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Hot water tank help

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  • Feb 27th, 2022 2:58 pm
Sr. Member
Jul 25, 2019
698 posts
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YVR

Hot water tank help

I'm in need of replacing a hot water tank (switching from gas to electric, long story) and am lost at the multitude of options and confused because every plumber I speak to is giving me a different recommendation.

What size tank do I need? 50g or 60g? There are 4 people living in the house (basement suite + main house)... don't really want to run the risk of running out of hot water, but at the same time want to avoid a stupid electrical bill.

Also are the gallons I see quoted in US gallons or imperial gallons?

Second question, what wattage would you recommend? Again, seeing anywhere in the range of 3000 to 4500. Assume that the 4500 will heat water 50% faster, but again looking for the practical answer here on whether higher wattage will make a difference.

Lastly, any particular brands or models that are better than others?

Thanks!!!
17 replies
Deal Addict
Feb 22, 2007
2108 posts
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Mississauga
i grew up as a family of 5 and we had our basement rented to a family of 4.

we never had issues with a 50G.

60 is overkill
Deal Guru
Jul 7, 2017
10217 posts
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SW corner of the cou…
You have to be careful re: capacity. I bought a Rheem Marathon tank that as advertised at 50 IG (on the box and other places, mfg label?) but turned out to be 50 USG. Complained and got a pro-rated refund which was nice since tank was over $1,100 cash 'n carry at HD. Rheem has since clearly labelled the packing box.

As for whether the tank will be large enough, it depends on the bathing, laundry and dishwashing habits of the occupants. Fit in water saver shower heads to reduce that use (hopefully). It may become an issue if people all shower at the same time and take long, hot showers. Laundry, if an old, low-eff top loader is used (this uses quite a few gallons). Kitchen use, a tank can be drained quite quickly if dishwashing is done by hand and people just let the hot water run at full blast.
I smile when I see container ships sailing past my house laden with stuff made in China
Deal Addict
May 23, 2009
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Mississauga
Look at the specification of each tank you are considering. The 1st hour rating and recovery are the important details to compare.

Electric tanks are painfully slow to recover and you will run out of hot water on days that have high demand between your main house and the basement suite. It happens with my in-laws 50 gallon electric with 5 people in the morning. My suggestion is to get the 60 gallon but don't upsize the wattage as it wont be a noticable difference.

Here is an example comparing two electric tanks to a gas tank.

Rheem Performance Platimum 4500W 50G
First hour rating of 63 gallons, and 21 gallons for each subsequent hour of demand.

Rheem Performance Platimum 5500W 50G
First hour rating of 63 gallons, and 25 gallons for each subsequent hour of demand.

Rheem Performance Platinum Atmospheric 38000BTU 50G
First hour rating of 86 gallons, and 38 gallons for each subsequent hour of demand.

In summary there is hardly a difference adding an extra 1000W to the electric tank. Comparing the recovery the 50 gallon gas unit is able to supply 86 gallons in the 1st hour of usage while the electric barely meets that demand after 2 hours.
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Sep 27, 2006
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Not so easy there Ma…
I remember as a kid, the electric water tank running out of hot water. I'd upsize it. Electrics also retain heat better than gas tanks so heat loss isn't as much of an issue.

There's also a $1,000 rebate for an electric heat pump water heater tank which would be considerably more energy efficient than a standard electric tank.

update-5-000-canada-greener-homes-retro ... d-2431921/
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Sep 27, 2006
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Not so easy there Ma…
pardnme wrote: i grew up as a family of 5 and we had our basement rented to a family of 4.

we never had issues with a 50G.

60 is overkill
Was that electric or gas? In your example I can't imagine a 50 gallon electric being sufficient unless everyone was really quick in the shower with truly energy saving shower heads. Even then...
Deal Guru
Jul 7, 2017
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fergy wrote: There's also a $1,000 rebate for an electric heat pump water heater tank which would be considerably more energy efficient than a standard electric tank.
That'd suck warmth/heat from the house unless it is outside. Those things are good where homes aren't heated.
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Deal Guru
Jul 7, 2017
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You could look at electric tankless though you'd need 2-3 pairs of full-size circuit breaker slots for those.

