The electritions that I know who don't like wiring up electric on demand hot water heaters are that way because they have complaints from customers, my boss installed one such water heater in his spare bath room, it called for a 80amp breaker and 4 gauge wire at a cost of over $2 a foot just for the wire, the heavier the wire the longer it takes to install so the higher the install labor cost as you can't just fish 4 gauge wire in a wall like you can with 10 gauge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by herlichka
she told me that she got competing quotes from two local plumbing/mechanical companies, and they both insisted on quoting on 40 gallon tanks, despite her request for a small heater and timer, they ignored the timer entirely. I think that if the project had fallen into someone elses lap we would have wound up with the larger tank and utility bill. It makes me wonder how many missed opportunities happen out there, I think that we have plenty of technologically smart choices, we just have to open our eyes and minds to see them.
|
That is the sad thing, I have a plumbing book that says not to install timers because of increased call backs, because people forget about them or don't understand them then they find they don't have hot water at 3am or if the power goes out having to reset the timer.
To me that is an issue of needing things to be idiot proof.
Quote:
|
Just a footnote to my choice of timer; the battery backup feature of the INTERMATIC timer I chose is critical to the success of the project. .
|
I think a lot of people would do fine with a timer that had battery back up in their house, my timer was set to come on for only 2 hours per day, before I woke up and before I got home.
I'm still day dreaming about getting that self setting water heater timer put together, but all of my computer programmer friends have to much going on.
One of my favorite on demand gas water heaters is more or less a 5 gallon tank water heater with a large burner and the tank is super insulated, draw back of course is that it's rather expensive, but unlike a lot of on demand water heaters, the water temp is very consistent.