Water Heater Help

[Ridgefire]

Seeing as my wife is forcing me to take a break from my arcade and shower. My water heater is on its last leg. I'm looking at replacing it very soon. Question is to go tankless or not. Anyone here have a tankless Gas water heater? Pro's? Con's? Not sure if the added cost is worth it or not.

[drventure]

My dad put two tankless heaters in the new house that they built.

He loves them. You mount em all the wall so they take up virtually no space, it's virtually instant hot water, and you never run out, like you can when you have every member of the family over for Christmas and everyone decides to shower at the same time 

[CCM]

I read an article a while back that said tankless water heaters really are not worth the added expense.  It will literally take you years to recoup the cost.

[Howard_Casto]

Tankless are better, they are easier to install, don't burn out as quickly and require less maintenance. 

They are considerably more expensive though.  If you have the money go for it, otherwise just buy a tank. 

Keep in mind though that since you would be installing a tankless where a regular wh was, you'll have to do some plumbling. 

[Ridgefire]

Plumbing is no problem. I'm very good at being a handyman. I bought a house built in 1930's. Gutted, rewired, new drywall, windows, roof. Was hoping the furnace and hot water heater would have lasted longer.

[SavannahLion]

I read an article a while back that said tankless water heaters really are not worth the added expense.  It will literally take you years to recoup the cost.

But tankless do have a big advantage (at least in my book) where tanks don't. Given the right tankless, you'll still have hot water if the power goes out for extended periods. From what I understand, some tankless models have a miniature generator that creates electricity from the water pressure, ignites the gas (so they're pilot-less), and you get your hot water as long as you have water pressure and fuel. AFAIK, tanks don't have that capability. You run out of hot water when the power is out, you're going to be taking cold showers.

[MonMotha]

Almost all the tank based gas water heaters I've seen use a pilot light so no electricity needed ever.  Newer models with power vent, etc. may use electronic ignition, though (but achieve quite a bit higher efficiency so lower gas bills), and of course electric tank heaters need electricity.

[SavannahLion]

Almost all the tank based gas water heaters I've seen use a pilot light so no electricity needed ever.  Newer models with power vent, etc. may use electronic ignition, though (but achieve quite a bit higher efficiency so lower gas bills), and of course electric tank heaters need electricity.

Holy crap, they still make pilot light tanks? I should start taking a closer look at those older homes.

Quite honestly, I thought those all disappeared due to all the energy saving madness that's been going around.

[Howard_Casto]

It's a common mis-conception. 

Natural gas water heaters, in either form, are generally more efficient than their electric counterparts.  The added benefit of havng water even when the power goes off is nice as well.  Of course the downside is having to run gas lines through your house.  It is a pretty hard thing to find in recent construction.

Most that even have electric ignition are capable of being manually lit.  Or at least so I've read.  We always get one with a pilot light.

[Blanka]

Shop some in Holland. Hearing the discussion from the States is almost funny. I'm jealous at carpenters and their rates across the Atlantic, but water heaters, go ship one from here

http://nl.remeha.com/index.php?id=90&tx_commerce_pi1[showUid]=10
That one fills up a bath as fast as a hot water tank, and has a conversion rate of >100% (not kidding).24x16x12 inch

If you have a lot of black outs:
http://nl.remeha.com/index.php?id=1299
Does electricity production too.

[Ed_McCarron]

Be sure to verify that your vent ducting can handle the increased flue gas volume, as well as your natural gas supply.  Some people have reported having to upsize supply lines/regulators/meters.

YMMV.  I've stuck with plain old natural gas tanked (and pilot lit) heaters.

[Blanka]

That is why our heaters have a complete separate venting pipe through the wall or roof. Because it is operated by a fan, heat can be removed completely from the exhaust air without halting natural convection becoming a problem. It is so efficient, that even part of the electricity used for the fan generates usable heat, hence the >100% efficiency. We also use continuous pulse-heating, to keep the heating water at a constant 40-50 degrees celcius. Much more efficient than old fashioned burst heating to 80 or 90 degrees. Combined with low-capacity low-temp radiators or floor heating, you can heat very fast and with even less gas use.

