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Water heater causing high electric bill |
 Electric water heater thermostats Thermostats stick melt and come out of calibration... replace thermostat Symptoms: Cold water, uneven temperatures, reset tripping, TP releasing water Buy: Water heater thermostats at Amazon Resources: How to replace electric water heater thermostat Add another thermostat to water heater How to wire thermostats Marathon water heater thermostats Two water heaters Troubleshoot electric water heater |
  Gas water heater thermostats If tank is overheating or not heating correctly, replace thermostat Symptoms: Cold water, uneven temperatures, TP releasing water Buy: Gas water heater thermostats at Amazon Resources: How to replace gas water heater thermostat Add another thermostat to water heater Troubleshoot gas water heater |
 Don't do the following: If power company's electric meter is suspect, break with hammer and they will replace meter. Wear eye protection. Stand on dry boards. Electrocution danger. |
Is water heater the problem? Typical electric bill for 30-40-50 gallon heater might be $41 per month depending on usage, local cost per Kwh, and other factors discussed below. Start here: Do not run any hot water for 1 hours before starting test. This will ensure tank is fully heated. Do not use any hot water during test. Observe electric meter for 1 hour, and how fast it is changing with normal household electric use. This will give you normal Kwh usage. Then turn off breaker to water heater, and observe if electric meter is slower. Compare electric meter change after 1 hour with water heater breaker off. This will give you Normal Kwh usage minus water heater Kwh usage. Check other usage points, such as microwave oven, refrigerator. Use Kwh hour meter to record usage over 1 week for microwave oven, TV, refrigerator. Turn off all other usage and check before-after meter reading on dishwasher, washing machine, etc. Isolate as many items as possible to eliminate suspects. Buy 120 volt: Energy meters Buy 240 volt: Bomain power meter 240 volt pass through Kwh meter Resource Add meter to 240 volt water heater |
 Meter on water heaterUse Kwh hour meter to record usage of water heater. This is most accurate way to determine what percentage of bill is going to water heater over a full month. Take only showers for a week see what it costs per shower vrs bath ... observe hot water usage for laundry etc. Permanent or temporary installation. To connect meter: Temporarily disconnect wires from top of heater. Install meter on two jumper wires. Use jumpers to temporarily reconnect power to water heater. Cover connections with connector or tape to secure temporary connection. Add enclosure if meter is to be installed for any length of time. Wires can be black-red or black-white. 240 volt circuit does not require neutral wire. Buy Bomain power meter Ketotek power meter 240 volt pass through Kwh meter 2T2502GA beige plastic enclosure 2T2500GA grey plastic enclosure din rails Resource: Enclosures Figure volts amp watts for water heater |
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Water leak Turn off all water taps and put ear against water pipe at water heater. Listen for water leak. Is floor wet next to TP valve? Overheating water heater or bad TP will cause hot water release. Observe utility company water meter to see if it advances even when water taps are OFF. Consider that toilets might be leaking, but this should not draw hot water from tank, unless plumbing is incorrect, but it might be source of water leak and have nothing to do with water heater cost. Broken hot water pipe or hot water leak can constantly pull hot water out of tank, causing water heater to run full time, or run out of hot water. Resource: Water heater sounds like it's running water Troubleshoot TP valve Leaking water heater |
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 Winter temperatures Incoming cold water in winter causes water heater to run more. Monthly cost is  higher.Insulate pipes. Install heater in naturally warm location. Install tempering tank to passively preheat incoming cold water. Install insulation blanket: Insulation blanket can cover entire electric water heater except the TP valve must remain uncovered. Resources: Tempering tank 9 ways to save with water heater |
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Usage Long showers, oversized bathtub consume more hot water. Taking bath instead of shower typically consumes more hot water. Install low flow shower head. Do not turn on hot side when using only cold water. When hot is turned on, even a moment, cold water immediately enters water heater. Water heater runs more. A single handled faucet lifted in center will draw hot water from tank. Install dual handle faucet or lift single-handle to the right side. Resource: 9 ways to save with water heater |
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Tankless Whole house tankless electric water heater is the most expensive way to heat water among all other water heating choices. There are situations where a tankless is useful and can save money, such as a low-consuming location, but generally overall, a tank type heater is more economical both in monthly cost and long-term maintenance. Resource: How to wire tankless electric |
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General plumbing problems -Hot water connected to cold water usage point such as toilet, or outdoor tap. Flush toilet and feel hot pipe on top of tank to see if hot is drawn from tank. -Hot and cold pipes might be reversed top of tank. Run hot for a few moments, and feel pipes at top of tank to identify hot pipe. Top of tank has H and C markings. -Cross connection or crossover: bad single-handled faucet cartridge letting cold water enter hot water line. -Pipes not insulated. Resource: Crossover 9 ways to save with water heater |
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Recirculation system If home has recirculation system. Un-timed recirculation system can run continuously and cause water heater to run more. Bad check valve on recirculation system or bad crossover valve can cause pump to run continuously. Recirculating system and hot water leak can cause water heater to run more Resource Recirculation systems |
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Water heater problems
