OT: Separate hot and cold valves on kitchen taps save energy.

Yes so is this as a counter guy, you know extra holes to drill?

J/K

Mark

This will lead to specialized, spring-loaded, child-proofed, scald-proof taps which take 3 hands to make hot. Can you say TapStop(tm)? I knew you could.

Nah. Just outlaw the lazy idiots who don't pay attention and waste hot water. That'll teach 'em!

-- Experience is a good teacher, but she send in terrific bills. -- Minna Thomas Antrim

Nonononononoooo!!! Single Lever Tap Tax!!!!

Robatoy wrote the following:

Speaking of boiling water for cooking (i.e. pasta). My wife fills the pot with cold water. I fill it with hot water since it is halfway to boiling already. I offered this suggestion to her, but I guess it is against Italian law.

Back in the day, hot water didn't taste very good from the tap, so people didn't like using it for cooking. I don't know if newer tanks produce better tasting water nor not, just offering info as to why many prefer to boil cold water.

The subject made me think, however, if there is any energy saved by using hot water. The tank is going to have to heat cold water to replace what you took out to boil. Does that take more or less energy than the stove uses to heat cold water to whatever temperature the hot water talk is set? Just thinking out loud.

Both of my water and range heat sources are propane. I was just thinking about cooking time. :-)

Here in Arizona, We get hot water from the cold water tap in the summer.

"willshak" wrote

Hot water often has an off taste to it. I'm sticking with cold.

Ed Pawlowski wrote the following:

Does it matter where it got the heat? Heated in the hot water tank or in the pot? The pasta is put in the pot when it is boiling.

What does that have to do with taste? The bad taste from water heaters comes from the crud that is stagnant inside them, not anything that would be killed by boiling the water.

-MIKE- wrote in news:isgk3f$tgu$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me:

Maybe it's like tea. You need to bring fresh cold water to a boil, otherwise it doesn't taste good, or so they say. It's sure that cold water holds far more dissolved air. Maybe that makes a difference as you boil the water and remove the dissolved air.

Yes, it can and does.

-- Experience is a good teacher, but she send in terrific bills. -- Minna Thomas Antrim

I know the taste of the water greatly effects the taste of coffee, so it must be the same with tea. I don't think it's a temperature thing. Those tanks can get pretty nasty inside.

Easy way to find out, however. Fill a glass with hot water and fill one with cold. Put them in the fridge for an hour and have a taste test.

Yes, it can and does.

=================

Ohhh

The boredom! The boredom!!...

I recently had a tank replaced and the difference was immediately apparent. I still don't understand why we can't make direct water heaters cheaper. All of Europe runs on tankless hot water.

I don't care what they cost, next one I buy will be tank-less. The added efficiency must make up for the added cost fairly soon. That and the fact that if I want to take a 2 hour shower, I can. And it's none of your business why I'm taking a 2 hour shower.

I've used whole house tankless in the last few houses I built (both Rinnai and GE units). The electric units have pretty hefty electrical requirements ... whole house units often require three, sixty amp, 120v circuits per unit.

Gas units are really the only way to go in this part of the country, the venting can be costly (double walled stainless vent @ approximately $60/foot), but all-in-all everyone seems happy with the units and I've had no callbacks to date.

The house I built in OH had a talk leased by the electric company. It was a giant tank with super efficient insulation. It would only heat at night, during off-peak hours, but we never ran out of water with that giant tank.

Yes, but the hot water that has been sitting in your tank may not be as pure in taste. Mineral deposits, lime and scale are common in many areas. Feel free to drink it and cook with it, but I'd rather use a known water that is free of such things.