Why do I need 2 water heaters on 1 water supply line?
I had 2 gas supply lines on 2 separate meters and 1 water supply line in my house. When I had a fire the plumber combined the gas lines onto 1 meter. There are 2 bathrooms in the house and instead of fixing a broken water pipe under the front bathroom that supplied the water to the back bathroom, the plumber ran new pipe through the ceiling to the back bathroom and sink. He installed an electric water heater in the back bathroom. I have a gas water heater in a hallway closet near the front bathroom. This is the original water heater in the house. The plumber told me each bathroom needed its own water heater. Recently it was determined the electric water heater has been using 4-6 times the energy it should and running all the time, never shutting off when not in use. I have had $500 plus electric bills for some time so I had the meter checked and the company determined the water heater to be the culprit. Can the water supply line be tied to 1 water heater? Can it be tied into my existing gas water heater? Can I change to a gas tankless water heater and tie it into the water line for both bathrooms, sinks,and washer? Yes I know I need a professional plumber to install a gas water heater or make some of these changes, but I would like a little foreknowledge, because the plumber that installed the electric water heater installed many things I had to have redone at extra expense,and items I'm still finding or haven't been able to afford to fix yet.