gas or electric water heater

I have owned all 3 in my life. In order of preference:

1 - NG Tankless, this is what I currently have. Full disclosure, I have not had any issues with it so I am biased favourably towards it. This would change if it had expensive electronic issues. It is a complicated device, has a microprocessor in it to handle complex logic (from firing gas to recirculation timing etc.), numerous sensors, etc. but to date has been solid as a tank, even with power bumps. I like it because it is efficient and has a very small footprint (my favorite feature). Yes infinite hot water if that matters, there are just two of us in the house but yeah if I had a big family at home this could be a factor.

2 - Condensing power vent gas tank style, very efficient, reliable. Mine have only failed from cathodic issues or rotted bottom, no different than an old school gas heater. Exhaust gas temperature is fairly cool, you use PVC piping to vent. You need 110v to run the power vent motor (very small draw, maybe 1A, while running). I would also put an old school conventional gas heater here at #2 in my choices as well, I have had many of these, but I would always buy a high efficiency modern power vent given the choice if replacing or doing a new install.

3 - Electric, mine was fine, needs 220v, quiet I guess is a feature, no burner noises. Not as economical as gas anywhere I have lived, that may change as carbon taxes / penalties get further implemented. Currently gas still wins. Ours took 45m to recover after turning it on from a vacation, I honestly can't remember how long my traditional gassers were but it definitely wasn't 45m. My tankless is instantaneous of course.
 
Gas if you’re the one using it. I had a gas water heater in my previous house and I loved it. The original one was old and since I traveled a lot back then I swapped it for a new one for peace of mind (a failed sump flooded part of my basement on a trip; fortunately I let family members stay while I was out and they caught it before it got worse).

But since this is for a rental and it’s easier to maintain and set up, run electric. Change the anode rod regularly and it should go awhile.

I have electric now because that’s what came with my house. It’s ok. 🙂
 
Electric for rental.. and if it blows up in 5-10 years you can just buy another one and install yourself.

Besides less to go wrong.. cheaper initial and you dont pay the electric.
 
15 years is good for any appliance.
Put a Rinnai gas tankless in there and call it a day.

We have one and love it.
its a rental who wants to go in there yearly and flush it at your cost/time/money.

unless its some sort of high end rental with Granite countertops etc.
 
Nat gas in our home has made such a difference in our utility bills. These days as I look for a new home thru the internet Natural gas is one thing on my list. We had Nat gas central heat here when we moved in. I then installed a Nat gas water heater in garage. Last clothes dryer we went from electric to gas. Could not get over the drop in the electric bills. All Nat gas devices / appliances today have electric ignition so there is no old time pilot etc.... If I planned to stay where I am I would also be going to "on demand" Nat gas water heater. Do not have a gas cool top. Our first home had electric central heating and it was not good. Took forever to heat the house and wore out the elements a couple times. Present house is awefully nice in cold weather when that gas heat kicks in and warms you up instantly.
 
I wouldn't put mine in a rental, but I probably use less energy to run my 65 gallon electric water heater than you guys that have a 40 gallon gas unit.
 
Honestly, I’m not sure it makes any difference for a rental. I’ve had rental homes with both types. Your renters may appreciate the lower utility costs and faster recovery of gas. A tankless May in fact be a selling point if you decide to unload the rental and cash out.
 
Last edited:
I have owned all 3 in my life. In order of preference:

1 - NG Tankless, this is what I currently have. Full disclosure, I have not had any issues with it so I am biased favourably towards it. This would change if it had expensive electronic issues. It is a complicated device, has a microprocessor in it to handle complex logic (from firing gas to recirculation timing etc.), numerous sensors, etc. but to date has been solid as a tank, even with power bumps. I like it because it is efficient and has a very small footprint (my favorite feature). Yes infinite hot water if that matters, there are just two of us in the house but yeah if I had a big family at home this could be a factor.

2 - Condensing power vent gas tank style, very efficient, reliable. Mine have only failed from cathodic issues or rotted bottom, no different than an old school gas heater. Exhaust gas temperature is fairly cool, you use PVC piping to vent. You need 110v to run the power vent motor (very small draw, maybe 1A, while running). I would also put an old school conventional gas heater here at #2 in my choices as well, I have had many of these, but I would always buy a high efficiency modern power vent given the choice if replacing or doing a new install.

3 - Electric, mine was fine, needs 220v, quiet I guess is a feature, no burner noises. Not as economical as gas anywhere I have lived, that may change as carbon taxes / penalties get further implemented. Currently gas still wins. Ours took 45m to recover after turning it on from a vacation, I honestly can't remember how long my traditional gassers were but it definitely wasn't 45m. My tankless is instantaneous of course.
How long have you had your tankless?
City water or well water?
 
15 years is good for any appliance.
Put a Rinnai gas tankless in there and call it a day.

We have one and love it.
I iwIsh I had a tank, our new home has a Rianni tankless.
Since it’s new, it’s irrelevant at this point, but I’m not looking forward to future maintenance of having to clean out the coils as little as every year or as much as every 3 years.

In our last house, our 50 gallon gas water heater needed nothing until it was time to replace at 13 years old.

I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think so as our propane service guy was telling me how I can do it myself.
It seems in the OP statement the reason he wants to go back to a tank is maybe the same.

For a rental, the simplicity of a tank of hot water versus an instantaneous water heater which is more complex and possibly greater maintenance
 
Since this is for a rental, have you priced a direct vent gas water heater? I just replaced one and it was about triple the cost (w labor) compared to an electric one I replaced just a few years ago.
 
Since this is for a rental, have you priced a direct vent gas water heater? I just replaced one and it was about triple the cost (w labor) compared to an electric one I replaced just a few years ago.
yeah direct vents are quite a bit more than a normal vent one. that is what the tankless replaced . i could throw a electric 50 gal for less than $1k into the house .
 
Back
Top