Is it true that electric hot water heaters run at far less efficiency as
they age(like me, I guess). If so, is that in the design or just inevitable
e.g. corrosion, buildup on the elements, etc.? Are there more efficient
heaters available? These days it appears that 5 yrs is the life expectancy
of most of them

cheers


Rick Hollett

Alright, I can't spell either! How about Water Heater?

Rick
"rick hollett" wrote in message
...
Is it true that electric hot water heaters run at far less efficiency as
they age(like me, I guess). If so, is that in the design or just
inevitable e.g. corrosion, buildup on the elements, etc.? Are there more
efficient heaters available? These days it appears that 5 yrs is the life
expectancy of most of them

cheers


Rick Hollett

Gas get less efficient with age not electric. Electric for most everyone
is more expensive per btu. Electric for me in the midwest is 3x the cost
of gas If you have gas heat consider gas your utility bill will show
you Ng and Kwh costs, I junked my electric for gas.

Rick,

Electric water heater efficiency is 3.413 BTU/Watt. That conversion
factor does not change with age of the heater. If the power is going
in the heat ends up in the water. It has nowhere else to go! With a
gas water heater, there are flue losses, some of the heat goes into the
water and some goes up the flue. As a gas water heater ages, soot and
corrosion and lime build up on the heat exchange surfaces; then more
heat goes up the flue & less into the water, so the efficiency drops.

As for warranties, my brother is a full time plumber. He commonly
sells tanks with 8-10 year warranties. Look around.


Stretch

Thanks so much. Very helpful!
"stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
Rick,

Electric water heater efficiency is 3.413 BTU/Watt. That conversion
factor does not change with age of the heater. If the power is going
in the heat ends up in the water. It has nowhere else to go! With a
gas water heater, there are flue losses, some of the heat goes into the
water and some goes up the flue. As a gas water heater ages, soot and
corrosion and lime build up on the heat exchange surfaces; then more
heat goes up the flue & less into the water, so the efficiency drops.

As for warranties, my brother is a full time plumber. He commonly
sells tanks with 8-10 year warranties. Look around.


Stretch

stretch wrote:

Electric water heater efficiency is 3.413 BTU/Watt.

Well no, it's just 100%.

That conversion factor does not change with age of the heater.

And that conversion factor is 3.413 Btu _per hour_ per watt.

If the power is going in the heat ends up in the water.
It has nowhere else to go!

Then again, as crud builds up, recovery time lengthens.

Nick

On 2005-04-03, stretch wrote:

With a gas water heater, there are flue losses, some of the heat
goes into the water and some goes up the flue. As a gas water
heater ages, soot and corrosion and lime build up on the heat
exchange surfaces; then more heat goes up the flue & less into the
water, so the efficiency drops.

Does this apply as well to a gas tankless water heater? Wayne

rick hollett wrote:
Is it true that electric hot water heaters run at far less efficiency as
they age(like me, I guess). If so, is that in the design or just inevitable
e.g. corrosion, buildup on the elements, etc.? Are there more efficient
heaters available? These days it appears that 5 yrs is the life expectancy
of most of them

cheers


Rick Hollett



No, it is not true. An electric water heater is
always 100 percent efficient. The heat has to go
somewhere and it goes in the water. If you are
referring to insulation, then yes it could
deteriorate some and allow more heat into the room
instead of staying in the water. But over the
heater's life time you would never notice the
difference.

And no, a heater lifetime is not 5 years unless
you live in a place that has severely corrosive
water. Not sure if you mean the water heater or
the electrical element. Elements in our hard
water area commonly last 10 years or more, but
some do fail as early as 4 or 5 years.

Gas tankless don`t loose efficiency, last 3 times as long and save
energy every day, I junked my electric for a Bosch gas tankless. If you
want tankless look at Rinnai , they are the most efficient.

"rick hollett" wrote in message
...
Is it true that electric hot water heaters run at far less efficiency as
they age(like me, I guess). If so, is that in the design or just
inevitable e.g. corrosion, buildup on the elements, etc.? Are there more
efficient heaters available? These days it appears that 5 yrs is the life
expectancy of most of them

cheers


Rick Hollett


Why do you want to heat hot water?