If you get a tank and run out, could also look at one of these

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/rheem- ... 1001323685
I smile when I see container ships sailing past my house laden with stuff made in China
Deal Fanatic
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Sep 27, 2006
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Not so easy there Ma…
thriftshopper wrote: That'd suck warmth/heat from the house unless it is outside. Those things are good where homes aren't heated.
There are different venting options, however, if vented inside and in a utility room or unfinished basement, not an issue.
Deal Addict
Feb 22, 2007
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fergy wrote: Was that electric or gas? In your example I can't imagine a 50 gallon electric being sufficient unless everyone was really quick in the shower with truly energy saving shower heads. Even then...
it was gas
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Oct 19, 2008
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Whitby
beancounter6 wrote: ... don't really want to run the risk of running out of hot water, but at the same time want to avoid a stupid electrical bill.
Why is everyone so risk adverse to running out of hot water? It gets the large hot water users; teens or tenants out of the shower. Smiling Face With Open Mouth
Deal Addict
Jan 21, 2011
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GTA
Look up Giant, I think they are Canadian made. Available at Rona. Personally I would go with biggest tank possible, but you have to take into account how long it would take for water heater to heat water.
Deal Addict
Oct 19, 2020
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bubuski wrote: Look at the specification of each tank you are considering. The 1st hour rating and recovery are the important details to compare.

Electric tanks are painfully slow to recover and you will run out of hot water on days that have high demand between your main house and the basement suite. It happens with my in-laws 50 gallon electric with 5 people in the morning. My suggestion is to get the 60 gallon but don't upsize the wattage as it wont be a noticable difference.

Here is an example comparing two electric tanks to a gas tank.

Rheem Performance Platimum 4500W 50G
First hour rating of 63 gallons, and 21 gallons for each subsequent hour of demand.

Rheem Performance Platimum 5500W 50G
First hour rating of 63 gallons, and 25 gallons for each subsequent hour of demand.

Rheem Performance Platinum Atmospheric 38000BTU 50G
First hour rating of 86 gallons, and 38 gallons for each subsequent hour of demand.

In summary there is hardly a difference adding an extra 1000W to the electric tank. Comparing the recovery the 50 gallon gas unit is able to supply 86 gallons in the 1st hour of usage while the electric barely meets that demand after 2 hours.
Even 5500w is only around 18k btu per hour.

38k per hour * 0.80 (steady state efficiency) = 30k btu per hour heating the water.

Can get a large tank, set it to highest temperature to maximize hot water available and install a mixing valve to prevent scalding.
The downside of a mixing valve is that it can fail.
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Member
Jan 10, 2009
352 posts
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toronto
I'm hoping someone here can give me some advice. My Polaris hot water heater was leaking quite a bit (a steady stream of water) from the relief valve and I had to turn off the boiler and turn off the water to the boiler in order to stop it from further leaking into the basement. I think I might need to replace the valve but as it seems like my boiler is 40 years old, is it probably better to just replace it with a new unit?

The boiler is the source of heat for my home (hydronic system) and I was hoping that I could cash in on the Enbridge energy rebate by buying a new unit.

Does anyone know where I could get another Polaris unit? Or is there a better brand on the market? I'd love get another tank that will last for another 40 years.
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Jun 13, 2010
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grasshopper902 wrote: I'm hoping someone here can give me some advice. My Polaris hot water heater was leaking quite a bit (a steady stream of water) from the relief valve and I had to turn off the boiler and turn off the water to the boiler in order to stop it from further leaking into the basement. I think I might need to replace the valve but as it seems like my boiler is 40 years old, is it probably better to just replace it with a new unit?

The boiler is the source of heat for my home (hydronic system) and I was hoping that I could cash in on the Enbridge energy rebate by buying a new unit.

Does anyone know where I could get another Polaris unit? Or is there a better brand on the market? I'd love get another tank that will last for another 40 years.
You should create your own thread for your issue instead of just adding onto to another person's thread. Now the OP is going to get notified every time someone replies to your issue. You won't be notified unless someone directly quotes your post.
Deal Addict
Jun 16, 2009
4517 posts
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Vaughan
Polaris or Enviro sense is not available to the general public without a gas license. You will need to ask your HVAC contractor to source one for you. You need a high input tank if you are using the tank for heating as well. At this price range you may also want to explore tankless boiler.
grasshopper902 wrote: I'm hoping someone here can give me some advice. My Polaris hot water heater was leaking quite a bit (a steady stream of water) from the relief valve and I had to turn off the boiler and turn off the water to the boiler in order to stop it from further leaking into the basement. I think I might need to replace the valve but as it seems like my boiler is 40 years old, is it probably better to just replace it with a new unit?

The boiler is the source of heat for my home (hydronic system) and I was hoping that I could cash in on the Enbridge energy rebate by buying a new unit.

Does anyone know where I could get another Polaris unit? Or is there a better brand on the market? I'd love get another tank that will last for another 40 years.
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