Water Heater Effiency

[G_and_D]

We use our hot water for dishes and showers in the morning and dishes at night. It seems like a waste of propane to leave the heater on when were not using hot water. I realize it takes time and propane to reheat the water but it seems that shutting the heater off and reheating each AM and PM would save propane.

Can any experts on heating mass and propane provide their expertise.

Thanks

[dclark1946]

These water heaters are pretty well insulated so turning it off will not save very much propane. Try turning it off in the morning when you are through using it and see how hot it still is 4 hours later with it off. Of course if it is extremely cold you use more energy. We turn ours off if we are going to be gone for the day but that is more for a safety reason.

Dick

[downtheroad]

Yes, shutting it off will save a small amount of propane, but it is minimal. It really doesn't take much to keep it up to temp. It's nice to have hot water throughout the day for hand washing, lunch dishes, etc.

It also takes more energy to heat the water from scratch each time you relight the heater.
If you are on hook ups, use the electric side.
We just leave ours on 24/7.

I'm not a "heating mass expert"...only comes from lots of camping experience.