water heater ??

[elkie]

Didnt' know where to post this, so hopefully this is right spot.

on the articles list it talks about replacing gas water heater for an electric. I've been thinking about this and want to ask what other thinks.

according to that articel. say if gas is reach 91 cents a therm, it breaks even with electric. Well we dont have natural gas, we have propane, and right now we paid $2.29 a gallon(today).

Would switching to electric be a better choice then using the propane? our company doesn have any monthly payment, just you pay when they fill up. and due to winter we have filled up the tank 4 times since oct,,,from $432 to $470 a pop and these wer just around 200 gallons each time nto a complete fill up...

Thanks for any advice on this issue.

[Archie]

Lot's of things to take into consideration. How much hot water usage are you using? Is the water heater located within the living space (ie. In a closet or utility room)? What type of repalcement are you considering? How old is the old unit and what is it's ratings?

If you have a large family that uses a substantial amount of hot water then it is likely that an electric unit may cost more. However, if the water heater is a sealed gas unit that is within the living space the replacement cost of such a unit can be pricey compared to an electric model so that higher cost of usage can be offset by the cheaper cost of replacement. Most gas units have to be specifically mobile home approved where as in most cases electric ones do not which makes finding one a much simpler task. No matter what you decide not all water heaters are the same. Be sure to check the usage data on them to find the best insulated and longest lasting one for your budget.

Another item to look at is is it even feasable. You would likely need to add a 220 volt circuit to your breaker panel and run the wiring to connect the water heater. This would require a certified electrician to inspect and decide if it can be done and to perform the labor if it can.

As you can see this is not the easiest question to answer directly. There are a few things that may or may not affect the costs as well as wether you would really gain in the long run. You goal would hopefully be to recoup as much of the cost of converting as possible.

[Greg]

Most of the utility companies have useage guides for appliances, check wirh your's and find out the average use of KW hours and multiply by your rate. This will give you an estimated operating cost. Don't forget to add the purchase costs also.
Generally unless you have to replace the heater it is not cost effective to switch just for the sake of switching. Greg

[elkie]

thanks for the answers..

I have already done the cost vs propane/electric...and for the rate i pay in propane compared to the electric cost i would save about $100 a year if i switched....

the water heater is located in the laudry room, and it was replaced about 4/5 yrs ago per the last owner ...

the propane furnace is the orginial one. house is 11 yrs old...once it starts to go, or maybe before i'm going to switch to geothermal for heat/air.. within 5 yrs or so.

as for the power to the unit. my circuit breaker is right next to the area the water heater is located at. And since my father(now-retired) is/was an electrician, and i've help/worked for him since i was about 5 the electric part is no issue. I already have a space available for the water heater in the panel.

[Robert]

This Article that Mark wrote a couple years ago may help some with this:http://mobilehomerepair.com/article19whconv.html

Good tips for ease and future repairs when doing the changeout.

Take care and best wishes,
Robert

[jmw5555]

this is funny i actually want to go the other direction just havent figured out if it would be worth it or not of course if the power company keeps raising there rates im closer to a decision. the jerks

[Sylvia]

After the loss of power we had for several days I would love to have a gas water heater again. Other than cost savings, it's unlikely that you'd loose propane or natural gas service as a result of a storm.

We bought an electric water heater about 2 years ago but are seriously considering a gas or on demand one now.

[Mark]

Gas is good to have when it storms, but overall I still prefer electric. No worry of a gas leak, no leaking around the chimney, no pilot light to go out when I'm out of town & the wife is screaming of no hot water.

We still have our gas stove, which I'm thankful to have as I type this during a blizzard. But overall, I would still prefer electric.

Mark

[Yanita]

Hmmm,

Good debate going on here.

I prefer the electric, but then again my electric rates are better than our gas rates. Once we shut our furnace off the gas is done till next heating season.

Yup, during a power outage you have to watch the water useage, but my WH is insulated and it seems to stay warm for a couple days. Typically our outages are during the summer.

I'm with you Sylvia on the Demand Systems, Hubby has been checking them out.

Have a great day.

~Yanita~

[Maureen]

Yep, great debate going here!

Here's my advice. Really study your gas, propane, verses natural gas.. and then you're electrical rates.

In our case, it was no brainer. Both our natural gas and electric keep going up like gasoline right now! In our area, neither is a cost effective way to go right now. But, then we only have one company to answer to. They used to call that a monopoly in the old days, but those were made illegal. Still the company is going strong!

We went for a bigger and better, mobile home approved, gas water heater. Very pleased with it so far! It's Energy Efficient, so we get the tax break there next year. Make sure that whatever you choose is properly installed!

It's one of those things that may work for someone in Utah, will not work for someone in Florida. Do your homework!

Maureen

[jmw5555]

we live i an are where there is a lot of calcium build up in the bottom of the heaters usually ruins the elements in the electric heater in about 1 yr. now how does that effect a gas heater. usually within one year there is enough sediment in the tank to cover the bottom element.

[Sylvia]

We had to get a water softener here as the lime was destroying everything. If you get a water softener any kind of hot water heater should last quite a bit longer.