Plumbing question

If you were going to use the big shower most of the time, put water heater near it and run the pipe to the other bath. A sink does not use a lot of hot water if you don't just let it run while shaving. If you were filling the tub a lot have hot water heater close to it and the sink. A tub holds a lot of water. You can put a water saver shower head on the shower to use less water....James

jwal I like your idea. I think when the room is being finished with the big shower, ill put a sink in there also. Ill just use the sink in the bathroom after useing the toilet if/when needed. I doubt if id ever care to use the tub, as its really narrow.

I would guess that water is cheaper than gas - though I would be checking that out first - so that would be the one I would go with if I were going to choose one.

Mary

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CW Im sure they arent connected. That was my question. Would you leave it the way it is, and run two and have twice the amount of gas to keep both running, OR would you disconnect one, and run the line to the other, hooking both places to one heater, and where it is the furtherst just running the water till it gets hot?
In other words, Which is worse, a bigger gas bill, or a bigger water bill. Can u answer that question for old bill lol?

Since it's only you living there , I would connect both together , use 1 water heater & install a recirculating pump . These pumps are very small & circulate the cold water laying in the hot water pipe back the cold water pipe to the water heater so you're not wasting water running it down the drain waiting for it to get hot .
These pumps can work off a thermostat to keep hot water where you want it or can be wired to a switch you flip on a couple minutes before you want hot water .
These little systems are normally installed under the farthest sink from the water heater & plumb into the two little hot & cold water pipes that hook to the faucet . The kit normally comes with everything you need to hook it up except the switch to turn it on & off manually if you want to do it that way .
Some kits come with that switch also .

Back to your OP, FBB.
It isn't the copper pipes freezing that causes your problem. It is the water in the pipe that ruins pipes. If the ice formed in just the one spot where it broke, then you can replace that section and be fine. But if ice formed in other parts of that copper pipe, it got streached. It may not leak, but it isn't as strong as it should be and may give way at another time.
Water is different from most things. Most stuff shrinks when it gets cold and becomes more dense. Water expands and gets lighter. That's why ice forms on the top of a lake, not the bottom.