Electric water heater timer

[SKR8PN]

Back in August(I think) I installed a timer on our 80 gallon electric hot water heater. At the time, our electric budget was around 250.00-260.00 dollars per month. Our house is TOTALLY electric other than our propane cook stove. Keep in mind, my shop also uses a great deal of electricity(welder,air compressor etc.)and is on almost every day.
After adding the timer, our budget is now down to 155.00 per month!! Nothing else has changed, just the addition of the timer!
I have it set to operate around our schedule. The Wife gets up at 4:30am to get ready for work, so the heater comes on around 4:00am and is set to shut off around 7:00am. It comes back on around 5:00 pm and shuts off again at 8:00 pm. I do a load or two laundry during the day, but with an 80 gallon tank, we never run out of hot water. The evening cycle always gives us plenty of hot water for our showers.
The house has radiant electric heat in the ceilings. Each room is zoned and has it's own thermostat. They installed a heater wire in between two layers of plaster when they were building the house. We LOVE this heat! It warms objects, NOT the air. Get out of bed in the morning and the floor is WARM!

I'd say that 60 dollar timer is paying for itself!

 

[framing fowl]

How was the installation process? Did you get it at home depot or are their "heavier duty" versions that are better? More details please!

 

[SKR8PN]

I bought this timer through a local electrical supply house. It is a 220 volt, 30 amp timer similar to this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-WH...ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1260623178&sr=1-3
It installs in the power line that goes to your water heater. Pretty basic installation really.

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-install-a-water-heater-timer/index.html

 

[Big Daddy]

Good job. I bet it would be a little more involved on a gas water heater. Do you think it would work? Probably need some kind of solenoid to cut the gas flow , but then there would be air pockets or something.

 

[PamsPride]

The month or so that we installed ours we saw a huge difference in our bill but then they raised the rates so it is even higher than it was before. It also seems like everytime we turn around someone is running in and flipping the switch to turn it on...just sort of defeats the whole purpose!

 

[me&thegals]

That's excellent! Man, it's already paid for the first month! Like BD, I would like to know if this would work on an LP water heater...

 

[ScottSD]

Good job. I bet it would be a little more involved on a gas water heater. Do you think it would work? Probably need some kind of solenoid to cut the gas flow , but then there would be air pockets or something.

That depends on if the gas water heater has an electrical hook up. Off hand I don't know if they require electricity for their sensors, etc.

But if they do, you could install a switch like the one indicated...actually it probably requires a lot less current and is probably on 110, so you could do it with a much smaller timer.

Great job, Jim!

I might have to do this as well. Our schedule is a lot more inconsistent than yours because The Wife™ works nights a few times a week. That might make it difficult to set it up consistently.

do you know how many off/on programs the device you used has?

 

[FarmerChick]

First, please realize that water heater timers might not save as much money as you'd expect. That's because a typical electric water heater only runs about three hours a day anyway, and modern energy-efficient water heaters run only 1.3 hours or so. Standby losses (how much heat the tank loses by just sitting there) aren't that great, especially for modern heaters. (In fact, if your heater was made after 1998, it's possibly not worth using a timer at all.) And even with a timer you'll still have standby losses as soon as you leave for work and after the tank shuts off for the night. A timer for an old (pre-1998) heater will save about 25kWh/mo. for a family of two using 40 gallons a day with the heater off four to six hours a day, but only 14kWh/mo. for a family of four using 80 gallons a day. (Florida Extension Service)

On the other hand, installing a heater timer couldn't hurt, and it's pretty cheap to do. So let's see how to do it.


from this site:
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu5pfM...bluejay.com/electricity/waterheatertimer.html



BUT I only have a 50 gal WH

I "heard" good savings thru this site and have asked alot of questions, then I read this stuff and wonder......I almost don't think $100 off per month from an $80 is doable UNLESS there was an extra problem or something.........I am just in $$$$.

worth $40-60 to install---I think yes
only way to know...try it..LOL

scared Tony will get fried installing it, priceless..LOL


my neighbor told me a $800 solar WH panel will stop all costs and pay for itself big time in the long run


hmm.......maybe thinking too much about it?
not enough?

I dont' know..LOL

 

[ScottSD]

It might be worth purchasing a meter to verify how much you are saving.

Here's a couple:

http://www.altersystems.com/catalog...nventional-dial-base-not-included-p-1191.html

http://www.allegromedical.com/gift-...64468&CS_010=ff8080810ea9fb31010eaac05049022f

Although, the meter in the second link wouldn't do you any good for an electric water heater because it only works for 110, it could be useful for monitoring other household appliances.

 

[theracedude]

I was going to install mine soon but i guess i should look to see how old the WH is first. My plan was to move the WH from under my house to the garage to protect it from the cold in Georgia.