Let's talk water heaters
 

Currently our electric water heater is working but I want to be prepared when it croaks 😁 It is a standard 40 gallon electric nothing fancy . Have electric heaters become more efficient ? I do have propane available so could go that route but additional gas pipe would need to be run .

What about instant on heaters ? They are more money but more complicated ? We have well water that is good and minimal hardness we get no build up of any kind on any fixtures . The easiest swap would be another electric but want to hear what others have to say . Ninety percent of the time it is just the wife and I we are retired . Also does it matter to purchase from bi box store vs plumbing retailer ?

Timely thread.

If you need efficiency there are new hot water tanks that use a heat pump setup, very expensive though. I think the one snag with the whole house on demand electric is the amount of amperage they need when they turn on, way more then a electric tank, but you can set up multiple small point of use ones but lots of wiring.

The new tanks are better because of better insulation, but electric heat is the same as always for efficiency, I think most now run upper and lower heating elements though.

I found the box stores were quite a lot less expensive then plumbing retailer, same product, but depends on the deal they give you.

Hope this gives you a starting point.

The operating cost difference between the Electric and the Heat Pump

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Gladiator-50-Gal-Medium-12-Year-5500-5500-Watt-Smart-Electric-Water-Heater-with-Leak-Detection-and-Auto-Shutoff-XE50M12CS55U1/309627116

$424/yr and a cost of $619

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-Platinum-50-gal-10-Year-Hybrid-High-Efficiency-Smart-Tank-Electric-Water-Heater-XE50T10HD50U1/303419574

$110/yr and $1299

Price difference is $680, but the yearly operating cost difference is $314. The hybrid heat pump will pay for itself in ~2 years.

And a natural gas unit $744 with yearly operating cost of $271. The Heat pump unit save $161 per year, and would pay for itself in 3.5 years!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rheem-Performance-Platinum-50-Gal-Tall-12-Year-40-000-BTU-Natural-Gas-ENERGY-STAR-Tank-Water-Heater-with-WiFi-Module-Included-XG50T12DM40U0W/206777719

That Rheem 50gal hybrid that you get for $1299 is $2229 up here. Not sure why that is.

I would not consider a whole house electric on demand it is too much of an energy eater . Looking at the reviews on HD about the hybrid heater not too fond of all the sensors . Keep the comments coming .

Check the AO Smith Lowes sells, very nice unit. Also check your utility, many offer a nice rebate for a hybrid water heater.

Water heaters are far more efficient than they used to be. Heat pump efficiency depends on where it is located and what the ambient temp is. On demand doesn't do well with electric because most homes would require major rewiring.

In your situation I would probably choose an on-demand propane design and place it very close to the highest hot water usage location. I think these present good owner satisfaction with reasonably low operating costs.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0084CPEE8/ref=dp_cerb_1?th=1

In our area electricity is crazy expensive and not a good choice for heating water.

I have an on demand gas water heater - you waste a lot of water as it takes a loooong time to heat the outflow (OTOH it is not a terrible waste if you live in a freakin' rain forest...)


I have an AO Smith tank for the hydronic in floor heating - seems very well built - dunno if better than Rheem

big box stores usually/often don't have the high end of a manf.s product range

I didn't know that bi box stores were legal in Georgia...

I have "solar heated" water in the summer. My HW tanks are located in the upper attic and in the summer the air temp is higher than my hot water settings.

They are hitting 16 years old this year and I expect a leak soon. I plan an on-demand NG system. There are generally only two of us in the house and a 7.5 GPM unit should do fine for us. It will run 3 showers and 3 sinks at the same time.

We have a Rinnai running on natural gas with the hardest, briniest water you could imagine. Knock on wood, 9.5 years and going strong. You need to clean moths out of the fan once every year or two...

The rinnai has no issues with 2 showers running with the washing machine and dishwasher. It is great and I would never go back to a tank type.

Hydrojet if you decide to stay with a traditional water heater.

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Electric on Demand heaters are astronomically expensive to operate. I installed one in a one bedroom cottage I own. I removed it after two months. Electric bill was through the roof.

With what you paid for propane I'd consider going with a PVC vented propane unit. If you have well and it's hard water I'd probably stay away from the tankless types. There's more maintenance involved with tankless heaters if you're on well water.
Something to consider, If it's just two of you in the house for the majority of the time, scale back the size of the propane heater because it has faster recovery than your electric water heater will have.

Cab are you saying there are " conventional " tank style water heaters that have LP efficiency high enough to vent via PVC ? If true I did not know that and will have to research further . And you are saying going from our current 40 gallon electric to a 30 gallon high efficiency LP would have faster recovery rate ? Good conversation .

I have a propane heated on demand unit. It is located directly beneath the bathroom floor so time to hot is minimal. But I have only one bathroom and it is close to the kitchen sink as well. If you have a long throw from source to use point, yeah it'll take a few seconds to warm up.

I should add that the current heater is basically " centered " in the basement . The closest outlets are to the kitchen sink/dishwasher then the guest bath with the master bath about 22 ' away and laundry room about 40 ' away .