Water Heater For Laundry

[Ryan Haase]

One of my rentals has the washer and dryer in a shed behind the house. My renter just pointed out that only good water runs to the shed and she wants to use the washer with warm water. What are my options for adding warm water? 

I was thinking of just getting an apartment size water heater for the shed. Would that be sufficient?

[Roy N.]

@Ryan Haase 

To follow-on to @Steve Babiak, there are several models of front-load, high-efficiency washing machines on the market which have built-in, in-line water heaters, which may be able to provide sufficient heat if your source water temperature is not too cold.   You would need to check the specs on the washing machine and see how much {temperature} lift capacity the on-board heater has or what range of input water temperature it requires [Note: some just boost the heat on your tap hot water for things like a sanitary cycle].

In the worst case, you could run a hot water line from the house (ensuring that it is buried sufficiently deep ... and probably should insulate it) and the heater in the washer could deal with any heat loss in the water during it's journey.