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My home was built in 1950. It has one bathroom and I am the only occupant.
My gas hot water tank was installed in 1998 (before I purchased the home) and since I bought the home 8 months ago I've noticed my hot water barely lasts one whole shower before turning luke warm to cold within 20 minutes. I also seem to have hard water, because my hair does not lather very well and I get some orange build up around my drain. Is it more economic and energy-saving to just get a new 40 gallon tank or a new tankless model?
I'm concerned about the price of installation and parts for the tankless, but know with the hard water situation (I have old galvenized pipes going into the house) I want to make sure I get a good model that will last a long time and help REDUCE my growing GAS bills.
You don't have to DRAIN the water heater. Some may take you literally and empty it.
Chrissy:
Assuming that drain valve at the bottom of the water heater is in good shape, all you have to do is open it into a bucket or a hose leading to a drain until it's clear. Meaning, no rust or mud. I'd suggest monthly, but at least do it once a year.
Some things that can happen: You can't get the drain open. When you get it closed, it won't seal because a piece of calcium scratched the seat. To prepare for that get a garden hose cap at the hardware store and store it on the valve. The generally cheap drains that come with the heater I replace. I can give a recommendation if needed.
Iron has to be attacked at the same time if installing a softener. Iron may damage some softening systems.
20 minutes is a long time for a shower. Two things you can do here is use a water saving shower head. If the shower valve is not temperature regulating, adding one will make you be able to take showers without fiddleing with the temperature control.
A hot water recirculating system will get the water hot to the fixtures quicker especially if the line from the tank to the shower is long. It will make sure the water is at it's hottest when you want it to be hot, like for the morning shower.
Replacing the galvanized pipe in the house, if you have any, will reduce the amount of iron seen by your plumbing.
You can combine a tankless with a tank heater.
An issue with tankless is that there needs to be a minimum amount of flow for it to turn on so it might be great for showers, but nothing else. It also has a maximum capacity meaning as the flow rate increases the temperature gets lower.
You have some complex issues and it's hard to identify a possible upgrade path.
One thing is for certain. You need to drain some of the water out of your present tank and do it monthly. Junk like iron or hard water will make heat transfer difficult. If what you drain is red then it's likely iron. If grey pebbles then it's hard water.
You should also be using a water saving shower head.
If you have galvanized pipes in the home, consider replacing portions of the hot side that are easily accessible. Be sure to use dialectric unions if replacing with copper. If your truely interested in saving energy, insulate these pipes. The pipe hangers should wrap around the insulation.
Even with a new hot water heater, there are sometimes days when the showers need to be cut short. This is because the entering water from the street is colder and the gas thermostat is just about ready to call for heat, so the tank holds it's coldest hot water.
20 minutes was a bit of an exaggeration I guess. I know I cannot let the water run for a minute then shower, shave, wash and condition my hair without running out of hot water.
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