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I have an all electric house. In the master bedroom is a large garden tub. Size is 4′ x 6′ oval with a water depth of approx. 12″. My attic height only allows a low style water heater. The current heater is somewhere in the 30 to 40 gallon range. Doesn’t even come close to getting a hot bath in this tub which is something I suspect my wife and I might actually enjoy. How much hot water do I need for that volume. Should I put two hot waters heaters in series since I can’t get a larger on without going to a high water heater or can I even do that? Is there another option. better idea? Help.
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Your tub holds appox. 200 gals of water. 4' X 6' X 1' = 24 cubic ft. cubic ft. of water is 8.64 gal. 24 cf X 8.64 = appox 200 gal. A water heater is normally set for 110 to 120 degree water to prevent scalding (will not set up a new hot water higher because of liability). I guess you now know where I'm headed, a 30 gal hot water heater will not do the job, even if the temp of discharge water is 150 degrees which will cause scalding. You need a bit more hot water capacity than 30-40 gal htr. Jon
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Propane tank and a tankless heater?
*There are tempering devices available that connect at the water heater outlet, no? Perhaps this would allow a higher operating temp. safely. His tub should be under 20 cf -- it's not rect. and the volume of the person(s) will require less water.
*I agree - propane tankless sounds like the way to go. See http://www.cechot.com for info.
*I would say you need at least an 80 gal water heater. Hire a competent plumber. Here in SoCal, one can not plumb water heaters in series, as it is not code. Check with your local plumber.
*Will your code allow them in parallel? Running a tank extra hot even with a tempering valve for anti-scald will greatly reduce its life and increase lime build up.
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The tub you describe sounds similar to mine. The recommendation is for an 80 gallon heater. I have a friend who, instead of an 80 gallon heater (you're talking commercial size at 80 gallons), put 2 40's in series. Works super. When it's just he and his wife, they shut the upstream one down. If he wants to use the tub (all the surveys I've read said these jet tubs rarely get used) or has company, he just turns on the other upstream heater. The California code mentioned sounds more like the gov't and their 1.6 gal toilet mistake. Why do we, as citizens, tolerate this stuff?
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I have an all electric house. In the master bedroom is a large garden tub. Size is 4' x 6' oval with a water depth of approx. 12". My attic height only allows a low style water heater. The current heater is somewhere in the 30 to 40 gallon range. Doesn't even come close to getting a hot bath in this tub which is something I suspect my wife and I might actually enjoy. How much hot water do I need for that volume. Should I put two hot waters heaters in series since I can't get a larger on without going to a high water heater or can I even do that? Is there another option. better idea? Help.