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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Apr 5, 2018 18:36:53 GMT -5
My house got flooded by Harvey last August. Roughly four feet of water.
When FEMA flood insurance scoped out the damages to my home, they said that electric water heaters that are flooded are considerably more likely to fail. Therefore, when they processed the claim, they gave us funds for a replacement conventional water heater.
We had an electrician in to bless the wiring before we reinstalled the Sheetrock, and he told us that outlets that were flooded were considerably more likely to give trouble. We went out and bought 31 wall outlets and 31 black cover plates and replaced them ourselves.
I'm wanting to get a hybrid electric water heater (subdivision doesn't have gas lines that I know of).
From what I've read about them, you earn back your additional purchase price in one to two years in what you save on your electricity bill.
You used to get a $300 tax credit for buying one, but that was repealed in 2016. But not even the most curmudgeonly legislators can repeal the energy savings.
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Post by picturefreak on Apr 5, 2018 20:02:20 GMT -5
I suspect that if you don't use much hot water, a heat pump water heater may work. If you typically use the whole tank's worth of water every use (large family, etc.), you'll probably end up using the resistive heating frequently.
Overall I'm not entirely sure about the value of heat pump water heaters due to the large heat capacity of water. The alternative being using tankless hot water heaters that just don't heat water when there's no demand.
Yes, gas is good.
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Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Apr 7, 2018 18:14:15 GMT -5
We...bought 31 wall outlets...and replaced them ourselves. FYI: If you replace any outlet in a living space (not attic, garage, unfinished basement, etc.), by code, they must now be AFCI protected. An AFCI installed at the head of the branch circuit will protect all the non-AFCI receptacles on that circuit, saving money. You can even get a combo AFCI/ GFCI that will also protect a branch circuit that has receptacles near water or over bare concrete, outdoors, etc. The days when you can pull out a bad 39ยข outlet and put in another are over (unless nobody checks). Also, for a few cents more per unit, you can get tamper resistant receptacles, which have the slots covered with shutters that prevent a child from inserting anything in only one slot. Stupidly, these are only required on new work, but if it saves a life some day, it is well worth it. 400/yr get shocked; 12 die. ---- What about solar water heating? |
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Sept 8, 2018 16:52:10 GMT -5
Our water heater finally gave up the ghost this morning. Whole house had an "overheated electronics" aroma that got stronger as you got closer to the laundry room. I thought at first it was my CPAP cleaner, it's fairly new and it has a definite aroma of oxidized stuff.
Our water heater was installed in the first half of 2003, we found a sticker on the side of it with the installation date. I went out and looked at the Home Depot Web site and found an alternative I wasn't aware of: a tankless electric water heater. Must be a recent development; the last time I heard about tankless water heaters they were all fueled with gas.
FEMA NFIP said to replace our water heater because they usually fail when you have a flood, and they put in a claim for one when they did our building claim. It made it over a year.
My housemate, who is more attuned to the needs of the house than I am, was surprised that you could buy a tankless electric for $500; he thought that was not bad at all.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Sept 9, 2018 18:28:09 GMT -5
Found out by the time you retrofit your house to put in a tankless electric water heater, it costs about $8000. Decided to go with a conventional model with a tank instead. About a quarter the price...
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wb6yyz
Champion Member
Wilkes Barre/Scranton Area
Posts: 5,557
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Post by wb6yyz on Sept 12, 2018 9:11:59 GMT -5
Had an electric when I first got the place. Got rid of it (eventually sold it to someone that had theirs die) and added an "indirect" heater to the house heating system. It works like another heating zone, except it heats water instead of another room. Yeah, it means I must leave the oil heat system running during the summer (although when I was living alone, I would shut it down till the weekend, then turn it on to get a shower and wash dishes and lanudry that had accumulated during the week) but it still cost less to run than the electric.
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Post by Interesting on Sept 12, 2018 18:26:50 GMT -5
What was the failure mode of an electric water heater?
My gas water heater failed by a tank rupture that put out the flame and pilot light. I suppose electrics have similar failure modes.
Main problem is that tankless water heaters should be placed near the point of consumption, hence the cost of retrofit. Having one that supplies the house like a regular tank water heater is not nearly as efficient or effective.
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Post by sneakers (Metro Houston) on Sept 12, 2018 20:03:54 GMT -5
What was the failure mode of an electric water heater? My gas water heater failed by a tank rupture that put out the flame and pilot light. I suppose electrics have similar failure modes.
It lasted a couple of weeks longer than a year. It developed a short circuit on one of the heating elements. Last Saturday morning, we woke up to the smell of burnt wiring. Although I thought at first it was my CPAP sanitizer. I've only been using it for a few days, and it has a definite oxidized aroma to it.Main problem is that tankless water heaters should be placed near the point of consumption, hence the cost of retrofit. Having one that supplies the house like a regular tank water heater is not nearly as efficient or effective.
Also, the vertical clearance in the utility room isn't high enough to support a hybrid water heater. The water and electric connections were designed in 1972 and there's not enough room for more than a 40 gallon water heater. At least I'm a stockholder of my Retail Electric Provider.
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Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Sept 18, 2018 19:29:44 GMT -5
Found out by the time you retrofit your house to put in a tankless electric water heater, it costs about $8000. $8000 is a lot of retrofit. How is that amount distributed? Surely it doesn't cost that much to run a 40-amp (or a couple of 40-amp) branch circuits from the panel to where the heater would be installed. But then if you have a tankless heater at each hot-water-using location, that could add up. If you were lucky to have a single location that would be close to all the faucets, that would be ideal. My sister has a small two-story vacation home with one tankless heater upstairs in a attic space operated off of propane. The water is left on while away in the summer as there is no likelihood of freezing. I forget exactly how, but there was a leak from it that dribbled down the walls to the kitchen on the first floor. Luckily the damage wasn't too bad. I guess that shows you can't escape leaks just because it's tankless. It takes a little getting used to when adjusting the shower flow to make sure you're comfortable, but it's not too tricky. Have you thought about some auxiliary solar heat input to the electric tank to cut bills? Do they make a tank type that has a built in heat exchanger for solar boosting? |
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Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Sept 28, 2018 18:07:00 GMT -5
For tankless vs. tank, watch Matt Rinsinger's video:
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Post by CampKohler (Sacramento CA) on Sept 28, 2018 18:11:48 GMT -5
What was the failure mode of an electric water heater? My electric has two elements, one at the top and one at the bottom. One of the elements failed by corroding through, which can be repaired by screwing in a new element. Of course the tank itself will corrode just as on a gas unit, and just as you replace the element, the tank will probably fail soon after just to let you know that you aren't really in control of anything in life. Pbbbbt! |
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