Hi! We are a family of four (2 adults and 2 boys growing up way too fast) living in the Philadelphia, PA suburbs. We have a 2.5 bathroom house with 2 full baths upstairs, and a half bath, kitchen and utility sink on the main floor. The master bath currently has a single sink and shower, although we want to remodel to include a soaking tub. The hall bath has a tub and two sinks. We would like the ability to shower in both bathrooms at the same time, to fill the tub with hot water, or to wash dishes and shower at the same time. We currently can't do that, so that would be nice!
Our existing hot water heater, which is electric, is toast, so it's time to replace it (which explains why we can't fill the tub). We have oil heat, but are thinking of switching to natural gas. We also have natural gas at the curb, and have been thinking of bringing it into the house for other purposes (eventually switching over to natural gas heat, cooktop, and fireplace). So, basically our options are wide open. Yes, the install of the natural gas will increase our cost, but we're willing to do that at this time IF it makes sense.
I would appreciate tank size and fuel type recommendations for our needs. I'm open to installing a smaller tank on one of the floors (e.g., upstairs), too. I really like the idea of the tankless water heaters, but after reading comments here and elsewhere, I'm not sure I'm ready to go that way due to reliability issues.
Sorry, I realize that this is a bit of a "what kind of car should I buy" question, but I'd appreciate hearing pro's and cons of different heat sources/fuel types for hot water. I also want to make sure I'm getting a large enough tank to meet our needs. I had a plumber who came in and gave me an estimate for a hot water heater a few weeks ago, and he recommended a 50 gallon electric hot water heater, but I'm afraid that he was just looking at replacing what we had with a newer model, rather than really considering all options.
Our existing hot water heater, which is electric, is toast, so it's time to replace it (which explains why we can't fill the tub). We have oil heat, but are thinking of switching to natural gas. We also have natural gas at the curb, and have been thinking of bringing it into the house for other purposes (eventually switching over to natural gas heat, cooktop, and fireplace). So, basically our options are wide open. Yes, the install of the natural gas will increase our cost, but we're willing to do that at this time IF it makes sense.
I would appreciate tank size and fuel type recommendations for our needs. I'm open to installing a smaller tank on one of the floors (e.g., upstairs), too. I really like the idea of the tankless water heaters, but after reading comments here and elsewhere, I'm not sure I'm ready to go that way due to reliability issues.
Sorry, I realize that this is a bit of a "what kind of car should I buy" question, but I'd appreciate hearing pro's and cons of different heat sources/fuel types for hot water. I also want to make sure I'm getting a large enough tank to meet our needs. I had a plumber who came in and gave me an estimate for a hot water heater a few weeks ago, and he recommended a 50 gallon electric hot water heater, but I'm afraid that he was just looking at replacing what we had with a newer model, rather than really considering all options.
