Water Heaters - Water Heater Timers
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cccampanella
11-25-04, 12:53 PM
Hello All,
First timer. Trying to save money on power bill by installing water timer heater. Is it hard to do? Recommendations on where to buy/ brands to avoid? Any other money saving recommendations/ tips also appreciated. Thanks!
First timer. Trying to save money on power bill by installing water timer heater. Is it hard to do? Recommendations on where to buy/ brands to avoid? Any other money saving recommendations/ tips also appreciated. Thanks!
majakdragon
11-25-04, 01:13 PM
cccampanella, Welcome to the DIY Forums.
Is this heater for a house that is lived in all the time? How long do you plan on NOT having the heater run? Reason I ask is that if it is off for extended periods of time (such as overnight) I don't believe there will be a savings. You would lose the savings by both elements (I assume it is electric) kicking in to heat the whole tank of water rather than one element maintaining the heat. I a,m sure it is possible to do this but wanted to explain what I THINK will happen. Watch this post for more info from other Pros. Good luck.
Is this heater for a house that is lived in all the time? How long do you plan on NOT having the heater run? Reason I ask is that if it is off for extended periods of time (such as overnight) I don't believe there will be a savings. You would lose the savings by both elements (I assume it is electric) kicking in to heat the whole tank of water rather than one element maintaining the heat. I a,m sure it is possible to do this but wanted to explain what I THINK will happen. Watch this post for more info from other Pros. Good luck.
594tough
11-25-04, 01:37 PM
I believe Mr. Dragon is correct in his assessment. If this is a household which used hot water on a regular basis 7 days a week, you do not gain much if at all with a timer. A timer would be beneficial if for example you went away every weekend or something.
Now, some utilities offer variable pricing based on time of day. In other words they give you a discount if you use most of your electric during off-peak periods. Check with your utility company to see if they offer this. Also, they can give you the best advice on the timer situation in general, because it does depend to some extent on their rate structure.
Now, some utilities offer variable pricing based on time of day. In other words they give you a discount if you use most of your electric during off-peak periods. Check with your utility company to see if they offer this. Also, they can give you the best advice on the timer situation in general, because it does depend to some extent on their rate structure.
cccampanella
11-26-04, 04:09 PM
Thank You for your input, I will do some more investigating about the benefits of a timer. I will continue to watch for more responses.
Mike Swearingen
11-26-04, 05:17 PM
I installed a water heater timer years ago with it on only for about 1.5 hours in the a.m and in the p.m.
My wife was constantly flipping it back on, so I finally bypassed it. LOL
Mike
My wife was constantly flipping it back on, so I finally bypassed it. LOL
Mike
Ed Imeduc
11-26-04, 05:29 PM
For get it , they just dont save much in the over all electric bill. If you run the AC over 6 months a year get a hot water recovery unit put on the AC unit and get free hot water for that time
ED ;)
ED ;)
DUNBAR PLUMBER
11-29-04, 08:53 PM
I replaced a water heater years ago in brookville ohio that had this system that was radio controlled to kick on and operate only when the Off-Peak cycles would run at the local powerplant.
It had a transmitter on top of it, customer never complained about being out of hot water.
I personally don't see how that worked though if people were home during the day.......I really don't. :confused:
It had a transmitter on top of it, customer never complained about being out of hot water.
I personally don't see how that worked though if people were home during the day.......I really don't. :confused:
594tough
11-30-04, 08:10 AM
My brother in MD has that radio gizmo on his air conditioner/water heater circuits. Gets a substantial discount from the utility company. They get the ability to instantly shut down some usage if they get into a peak bind and would have brownout issues. It is actually rarely invoked. He never notices it. If they do trip him, it seems like it is during the late afternoon/early evenings, and he isn't even home. House is always cool when he gets home.
The cost benefit to the utlity is that they can defer building more capacity, because they can add more coustomers yet still have a built in peak limiter.
The cost benefit to the utlity is that they can defer building more capacity, because they can add more coustomers yet still have a built in peak limiter.
lefty
11-30-04, 11:28 PM
The WH's they make today are so well insulated that if you don't run hot water for 8 hours, it doesn't matter -- they stay hot enough so as not to have to kick on. A timer is a waste of $75 if you live in the house all week. If it's a weekend cottage, turn the breaker off when you leave Sunday nite, and back on when you get there Friday nite or Saturday AM.