OCTOBER 7, 2018 - TIP OF THE DAY
The following "Tip of the Day" is provided to assist you with horse and farm management. It is an idea developed by and/or used by Leslie Raulin. This tip is available to you at your own risk. Leslie Raulin does not make any claims or warranties nor does she have any financial interest in any products that may be mentioned.
CHEAPER AND SAFER HOT WATER IN THE BARN
When I bought my farm it had an electrical hot water heater in the utility/toilet/feed room. The water heater was functional and provided hot water. However, the heating element was running all the time, giving a potential fire hazard, and it used electricity all the time, increasing the cost of running the farm. It also took up valuable space in the room.
To resolve all these issues, I had the hot water heater replaced with an electric tankless water heater. The total cost was about $750 (the heater, electrical and other supplies, and labor); online prices for my heater are less than $300. The heating element only turns on when a hot water faucet is turned on. The delay to get hot water is similar to that of a regular hot water heater. There are many brands and sizes of electric and gas tankless water heaters for many purposes. Mine is very small (3" x 5.2" x 10.8") as I have a private farm with seven stalls; I use hot water in the utility sink, washing machine, and wash stall. A larger farm would probably need a larger unit.
If you are building or renovating a barn (or a house!), a tankless water heater might be something to consider.
To resolve all these issues, I had the hot water heater replaced with an electric tankless water heater. The total cost was about $750 (the heater, electrical and other supplies, and labor); online prices for my heater are less than $300. The heating element only turns on when a hot water faucet is turned on. The delay to get hot water is similar to that of a regular hot water heater. There are many brands and sizes of electric and gas tankless water heaters for many purposes. Mine is very small (3" x 5.2" x 10.8") as I have a private farm with seven stalls; I use hot water in the utility sink, washing machine, and wash stall. A larger farm would probably need a larger unit.
If you are building or renovating a barn (or a house!), a tankless water heater might be something to consider.
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Photos of my utility/toilet/feed room. The old water heater used to be located where the SmartPaks organizer is located (to the right of the washing machine). The tankless water heater is the small vertical ivory-colored box above the organizer.
The tankless water heater in my barn. You can judge its size by the bottle of sunscreen to the left of the heater.