projectman
Member
I currently have an electric 50 gallon short, fat, hot water tank. It measures 23.5 inches in diameter and 38 inches tall. It's situated under the stairs in the basement, next to the furnace. It's getting close to 30 years old and it's a Rheem. When we first bought this house, 9 years ago, I tried to drain it to get the crud out as we have pretty hard water. I was unable to drain it at all from the bottom, so I figure it has 10 gallons worth of crud or whatever. One plumber who replaced a pressure relief valve on it said it's probably costing me money as the lower element is probably not heating water at all. Anyway, I'm thinking of replacing it before it dies. Right now, you can get about two showers out of it before running out of hot water.
I've heard that new electric hot water heaters just aren't as good as the old ones in supplying a good amount of hot water due to newer efficiency requirements. Is this true? I don't want to go to the expense of relocating the tank as anywhere I go will be moving away from the floor drain that's right next to it. One of our neighbors with the exact same house put in a gas hot water heater, but had to do so on the other side of the basement where there is no drain. The stairs are basically in the middle of the house, so I don't think gas is an option there due to venting. Therefore, I'll need another short, fat, tank. I can fit one that is a little larger, probably up to 48 inches tall, but that would be pushing it. It looks like the biggest short tank I can find it 50 gallons. Do you guys have any recommendations? I'll be having a plumber install it and I'll consult with them, but I want to get an idea of what to look for ahead of time.
Thanks.
I've heard that new electric hot water heaters just aren't as good as the old ones in supplying a good amount of hot water due to newer efficiency requirements. Is this true? I don't want to go to the expense of relocating the tank as anywhere I go will be moving away from the floor drain that's right next to it. One of our neighbors with the exact same house put in a gas hot water heater, but had to do so on the other side of the basement where there is no drain. The stairs are basically in the middle of the house, so I don't think gas is an option there due to venting. Therefore, I'll need another short, fat, tank. I can fit one that is a little larger, probably up to 48 inches tall, but that would be pushing it. It looks like the biggest short tank I can find it 50 gallons. Do you guys have any recommendations? I'll be having a plumber install it and I'll consult with them, but I want to get an idea of what to look for ahead of time.
Thanks.
