Teach me eletric water heaters

So me and two friends just moved into my moms house and are renting it.

My mom was considering to buying an electric water heater and we were thinking of getting rid of the gas stove to get rid of the gas bill all together.

I'm looking on CL and theres a good amount of deals. But one add said "installed in oct '10, went back to gas". Ive heard similar stuff in the past, and IVe heard of people that have no difference.

So how do I avoid that and get a good electric water heater? I was planning on getting one off craigslist, looks like theres plenty in the $200-450 range.

~Alex

It's been a long time, but gas used to be a LOT cheaper to operate than electric. The least expensive now is the "On demand" type that only heats water when you turn it on. Pricy up front, but a lot cheaper after that. This is also a job that, either way, should be done by a pro.

For a quick comparison go to the big box home center and compare the "annual cost" stickers on a gas and an electric with the same size tank (you may want to know what your rate is for gas and electric). Same applies for gas and electric dryers. The local utility may have a cost of use comparo available too !

One thing to remember,the fridge and water heater are "on" 24 hours a day / 365 days a year !

(unless it is a vacation property...)

Don't forget you need to connect the thing to the circuit breaker panel as well - a regular water heater will typically require a 240vac, 30 amp circuit; a tankless heater may require as much as 100 amps or more. It will also need a local disconnect switch if it's not within sight of the panel.

100amps? 2 years ago my 1900sq ft house only had 75amp service TOTAL

For what it's worth, I run 2 NG heaters. Never out of hot water.

The cost to run the wiring will more than negate any benefits to getting rid of gas. Plus as others have said electric HWHs are a lot more expensive to operate than a gas one.

An added benefit of keeping the gas stove and HWH is that in case of a power outage they still work. I've heated my house with the stove on more than one occassion.

If you have gas and the connections are already there, stay with gas. More so if there is nothing wrong with the gas heater in the first place. The only reason to ever go to electric is if you are installing some sort of of solar electric set-up as well.

If I had gas, I'd darn sure keep it. If you have issues with the current gas water heater, replace it with a new gas unit. I prefer cooking on a gas stove. The electric smoothtop I have now looks nice and is easy to clean, but it sucks at cooking.

carguy123 wrote: I've heated my house with the stove on more than one occassion.

My friend's father died from doing this. Don't do it.

cwh wrote: The least expensive now is the "On demand" type that only heats water when you turn it on. Pricy up front, but a lot cheaper after that.

You'll find that most of them are rated gallons per minute @ a 40 degree rise. That means if the temp of your water coming in the house is 50 degrees, the gpm that they quote is at 90 degree water temperature. You want a whole lot hotter water than that. An instantaneous might be adequate for two people, but it really is borderline for three. I would have one only if I lived alone. And you'll have to buy a really, really good one(expensive) to get adequate flow at a comfortable temperature. A good 40 gallon gas heater can be had for well under $800 installed. That is with electronic ignition-so the pilot isn't on 24/7. If money is really an issue, a 30 gallon tank can be had for around $300, but will only have a 5 year warranty. Flush the tank at least once a year, and the life should double the warranty time. Tell "Mom" to replace the water tank with a gas water heater. There's a reason you see used electric water heaters for sale.....and most of it is because they are expensive to run.

Based on my current electric bills, I'd keep the gas and dump electric!

If you are replacing on age, I got some new plastic pipe, dope, some gas tape, and installed a new one myself in 2 days of fiddling with it after the old one exploded.

I've never heard of anyone anywhere ditching gas to go electric to save money. Where do you live?

Energy is energy; 3412 BTU/h is 1000 watts. Do a little investigating on your prices for your different utilities. With any gas or electric water heater, if it's sized correctly you'll never notice it. If it's capacity (either heat or storage) is too low, you'll be swearing at it and your roommates because you had to take a cold shower. As someone who occasionally sizes water heaters as part of my job, it's never quite as easy as I'd like. Lots of guessing at shower times, temperatures, amount of occupants, and costs...among other things. Take a look at this website to help you size one correctly:

http://www.hotwatersizing.com/

edit: I just realized that website is a little bit more commercial than residential but it should be somewhat helpful.