Hot water heaters / Gas or Electric preferred?

[paulg]

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!

 

[ozzie908]

Egg odour

Would indicate sulphur wouldn't it ?

 

[mattl]

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.

 

[kb0nes]

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.

 

[paulg]

Thank you!

Ozzie, you are correct. The farmhouse water odor was indeed sulphur. Thank you all for your comments. It looks like gas is the way to go as I appreciate your advice.
Much obliged!

 

[combo52]

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.

 

[petek]

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

 

[rp2813]

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.

Water Heater Knocking #1 Reason And The Easy Fix Takes 5 Min

Do you hear a noise from your water heater is your water heater knocking as a master plumber I will tell you how to fix the water heater knocking noise in 5 min

alfaplumbingservices.com

 

[sudsmaster]

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.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

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

 

[pulltostart]

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

 

[rinso]

Here in Idaho where both gas and electric rates are very reasonable, new homes are always constructed using gas heating and water heating. Gas is still much less expensive, and recovers hot water much faster. Having said that, electric water heaters tend to be more accurate with the water temperature as they use thermostats. Gas heaters use thermocouples which can have a lag in their reaction. My hot water was colder in the morning, than after some hot water has been used. I solved the problem with a hot water recirculating pump and timer. Gas still rules, IMHO.

 

[helicaldrive]

Something else to consider

Like everyone else I prefer gas because it is cheaper, and in addition a gas WH is faster and a gas furnace is more comfortable as its exiting heated air is warmer than an electric furnace’s. Also, if the fan is not set on continuous run, an electric furnace will induce a chill by beginning to operate with blowing cold air, whereas a gas furnace preheats the heat exchanger before cycling on the fan.

All that said, it appears that electric is the wave of the future. Forward-thinking friends rehabbed their home with solar panels, and an electric furnace and WH. They say they have a $100/mo, 10-year loan for the solar panels, and their electric bill is never over $10/mo.

 

[paulg]

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.

 

[sudsmaster]

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.

 

[ozzie908]

@sudsmaster

 

[sudsmaster]

.
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

 

[gusherb]

Definitely gas for water heating if available. That's the predominant way in the Chicago region. I'd replace with another 75 gallon Bradford after you try flushing the sediment out and decide you aren't satisfied or it decides to leak. Tankless is nice on paper but you'd need a pretty serious tankless WH to cope with our 42º incoming water temps in the winter, and nobody likes waiting that extra time for the tankless burner to start up and warm up the water and then wait for it to get to you.

Same for heating the home, 90+% efficient gas is the way to go in the Chicago region with our winters. Electric would be a nightmare to pay for even if it was a heat pump. Only thing better than gas would be like the vacuum tube solar arrays heating up a buffer tank with a gas boiler as backup, feeding radiant floors or radiators.