Propane Water Heaters
Buying and Safety Tips

Like natural gas water heating systems, propane water heaters are very efficient and reliable units and a great alternative when natural gas is not a viable option. They differ in properties that affect combustion and safety.

Propane gas, LP, or liquid petroleum is common in urban and suburban residential areas. LP is also known as rural fuel because it is not delivered to homes by gas pipelines like natural gas but by the truck that delivers and fills up the residential storage tanks, often adjacent to the house.

Safety tips

Since propane gas has a relatively high density, you must be very careful in handling the propane. Unlike natural gas that dissipates, propane gas tends to collect and settle at the lowest point of the room where LP water heaters are installed. Gas detectors are recommended.

When buying one of the propane water heaters brands, you will notice that they are the same as natural gas water heaters and that the conversion kit is usually included, which modifies the gas orifice and gas pressure regulator on the unit.

The gas burner is often the same, but propane hot water heaters need more air for LP combustion, so that is what one must be aware of.

Note: Operating gas pressure for propane water heaters is much higher than for natural gas due to the higher BTU and specific gravity.

Benefits

• LP gas water heater burns clean and non-toxic. It is recognized as "green" energy with low carbon content.
• Propane is an environmentally friendly fuel with reduced greenhouse emissions, energy, and money savings.
• Propane water heaters are energy-efficient heating units.
• They cost one-third less to operate than electric heaters but are more expensive than natural gas.
• Propane water heaters recover hot water twice as quickly as electric.
• They provide great value as they burn hotter, and it takes shorter to pay for itself via energy savings.
• They are reliable. The individual storage tanks most often serve homes, so the power supply is virtually uninterruptible.
• The gas is safe because of the built-in properties and strict regulations.
• There is a wide selection of sizes, installation, and venting options for heaters.
• LP water heaters are extremely durable and can last long with the minimum service requirements, while heating elements in electric models usually require replacement several times over their lifetime.
• Tax credits for propane water heater users.

When searching for propane water heaters, you can choose between the storage or tank type and on-demand or tankless models like natural gas units.

Note: All heaters are rated for combustion efficiency, or how many BTUs are used to heat water. If a standard heater has a combustion efficiency of 80 percent, 80 percent of the available BTUs are being used for heating. The other 20 percent is lost up the flue.

Types

Tank-type

Propane hot water tanks are designed with capacities ranging from 40 gallons to more than 100 gallons. Tank-type propane water heaters work on the same principle as tanks on natural gas, and you can find more info here.

Note: The 50-gallon LP water heater can provide as much hot water as 66-88-gallon electric unit in 2.5 baths home.

When installing these conventional tank-type propane water heaters, you will see in the manual that they are subject to special requirements for venting.

Usually, there are two manuals, one is for installation, and the other describes venting requirements. This is one of the reasons why we recommend a licensed plumber/ professional. More about propane here.

Tankless

Top sellers

Propane tankless water heaters are also popular as they offer modern and space-saving designs; they are much more efficient than tank-type, using less fuel and decreasing emission and greenhouse gases. The process of how they prepare hot water is similar to natural gas combustion. For more info about tankless heaters, read here.

Tip: LP water heaters should not be installed in a basement if such installation is prohibited by federal, state, local laws and codes.

If we compare prices between the tank-type and tankless water heaters using LP as a fuel, these instant units are costing up to twice that of standard models. However, the saving comes from the operating costs, and on-demand models can pay for themselves in a short time.

Related articles

• Best models
• Top 50-gal models review
• Natural gas water heaters
• Propane gas water heaters
• Direct vent models
• Power vent models
• Troubleshooting guide
• Gas water heaters vs. heat pumps

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