Water Heater Issue - Replacement Advice?

[cyfanatic]

Hello. I have two water heaters in my basement that are both at least 15 years old. One of them is occasionally pushing a little bit of water out of the "pressure" release valve (I don't have knowledge in this area so the terminology is probably incorrect). I am guessing it is time to replace the water heater and probably time to replace both. My question for anyone with knowledge in this area is whether or not I should put 2 new water heaters in or should I do tankless? Any advice would be great! We are a family of five (3 young children so the water usage isn't diminishing in the near future). Again...any advice on going tankless (what is the cost of installing one) vs replacing two water heaters would be appreciated! I will try to attach a photo of the utility room showing the setup. Thanks!

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

15 years is past the shelf life it's time to replace.

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

Why the 2 water heaters? Couldn't you just do one big one?

 

[herbicide]

Don't do a tankless. They have a shorter lifespan, need annual maintenance, and most importantly, they require a large amount of flow to generate heat.

That last point means if you wan't just a little hot water, ie lukewarm to wash hands, it is darn near impossible.

Financially they never make their extra cost up, as they typically need replaced before they recoup their initial cost.

 

[mramseyISU]

Don't do a tankless. They have a shorter lifespan, need annual maintenance, and most importantly, they require a large amount of flow to generate heat.

That last point means if you wan't just a little hot water, ie lukewarm to wash hands, it is darn near impossible.

Financially they never make their extra cost up, as they typically need replaced before they recoup their initial cost.

On top of all of that I know of a couple people who have had tankless ones freeze up and burst in the winter. I don't think I'd ever go that route personally.

 

[yez]

Hello. I have two water heaters in my basement that are both at least 15 years old. One of them is occasionally pushing a little bit of water out of the "pressure" release valve (I don't have knowledge in this area so the terminology is probably incorrect). I am guessing it is time to replace the water heater and probably time to replace both. My question for anyone with knowledge in this area is whether or not I should put 2 new water heaters in or should I do tankless? Any advice would be great! We are a family of five (3 young children so the water usage isn't diminishing in the near future). Again...any advice on going tankless (what is the cost of installing one) vs replacing two water heaters would be appreciated! I will try to attach a photo of the utility room showing the setup. Thanks!

We went tankless a year ago and are really pleased with it. We swapped ours out for space considerations, but have been really happy with it so far. Like another poster was mentioning about maintenance, we haven't had ours flushed yet, but looks like that is about $150. I think we paid around 4K for our system

Here is a good video on the subject:

 

[cyfanatic]

Why the 2 water heaters? Couldn't you just do one big one?

That is a good question. My home is approaching 20 years old and we moved in about 10 years ago. I am guessing the basement wasn't finished with they designed the utility room. We do have a large soaker/jetted tub in the master bedroom that I would guess would just about empty a 40-50 gallon water heater? Maybe? Also...the design of the utility room is that the furnace sits first in the room after entering so I am worried a large water heater might not be able to be placed in that room?

 

[oldman]

We've had a tankless for several (5-6) years now, with zero problems. When we got it installed we also received an energy rebate. Something you may want to check into.

 

[dmclone]

I was researching them last year and it sounds like tankless make even less sense in colder climates. The ones that provide 9gpm get reduced to 3gpm when you're dealing with cold climates.

If you didn't have everything already setup for 2, you'd probably want one but I bet in your case you'd just be better off by two cheaper ones.

 

[kbud]

Looks like you’re holding 80-90 gallons of hot water that is always maintaining roughly 120 degrees. Seems like an awesome time to upgrade to a tankless model. The inefficiency of always having both tanks full of hot water will be greatly reduced by a tankless model.
If you go tankless make sure your filtering your water and softening it. This will reduce your maintenance costs dramatically. The downside to tankless is the small waterways that get mineral deposits.
Best of luck to you!

 

[NodawayRiverClone]

Got a new water heater a couple years ago. The installer related that he had extended family members living in his house and used 2 water heaters connected in series.

 

[mywayorcyway]

I have a tankless, but it was expensive. I didn't think I could be "happy" with a water heater, but I really like it. Two caveats that probably don't apply to you - we only have two in our household and we live in a very warm climate. I do have it maintained every 18 months and I also have a softener.

The wait for hot water in the winter in Iowa may be a PITA. Not really an issue here.

 

[flycy]

I have a 80 gallon gas water heater with a family of 6 with huge water bills and the gas for it never costs more then about $8 a month. I don't know why you would go tankless for so little savings potential. Also, I would recommend a bigger heater rather than 2. Have a water heater pressure tank installed which will add to the life of your water heater anyway. Backflow valves installed on your service line cause pressure to build up in your pipes when the cold water heats up and expands in the tank, the pressure tank equalizes this. I've always gotten at least 20 years out of a gas heater.

 

[TruClone]

Make sure you have room for the new unit if you are not going tankless. They are definitely larger and may require some carpentry skills to fit in tight areas.

 

[1973 Banker Clone]

I subscribe to Consumer Reports. They have an excellent article dated 1-25-19 about this subject. In making a change, you might have to retrofit your plumbing, electrical or gas systems.The payback time on a gas system is 22 1/2 to 27 1/2 years. After reading the complete article, my advice would be to stay with tank water heaters.

 

[isuno1fan]

Mine is 20yrs old and still running well. When it’s timecto replace, will stick with the tank.

 

[BCClone]

That is a good question. My home is approaching 20 years old and we moved in about 10 years ago. I am guessing the basement wasn't finished with they designed the utility room. We do have a large soaker/jetted tub in the master bedroom that I would guess would just about empty a 40-50 gallon water heater? Maybe? Also...the design of the utility room is that the furnace sits first in the room after entering so I am worried a large water heater might not be able to be placed in that room?

Do you have floor heat in your basement?

 

[MeanDean]

I switched to tankless in Florida for two reasons.

1. The closet it's in released a LOT of additional storage space by not having the tank taking up all the room.

2. Being on an upper floor of a multistory building it is not a good idea to store 60 gallons of water in a tanked unit when the residents below will all be coming after you for repairs if it breaks loose. Not that there isn't always a risk of a leak when there's plumbing, but reducing the risk seemed worth it.

 

[cyfanatic]

Do you have floor heat in your basement?

Nope

 

[BCClone]

Nope

We have two for that reason, just checking. Are they linked together? If not, I’d reroute lines and go down to one.