Hot water heater question.

If I had to do it all over again I would consider using a underground heat pump and/or solar heating/ac. Not sure if that is practical in your case.

 

Storage type water heaters must be elevated when located in a garage. My opinion is that natural gas is better than electric. Find a Flame Vapor Ignition Resistant (FVIR) water heater. The burner compartment is sealed and resistant to flammable vapors. If you have kids, stay away from a tankless unit. The kids, especially teenage girls will think the shower is a sauna. They'll shower for hours since there is an endless supply of hot water. A 40 gallon natural gas is all you need. The difference beteween the 6,9 & 12 year warranty is only the size of the sacrificial rod hanging in the tank, its corrosion protection. Buy the 6 year and change the sacrificial rod every 5 years. Proper yearly flushing of the tank is also a good idea.
Cheers!!

 

A gas water heater is actually the safest gas appliance in the house.

 

NG is FAR cheaper VS electricity and recovery time is much faster.

Yes, the 18'' off the ground or enclosed is required. As long as you do that, it is perfectly fine and safe.

[Decades of HVAC, water heater and white goods repair]

I would NEVER choose electricity over NG if I had a choice.

 

Good plan -- Not -wait till you get some overnight company, and all your guests and the regular residents want to shower/bathe before going out on the town! Lets see how long that 40 gal lasts then!
Your are negating/ignoring one of the GREAT tankless assets - endless hot water

 

Better plan... no overnite guests.

 

Relatives are like leftover food.
After a few days, its time to throw them out.

No hotels in the area?

 

Or greatest curses. Do you have a teenage daughter?

 

My two daughters are now grown , as well as my son --- We love having them visit us along with our 9 G-kids.
And BTW they all can take as long of showers as they want. Hoping this virus thing gets under control so we can have them over more often.

 

Tossed my electric WH and dryer 20 yrs ago. Never looked back. As said earlier, WH last about 10 years, garage location makes for an easy replacement. My friends WH is in the attic. We also have a gas grill & fireplace a may be adding a gas fire pit.