Hello,
I need to replace a hot water heater whose tank has cracked. Any recommendations? I'm leaning towards just a straight replacement, with a good energy rating. However, I've seen some articles on retrofit recirculating systems, as well as "on-demand" hot water, and would like to hear if anyone has any strong opinions. I'm willing to pay for an efficient system provided it breaks even cost-wise over say 5 years. Thanks. JP
Gas or electric? Size of the family? Here in Douglas County, WA., where electric power is about 1.2 cents per KW hour, I would do a straight replacement in my household with the most efficient 60 gallon electric heater I could find.
I was, money in hand, ready to go tank-less, but am thinking better of it. I think the savings projected depend on an ideal situation. I lack that. If you have a situation where the runs to the taps or appliances that use the hot water are short, it might be a savings. If you are gone and the house is empty more than occupied, you might see some savings. The consensus here seems to be that it would be worn out before the pay off ever came and in the meantime you would have a noisy expensive unit that few people know how to repair, and no reserve hot water during a power outage. My plan now is to put in recirculation loops on the units I have and get instant hot water at the taps. That plan might use a tad more energy to heat the water, but should eliminate a lot of wasted water, which in my case has to be pumped.
Electric? It makes no difference as electric is 100% efficient. Just buy a good quality, standard 40- 50 gallon, or whatever fits your needs Now with gas the different heaters are too numerous to mention, but if you are looking for a 5 year payback, it ain't gonna happen! If it were me I would just go with a good quality 40 or 50 gallon natural draft heater and be done with it. It may not be the most efficient, but they are the most trust worthy as repairs go. Any thing in a water heater that requires electricity to run will most likely need repairs and there goes you payback! Plus the price for efficiency goes up fast killing any idea of a quick payback. As far as I am concerned, you ether a pay a premium for the equipment, or pay the utility, cost is about the same in the long run! Greg
My plan when I put in the recirculation pump is to have a push button near each water faucet. Push the button, the pump turns on for long enough to get the hot water to all faucets on the loop. This will have no additional loss when no water is being used.
Bob
Electric has losses also - depending on the insulation level of the tank.
100% efficient? Only if you are heating the area with electric heat all the time.Bob
See:
Marathon.
The only time I've ever seen circulated hot water is in mid-rises where you have really long runs of pipe -- say 10 floors -- that would never get fully hot if you didn't recirculate.
You may want to check out:
It is 100 percent because the efficiency rating is based on the conversion of the heat potential of the fuel to the heat potential of the water. Loss of heat because of poor insulation of the tank etc. is not part of the "efficiency" rating. And it has to be that way because no one can predict or account for all the possible combinations of installation including outside (no protection), cold garage, small closet, etc. If efficiency did include other factors, gas water heaters would have a terrible efficiency (just think of that hole through the center of tank and the air heated by the hot water rising through the flue pipe to the outdoors.
"Dave Bugg" wrote in news:h7S_g.49$vT7.25 @newsfe03.lga:
Huh?! Is that 1.2 or .12 ???
note that in a cold weather area the heater is generally indoors, so the standby losses help heat the home, thus they really arent lost except in the summer
It is 100% efficient in turning electricity into heat. It is not 100% efficient in transferring that heat to the water nor is it 100% efficient in turning fuel into heat. It just moves the point of inefficiency from a local burner to a generating plant.
Nothing is 100% efficient.
Electric still may be a good choice, IF you do the following:
1) Must have an off peak heating rate to make it economically feasible.2) Off peak heating means you need a large tank, at least 80-100 gallons for a family of 4.
Remember, you will be heating water at 2:00AM for a hot shower at
6:00PM that night.My father built a house and followed the above guidelines.
We always had hot water during the 10 years I lived there, before leaving home.
Lew
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