Gas Water Heater Timer

[verizonbear]

So I am thinking of purchasing this along with adding an insulation blanket to the water heater tank and insulating the outgoing supply pipes. My washer and dishwasher both have delay start programs. Since it's just me, I can easily have this set to run the water heater for maybe 2 hours in the morning right after I get up for showering and using the delay starts on my washer and dishwasher accordingly to align with those times, I would keep the water heater at 140. The water heater itself is in a finished heated basement. What are your thoughts, should I see enough savings in a year for ROI?

http://gaswaterheatertimer.com/index.php?page=savings

 

[58limited]

I'm not sure about gas savings, but I use a timer on my electric water heater. This water heater serves the kitchen and laundry only. The timer has a manual override so I can turn the water heater on if I do a lot of laundry or dishes, otherwise the timer is set to run the water heater for 1 hour every evening. This is enough to thoroughly heat the 50 gallons of water, but the power is not constantly cycling on and off throughout the day as I use a little water here and there. The water heater is insulated enough that I can turn the breaker off and it will keep water hot through the weekend when I go out of town (ie- no usage to drain heated water, the water is still hot 48 hours later). I live in a mild winter climate.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Gas WH Timer

I have a gas water heater with a fan-forced vent and electric ignition so it uses electricty and can be put on a simple appliance timer. I had mine set to heat to 140F & run from 4 to 7PM. I have a 2 inch insulation blanket on the tank. After my morning use of hot water in the kitchen and in the shower, the water would be about 130F when I came home about 19 hours after the heater last fired. With morning use and standby loss, that's about a half a degree an hour drop in temperature. Before some weather disaster that came through here last year, I pulled the "off" pin out of the timer so that the tank would always be at full temperature if the power went out (which it did). Comparing the costs of the months with the timer and without, the savings from running it on a timer amounted to 1 therm a month, not a great saving, although it would probably be more of a saving when the water is colder in the winter. I had the timer I used so I did not have to buy it. I don't think you would realize the $95.00 purchase price in gas savings as long as you lived in the house if you buy a 2 inch insulation blanket for the tank and the insulation blanket is cheaper. If you insulated the tank, you could probably get by with turning it to "Pilot" before you go to bed and turning it back on for a couple of hours when you get home, if that is when you can do your laundry and run the DW. You would need to train yourself by leaving yourself notes in places you would see when you arrive home and like on the bathroom mirror where you would see it before going to bed, but in this market, the saving probably is not worth it.

I would caution you about using the delayed start on the dishwasher. If you do that, you are going to have it start with cold water in the line because you are not there to draw up the hot water. If the dishwasher is very close to the water heater, that won't be as much of a problem, but if it is any distance away, it is going to cause your DW to do more heating of the water electrically and you would be increasing your power bill needlessly. If you had off-peak billing for electricity and heated water electrically, it would make sense to start the dishwasher an hour or two after the water heater came on in the night, but not with gas hot water.

 

[mattl]

Look at your summer gas costs, that should be a clue as to your use.  In the summer my gas run $18/mo and that is for 160 degree water all the time , gas cooktop and nat. gas outdoor grill.  Based on my experience the payback time will be long.

 

[wayupnorth]

Gas savings

When I redid this place 16 years ago, oil was the most inexpensive way to go, so I installed a boiler for heat and hot water. It started at 60 cents then to $3.39 now per gallon. But propane, which is the only way I can have gas here, is now $4.15 per gallon. I do have a gas range and 2 backup gas stoves for extra heat that run without power. But because I dont run any pilot lights, I pay through the nose for not using ENOUGH propane to get any discount. 9 miles from me is closest natural gas at almost 1/3 of the cost of propane. I cant figure how a timer can be used on a gas water heater unless it is one that is a wall mount tankless unit that does have to be plugged into an electric outlet. I did own apartment houses once with electric water heaters for each unit (they paid for electric) but I did install timers on each one so the tenants could adjust accordingly and they all said there was a big savings in their electric bills.

 

[sudsmaster]

This discussion sort of reinforces the argument for tankless on-demand water heaters. No need for figuring out when you will need hot water, either. Might be something to consider as an option.

Other than that, I agree that gas consumption for hot water use is generally a fraction of the gas used for space heating in the winter. Same goes for gas used to dry laundry or cook food.

But I suppose a gas water heater timer wouldn't hurt if you can live with the schedule. I'm a bit concerned about the extra weight and length the unit adds to the front controls on the heater. If the heater is in a protected space, like a closet with room for the enlarged control, no problem. But in a kitchen or garage, might be something to consider as a risk.

 

[mattl]

I looked into tankless, but decided it's not for me.  One you have to turn the water on full blast, a low flow or trickle won't trigger the unit from what I've been told.  Second, temp rise is limited, odds are they max out at 130 degrees, I' like my water much hotter.  Third, larger units need a big gas line, 3/4" won't cut it.

 

Last month I replaced my cousin's water heater and we looked at tankless at Menards.  the unit cost $150 more but the savings were only $60 a year.  I thought the tankless were more efficient.    I'll take my tank with a standing pilot any day over a tankless at this point.

 

[countryguy]

When considering a tankless water heater you also have to take into account the temperature of the water going into the heater. Since my water comes from a deep well where the water is colder than city water, the rise in temperature requires more energy to heat it sufficiently and quickly. Also in this area where it is very cold in the winter, I was told that people who had installed tankless units were having problems because the intake/exhaust were freezing up.

Gary

 

[eronie]

water heater

This is a simple robot device that just turns the thermostat up and down via the knob on the gas regulator!! Could not find out how much it costs though !!! I just leave my 40 gallon on vacation all the time !! Never run out of hot water and plenty hot too!!

 

[eronie]

Timer

$95 Bucks mabie worth it I just dont know ?? Simple design though >