[Reighn9]

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.

[ebaines]

All the things you ask are possible, but without having an understanding of the layout of your house and your expected hot water usage it's impossible to make an informed recommendation. But a few things to consider:

-You say you started with two gas supply lines and two gas meters. Perhaps the plumber eliminated one meter so as to consolidate your gas utilities onto one account, which could save $$ over having two separate accounts.


-One gas meter can feed multiple appliances, so if you want two gas hot water heaters fed by the one meter that should be no problem as long as it's not too difficult to run a gas line from the meter to where the existing electric heater is located.


-If you want to eliminate the electric heater and use the one gas heater for all hot water that's possible, but will require rerouting hot water lines that are currently supplied by the electric heater. How difficult or expensive that may be will have to be determined by a plumber who can see what the layout of your house is.


-You can convert to tankless hot water heater(s) - either one or two. You will want to determine the appropriate capacity of the heater based on your expected demand for hot water in your household. For example do multiple people take showers simultaneously?

[ma0641]

How old is this house? Was this an apartment or duplex at one time? Never saw 2 meters in a single house. Anything can be done, depends on the money you wish to spend. Before you jump on tankless, pay close attention to the cost. You may need a new gas line or electrical service. Why does each bathroom need a hot water heater? I have a 3 BR house and 1 X 50 gallon gas heater. How many.people in the house?

[jlisenbe]

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.

That's a little difficult to imagine. If that is genuinely happening, then you would have a T&P valve popping off. Is this a conventional tank-type electric water heater?