I have 2 water heaters and have a question

wackerjr · 06-02-2006, 07:54 PM

I have 2 water heaters.

I was told that the plumbing coming out of the tanks(to the house) where they are conected together should be directly in the center of the 2 tanks. If it is not one will work harder than the other .....is this true? Mine are not it is off to one side by about 5 inches or so.

Thanks

MAS2006 · 06-03-2006, 12:18 AM

Post a photo of your system. Is this a domestic hot water system or a heating system?

redline · 06-03-2006, 07:25 AM

How many gallons are these water tanks? (40,50...)
Are they gas or eletric?
Why do you have two?
What is the size of the water pipe coming in?
What is the size of the water pipe coming out of the heaters?

wackerjr · 06-03-2006, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redline

How many gallons are these water tanks? (40,50...)
Are they gas or eletric?
Why do you have two?
What is the size of the water pipe coming in?
What is the size of the water pipe coming out of the heaters?

Both are gas fired 40 gallon. Size of pipe in and out is 3/4

I have 2 heaters because I have 3 women in the house (nuff said) Me and the boy like to have a hot shower after the girls get done. LOL

Photo of piping

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...56333749HUuIss

Photo of whole system
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...56333749vRnuoY

Phot of lines coming in to system
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...56333749SJDDCF

I also have another question. I like to do things right. I am installing a bar sink. there is no room for a vent. SO I was told to put in a studer(spelling) vent. This is all no prob.....but the pluber I talked to said that my "dirty arm" is going to be a bit to long.

Here is the pic
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...56333749AXPlTk

Here is the drain I am going to be connecting to
TOP OF STACK
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...56333749oPlVQK

BOTTOM SIDE
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...56333749CnQPRX

the run wil be about 8 feet down the wall, and then make a bend in the corner and about 18" to the stack to drain.

Is this possible to do at all and still be up to code (not that it really matters cause it is a basement being finished) and this sink won't get used all the time....but I would like some imput. Thanks a bunch this site has saved me a bunch of time asking questions to a bunch of people.

747 · 06-03-2006, 05:05 PM

I would say go tankless get a big tankless hotwater one that produces maxium gallons per minute and allows more than one draw at a time on the tankless. Your gas bill will thank you.

wackerjr · 06-03-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 747

I would say go tankless get a big tankless hotwater one that produces maxium gallons per minute and allows more than one draw at a time on the tankless. Your gas bill will thank you.

That would have been great when we built the home.....live and learn, these heaters are only 1 year old, I just want to make sure that one is not working to heat and the other is just a storage tank. Thanks.

747 · 06-03-2006, 09:39 PM

I didn't look at your pics. Its hard to see where those pipes are going. Its logical to assume one heater is probably for one bathroom tub and another is for another. So what you could do is this simple. Go up to one bathtub turn on hot water full blast or a couple of minutes run down to basement see which heater fires up. Then you know that heater is servicing that bathroom. Then go to another bathroom turn on hotwater and see if the other heater fires up. I didn't know you house was only a year old. You could have saved so so so much money on gas bill by going tankless. If your guess bill gets two expensive you might consider pricing a tankless because that gas bill will come way down. If you do remember you will need maxium gallons per minute and a unit which will allow more than one draw off the tankless at a time.

wackerjr · 06-03-2006, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 747

I didn't look at your pics. Its hard to see where those pipes are going. Its logical to assume one heater is probably for one bathroom tub and another is for another. So what you could do is this simple. Go up to one bathtub turn on hot water full blast or a couple of minutes run down to basement see which heater fires up. Then you know that heater is servicing that bathroom. Then go to another bathroom turn on hotwater and see if the other heater fires up. I didn't know you house was only a year old. You could have saved so so so much money on gas bill by going tankless. If your guess bill gets two expensive you might consider pricing a tankless because that gas bill will come way down. If you do remember you will need maxium gallons per minute and a unit which will allow more than one draw off the tankless at a time.

the way they are plumbed right now is it comes out of the 2 tanks to a T then out from the T to the rest of the house...BOTH heaters services the whole house. My question was because the T in the line coming out of the tank is closer to one tank than the other.....is one tank working harder than the other. My pluber friend said posibly that the farthest tank away might just be "storing" the hot water and the other is working harder to heat it all....

I hope that makes more sense.

747 · 06-04-2006, 02:57 AM

oh ya i see what you mean. The hot water pipes coming out of both heaters go into one pipe which goes up to service hotwater in your house. I have never seen anything like that. I see your question and it is a excellent question. i don't know the answer.

