2nd water heater

[ErinNewBathroom]

Hi,
Our newly bought house was built in the 70's. We have a new water heater but with a family of 5 and old pipes, I feel the need for a second water heater in the master bath. We have limited space but there is room to move things around if needed. Would a tankless heater work? Or would we be better with a tank? It will basically be for me and my husband. Hopefully the kids can rely on the other heater. Advice???
Thanks,
Erin

 

[Dana]

The answer sort of depends on why you "... feel the need for a second water heater in the master bath...".

Can you elaborate on that?

BTW: You may want to re-post it on the water heater forum on this site- this sub-forum is about water wells, well pumps, and storage tanks, not tank type water heaters.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ErinNewBathroom]

Thanks for responding. There is one large tank for the entire house in the basement. We have to stagger baths/showers and the dish/clothes washer. I would like to have some way to have a new, second water heater dedicated to the master bath and let the main water heater be for the other bathroom and dishwasher/clothes washer. Is that possible? And if so, how would you go about that? Thank you.

 

[Dana]

How big is the biggest tub the new water heater would have to fill? Any plans for a big soaker tub or spa, or a six sidespray ultra-shower delivering as much water as a car wash?

Is it about tub-filling capacity or showering capacity?

What is the fuel/energy source for the existing water heater, and how big is it?

What fuel/energy options are available at the master bath?

It's unusual to have to schedule dish/clothes washing to not conflict with showers when you have a brand new water heater. Is it a flow problem, or is it a running out of water problem?

 

[Valveman]

Moving to water heater forum.

 

[Phog]

Hi Erin, you can really go down the rabbit hole on this and there are many options to consider. I spent my younger years in a household with 2 adults + 4 kids so I know where you're coming from with negotiating shower access, etc. I will add my own two cents and then let others add theirs. I'm going to assume that your house doesn't use a boiler for home space heating, which would change things, so please let us know if you do!

First, you should be able to meet the needs of a 5-person household with a single water heater unit. You just need one that is properly sized to your family's needs.

Second, before doing anything else, see if you can increase the performance of what you've got. Have a thermostatic mixing valve installed, and explore adding a drain heat recovery system. Either of those upgrades can substantially increase your hot water supply, and both will transfer over to your next water heater (if you still need one).

Third, if you do need a water heater capacity upgrade, the energy supply type really matters. In your situation, gas will definitely provide much better performance & lower monthly costs. But if you have only electric available at your house, then it gets really simple. You just need a lot of tank storage. With 3 kids, probably at least an 85 gallon electric tank. (Or two smaller 40 gal electric tanks if installation space isn't available for a big tank). Electric tankless is a poor choice for multiple reasons.

Finally, if you do have gas available, and you're shopping for a new system, you'll need to decide on tank vs. tankless. If you call plumbing contractors in your area you may get a "hard sell" on tankless. Tankless heaters have some benefits -- but they also have some drawbacks.

Often when you get a quote, the first person who visits your house is actually a salesperson. That salesperson may give you all the benefits of tankless and make it sound like the best thing ever, while glossing over or simply omitting the drawbacks. If you find yourself in that situation, do your own research, and please come back here and ask questions. Make an informed decision.

Good luck!

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I dont see if he has an electric heater or a gas water heater....
this would be helpful to know.....

 

[Jadnashua]

If you want to fill a large soaking tub in the master bath, forget a tankless. You may need to enlarge your gas pipe line and maybe the meter. Don't even think about it if you thought of an electric one.

Raising the storage temperature of the tank with a (safety) tempering valve to limit the outlet temperature is probably the least expensive option to consider trying first. On a long run, there might be 3-4 gallons of water in the line. If you haven't used hot water for awhile, you'll essentially be throwing away a bunch of water prior to things getting hot, diluting the WH in the process with cold water. Adding a hot water recirculation system will both shorten that time, and give you a few more gallons of hot water to use while saving water use.

 

[Sylvan]

I usually install a rapid recovery water heater 50 gallon and the recovery rate beats a normal 75 gallon in terms of maintaining a supply of HW