Is it better to add a hot water heater timer or add a water heater blanket or both?

Question

Just wondering if it was cheaper to keep the heater on constantly or have the timer turn the heater on when programmed. Kinda like they say its cheaper to keep a house cool then to let it heat up and then cool it down.

Answer 1

The blanket would be better. The water heater won't cycle as much and you don't have to worry about when the heater is going to cycle.

Answer 2

Both obviously but timer is very good at cutting down on heat usage.
Why keep your water up to full temp from say bedtime to moring if no one is going to use it, or from 8:00 am to 4:pm if everyone is working.
Water heaters already have an insulation blanket built in, adding will certainly help but if you place your hand on the side of your tank you will notice that not much heat is escaping to begin with.
Insulating your pipes would be better than more insulation on the tank.
A heater timer recently installed in a school restroom cut energy used by almost 2/3, that is an extreme instance because the school was never in use during the weekends but you can see the point.

Answer 3

Good points mentioned already. Check and make sure all the heating components are working: elements, thermostats, etc., also if the heater is over 10 years old you will probably be money ahead to replace it rather than repair it. It could be the diptube gone bad which would still give you short water even though all is working electrically. If I were to replace the heater I would install a Rheem Marathon water heater, it is life time warranty, plastic tank, and the most energy effecient heater you can buy. I have an 85 and a 50 gallon in my house for separate plumbing systems. It will cost you a little more upfront but well worth it. Instead of installing another water heater. I would replace it with an 85 gallon Rheem Marathon. We have a 120 gallon spa tub in our bathroom, we can run the washer, fill the tub, and wash dishes and have never run it out. If that is still not enough hot water, then install a storage tank instead of a water heater. If you pipe it with a bypass, then you can valve it out when you do not need that much hot water, storage tanks work best on ciruclating systems though. best of luck

Answer 4

I have to say, I turn mine off if I'm going to be on the road, away from home; but I hope most of us USE hot water on a daily basis, OFTEN throughout a period of time. Showering; sometimes twice a day; dishes to wash DAILY. Laundry as often as needed.

I've run checks on timing and turning off, and the cost saving is negligible. If the Heater is any good the tank and insulation keep the temp at a pretty decent degree for 24 hours at least.
Unless you have periods when you're using 30 gallons of hot water; the cold inlet isn't filling that often, and the cycling isn't constant anyway.

I've also used Blankets before, but living in FL, very often the outside of the water heater sits in 100 degree temps anyway, while the heaters thermostats are set at 125.

Answer 5

Any heater made in the last 20 years average seven minutes a hour run time. Many new heaters caution not to use blankets. Timers might save some energy. The downside is that the heater element runs a lot longer to reheat the water. This will cause premature element failure.
Raise your thermostat on your ac when you leave. Don't turn it off completly.

Answer 6

First let me say most modern heaters come with an insulated jacket and unless you have it in a cold drafty area I would go with the timer. If you are like most people there are two peak times for water use in the morning and evenings. all day when you are at work it cycles,all night when you sleep same thing. I would set the timer 1 hour before you get up and one hour before evening use. Power companies recommend this very thing and some even give lower rates if you do install a timer. Call your power company.

Answer 7

Insulation is the key, if there is plenty of insulation, it is cheaper to leave the heater on constant.