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Thread Number: 88450
/ Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
Hot water heaters / Gas or Electric preferred? |
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Post# 1130076 10/1/2021 at 10:53 (937 days old) by Paulg  (My sweet home... Chicago) |
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Hi !
Our house is 16 years old and our (very reliable) Bradford-White 70 gallon gas water heater is just beginning to announce the end of its life. It’s working but getting noisy sounding like a percolator. I may clean it out to get some more life but my understanding is that 15 years is about the life of a common water-heater. That being said, when the house was built my intention was to have the house all-electric, top to bottom. I didn’t get my wish as the water-heater and furnaces showed up all of a sudden and so I have some gas appliances. If I were to renew the water heater to a new one, I still may consider changing back to an electric water-heater. What are your opinions? We own a farm property that uses well-water, a water softener and the house is all-electric. The tap water smells like eggs a lot. Is that a characteristic of the water heater? I was not at the house at the time but the plumber changed the rod (?) in that water heater which did help. However for our everyday (city) house I do not want eggy smelling water. Any of y’all have experience in this realm? Comments welcome! | ||
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Post# 1130078 , Reply# 1 10/1/2021 at 11:05 (937 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK) |
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Egg odour  | ||
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Post# 1130083 , Reply# 2 10/1/2021 at 11:50 (937 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI) |
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Natural gas is generally cheaper to operate so that would be my choice. Gas prices are on the way up but so is electricity. The heat pump models are pretty efficient but not sure they come in a 70 gal model, plus they are very expensive. I'd stay with gas unless you have very cheap electric rates. | ||
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Post# 1130109 , Reply# 3 10/1/2021 at 16:27 (937 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN) |
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If you have gas in your home it is the ONLY way to heat hot water unless maybe you are considering a heat pump water heater. Can't fathom the idea of trading down to electric from having a gas water heater. Both electric resistance and heat pump models are rather slow in comparison, although at least the heat pump models will have low energy costs.
A great site I ran across a few years ago was www.waterheaterrescue.com... They have forums with knowledgeable folks and they sell some products like electrically powered titanium anodes. With proper maintenance and cleaning and paying attention to the sacrificial anode (or using a powered one) you can easily get 20 years out of a decent water heater. | ||
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Post# 1130113 , Reply# 4 10/1/2021 at 17:52 (937 days old) by Paulg (My sweet home... Chicago) |
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Thank you! | ||
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Post# 1130117 , Reply# 5 10/1/2021 at 18:04 (937 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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Best Water Heater Choice  Natural Gas vs resistance electric, vs Heat-pump
Hi Paul, just look at the energy guide on the units and you will see that electric costs over twice as much to run per year.
HP and NG are close if you want to go electric for any reason.
Normally 50 gallons should be plenty unless you have a huge whirlpool bath tub, in which case check out NG instantaneous water heaters.
John L. | ||
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Post# 1130120 , Reply# 6 10/1/2021 at 18:21 (937 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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About 3 years ago our gas water heater blew making a mess in the basement. It was actually a rental from the gas company. They came quickly to replace it but when the tech noticed that our gas boiler and the water heater shared the same chimney flue which is original to the house (1958) was not up to current specs they told us we'd have to have the chimney flue upgraded. Screw that said I and went to Lowes and bought a Rheem electric. It did up our power bill a little but not so much. Maybe $10 a month or so. When the day comes and we have to move out whomever are the new owners can deal with it.
My sisters well water was so bad with the sulphury rotten eggs smell when they built their place it was gaggening. Eventually they redid the well with some sort of spraying setup. Sort of like a sprinkler, the sulphur gas is released before it goes into a holding tank. No smell at all now. They don't drink the water though | ||
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Post# 1130123 , Reply# 7 10/1/2021 at 18:39 (937 days old) by RP2813 (Sannazay) |
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Don't go shopping just yet -- The percolator/knocking sounds the heater is making are likely due to mineral deposits (AKA scale). The kids' water heater was making the same noise. They went on line and found a site that suggested flushing out the tank, and I went over to help. See the link for details and instructions. The flushing process produced an alarming amount of small white mineral balls that resembled hailstones. After we flushed the tank, the heater ran much more quietly. It's suggested to do this on a yearly basis. You could get quite a bit more life out of your existing heater by doing this.
If you do end up shopping for a replacement, gas is the better choice. The current price spike won't last forever. CLICK HERE TO GO TO RP2813's LINK | ||
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Post# 1130144 , Reply# 8 10/1/2021 at 23:06 (936 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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My 40 gallon Monkey Ward gas water heater is still going strong after 38 years. I flushed it out twice in the past 24 years, and replaced the anode rod as well. It will emit some rust, that that's more likely from the steel piping than anything else.
