Need Help To Replace Home Hot Water Heater?
Posted on | December 15, 2009 | 7 Comments
I need to replace a 40-gallon hot water heater in my home. What can you tell me about hot water heaters? What’s new and efficient on today’s market? What’s out there and what should I be looking for? How do I determine if I need greater than 40-gallon capacity? Gas, electric, tankless?
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7 Responses to “Need Help To Replace Home Hot Water Heater?”
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December 15th, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
It’s really, really easy to replace a water heater with a similar one. And it’s not at all easy to change much of anything. If the current one is gas it would be a big hassle to add a circuit back to the panel for an electric one. And, likewise, installing a gas pipe if your current water heater is electric would likely not be worth the hassle. So, you want the new water heater to be the same ‘fuel’ as the old one. And, you want about the same power. Like if your old gas heater was 45,000 BTUs the pipe you have could be (or not) too small for a 75,000 BTU WH. Likewise, if the old was a 30 amp electric the wire is very likely too small for 40 amps. If you can’t replace same with same then you have to acquire enough knwoledge to know that what you’re doing will work.
Size wise, were you happy with the old one? You didn’t tend to run out of hot? Then the same size will be fine. Physical size is actually more important. If the new WH is a much larger diameter than the old, it may not fit the space. More imortantly, if it’s not about the same height a gas heater will require you to reconfigure the flue pipe.
The actual process of changing the unit isn’t too hard. Good luck.
December 15th, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
Didn’t know that you could buy a hot water heater. Now a water heater yes. Why would you want to heat hot water?
December 15th, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
You say you are replacing a 40 gallon heater. That tells me you have a gas heater now. I believe that gas heaters are more efficient and more economical to run. One thing to look for is the first hour recovery. You could be looking at two 40 gallon heaters with the same warranty and $50 to $100 difference in price. Most of the time it is the recovery rating that is the difference. Another consideration is the insulation in the heater. Foam is better than fiberglass. Charts are available for proper sizing. If you have multiple bathrooms that are used at the same time, I would recommend that you purchase a tank style heater. It will provide a more uniform water temperature when in use.
December 16th, 2009 @ 1:07 am
r u single or family what can u send??etc
December 16th, 2009 @ 5:09 am
It depends on if you have gas or not. If you do, I like the tankless heaters because of their efficiency and you never run out of hot water. They are made in electric models, but they are not as efficient or dependable as the gas models. One problem you may run into if you decided to switch to tankless is if you have a large enough gas line to the heater. They require a minimum of 3/4″ pipe. If you decide to stay with the tank type water heater, I would recommend you get a 50 gal. unless you live by yourself. They don’t cost much more, but are a lot more convenient.
December 16th, 2009 @ 9:25 am
I use a 40 gallon hot water heater, two of us in the home. It’s a new one from Whirlpool and electronically controlled, it let’s you have different settings for temp, and vacation controls. Also there’s 3 led’s that gives some trouble shooting tips. I think the electrical models are cheaper to run considering the price of gas these days. I’m on a budget and I pay 78 dollars a month and usually get money back when settle up time comes, and that includes lights, air conditioning, hot water, dish washer and of course the washer and dryer and two baths rooms.
December 16th, 2009 @ 12:48 pm
Gas is the most efficient and will heat up faster than electric. Depending on usage most homes with 4 people can get by with a 40 gal gas water heater but you’ll need a bigger one if your going electric. There isn’t really anything “new” on the market as far as tanks go. All models are pretty much made the same. As far as tankless it’s the best option for space saving and not having to wait for the water if there installed at each fixture. The draw backs are initial cost and electric.