[MonMotha]

Holy crap, they still make pilot light tanks? I should start taking a closer look at those older homes.

Quite honestly, I thought those all disappeared due to all the energy saving madness that's been going around.

On a tank style heater, the energy penalty is minimal.  The small amount of heat produced by the pilot light keeps the tank from cooling down as fast.  It's also pretty hard to get wrong compared to hot surface ignitors.

It's a common mis-conception. 

Natural gas water heaters, in either form, are generally more efficient than their electric counterparts.  The added benefit of havng water even when the power goes off is nice as well.  Of course the downside is having to run gas lines through your house.  It is a pretty hard thing to find in recent construction.

Most that even have electric ignition are capable of being manually lit.  Or at least so I've read.  We always get one with a pilot light.

Depends on your definition of "efficiency"   Electric tank water heaters (using immersion heating elements) are essentially 100% efficient.  That is, basically all the energy you put into them is transferred to the water.  However, electricity is much more expensive per unit energy (e.g. btu, joule, etc.) than natural gas is, at least in most areas.  So, even though you may be throwing 30%+ of the thermal energy up the flue on a natural gas water heater, it still costs less to operate than an electric model.  The modern units achieve quite a bit better transfer efficiency than the old style ones, too, but it's still not 100%.

I'm not sure why you say piping natural gas into a home is a "hard thing" in recent construction.  A lot of new homes have gone to using those darned flexible natural gas lines.  I don't like them (they apparently fare very poorly if the gas lines are struck by lightning and can result in a fire), but they're common and popular since they're easy as all get out to install.  Every home I've seen built recently in an area with natural gas service has pipes installed for at least the furnace and usually hot water, as well.

Now, I think the US still on the average does a pitifully bad job in terms of energy efficiency, but that's due to people saving on initial construction costs when they maybe shouldn't.  You can get some pretty fancy furnaces, water heaters, etc. around here.

I still get irked by the darned heat pump vendors claiming their COP of 6 means it's "600% efficient".  Any real engineer would conk that marketroid over the head with a stack of engineering forms on a clipboard.

[wizkid32]

Um, not sure why you're posting this in an arcade forum.     That said, I know very little about this stuff...

[Ridgefire]

Um, not sure why you're posting this in an arcade forum.     That said, I know very little about this stuff...

I figured most of the people on here have water heaters in their homes. And I posted it in the "everything else" section. And after reading these replies I'm glad I did post it. I've learned quite a bit.

[Howard_Casto]

Um, not sure why you're posting this in an arcade forum.     That said, I know very little about this stuff...

I figured most of the people on here have water heaters in their homes. And I posted it in the "everything else" section. And after reading these replies I'm glad I did post it. I've learned quite a bit.

Yup, this was the correct place to post. 

People here (with the possible exception of myself ) are very smart.  There are also DIYers by nature.  If something of mine breaks I usually ask about it here first.  The replies I get here are usually more intelligent and practical than any of the ones I get at a handyman's "expert" forum.

[Mikezilla]

Um, not sure why you're posting this in an arcade forum.     That said, I know very little about this stuff...

I figured most of the people on here have water heaters in their homes. And I posted it in the "everything else" section. And after reading these replies I'm glad I did post it. I've learned quite a bit.

Yup, this was the correct place to post. 

People here (with the possible exception of myself ) are very smart.  There are also DIYers by nature.  If something of mine breaks I usually ask about it here first.  The replies I get here are usually more intelligent and practical than any of the ones I get at a handyman's "expert" forum.

 

[DaOld Man]

I agree with Howard, you were correct in posting it here. We all enjoy helping others and we know you will pass along your handy man skills to others.
Plus paying out the nose to have a stranger come into your house and do something that you could do yourself with a little info, well, just sucks.

