# My Hot Water Heater is Busted. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 27, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138 "2019-06-27T02:38:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138/22 "2019-06-30T07:23:00Z")
Go down to Walmart and get yourself a 5 gallon solar heated camp shower (basically a black vinyl bag with a spout). If you don’t mind taking a shower in your swim trunks, you can hang it on a tree in your backyard. It is really nice and warm. I put it on a stepladder next to my tub when my water heater went out, but I had to get really low in the tub to use it. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138/23 "2019-06-30T17:02:56Z")
Since you have gas for heating water, might I suggest a tankless system? I put one into my tiny house and the space savings are considerable, plus it’s endless hot water. I also never have to worry about the thing rusting out and flooding the place. Cost is pretty reasonable (I paid about $700 for mine off Amazon–it’s a bit of overkill for a place with only 3 taps total) and installation was a breeze. Gas use is quite low–during summer I typically only go through about 10-15 gallons of propane a month for hot water and cooking. I don’t know why the US is still using tanks, on demand systems are way more sensible and well proven technology. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138/24 "2019-06-30T17:16:33Z")
My next water heater will probably be tankless. The technology has improved in the past ten years. Prices are dropping. I’ll certainly consider tankless. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138/25 "2019-06-30T18:15:52Z")
Although tankless sounds like a great idea, it’s not for everybody. I wanted to install one about 3 years ago, but the cost estimates were several times higher than merely replacing the tank. All plumbers advised against it in my case for two reasons: the extreme need for a larger electrical feed (no gas line available) and the likelihood of frequent clogging from hard water. A new, standard tank did the job for a lot less money and has worked perfectly ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138/26 "2019-06-30T22:14:48Z")
I asked my plumbers about installing a tankless water heater when mine needed replacing. Like **Musicat** , they told me it was a bad idea with hard water, and that I’d need a water softener if I wanted one. Since the idea of hauling 50+ pounds of salt around wasn’t one that thrilled me, I went with a regular water tank. At least mine is in a small utility room and the door is vented, so I don’t have to worry about the pilot light going out! **jnglmassiv** , how often does that “sacrificial anode” need replacing? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-hot-water-heater-is-busted/836138.md?page=1)