Heating bathtub water

that would not effect passive solar ... heating that is...

In the winter of 78 our waterline was frozen for 11 weeks.
We had an old well that we got water from and used an "IMMERSION HEATER" to heat the water in the bathtub.

Hang your coffee pot over the tub add lots of water.

Immersion heaters are also what I would suggest. they come in various sizes, and are pretty simple items, so they tend to last decently as long as you keep them in the water for the entire time they are on. There should certainly be some cheap items, and I personally wouldn't be afraid to try a used one if the price were right.

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I'm just standing up for my rights as a consumer.

I don't get it. Electric, natural gas, or propane water heaters are pretty cheap, safe, effective, long lasting... I can't see a good reason to reinvent the wheel here. Anything you buy for this had better be useful after you come to your senses, or its a waste.

As far as energy usage, most people don't spend much on heating water. Our farm has free gas, and I still have an electric water heater. When the electric tank leaks, I'll go gas. For now, its not worth the expense of a new heater.

When I had horses on the race track many years ago, I used an immersion heater about 18-24" tall. I used it to heat 5 gallon buckets. I think you could heat water by the bucketful and pour into the tub. It might be better than trying to heat the whole tub. And when your just trying to get by for a while, you don't really need an awful lot of water in that tub. The water used to get hot enough to burn you so be careful, on the Brightside, the first bucket will not cool down before you get the second one heated up!

It doesn't even have to be black. I have a green hose stretched across my back yard, most of which is in full sun all day. On a sunny day, when I refill the chicken's water at lunch, I can NOT hold my hand in the stream OR touch any of the metal on the sprayer (which is not in the sun, BTW...it hangs on the side of the fence in the shade) until the water in the hose is exchanged.

I don't think a 100' hose holds much more than a couple of gallons of water, though, but if that'll do...

we use the solar shower bags. In three hours of sun it can get hot enough to scald!!

I can understand someone wanting to wait on getting the water heater replaced. Its not just the price of the water heater, its the cost of having it installed. In my area you cannot even buy a water heater and install it yourself. You have to have a "professional" do it. (Don't ask me why!) It could be a lot of money at one time. Maybe the poster wants to save up for a while...or maybe they plan on moving in a while etc.

Thx, everyone---got a galvanized bucket and the Allied bucket heater yesterday, and I'll be trying them out later today.

I'll update in a week or so as to whether it's a screaming success or complete catastrophe.

Good luck!!

So far, so good!

What I've learned so far:

• a 5 gallon bucket works far better than a larger one;
• water at the top of the bucket heats much more quickly than water at the bottom, so it behooves you to stir regularly.

If doing this drives my electric bill up, I'm springing for the water heater. Otherwise? It's not perfect, but it works, and that's all I expect.

I can almost guarantee you won't see a significant increase in your electric bill. If your dead water heater is electric, your bill will most likely go down a bit.

If its a dead electric water heater, your electricity consumption will only go down because you use less hot water, or cooler hot water. A bucket heater and an electric water heater are both identical in efficiency. Of course, the bucket is not insullated, and the water heater has several inches of foam insulation. Water heaters are made to heat water efficiently, and buckets are made to carry water, after all. If the op uses an electric stove top to heat some of the water, electricity consumption will be higher, since some heat escapes from the sides of the 'burner.' Now, in winter, this heat goes to heat the house, so its not as much of an inefficiency as in summer.

If it is an electric water heater, elements and thermostats can be replaced cheaply. Leaking tanks are fatal, however.

Sure is, I always have a spare set of heating elements around so if they do go out, I can replace them right away, both those and the thermostat are easy to replace and very inexpensive. But of course if the thing is leaking that is anther story. Like replacement is in store. Been there done that.

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Oh my, dishes yet to wash and dry

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Update 2: First, I already know the water heater has a dead heating element---it's been replaced already, and I may decide to replace it again---but not for a while. I'm sick of dealing with the stupid thing. It's apparently a 6-year water heater, and I'm going into year 8 on it.

To replace the water heater completely, I'd have to do some remodeling. My house is old and the current water heater is in an old closet. To put it in, a door had to be removed permanently and the wh itself literally stuffed in there. There's no dish beneath it because no dish can fit there, but a dish is required by local code, so ...

I have neither the time or the extra money to do all that.

Besides, going about heating this way is working pretty well. It's true I can't just jump up and go take a boiling hot bath whenever I want, but the element heats fairly quickly. So it takes a little time to get a full bathtub, but that's alright. I'm dealing.

For anyone else who finds themselves in the same boat and who wants to delay that wh replacement as long as possible, this really does work. I'm happy. The plumbers aren't but I am.

Most water heaters have two elements, so you should still get hot water if only one is dead. The lower ones tend to go out more often because sediment builds up in the tank. Either both elements are dead or both thermostats or one element and one thermostat (I know, a little confusing). The code requirements might (or might not) have a grandfather exemption so you don't have to remodel when you eventually get to replacing it. Anyway, good to hear your solution is working out well. I will keep it in mind in case I ever need it.

Replace BOTH at the same time don't fool around with just the one dead. They are relatively cheap. I have Two on hand for my now New water heater which the old one was leaking. So no fix to that 20 YEAR OLD water heater.
And a 6 year water heater is relatively NEW.
They should, and do last 15 to twenty YEARS.
A 6 year old one is hardly broke in.
Also replace the Anode Rod, the Anode rod protects a water heater tank from corrosion.
And this can be ALL be done for around 75 bucks or less, WAY Less then a New Water Heater will be.

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Oh my, dishes yet to wash and dry

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Ahhhh, if it were only the good old days!

They don't last that long anymore. I learned my lesson the hard way on my last one. These days, hot wh are about as well built as those $15 coffee makers at Wal-mart that just look like such a great deal ... for 3 months. Sick of them.

If your on a well, its not going to last, coffee pot or heater.

the minerals and calcium (mostly calcium) are going to bake out.

We had a boiler replacement at a apartment complex once, it was full of lime.

Not a good option for them.

We go through coffee maker regular.

if you boil the water the calcium starts to not sure on the word but you will see it form into particulates.