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Old 08-01-2022, 10:02 AM   #2
LikeLakes
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SailinAway View Post
It's August 1, the day the new electric rates begin. This month I'm going to experiment with ways to reduce water and electricity usage.

Electric water heater: I need very little hot water. In the summer cold showers would be OK. For washing dishes I can heat water on the stove. Laundry doesn't really require hot water. So I'm paying a lot to keep the water hot in the tank, but I get little return on that investment.

I believe my water heater is set at 120 degrees. I can't set it lower due to the risk of Legionnaire's disease (in fact on study found that the bacteria can grow at 136 degrees). Plan B: Turn off the hot water heater altogether so that cold water is drawn directly from the town water supply. Questions:

(1) How exactly would I do that?

(2) Will the standing water in the water heater cause any damage to the heater or other problems?

(3) When (if) I turn the water heater on in the winter, how would I ensure the safety of the water in the tank?
1) Electric breaker in the fuse box. Possibly a service switch right next to it.
2) No. Full of water, hot or cold, no difference.
3) I'm not sure on that one. I'm of the opinion that you use cold water for potable water, meaning drinking and cooking and brushing teeth. Use hot for showers and dishwashing etc. Keep in mind your cold water may not be great to start with, never know until you test it.

Having said all this, I don't recommend what you are thinking of trying. Warming a few pots of water on the stove will use more energy than full days of the hot water heater. A good quality, well insulated hot water heater doesn't use much energy to keep water up to temp, the energy use is when you use hot water and it has to bring cold up to temp. So if it were me, I'd minimize hot water use with cooler showers etc. but leave the hot water heater on.
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