-Broken dip tube can cause heater to overwork during shower bath/ Hot water can run short -Simultaneous wiring, redundant wiring/ If tank was factory-wired, or rewired to meet higher demand, it can cause higher electric bill. Change wiring to non-simultaneous. -Thermostat set too high. Typical bath shower is 104°F. Set thermostat to 120°F. -5500 watt elements were installed to increase first hour delivery. Change to 4500 watt. -Lower part of tank is filling with sediment, and element is losing efficiency. Clean out tank. Resources Broken dip tube Troubleshoot electric water heater How to wire thermostats Adjust temperature How to replace element and clean tank |
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Maintenance
Maintenance can be overlooked as a major source of saving. Electric water heater (except tankless and heat pumps) can be maintained to last almost indefinitely, and avoid the expense of replacement. If a water heater fails every 10 years, and it costs $500-1000 to replace, then the cost of water heating is increased by $50-100 per year. Anode rod prevents rusted tank and demise of heater. Water softener causes anode to deplete faster. Anode inspection and replacement is key. Elements and thermostats are generic and can be easily changed by homeowner. Nearly every part of electric water heater can be repaired as long as the unit does not rust out. Resource How to maintain water heater |
 Water heater size/ Heat pumps-Oversized water heater can raise energy cost: the chart provides a guideline to select correct size. Typically, a smaller water heater can save a small amount of money. After the April 2015 energy standard, heaters larger than 50 gallon are only available as heat pumps. Heat pumps may or may not save money depending on ambient temperature. They use household HVAC as source of energy for heating water, require more maintenance, are expensive to repair, generally cannot repaired DIY, and cannot be maintained to last indefinitely. Choosing ordinary non-heat pump electric heater, reducing consumption is best alternative. Homes with oversized bathtub, or numerous people can choose two heaters -or- one regular heater and one small under counter water heater. Typical electric bill per heater might be $41 per month depending on local cost per Kwh. If the home has two heaters, then turn off 1 heater, stagger usage, lower hot water consumption, and check electric bill Resources Calculate first Hour delivery Ways to increase amount of hot water Install small under counter water heater |
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Peak pricing/ Cost of Electricity -Local utility might have peak pricing. Turn off heater during peak pricing. -Utility might install a switch for automatic shut off... this switch can malfunction in the ON or OFF position and should be checked for correct operation. Resources Rewire for off-peak Install timer Convert to solar Install small under counter water heater Control heater with -wifi-contactor Control heater with Zwave-contactor |
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Electrical problems
-Heat means electric loss.-Hot breaker: put hand on each breaker to feel if it is warm or hot -Undersized wire and breaker: 4500-5500 watt water heater requires 30 amp breaker and 10 ga wire up to 150 feet away from main breaker box. Use 40 amp and 8 gauge wire over 150 feet. Resources: Figure volts amps watts for water heater Match breaker and wire size Water-heater-is-blowing-breaker  Stress test breaker panelHow to replace circuit breaker |
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Basic
water heater
electric: Elements are heating only when testing across both element screws shows 240Volt. Otherwise with most brands of tank wiring (except AO Smith and subsidiaries) element screws on both elements will always test 120V to ground, even if they are not heating. It's just the way 240v circuit and water heater thermostats work together. Resources: How-water-heater-thermostat-works How electric water heater works Basic US breaker box illustration on left, shows why each leg of 240Volt power tests for 120V: Resource See-inside-main-breaker-box Basic non-simultaneous water heater wiring means only 1 element is ON at once: so one element is heating or other element is heating or both elements are off... at no time are both elements ON at same time. Most residential water heaters are non-simultaneous... and this can be verified by looking at label on side of tank for word 'non-simultaneous', and by checking how the wiring look on upper thermostat. Resource Figure volts amps watts for water heater How electric water heater works |
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Turn
off power: Buy: Buy non-contact voltage tester at Amazon Multimeters at Amazon Electric testers at Amazon Shop Amazon - Industrial and scientific Shop Amazon - Industrial Electric Products Resource How-to-test-if-water-heater-electricity-is-off |
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Use
correct size breaker and wire Larger wire runs cooler Undersized wire runs hotter, and also heats up circuit breaker, causing possible damage to main panel busbar, and shortening life of breaker Use 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire up to 5500 watt elements 20 amp breaker and 12 gauge wire maximum 3600 watt elements. Wattage shows on end of each element To check wire size, buy short piece of 10 gauge wire at local store for comparison Resource Color code for wires |
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Buy Electronic parts Industrial supplies Tools and home improvement Home and garden Hayward pool Pentair pool Southwire electric |
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Buy
Tools DEWALT Black and Decker Stanley SKIL Makita Porter-Cable Bosch Irwin Hand tools Klein hand tools Fluke electrical testing Dremel hobby tools Campbell Hausfeld air powered Tekton automotive Powerbuilt automotive Saws and saw blades |
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Resource: Compare box timers DPDT timers Intermatic Control water heater w/ Z-wave |
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Resource: Intermatic control centers: and parts Digital control centers and parts Tork control centers and parts Subpanels All control centers and parts Enclosures |
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Resource: Programmable timers Countdown timers Off delay timers On delay timers Timer modules Din rail Twin & one-shot Woods Intermatic Tork |
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Recirculation systems |
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