[wizkid32]

Um, not sure why you're posting this in an arcade forum.     That said, I know very little about this stuff...

I figured most of the people on here have water heaters in their homes. And I posted it in the "everything else" section. And after reading these replies I'm glad I did post it. I've learned quite a bit.

Yup, this was the correct place to post. 

People here (with the possible exception of myself ) are very smart.  There are also DIYers by nature.  If something of mine breaks I usually ask about it here first.  The replies I get here are usually more intelligent and practical than any of the ones I get at a handyman's "expert" forum.

Wow.  I never realized there was so much excess knowledge floating around here.  Now all we need to do is focus on curing cancer and the disease will be dead within a week!

Seriously, though, I'm glad you got help.  As for myself, I once took a class on the basics of pluming/wiring/ sheet rocking.  Once was more than enough.   

[Howard_Casto]

Heh.. yeah, I hate plumbing with a passion, mainly because I get roped into doing it so much.  The way we were raised is that you do everything you possibly can yourself and to call a plumber or handyman is a "waste of money" unless it is absolutely necessary.  I've ended up doing about everything at one point or another. 

[hyiu]

I'm in a similar situation...
my water tank is about 10 yrs old... still running and no leaking, but starting to look for a replacement but problem starts.

thinking about doing a tankless:

a few questions...

- cost-wise - I would assume... if we span the cost over the life of the tank, it would at least be more or less the same, right ??
(for now, I don't have kids at home... so I don't need to turn on water too often, which is a plus for tankless... I read that if you have kids, and will keep running hot water thru-out the day, a tank one might be better...)

- I have read some google results... and they say the tankless has a rating...
more like how many deg it raise per gallon per min... (or something like that...)
I want to know... if I want a tankless to support like 2 people shower at the same time...
Does anyone know how much "power" is needed ? or what's the minimum rating it needs ??

- also, anyone here is using it ? or have friends who is using it?
any comments ? what to look out for ? are they happy with it ?
anyone has a specific model number for me to check on ??
(I'm located in NY, US... shipping it from overseas just doesn't make sense to me...)

any additional info is appreciated...

I'm also asking around with my friends...
if I find something, will post here to share...

thanks...

[SavannahLion]

Heh.. yeah, I hate plumbing with a passion, mainly because I get roped into doing it so much.  The way we were raised is that you do everything you possibly can yourself and to call a plumber or handyman is a "waste of money" unless it is absolutely necessary.  I've ended up doing about everything at one point or another.  

I used to have that kind of mentality until I opted to replace/repair a section of wall due to termite damage. What should have been a 2-6 hour repair ballooned out into a three (or was it four) day job (and I still have to replace the metal trim) that resulted in a busted toilet, a shattered candle holder, a pierced water pipe with a small investment in a handful of concrete chisels, copper preservative, a call to an old school plumber (because the new school plumbers refuse to use a blow torch to repair plumbing ) and about oh IIRC.... $800 less in my bank account? Over $1000 if I count the money for the bug guy that started this whole thing. I felt like I was right in the middle of a bad episode of Home Improvement.

And yes, I do have my own blow torch and related tools for plumbing work but at the point I pierced a supply line I decided to do something my dad taught me. If you have a severe string of bad luck, quit for the day and start fresh the next. I opted to quit before I broke out the fire.

Now I do a cost/benefit analyses to decide if the amount of work, time and money I would invest in a DIY job outweighs what it would cost to call in the handyman or whatever. Even if I have the tools and know how, sometimes the "technician" has access to the parts at a much cheaper price than what I could pay for and paying the person + cost of parts is still cheaper than if I tried to buy the parts myself. Case in point, I had a fan fail in my Toyota and Toyota wanted over $150 (MSRP) for the part (at the time no one else carried the part ). I talked to a mechanic and for a six pack of beer, $80 (with his business license) for the Toyota replacement, and a hour or two of work, I got a free lesson and my truck repaired. If I did the repair myself, it would have taken at least several hours of research just to figure out the fan was the problem plus however much time to find out where the damn fan was located plus the time it would have taken to remove and install the part and I would be out $150 bucks.

