AboutCarolyn Expertise I have worked in Electrical Engineering for 27 years in power distribution, but I am a handy homeowner more than anything else and have a lot of skills when it comes to home repairs. Bathroom remodeling, flooring, painting, reconditioning old wood items, plumbing, car repairs and troubleshooting most problems. I think of myself more of a teacher than someone that is going to tell you exactly what you have to do, but I will share as much info as I have to help get your problem fixed, so if you are not interested in learning then don't ask me a question or rate me if you don't like my answers. To me, it is all about the journey so lets share the trail for a short ride and see where it takes us!
I also want to give thanks to both my Mom, who has passed and my Dad, who raised us with the "Can Do" attitude and instowed such confidence in not only my life but everyone that ever came in contact with them.
You can do anything that you set our minds too if only you can break it down into pieces and just tackle one piece at a time, for the rest will fall into place.
Experience My greatest accomplishment was finishing my first bathroom upgrades in my first home which helped me to sell my home is less than 3 days by myself with a For Sale By Owner sign and no more. Plus I got $10,000 more for it in just 4 years of owning it, now that is great equity.
Question Hi Carolyn, I am planning on replacing my 15-20 year old 40 gal hot water heater this summer.(natl. gas)
I wonder if you could recommend what the best thing is to do, so many choices.
I will probably get the same size again but how do I determine what is cheaper to operate? Gas or electric. I know without our exact rates it will be hard to say but a good guess will do. Of course,( electric will require a new 220V circuit which I can do myself)
I have also thought about the tankless type which has to be mounted on the wall with a new vent.
Our Kids are gone so it is just the 2 of us and our hot water requirements are much less as they used to be.
I am like you and do everything myself and will appreciate any information that you can give.
regards,Jurgen
Answer Hey Jurgen,
I am not an expert on heaters but I have done some research on a few, even looked into the tankless myself for when my old one goes. They work on demand and from what I have read, you have to make sure before you buy one that it will perform for your givin area of the US, like are you in the north or south where the ambient ground temp will not impact your hottest desired temp. They tend to be a little higher in price but will save $$$ over time being that they are really energy efficient and don't just keep heating up the same hot water just to have it ready for you when you want it. And that is a biggie! So having said that you also can get up to $1500.00 tax credit for buying a gas one for 2009 ansd 2010. Do you have a 200 amp service to your home power panel is my concern regarding most electric units vs a gas one? And installation is recommended to be next to your power panel so you will have room for it and will have to re-run your plumbing to it. Most homes have a closet for the hot water heaters and this will no longer be needed if you go with the tankless. Here are some sites that will pretty much answer all of your questions, so all I can say is good luck!
