Water heater efficiency

[docque]

We have a water heater with a tank. Which is more efficient? Electric or Gas?

[alias100]

Not sure what you mean by "efficient". Using gas is using your propane, using electricity is using the campground's electricity, so I guess you could say electricity is more efficient. If you mean how quickly does the water get heated, I think (never did a A/B test) that gas is faster.

[docque]

Not sure what you mean by "efficient". Using gas is using your propane, using electricity is using the campground's electricity, so I guess you could say electricity is more efficient. If you mean how quickly does the water get heated, I think (never did a A/B test) that gas is faster.

Sorry that I wasn't specific. It was which will keep up with demand.

[Butcher]

Again, it depends on the demand. Running both would allow the demand to be higher.

Here is what I do, when I set up, I turn on both. Propane and gas. I have no proof, but I just believe that the water will get up to temperature faster. Once the water is hot, I turn off the propane. I have never ran out of hot water, but then I'm not running the shower for hours either.

I doubt if anyone is going to give you the answer for your needs so you'll just have to experiment with your demands.

[alias100]

I have read that some people will use both sources, gas and electric, at the same time when there are multiple people taking showers. I also read that some used to do that, but stopped because the extra heat was blowing their thermal cutoff switch. Good luck, and if you end up doing a test to see which heats faster I would like to see what you find out.

[docque]

I have read that some people will use both sources, gas and electric, at the same time when there are multiple people taking showers. I also read that some used to do that, but stopped because the extra heat was blowing their thermal cutoff switch. Good luck, and if you end up doing a test to see which heats faster I would like to see what you find out.

I wonder if there is a physical sound it makes when the water is proper temp?

[mkevinmarshsr]

I use electric when at a park but the gas definitely heats the water faster (15 min). I will use both if we are taking showers back to back but always turn the gas off once finished. Using this method we have never had a cold shower.

[alias100]

I wonder if there is a physical sound it makes when the water is proper temp?

When on gas, we can hear the heater turn off. Not loud, but we can hear it. There is no beep or anything like that, which makes sense as it would get annoying pretty quickly.

[xrated]

Gas water heaters are less energy efficient than electric heaters, but the cost of electricity itself makes the running costs of an electric heater higher. Gas water heaters also have a much faster recovery rate, which makes them a convenient option for larger families. Of course if you are using one at a campground and not paying a separate electricity charge, then the answer is obvious. Energy cost aside, electric is more energy efficient. Every single watt of power contributes to heating the water. Gas fired heaters exhaust some of the heat to the outside.

[Tom Traveler]

Gas water heaters are less energy efficient than electric heaters, but the cost of electricity itself makes the running costs of an electric heater higher. Gas water heaters also have a much faster recovery rate, which makes them a convenient option for larger families. Of course if you are using one at a campground and not paying a separate electricity charge, then the answer is obvious. Energy cost aside, electric is more energy efficient. Every single watt of power contributes to heating the water. Gas fired heaters exhaust some of the heat to the outside.

The running costs of an electric water heater are higher when using natural gas but lower when using propane, even if you are paying for the electricity. Right now, natural gas is running about $10 / million Btus (retail). Propane is about $55 / million Btus or over 5 times as much as natural gas. If you would be using propane (RV), electricity is always cheaper.