DIY is no problem, but I'll happily pay for the lesson if it's cheaper.

On a side note: I'll have to double check but I've been told there's something on the books about working on anything connected to the gas lines in California. At least that is what was claimed about why it was a PITA to buy a new electric igniter for my gas furnace. No one would sell one to me without a business license. That was one DIY I could have easily done if I had the parts.  

[MonMotha]

I tend to refer plumbing repairs to actual plumbers.  It's not that I can't do it; it's that it's a pain in the butt for someone not experienced.  Initial rough-in is a bit easier, especially if you've got a known good design, and I'd probably be willing to do that myself (though I'd probably still buy a local plumber friend some drinks of choice in exchange for some help and looking over everything for me).

Also, often the reason that people won't sell parts like that to someone without a business license in the US is that they don't want to deal with having to collect sales tax.  At least in Indiana, you only have to file your sales tax statements yearly if you collect on average less than $10/mo, but you have to file monthly if your collections are higher.  Therefore, there are lots of wholesalers who just refuse to sell to someone who can't buy it tax exempt since they don't want to have to mess with monthly filing.  If you're friends with local registered retailer (usually doesn't really matter what they do, though YMMV depending on state laws), they may be willing to buy it for you and immediately resell it at cost + collect sales tax, since they're collecting taxes anyway.

Also, termite damage sucks.  I helped a friend replace a wall (yes, replace, not repair - it was that bad) due to termite damage.  Might as well have been thermite damage...  Keep a watch out for those buggers and get the bait stations installed if you have them.  Also, damn the regs and use pressure treated sillplates.  No termites then :

You should always obey all local building codes.  I'm not a licensed contractor in your jurisdiction (or anywhere that hands out such licenses).  Yada yada.

[SavannahLion]

Also, termite damage sucks.  I helped a friend replace a wall (yes, replace, not repair - it was that bad) due to termite damage.  Might as well have been thermite damage...  Keep a watch out for those buggers and get the bait stations installed if you have them.  Also, damn the regs and use pressure treated sillplates.  No termites then :

Don't remind me. I think thermite might have been easier, once it runs out, you don't have to worry about the thermite breeding. I'm constantly inspecting the walls for fresh damage. Termites, sugar ants*, carpenter ants and closet moths are at the top of my ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- list.

*Every spring/summer I have sugar ants that belong to the Devil himself. Absolutely nothing I throw at those ---smurfs--- short of a incendiary device will kill them. Every single poison I purchase and put out, they eat the entire contents then carry off the container. 

[Howard_Casto]

On a side note: I'll have to double check but I've been told there's something on the books about working on anything connected to the gas lines in California. At least that is what was claimed about why it was a PITA to buy a new electric igniter for my gas furnace. No one would sell one to me without a business license. That was one DIY I could have easily done if I had the parts.  

Well to be fair the regulations in CA are insaine.  Somebody really needs to dial back the "safety police"  in that state. 

This is where your networking skills come in handy.  The first thing you always try is when they ask "are you liscensed"  you say "sure" and when they ask for your liscense you promptly fiddle with your wallet in frustration and explain that you've left it at home.  They will usually sell it to you.    I'm not big on telling lies, I try to avoid it, but sometimes it can be necessary.

If that doesn't work you simply find somebody that does have a liscense and pay them 20 bucks or so to go buy it for you. 

Lastly... there's always online.  Turn off the heater, buy the part online with overnight shipping and you are good to go. 

