Single point water heater for shower

[Tech Tonics]

We have a family of 4 and an undersized water heater (35 gallon!).

It hasn’t been an issue, but now that my daughter is a teenager, (and an athlete) she suddenly wants to shower more than once a week.

We’d like to put a small electric 120v water heater in our crawlspace that will just supply hot water to the shower in the master bathroom.

Is this possible? If so, can anyone recommend a specific model?

Going in a semi-insulated crawlspace in SW CO at around 6600’. (If any of that matters).

Electric would be preferred but we do have natural gas (though no gas lines run all that close to the shower and it would certainly make installation a bigger hassle).

Anyone have any insight?

[Cruiser]

Probably not the kind of help you're looking for, but have you considered a tankless unit to replace your existing water heater? My tankless unit will run multiple showers at the same time for as long as people want to be in them. We never run out of hot water.

[Talisman]

We’d like to put a small electric 120v water heater in our crawlspace that will just supply hot water to the shower in the master bathroom.

The average 15 A mp 120VAC ciruit isn't going to provide enough heat output. Bite the bullet and run a gas line to a tankless unit.

[::: :::]

I’ve never spec’ed one but I understand that point of use shower water heaters are good as a retrofit
We have one at my dad’s place in scotland and it goes from scalding to lukewarm at the touch of a button. They seem to be more normal there.
There are reviews online
Pick a brand that has a track record and find one with the right capacity for your use

In my house here, we are set up like Cruiser. Love the tankless!

[MontuckyFried]

Going in a semi-insulated crawlspace in SW CO at around 6600’. (If any of that matters).

A single localized water heater can be a great idea and isn't a big deal to do (given you use a halfway decent plumber), BUT if you're going tankless, then you definitely need to consider your incoming cold water temperature. I wanted to go tankless at my last house when our water heater died, but the incoming water was so insanely cold that it was pretty much a no-go as it would take a way beefier heater than I could afford and would also practically negate any efficiency benefits.

A small tank for that bathroom could be the way to go. She'll also appreciate getting hot water almost immediately! Should be cheap too.

[warthog]

We just had to replace our water heater- the joys of a new home. We went from the OG 80 gallon, which they don't make anymore, to a 55 gallon. The plumber put this device on there that controls the amount of hot to cold mix after the tank. So basically, the water coming out of our 55 gallon tank is now way hotter than it normally would be. This device mixes that scalding water with the cold to hit the desired temp. If it is not hot enough, we can turn it up, but the tank will run out quicker.

Tankless was a no go for us- no gas, and the guy said the electric units he has installed have been no bueno as far as longevity and service.

[Viva]

It's not possible to replace the thirty five gallon tank with a fifty or larger?

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[fatnslow]

It's not possible to replace the thirty five gallon tank with a fifty or larger?

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This is probably the easiest solution. IF you have the space and some limited skills installing a water heater is not very difficult.

[Tech Tonics]

It's not possible to replace the thirty five gallon tank with a fifty or larger?

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No, there isn’t. It’s in a closet and there isn’t any room to spare. That was option 1.

Then our plan for a while has been to do a tankless water heater, which we had in our last house. But those are over $1000, and the 35 gallon is totally operational.

[old goat]

We have a tankless that works great--and in truckee the cold water is very cold--and it's nice in a house where everyone wants to take a shower after skiing at the same time. But a LEED-certified architect friend of ours says that as far as energy compared to an energy star conventional gas unit the savings are minimal. Tankless is a lot more expensive, requires yearly descaling if your water is hard (we clean ours every few years) and you have to run the cold for a while before you get the hot, unless you run a recirc pump which uses more energy.

[lake_effect]

Electric on demand heaters require an obscene amount of power. Connected one for a guy a few weeks ago that was designed for the situation you're talking about. It drew 13000 watts (54 Amps at 240 volts). Required an 80 amp breaker and #4 conductors to it. If you only have a 100 amp service it isn't feasible.

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[SB]

Not what you are looking for but I have one of these.

https://www.campingworld.com/excel-v...gaAuuNEALw_wcB

[::: :::]

https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com...-water-heaters

[old goat]

With existing gas service running a gas line is pretty simple and not expensive compared to the overall cost of a tankless, assuming you have a crawl space or another simple way to get from point a to point b.

[Nobody Famous]

I'll say +1 on the tankless, put in the extra effort to get it sized and designed right. There are several factors involved, including already mentioned incoming water temp and power or fuel needs.

Best way to proceed is find a good plumber (better yet find two and get two estimates) that knows how to size and spec these. Find one that does commercial as well as residential work, this is a good sign of their experience and competence. Most small offices (my regional area) remodeled or of new construction in the last 10+ years do not use traditional HW heaters, they will have a very small tankless unit under the coffee-lunch-break room sink.

The plumber will ask your max usage case, such as two simultaneous showers, max temps needed, etc. Sometimes there are washing machine(s), dishwasher(s), etc. Your case is local to your bathroom only, that doesn't necessarily make it easier or less cost.

The cost argument for tankless in a residential setting is not to save money, you pay more (can vary from slightly more to a lot more) for the convenience of instant how water and/or continuous supply.

Edit to add: The traditional water heater manufacturers are stepping up their game in interesting ways. For example, on board leak detection sensors, WiFi add on modules to set or monitor remotely, new materials in place of traditional tank construction ("impervious to rust and corrosion" with lifetime tank warranties), power grid enabled to heat water only during lower price power times, highly efficient insulation such that a full tank of hot water will drop only 1 deg F in 24 hours. It's really cool to see all these innovations start to come through.

.... We went from the OG 80 gallon, which they don't make anymore, to a 55 gallon. The plumber put this device on ....

I know this is after the fact for you, but yes they do make water heaters with capacities above 50 gallons. They just brand them as light commercial, or small office or something similar. Example, for Rheem they are the Marathon model line. And expected they cost more then the Lowes/HD 50 gallon floor models.