I suppose I should flush it out again this year, but the water here near Oakland is probably quite a bit softer than down in the San Jose area. I'm not worried... when a neighbor moved out (sold the house) about 10 years ago I snapped up the water heater he placed on the curb. It was still relatively new at the time, but "only" a 30 gallon so to make the sale go better he upgraded it. In a pinch it probably could work for a while. I'm with the others... gas is the way to go in this area for water and space heating. California has very high electric rates. | ||
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Post# 1130147 , Reply# 9 10/2/2021 at 02:35 (936 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.)) |
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Gas is the only way to go:
NEVER put in an electric WH unless there is no other option. They are much slower and more expensive to use. Heat pump WH would be the best bet if you had to go electric.
Since you have a gas WH now it just makes sense to install another gas WH. A Rheem 50 gallon unit is what my master plumber friend with 50 years on the job put in my house. It provides plenty of 140F water. We never run out. WK78 | ||
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Post# 1130154 , Reply# 10 10/2/2021 at 09:19 (936 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL) |
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I am going to buck the trend I've had both types of water heaters and haven't seen appreciable differences in operating cost over the years. Part of that is probably due to me being the only person in the house and by comparison to other households I use much less water.
That being said, in my current situation I am seriously considering switching from gas to electric. Here's my deal:
I am in my parents' home and it has a gas water heater. The water heater is dated 1999 so it has to be nearing the end; time to be proactive here. The water heater is located in an outdoor utility room, on the carport, approximately 30 feet from the house (could it be any farther???) When the house was built it included copper piping under the slab, as is typical for this area, but somewhere along the line, one of the lines under the carport burst and the slab had to be opened and the water line repaired and the slab also repaired. This happened a second time and my dad (who had a tendency to over-react) decided to abandon the underslab piping for fear of additional problems under the living areas. So the water piping was moved to the attic and switched to PEX. Over the years, on more than one occasion, the water lines running out to the water heater have frozen (in the attic now). Also, due to the great distance, a LOT of water is wasted, especially at the kitchen sink, waiting for it to get warm/hot. Therefore, the water heater MUST get closer to the points-of-use.
My plan is to move the water heater into the laundry room, just off the kitchen, which will cut down on the volume of water wasted while waiting for it to get hot. However, I am not a fan of placing a gas water heater in the same space with a clothes dryer. I don't like the idea of the dryer pulling air down the flue when the dryer is operating; feeding both combustion and the air exchange in the drum. So I will probably switch to electric. Currently, Alabama Power is offering a free water heater if one switches from gas; both 40 gallon and 50 gallon models are available; I'll probably go with 50. This house was built/wired for an electric dryer but my parents always had a gas dryer and I have the same. So that 30-amp circuit designated for a dryer will be converted to supply the WH. With both gas and electric power available in the space, should a future owner want to switch the two utilities they can.
lawrence | ||
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Post# 1131053 , Reply# 13 10/13/2021 at 12:41 (925 days old) by Paulg (My sweet home... Chicago) |
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Thanks for the added info
Thanks to all participants. I am learning, especially with tips for the sulphur smells of well-water.
Our city house indeed has a large Jacuzzi, hence the 70 gallon tank. The knocking seems to have occurred after we came back from vacation. It has subsided somewhat now that we are home. Probably related, not sure. Draining it at this point makes sense. We aren’t going anywhere soon. So if the tank “ tanks “ (….sorry), we will be home. | ||
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Post# 1131368 , Reply# 14 10/18/2021 at 13:31 (920 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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Yet another reason to stick with gas: PG&E has a program where, if you reduce your electricity usage at peak times (between 4 pm and 9 pm), you get a lower electricity rate. I signed up for an intermediate program, where the not as low but still good rates are for between 5 pm and 8 pm M-F. It's taken a bit of time to get used to, but it's not too bad. In general I turn off the koi pond pump (between 135 and 150 watts) during those hours, and refrain from using other electricity (like the electric oven, convection oven, microwave, etc) during those hours.
The fish don't seem to mind. It is a bit of nuisance remembering to shut the pond pump off and then back on. I'm planning on putting it on a timer. Just haven't got around to it. | ||
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Post# 1131369 , Reply# 15 10/18/2021 at 13:36 (920 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK) |
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@SudsMaster
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Post# 1131399 , Reply# 16 10/18/2021 at 21:50 (919 days old) by SudsMaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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.
Well, it's not that big a deal, because I'm not working so as long as I remember it's easy enough to traipse out there twice a day to shut the pump on/off. Plus, it's more than just getting around to it. It's going to require: 1) Determining which of the existing timers I have that would be best, or do I need a new timer, 2) Figuring out the best long-term way to wire the timer in such a way that I can bypass the timer as needed. A wrinkle in that whole thing is: a) The pump is a dual speed with two different wires running from a two speed switch in a rain-proof box about 3' above the ground, b) The wiring is all through galvanized steel threaded pipe running down a post, c) No existing space on the post to put the timer d) I could add another rain-proof box for the timer but that would require pulling all the wiring from the conduit to reconfigure said conduit, e) It's simpler for now just manually to turn the pump off and on, twice/day, M-F. f) Time of use power discounts are basically ending for the coming winter months (or are relatively insignificant) so it's not going to be urgent until next spring when they resume (I think!). g) YMMV | ||
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