In most states there is some kind of a law about having an inspection after installing a new gas applicance BUT there is no real way to enforce such a law unless you hire somebody to install it for you and they report it.  I've installed several water heaters over the years and never had the lines inspected afterwards.  That being said I know what I'm doing at this point.  If you don't then you should absolutely get them inspected.  There isn't much to it though... just check your pipes for rust or damage and put some soapy water over any fittings you had to remove and make sure you don't see bubbles.  A gas detector doesn't hurt either.

[eds1275]

How long does you guys' power go out for? I have a relatively new [2 years old] CHEAP [$300] tank, and I was doing some plumbing and shut the power off for the hot water tank when I drained the lines so I didn't burn out the heater element. I didn't need to, but better safe than sorry. It was the morning of the third day after before I realized that the water was only warm and I had forgotten to turn the power on. I was admittedly using very little hot water - a shower a day, and since the wife was away the dishes were just piling up 
When my power goes out it's amazing if it lasts more than an hour.

[Vigo]

Heh.. yeah, I hate plumbing with a passion, mainly because I get roped into doing it so much.  The way we were raised is that you do everything you possibly can yourself and to call a plumber or handyman is a "waste of money" unless it is absolutely necessary.  I've ended up doing about everything at one point or another. 

It looks like we share a common enemy.  I hate plumbing with a passion as well, and have the same mindset that a plumber is a last resort only (e.g. basement flooding and main valve broken). Since I have also done about everything myself before, I am sure I have saved thousands and thousands not ever going with a plumber.

I am sure I wouldn't mind doing plumbing If I worked on new systems. I currently live in a 100+ y/o house, and the plumbing is a hodgepodge of mostly old galvanized steel cobbled together in a backwards fashion. When I bought the house, there were a good dozen leaks and a complete lack of valves on everything but the main. (Buying a foreclosure has some work involved) When I finally fixed the leaks, I found my water pressure was nothing but a dribble in some areas. Now everything I fix up is all replaced with Pex. That stuff is awesome. I never had a single leak and connecting joints is a cinch. Of course with a water heater, you need a lead of steel pipe before you can start in with the Pex.

[Ridgefire]

I love working on homes..plumbing, electrical especially. I can do drywall I admit its not my most favorite thing to do. There is just something about how things work. The only thing I don't mess with is my furnace and that is only because it's quite old and I can't get diagrams for it or parts. Now hanging new duct work yeah I can and will do that when I get a new furnace.

[Vigo]

I love working on electrical too. 

[menace]

I have a "bare bones" tankless unit and love it!  it is rated as a single appliance model or about 4.5gpm and raising the water by 80-90 degrees max (I shoot for less than 120F out of the nearest faucet and adjust the output accordingly but it changes with the seasons.  This is because the city supply temperature will vary by as much as 15 degrees over a year.   Smarter units raise the water temperature to a preset regardless of the input temperature. 

Things to consider--will you REALLY be doing laundry and dishes while you shower?  do you need the higher output (13gpm@120F is considered normal for a two appliance at a time unit)  We've had ours for 5 years and its never come up so the 4.5gpm unit works just fine.

Cost:  Retail they are about 2500 here in canada with a traditional tank being about 800-1000 before installation.  You have to have the space and the venting clearances but this can usually be accomplished in an unfinished area with an area on an exterior wall.  Not easy but doable.  Mine was $450 from amazon.com and I installed it myself:)  so its paid for itself many times by now.

My unit does not work well with low flow (read: water saving) shower heads, dishwashers or washing machines.  We have adjusted--I skimmed the flow restrictors from the showerheads, we wash in cold laundry and the dishwasher has a pre-heater.

Efficiency:  a "modern" gas fired water tank is about 50-60% efficient--some people think because there is a blower on it, it must be more efficient.  The opposite is true.  the blower uses energy to speed and cool the exhaust gases so they can be vented via a sidewall in system636 piping. (formerly ABS).  My unit is about 80% efficient but there are much better units out there.  In the real world we pay the minimum gas charge ($16) from may till october (southwest ontario here) with regular useage

Is it for everyone--no way--it does take a bit longer to get hot water (seconds not minutes though) and when more than one hot water device is on, it splits between them. I'm happy with mine though--bosch aquastar 125Fx

[Ridgefire]

I have a "bare bones" tankless unit and love it!  it is rated as a single appliance model or about 4.5gpm and raising the water by 80-90 degrees max   Mine was $450 from amazon.com and I installed it myself:)  so its paid for itself many times by now.

