Let's talk about water heaters!
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Well, I may have to take my water heater questions to reddit (gah!)
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While I thought your HVAC system was fine as is, I'd recommend replacing the water heater. A 20 year old unit is well past its expiration date and it's living on borrowed time. And they decide to start leaking at the worst time possible.
As far as size it really boils down to what your demand is. With two people in the house, we find the 40 gallon unit to be sufficiently large. If you have a bunch of people taking showers in the morning at the same time, a 50 would probably be in order.
The 50 gallon is undoubtedly more expensive to buy, and over time you'll be heating quantities of water that you probably don't need, resulting in increased energy costs.
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Is your water heater gas or electric?
We have a 50 gallon hot water heater. We've never run out of hot water, even with someone showering while the dishwasher or laundry washer is running.
Big Al
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WTg and Big Al, thanks for these comments... hmm food for thought here. Yes there are only two of us, both Mr SK likes to take very hot baths in the winter. He takes his bath in the evening, I generally only shower in the morning....
Oh and Al, our water heater is gas.
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What do you have now, and what was in your old house?
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In our new house, the water heater is a 21 year-old Whirlpool. I can't remember what was in our old house, I bet I have paperwork for it somewhere on my computer. Or I could call the company that installed it and see how big it was, I'm sure they still have records from 3 years ago.
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what about capacity? 40 gallon or 50 gallon?
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You mean at the old house? Unfortunately, I don't remember. At the new house, the current water heater is a 40 gallon. But we haven't moved in yet and so the showers, washer, and dishwasher have not been used, probably since february. So that has me worried. I have a quote from a company with a good rep and I may just go with them and get it replaced before we move in (which is coming up soon now!)
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What about the rental? Tankless? Or if not, can you see how big the tank is?
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Oh yeah, good idea! It's not a tankless. I can check it out. It looks to be similar in size to the new house, but I'll see if it says on a label somewhere. And for the record, we don't have problems with water here, the hot water doesn't run out, and someone running water while the other person is in the shower doesn't mess things up etc.
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Our rental house water heater is a 50 gallon Whirlpool. I don’t see a date on it.
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Never heard any complaint from anyone that their hot water heater tank is “too big,” that they have “too much hot water.”
Most of the cost of changing it goes to labor anyway.
Just go with a big tank and be done with it.
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Good point Ax.
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Ok, now I'm starting to serious consider a tankless...
Yes, it's a bigger cost upfront, but their life span is twice as long as a traditional WH, for one thing....
And tankless seems like the better option if you're going to be traveling, for example... Also they take up more space.
One of my concerns with switching to the 50 gallon is that it will be taller and the current location doesn't have a lot of vertical wiggle room....
Still lots more to think about... -
I think Nina's water damage was because of a tankless water heater that spewed hot water and steam into her house for days, so not sure it's superior if you're away from home for extended periods.
There are short tanks that are slightly wider. Let the plumber look at the space and tell you what they can fit in there.
When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier
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@wtg said in Let's talk about water heaters!:
I think Nina's water damage was because of a tankless water heater that spewed hot water and steam into her house for days, so not sure it's superior if you're away from home for extended periods.
I had forgotten that, thanks for the reminder!!!
There are short tanks that are slightly wider. Let the plumber look at the space and tell you what they can fit in there.
Thanks, I will ask. Mr SK is at the house right now and I had him measure the current unit.
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Repair costs on tankless are a lot more. They have circuit boards. A regular water heater is a pretty basic device and usually the thing that goes is that it rusts and starts leaking and you just replace the whole thing. It's the thing that our HVAC guy told us about high efficiency furnaces and boilers. They are very efficient, but they break more often and cost a fortune to repair. Kind of like owning a Tesla.
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Repair costs on tankless are a lot more.
Yes, I'm getting that impression
Unfortunately, the tanked water heaters don't get much good press either. I'm trying to look at different brands, and every site I look at says basically "they don't make 'em like they used to"
The company I want to use sells, installs, and services AO Smith. Which is a brand I've never heard of, but it has it's share of reviews along the lines of "this thing came with a 6 year warranty, and it started leaking at 6 years and 2 months"
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Welcome to the world of home ownership. Don't get me started on portable dehumidifiers.
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Portable dehumidifiers must be up near the top of crappy appliances!
Ugh, reading reddit (the homeimprovement subreddit) is just very discouraging.
The current water heater is 23 years old. As the saying goes "they don't make 'em like they used to."
