The Joys of Home Ownership - Water Heater

[MKepke]

“Something to ponder on. 45 years in this game and no one has ever told me their water heater is too big. Lots of the opposite“

Our house has large soaking tub - original owners spec’s it. That requires a large water heater; 80 gallons in our case. Heater is now 12 years old.

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We had a tub like that. Took a tremendous amount of water and cooled off quickly. I added an inline heater to try and address the cooling off part but ended up tearing out the tub in a remodel.

Replaced it with a deep soaker - less water but still a lot.

To boost the apparent capacity of our std 50 gallon heater, I raised the holding temp and added a thermostatic safety valve to mix the outgoing hot water down to an appropriate level.

-Mark

[Bob10]

We had a tub like that.  Took a tremendous amount of water and cooled off quickly.  I added an inline heater to try and address the cooling off part but ended up tearing out the tub in a remodel.

Replaced it with a deep soaker - less water but still a lot.

To boost the apparent capacity of our std 50 gallon heater, I raised the holding temp and added a thermostatic safety valve to mix the outgoing hot water down to an appropriate level.

-Mark

I have 2 rentals with those huge tubs that no one uses. I wish I could come up with a different use for the space. The WH might fill the tub but there is so much surface there is no way to keep the tub warm.

[sleepy hollow]

I am redoing our large master bath which was the home of our large jacuzzi.  I ripped it out, and, finding no buyers online, I cut it into pieces and disposed of it.  I did keep the monster pump motor which almost never was used.  

Anyway, we went around and around about what to replace it with and finally decided not to replace it.  We have two bathtubs in other bathrooms.  One is a nice higher end built-in with a fancy faucet.  That is in the remodeled upstairs guest bath which also has a separate fancy shower and is down the hall from the master bedroom suite.  

Also, there are corner windows where the tub was in the master bath overlooking our wooded lot - nice view and lots of privacy.  Putting another tub there kind of limits the ability to enjoy that part of the space unless you are bathing in the tub.  

So, instead I am building a large shower with fancy fixtures - body sprays, etc.  

We are leaving the former tub corner space open to make it into a cozy "sanctuary" or hideaway or whatever you want to call it.  That is one reason we are considering hardwood for the floor in this massive bath space (300 sq ft) - they built 'em big in the 80s.  Tile would be too harsh and unnecessary, IMHO.  I have another thread on this debate elsewhere in this forum.  Originally there was carpet in this space which sounds bad but actually was very comfortable.  No one would suggest that for flooring for a bathroom, but...it was comfortable and easy on the bare feet.  

We checked with real estate agents and they were fine with eliminating the tub as long as we have a tub elsewhere and keep the space upscale with the expanded shower.  They agree that most people use their fancy upscale tubs infrequently, though it is a selling point.  So, we are dispensing with it and now the space can be sold as the sanctuary and fitness area.  Plenty of room for a treadmill and weight machine or whatever.    Plus the corner windows are not at a distance, can be easily opened for cross breezes on those cool summer nights, and make the space more appealing/flexible in its layout. 

Maybe we are making a mistake or maybe we are setting a trend.  Who knows, but we're sort of relieved with the decision, frankly.  Less work for me and we would never use the tub.  I researched tubs to death and never found one we really wanted.  Also, I am not sure our flooring joist structure was actually correct for the original tub given its size and filled weight.  Another concern eliminated going forward.  

So, that's our giant bathtub story...

[crokett™]

When we had the house built, the standard in the master bath was a large soaking tub. I installed one in our previous house, we never used it. So I had them build an extra closet in that space instead of the tub.