I have an unfinished basement so space isnt a concern. I must be over looking this heater on Amazon. Could you please help me out a bit on finding it on Amazon. I'm in northern Michigan, so I would assume we have the same type of season change in water temp.

[Howard_Casto]

I love working on electrical too. 

Electrical I don't mind... mostly because I don't have to worry about water leaking and people can use the toilet while I work. 
I hate running stuff to the breaker box though.  Crawling under the house and trying to fish a big heavy line through a pipe iwht about 1 inch of room in it isn't fun.

I'm all about the Pex myself.... that and compression joints.  I keep and few of them and a 10 foot length of pex at all times.  Now if we get a leak I can swap it out in about 15 min. 


Now woodworking and remodeling I don't mind.  I actually enjoy doing that sort of thing.  If you fix a pipe or outlet you are merely maintaining the house... nobody will know what you did.  If you re-do a whole room you actually get some results and you don't feel like Sisyphus pushing his rock up the hill.

[MonMotha]

Efficiency:  a "modern" gas fired water tank is about 50-60% efficient--some people think because there is a blower on it, it must be more efficient.  The opposite is true.  the blower uses energy to speed and cool the exhaust gases so they can be vented via a sidewall in system636 piping. (formerly ABS).  My unit is about 80% efficient but there are much better units out there.  In the real world we pay the minimum gas charge ($16) from may till october (southwest ontario here) with regular useage

Where does that extra heat go if it's so inefficient?  I'm not doubting the overall efficiency number, but if the flue gases are cooler than another comparison model with comparable thermal capacity, where's that extra heat going if not up the flue?  It has to either be to the water (which would mean it is indeed more efficient) or into the surrounding inside ambient.

The reason for the power vent is generally that they are sufficiently efficient that the flue gases would not be warm enough for natural convection to ensure reasonably complete exhaust, so forced convection is required.  This is one reason why all natural gas furnaces greater than ~80% efficient have to have a flue gas inducer fan that runs at all times during the combustion cycle.

[menace]

I bought my water heater years ago (5 years now) so I doubt amazon carries them anymore.

As far as the venting goes--its the velocity that makes the difference.  In a natural draft vent, you have a larger vent cross section and therefore a much slower exhaust.  So in any one section at a given time you would have more waste heat energy.  In a power vent unit, its mixing house air and exhaust air and expelling them at a high rate so again if you were to take a slice of vent the amount of just exhaust gas in that slice would be lower and therefore less waste heat.  But if you add up the slow big slices and compare them to fast little slices, it works out about the same.

Because a furnace puts out so much more heat (say 75,000 BTU/hr for average home) compared to a water heater (30-35,000 BTU/hr) it needs to be more efficient to use the same venting trick.  Mid efficiency furnaces (say 85% efficient) still need metal vent pipes and vent motors to vent the waste heat. Its only in the 92%+ range that plastic can be used.

The gas code (here anyways) changed on power venting piping since it was found that ABS was expanding too much under the heat load and splits would develop.  Now they use a system636 piping which has more tolerance for heat.  Its also a good cash cow for unscrupulous HVAC guys to say your ABS is "not code" and threaten to shut down your furnace unless you switch over ($500-1,000 usually).  Truth is, if the pipe isn't leaking, you are under no obligation to switch.

[MonMotha]

I bought my water heater years ago (5 years now) so I doubt amazon carries them anymore.

