Measuring electrical useage

**Rysis** · 03-05-2012, 07:10 AM

Hello,

I was wondering if there was a device or gadget available that I could wire in before my hot water heater to see how much power it is drawing. My reasoning for this is that I have seen some simple hot water reclaiming ideas that would work with my wood stove. Is it really worth the effort and cost to reclaim that heat to the water heater to save on electricity?

Thanks!

**jwelectric** · 03-05-2012, 07:56 AM

Not wanting to sound like a butt hole but I don’t see any reason to have an appliance to heat hot water. If the water is already hot why would one want to heat it even more?

It is a water heater or if an adjective is used to describe the appliance it would be a cold water heater. The appliance heats cold water not hot water.

Now just what does the entire above have to do with the question? Nothing, I was just bored and wanted to practice my typing skills.

There are several devices on the market today that can be used to measure the kilowatt per hour usage of just about any appliance. They can be programed to the amount you are charged per KWH and show just what that appliance cost a month. It takes about a week of use to get an accurate amount of cost.

I have a friend that several years back installed a coil on their wood stove to preheat the water before it entered the water heater. The installation cost around a thousand dollars and it was inspected to ensure its safety. According to him the utility bill did not reflect any difference for a period of one year and if anything the bill was slightly higher.

In order for this type of installation to work there will need to be a circulating pump installed as well as all sorts of relief valves to keep the water from getting above the 125 degrees or the scald point of the human body. The amount of power usage saved on the water heater will be offset by the pump or pumps depending on the type of system installed.

In my personal opinion you would be better served by insulating the water heater and maybe installing a time clock to control its usage.

**Hackney plumbing** · 03-05-2012, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by jwelectric

If the water is already hot why would one want to heat it even more?

To make the water hotter. Thats an easy one.

**Terry** · 03-05-2012, 09:35 AM

In order for this type of installation to work there will need to be a circulating pump installed as well as all sorts of relief valves to keep the water from getting above the 125 degrees or the scald point of the human body. The amount of power usage saved on the water heater will be offset by the pump or pumps depending on the type of system installed.
jwelectric

That was my first thought.
Heating a section of pipe leading into a water heater doesn't do anything unless it is circulated. Using a pump to do that is adding to the electrical cost.

**Rysis** · 03-05-2012, 09:51 AM

Thanks Terry, I see a lot of stuff like this out there but when you add the setup costs involved it sometimes doesn't seem worth all the effort. Also, that creates another system that needs to be maintained. Thanks again for your response.

**Hackney plumbing** · 03-05-2012, 09:54 AM

You dont need a circulating pump if you install the system to work without a pump. Hot water rises and cooler water falls. Thermosiphon.

**Rysis** · 03-05-2012, 09:56 AM

JW, the idea is that you can use another heat source like a wood stove to maintain the temperature of the water heater. Thus the water heater runs less often and requires less energy. Everyone is pushing the issue about going green but in many cases I don’t find it to be a viable solution, at least not yet.