Big Dave · 06-04-2006, 07:15 AM

I've got an idea. Why don't you have your wife go turn on the hot water and let it run while you stand down there and watch and see if one lights faster than the other and if it does how much longer before the other one lights. This should give you the answer your looking for. In my opinion you have equal pressure going in which should make the water cycle through both at the same time.

Dave.

redline · 06-04-2006, 07:16 AM

The way that it is connected now is probably the last method I would use to have hot water.

The plumber should have asked you about your hot water demands.

#1) If you have a hot water boiler (furnace) then i would have connected an indirect water heater (storage) tank. This would meet all your demands for water. The cost would have been less than the two 40 gallons tanks plus installation cost. More efficient and would save you money each month. These 40 gallons may be around 70% efficient while the boiler could be up to 90% efficient.

#2) If you do not have a hot water boiler then the next option would be a tankless on demand water heater. This option would have been less. More efficient and would save you money each month.

#3) The plumber could have installed a 70,80,90+ gallon hot water tank because it appears that you have the room and the head height for a large tank. This single tank would have been cheaper to buy/install than the two tanks.

#4) Consider that the tanks are newer then the best option for now would be to connect the tanks inline and this would increase the capacity. Down the road, when the tanks do need to be replaced than you could see if the other options are better for your needs.

wackerjr · 06-04-2006, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redline

The way that it is connected now is probably the last method I would use to have hot water.

The plumber should have asked you about your hot water demands.

#1) If you have a hot water boiler (furnace) then i would have connected an indirect water heater (storage) tank. This would meet all your demands for water. The cost would have been less than the two 40 gallons tanks plus installation cost. More efficient and would save you money each month. These 40 gallons may be around 70% efficient while the boiler could be up to 90% efficient.

#2) If you do not have a hot water boiler then the next option would be a tankless on demand water heater. This option would have been less. More efficient and would save you money each month.

#3) The plumber could have installed a 70,80,90+ gallon hot water tank because it appears that you have the room and the head height for a large tank. This single tank would have been cheaper to buy/install than the two tanks.

#4) Consider that the tanks are newer then the best option for now would be to connect the tanks inline and this would increase the capacity. Down the road, when the tanks do need to be replaced than you could see if the other options are better for your needs.

You guys have been great... Believe me the Gas bill is nuts. I have 2 fireplaces, and 2 water heaters pilots run all the time....I shut the pilots in the fireplaces off in the summer to help out.

Every one tells me basically the same thing you guys have that that is the last way they would have done it........But you know how it goes with some home builders, and this one was no different.....Here in Utah you don't even have to be a liscenced plumber to put in a water heater anymore... ANd I never had the option to talk to the sub and get his opinion on what to do.

We have no problem with demand, plenty of hot water,

Thanks a bunch.

747 · 06-04-2006, 07:09 PM

I agree with big dave and redline. I think everytime you open hotwATER in your house it draws off both units equally. which means you firing up to heaters when you necessarily don't need to. I guess the plumber thought you had money to burn every month on your gas bill. Redline is correct when he says if you had hot water heat the best option would have been a boiler which makes hotwater for heat and domestic use. Well i don't know what else to say besides that plumber did you wrong on your gas bill everymonth. Listen check your area and see if you can get a rebate for installing tankless hotwater heater some area do some don't i think you can get a rebate on your income tax but maybe not i'm not a expert on taxes just thought i heard that. But when it comes time to replace those heaters tankless is the way to go.

Fog80 · 01-16-2007, 03:42 PM

my family was actually thinking of installing a second water heater in our home. I'm glad i saw this thread!

what would you recommend for a home with no gas, only electric? We currently have one 40 gallon water heater and its not enough. The water heater is not that old, and it works fine. Should we just replace it with a bigger one? or add another 40 inline?

Tmb9862 · 01-16-2007, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fog80

my family was actually thinking of installing a second water heater in our home. I'm glad i saw this thread!

what would you recommend for a home with no gas, only electric? We currently have one 40 gallon water heater and its not enough. The water heater is not that old, and it works fine. Should we just replace it with a bigger one? or add another 40 inline?

I've seen some pretty heavy electric tankless heaters that can do two showers at a time. Or you can upgrade to a larger water heater. I wouldn't put a second one in.
1. Instead of a high gas bill you will have a high electric bill.
2. I'm not an electrition but, what kind of service do you have to your house and what size breaker does the heater have? If you don't have a 150 or really a 200 amp main forget it. Two water heaters drawing 40-50 amps each, then you have an electric oven as well with 40-50 amps, you're comming close to tripping that 150 amp main breaker. Turn on few lights and TVs and you're there, turn on the dryer and it's going for sure. A 200amp could probably handle it if you have central air or a dryer, not both though.