I think they also call them tankless. It only heats the water when you turn on the tap. So you don't have to waste gas heating up an enitre 35 gallon water heater all the time..

Any word on how long it takes for those to heat up the water? I'd probably love to get one if I can take a long hot shower (or clean dishes) without waiting a while for hot water to come out.

[bookworm]

On the tankless water heaters, I have no experience with a house sized one, but every under the sink type I've seen has not worked that well. Here at work, we get a brief burst of hot water, then warm, then pretty quickly regular tap temp. For example, I can't fill the coffee pot (10-cup) with hot water, but it will still be warm. If the house ones work the same, I wouldn't want one.

[csquared]

If I had natural gas, I would get a Rinnia. I just remodeled the master bath and put in a HUGE tub. I can't fill it. I run out of hot water. Endless hot water... Sounds like a dream.

These units need a large gas feed. Make sure your main is large enough.

They will save you money if you don't over use them. If you start taking hour long showers, you will have quite the gas bill!

[Kittish]

In the apartments I'm in there are on demand water heaters. I have no idea what size they are, though. It takes about 15-30 seconds for the water to get moderately hot, and another 30 seconds or so for it to reach max temp. After that, I've never had any issue with running out of hot water, and I sometimes DO take hour long showers. Not too often, but sometimes.

An on demand heater will probably be a bit pricier than a tank type heater initially, but you'll save a LOT on energy/gas bills with it, if you have a properly sized one and don't go completely crazy using hot water, especially if your current water heater is an older one that isn't as well insulated.

[wolfie]

Thanks guys The reason I asked is because it looked like an electric water heater was cheaper, but from what I've read now it seems it's more expensive in the long run (even though we're switching to solar next year).

Would you be switching to solar water heating (best bet would be to do this as a pre-heat of the feed to a normal water heater - that way you'd still have hot water at night or on cloudy days, but on sunny days the hot feed water would mean the regular heater wouldn't have to do much work), or solar electricity? If solar electricity, avoid electric water heaters like the plague - you'd need to cut down electric consumption as much as possible to avoid the need for a big, expensive system, and electric heat of any sort is a massive power drain.

[LewisLegion]

Solar electricity. I talked to the plumber who came out and inspected the water heater and he suggested the tankless heater too. Because I have the proper gas main and exhaust system already in place he could install it in the garage for us.

We're planning on using our tax rebate ($8000 for buying a new house before Nov. 31st) to install solar panels, even though we're planning on only staying in this house a couple of years.

[Mr Slugger]

With tankless just make sure you get a good one. I know someone who got one and they cheaped out. While it run nice and hot sporadically it spits out cold water, which doesn't work good for a shower