Adding a second water heater

[quicksandfarmer]

I've got three teenagers in the house and the 50 gallon electric water heater isn't keeping up, so I'm thinking about adding another. I have two questions I'm pondering.

The first is whether I have to run another circuit, I'd rather not. I have a run of 10-2 right now with a 30A breaker. My understanding is that each 220V device needs it's own circuit so I'm thinking of adding a panel at the water heaters with two 15A breakers. At 80% loading each could get 12A, which is 2600 Watts at 220V. I can get 2500W elements. Would it be OK just to replace all four elements with 2500 Watt ones?

Second question is serial or parallel for the hookup of the water heaters. It seems that with parallel you spread the load, while with serial the back one does all the work while the front one loafs, only coming on when you've exhausted the back. But with parallel you have to somehow balance the load, and if you don't you could drain one tank while the other one still has hot water.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[Blaneypark]

Why not MAKE them to take shorter showers.. Saves one **** of a lot of money and only needs one hot water heater.

 

[mddorange]

We have 9 in the family with 5 girls, 3 of which are teenagers, and only one 50 gallon electric water heater. We make it work by scheduling the shower times, limiting to 12 minutes in the shower and water saving shower heads.

 

[Code54]

May even think about putting in a larger unit, lot easier and simpler.

 

[davesl708]

We had ten at home with one heater. Would have been nice to have had two.
What about a on-demand heater?

 

[zzvyb6]

Don't do anything to cave into their waste of hot water. Schedule, conserve, consideration for the next user. Otherwise start buying extra cars, extra food, extra clothing and extra headache medicine. If they had to pay their share of the electric bill, it would clear up the problem right away. Your only hope would be to convert to natural gas or propane. When they move out (because they can only take 10 minute showers) you could be faced with a lot of excess hot water.

Been there.

BTW, there are such things as water storage tanks that can be plumbed in with a small circulation pump. No heater elements but it doubles the amount of available hot water with a slower recovery. Just in case you don't like sleeping on the couch...

 

[joefromga]

I'd slap them and install or just turn down the output valve on the water heater so it ran slower.

OR, I'd install an electric tankless unit but you'd have to run giant new wire to power it.

I've used smaller tankless units and they will slow the flow automatically and they instantly heat the water and will last as long as you want to run it.

You could install a smaller one right behind the shower and keep the tank you have as supplemental and you'd be able to raise the pressure of the tankless and have unlimited heat.

 

[4570Man]

We have 9 in the family with 5 girls, 3 of which are teenagers, and only one 50 gallon electric water heater. We make it work by scheduling the shower times, limiting to 12 minutes in the shower and water saving shower heads.

I probably take longer than 12 minutes in the shower. I have never seen a female take take a 12 minute shower. Actually that's not true. When the power is out and the water is cold they seem to hurry things along. I have never had good luck with tankless heaters. In the summer they work fine. In the winter they can only heat the water Lukewarm. My theory is that they lack the power to properly heat the much colder incoming water.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Don't do anything to cave into their waste of hot water. Schedule, conserve, consideration for the next user. Otherwise start buying extra cars, extra food, extra clothing and extra headache medicine. If they had to pay their share of the electric bill, it would clear up the problem right away. Your only hope would be to convert to natural gas or propane. When they move out (because they can only take 10 minute showers) you could be faced with a lot of excess hot water.

Been there.

BTW, there are such things as water storage tanks that can be plumbed in with a small circulation pump. No heater elements but it doubles the amount of available hot water with a slower recovery. Just in case you don't like sleeping on the couch...

What I really need is one tank for my wife and one for me and the kids. But I'd have to replumb the whole house...

I've looked at storage tanks, but what I noticed is they cost more than water heaters! But it does have me thinking. No matter how I slice it I'm not getting more than 5000 watts out of that 30 amp line. It doesn't matter if it runs into one element or two. Maybe the answer is to have two water heaters, but only one is plugged in. A 5000 watt element in the one that is plugged in, plus a circulator -- attached to the thermostat on the one that isn't plugged in.

 

[hawkeye08]

Perhaps turn up the temp some, hotter water would allow them to mix more cold and get the same shower but use less hot?? Sometimes the temp is not high enough, I forget the max recommended, but years ago, they made us turn them all down to avoid scalding. If you have temp compensating valve with anti scald, why couldn't you have the hot water heater up a little bit to help with your issue? Just a thought, haven't spent much time on it, have a under 2 grand daughter in the house so I am not turning mine up...