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.
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.
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.
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.
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?