Shared Water Heater - Splitting Costs

[CastIron]

I have two apartment units with a shared water heater. The gas metering for these units are on private sub-meters. The units have separate natural gas meters for their respective heat and cooking, but the water heater is connected to one of the units.

Is it possible for me to combine gas service taps (the respective heating units, with accessory valves are convenient to the water heater) to the single water heater for a shared gas supply? This would make billing more "equal" and convenient for my private billing. The gas is always on from the private meters and there is no back feed from one unit to the other.

Am I over simplifying this? Suggestions, drawbacks, and thoughts are appreciated.

 

[John Gayewski]

I have two apartment units with a shared water heater. The gas metering for these units are on private sub-meters. The units have separate natural gas meters for their respective heat and cooking, but the water heater is connected to one of the units.

Is it possible for me to combine gas service taps (the respective heating units, with accessory valves are convenient to the water heater) to the single water heater for a shared gas supply? This would make billing more "equal" and convenient for my private billing. The gas is always on from the private meters and there is no back feed from one unit to the other.

Am I over simplifying this? Suggestions, drawbacks, and thoughts are appreciated.

No. There might be some kind of system for this in industrial applications or the space program maybe. But there's no way to split the gas to a water heater and have it meter equally. The pressure is too low. You'd need motorized gas valves that opened and closed every time the hot water was used.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[CastIron]

I am not looking for exact gas usage metering, just a "general" usage averaging based on two tenant spaces with similar occupancies. Something better than "spit balling" the unmetered tenant gas usage for hot water and assigning a reasonable charge for natural gas usage.

With this in consideration, will it work?

 

[WorthFlorida]

You're making to complicated. Remove the gas water heaters and install an electric unit in each unit. Then the tenant pays its own electric bill.

 

[Fitter30]

Two hot water meters

 

[John Gayewski]

Do they have separate metered water?

If this was a conversion from a single to a duplex you'd have to meter and separate the water.

 

[CastIron]

You're making to complicated. Remove the gas water heaters and install an electric unit in each unit. Then the tenant pays its own electric bill.

No sir. The complication is the two units have a common water supply. Thus, a common water heater. During renovation, I was not able to separate the supply lines to accommodate a separate water heater. Not enough room, and the repiping required was very difficult.

So, again, can I feed one water heater off of two feeds? They are two mirrored units with similar tenant uses. Just looking for a practical way to "ball park" natural gas usage.

Suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Fitter30]

Average water usage 100 gallons a day. Assume it's on it's own meter? Budget bill divid by person.

 

[John Gayewski]

No sir. The complication is the two units have a common water supply. Thus, a common water heater. During renovation, I was not able to separate the supply lines to accommodate a separate water heater. Not enough room, and the repiping required was very difficult.

So, again, can I feed one water heater off of two feeds? They are two mirrored units with similar tenant uses. Just looking for a practical way to "ball park" natural gas usage.

Suggestions are appreciated.

There is no way. The gas will take one path and it's impossible to pipe it equally as the pressure is too low. It will always grab gas from one side or the other more favorably.

 

[Reach4]

No sir. The complication is the two units have a common water supply. Thus, a common water heater. During renovation, I was not able to separate the supply lines to accommodate a separate water heater. Not enough room, and the repiping required was very difficult.

So, again, can I feed one water heater off of two feeds? They are two mirrored units with similar tenant uses. Just looking for a practical way to "ball park" natural gas usage.

Suggestions are appreciated.

The question was answered no, not practically.
There were some suggestions.

I guess you could supply the WH from one meter for two months and then alternate. I don't know if code rules would like that.