GARN electric backup

[Jim K in PA]

I ordered my GARN with the "electric prep" option. What that gives me is a 3x3 grid of 1" pipe fittings in the lower right corner of the front wall. The purpose of the option is to utilize off-peak electric rates as a supplement to a wood burn, typically overnight. My utility does not offer off-peak rates to residential consumers at the moment, but may in the future.

I would like to utilize a couple of the bungs to incorporate one or two 4500W electric heating elements as an emergency protection during cold weather when I am not there to fire the unit. Has anyone else done this? I have never owned an electric WH, so am not familiar with their controls. Do the thermostats for the elements screw into a bung on the water tank?

Thanks for any input.

 

[Rick Stanley]

The kind I have seen had the thermostats simply held against the steel tank wall by metal clips. Kind of a heat sink arrangement, I guess you'd call it.

 

[Jim K in PA]

The kind I have seen had the thermostats simply held against the steel tank wall by metal clips. Kind of a heat sink arrangement, I guess you'd call it.

Thanks Rick. I confirmed with my friend who is a professional plumber that the thermostats for the electric water heaters use a contact thermistor, and not a temperature well. I'll pick up a couple of 5.5KW elements and a thermostat from Lowes and utilize a couple of the bungs for them.

Did you get the electric kit with yours, or just the prep?