As far as the venting goes--its the velocity that makes the difference.  In a natural draft vent, you have a larger vent cross section and therefore a much slower exhaust.  So in any one section at a given time you would have more waste heat energy.  In a power vent unit, its mixing house air and exhaust air and expelling them at a high rate so again if you were to take a slice of vent the amount of just exhaust gas in that slice would be lower and therefore less waste heat.  But if you add up the slow big slices and compare them to fast little slices, it works out about the same.

Going to all the trouble of forced convection just to increase flue gas volume sufficiently to cool it off enough to use plastic piping at the expense of efficiency seems like an awfully complex and expensive (in up front unit cost, let alone operating expenses) proposition just to get around the need of metal ductwork.  It's not like it's particularly hard or expensive to install, and most existing construction will already have it anyway.

If people are actually making designs like that, well, they might be a bit "slow".  Doubly so for anybody who buys one without understanding what they're doing.  I guess I can't say I'm totally surprised, though.  The units I've looked at with forced convection venting are indeed a fair bit more efficient than typical models and certainly no worse, but then I'm not normally looking at bottom of the barrel stuff in this market.

In the US, at least, the Energy Star guidelines for "high efficiency" gas fired storage water heaters call for 67% or better transfer to the tank.  The specs for gas condensing units call for 80% or better, and many units apparently hit 95% or even a little better.  Units that meet these standards (especially of the former type) are readily available but somewhat uncommonly used and by no means cheap.

[menace]

Going to all the trouble of forced convection just to increase flue gas volume sufficiently to cool it off enough to use plastic piping at the expense of efficiency seems like an awfully complex and expensive (in up front unit cost, let alone operating expenses) proposition just to get around the need of metal ductwork.  It's not like it's particularly hard or expensive to install, and most existing construction will already have it anyway.

This is probably more of a local thing--in this area new homes NEVER have metal flue vents or even chases where one could be installed.  They are all side wall vented because it is way cheaper for the builders to provide allowances for a sidewall water heater vent as opposed to a dedicated "chimney" space through the house.  Also probably close to 95% of people in ontario rent their water heaters (even though it is a loss after 5 years) so the builders don't care whether it is more or less expensive since the cost is taken up by the home owner long after they are gone.  To my knowledge utilities around here don't charge a premium for a forced air venting unit as opposed to a natural draft unit.  I guess they got your rental money for 10 years so they win in the end anyways...

[SavannahLion]

How long does you guys' power go out for? I have a relatively new [2 years old] CHEAP [$300] tank, and I was doing some plumbing and shut the power off for the hot water tank when I drained the lines so I didn't burn out the heater element. I didn't need to, but better safe than sorry. It was the morning of the third day after before I realized that the water was only warm and I had forgotten to turn the power on. I was admittedly using very little hot water - a shower a day, and since the wife was away the dishes were just piling up  
When my power goes out it's amazing if it lasts more than an hour.

For 18 years, I lived in an area where power outages of more than a day are not uncommon. IIRC, the longest I've gone without power was about 1 1/2 weeks. Just this past winter a nearby area went without power for something on the order of two months (this was forced by the utility company due to the explosion of the house below). When the power goes out, we generally had to be very careful with our hot water usage or spend the time and effort to boil water on the wood stove, which strangely enough, sucked at boiling water.   As a side note, the house I lived in at the time used an electric water heater since gas was a limited resource stored via tank, not piped in. A gas water tank with pilot might very well have kept us with hot water but it also meant the possibility of running out of gas before the gas tank could be refilled.

[SavannahLion]

A gas water tank with pilot might very well have kept us with hot water but it also meant the possibility of running out of gas before the gas tank could be refilled.

Sorry, I should clarify my point here, just because it had a pilot wouldn't have meant we would run out of gas. I'm saying a gas hot water tank, by it's very function of keeping hot water hot all the time, would have caused us to run out of gas. A tankless would very likely shine (I'm not looking at gas consumption so I could be wrong) in that scenario purely because the gas would only be consumed when hot water is demanded and not just to keep the water hot.