6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?

DaveB
DaveB Solar Expert Posts: 48 ✭✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Does anyone have recommendations for a good quality 6 gallon or so electric water heater (1500 watt or preferably less)? I wanted to put this under the kitchen sink and turn it on whenever I have excess power. I'd eventually like to automate the turning on when I have excess power (have Midnite Classic controller) but finding a good quality one that I can at least manually turn on is the first priority. I've seen some horror stories with cheap ones leaking and causing a mess.

Thanks.
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  • n4wff
    n4wff Solar Expert Posts: 48 ✭✭
    #2
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?

    When you look at a point of use water heater, check the type of thermostat/element that it takes. Bosch thermostats and elements are harder to find and are more expensive than a Rheem/Richmond, which takes standard elements. There are other brands out there, but that is the 2 that I am most familiar with.
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  • vtmaps
    vtmaps Solar Expert Posts: 3,741 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?
    DaveB wrote: »
    I'd eventually like to automate the turning on when I have excess power (have Midnite Classic controller) but finding a good quality one that I can at least manually turn on is the first priority.
    I presume that the (water) input to the 6 gallon heater is from your main hot water heater which is some distance from your kitchen sink. If that is so, when the 6 gallon heater is not powered up, your kitchen faucet will take quite awhile to give you any hot water from the main tank.

    Are you off-grid, and if so, are you prepared to power up the heater when you do NOT have excess power?

    --vtMaps
    4 X 235watt Samsung, Midnite ePanel, Outback VFX3524 FM60 & mate, 4 Interstate L16, trimetric, Honda eu2000i
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  • DaveB
    DaveB Solar Expert Posts: 48 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?

    No. The purpose of the 6 gallon tank is is to avoid using any other tank for now. And if I don't have excess power then washing in cold water is not the end of the world :) I have wood heat so water can be heated on the wood cookstove if necessary.
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  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    #5
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?
    DaveB wrote: »
    Does anyone have recommendations for a good quality 6 gallon or so electric water heater (1500 watt or preferably less)? I wanted to put this under the kitchen sink and turn it on whenever I have excess power. I'd eventually like to automate the turning on when I have excess power (have Midnite Classic controller) but finding a good quality one that I can at least manually turn on is the first priority. I've seen some horror stories with cheap ones leaking and causing a mess.

    As a suggestion, put it in front of your water heater instead. You'll pre-heat the water and thus help with all your hot water needs.
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  • DaveB
    DaveB Solar Expert Posts: 48 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?
    bill von novak wrote: »
    As a suggestion, put it in front of your water heater instead. You'll pre-heat the water and thus help with all your hot water needs.

    Okay.. I should have stated this to begin with I see.. My 40 gallon water heater is BROKEN.. I could probably fix it but I was using this opportunity as a push to switch away from using it all together. This would involve heating with my wood cook stove, dump load from turbine and pv panels, and evacuated solar tubes. So I was hoping to simply start small with the small 6 gallon tank that I know my current system can handle.
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  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?
    DaveB wrote: »
    Okay.. I should have stated this to begin with I see.. My 40 gallon water heater is BROKEN.. I could probably fix it but I was using this opportunity as a push to switch away from using it all together. This would involve heating with my wood cook stove, dump load from turbine and pv panels, and evacuated solar tubes. So I was hoping to simply start small with the small 6 gallon tank that I know my current system can handle.

    Then why not just replace your current water heater with your 6 gallon guy? If it's really broken, all it's going to do is sit there and (eventually) leak. (Or get a bigger one; it can absorb more energy from the element without overheating the water.)
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?

    The yield on a 6 gallon is only about a gallon of water before mixing makes the out going water drop fast in temperature. You can buy a 20 gallon for about the same price and at least get a shower out of it.

    I bought a 28 gallon at Lowes for $260 no shipping and swapped the elements to 1600w ( $10 each ) and run on 120V as a tempering tank. It has sequential staging so both elements do not come on at the same time. 2" of foam Insulation ( rare find in this size ) it makes a huge difference.

    http://www.lowes.com/pd_89263-135-MHE2F30LD045V_0__?productId=1111099&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-Plumbing-_-WaterHeaters-_-1111099&CAWELAID=1024157701&kpid=1111099&%22cagpspn=pla%22

    40 gallon for $238.00

    http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=140389-135-E2F40RD045V&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=1015895&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
    .
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  • rich
    rich Solar Expert Posts: 62 ✭✭✭✭
    #9
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?

    Im just wondering why You wouldnt consider an on demand system, they come in so many models to suit uses at hand, they are so cheap now it seems pointless to buy any tank type system...?
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  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?
    rich wrote: »
    Im just wondering why You wouldnt consider an on demand system, they come in so many models to suit uses at hand, they are so cheap now it seems pointless to buy any tank type system...?
    Do you have one ?? Whats your water temperature this time of year ?? How many GPM of flow do you use ?? How much Temperature rise would expect ?? Is a 40 deg rise @ 1.5 GPM be something you could accept ?? How many grains of hardness does your water have ?? These are all factors you need to ask yourself before you think about one. they do work , but not for everyone.
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  • westend
    westend Solar Expert Posts: 46 ✭
    #11
    Re: 6 gallon electric water heater recommendations?

    There are lots of six gallon water heaters built for RV's. Most are dual propane/electric. You can buy an RV propane heater with no electric and add an aftermarket element like the Lightning Rod. It is a 400w 120v element. There are bigger elements, also.
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