Tankless Water Heaters

[janmike]

Any of you folks recently put in or have installed a tankless water heater? I have heard they are great and wondered if anyone here had any first hand knowledge and experience. I am not looking to install one but purchase one and have a plumber do the installation. Any brand names or anything else to be aware of. The purity of the water here really limits the life of water heaters and I will be due for one probably next year at the latest. Thanks.

[Mike682]

I heard great things about them. They are extremely efficient because they do not hold the water; they just heat water when needed. I almost put one in when my water heater died. The only drawback right now is price. Tankless heaters here are very expensive so the upfront cost is high. I'm sure it will pay for itself over time but when my heater died, I could not spend the cash. I figure by the time my new heater dies, prices will be more reasonable.

It does require a different installation than a standard tank heater and I believe the exhaust is not included so it much be purchased separately.

[MrNightly]

Actually, they are only about 200 more then a regular gas water heater. I'd be a little leery of them though... they can save a ton of energy, but unless you get one properly fit for your house, they won't put out hot water... only warm. They flash heat the water as it runs thru the coils, and if someone is using a sink, while you are in the shower, if you don't have the proper size, you run the risk of getting only warm water...

I used to sell them at Lowe's, and while they are great for less space and better efficiency, I had a ton of complaints about the above mentioned issues. I only had one guy say they were perfect for them, and he had no kids, just him and his wife. AND he had it properly fit for his home.

Just some things to consider.

Good luck!

[tcrossma]

Basically the tankless will limit the number of concurrent hot water draws you can have at a time, measured in GPM. A tank system will limit the total number of gallons used over a span of time. So it's a 50/50 thing, depending on your use.

I have a family of 4 and we're constantly running the dishwasher, washing machine, and taking shower. An 80 gallon hot water heater is for me.

I'm sure there are tankless systems that can handle the GPM needed to support me, but it's a lot of money and to me I don't see the need.

[mantis]

Having the right unit installed it key. Like anything else, using the wrong unit will yield less then desired results. Common sense??? Not always.

Bring up this topic is exaclty what we are doing. I have a friend in the plumming Bussiness and he suggest we go that route. The upfront cost are what they are. But the benefits I feel are worth shelling out the cash. But Different from other peoples expperiences I will use the right unit for my house. I currently have a suck ass 40 gallon water heater and it's totally under what we as a family need. If I try to fill the Jacuzzi tube in my masterbathroom, the Water goes cold before it's full. I can get it just right tempature but the water is cold and if someone wanted to take a shower, they would have to wait 20 minutes before we got hot water again. We also have a dish washer and it goes warm on the water side in other parts of the house when we are using it for clothes, dishes and showers.
Installing a larger water heater is an option but I feel going with the flow system is great. I can have more space in my basement where a closet is going to go instead of having a 80+ gallon water heater taking up room.
He is a friend of mine and has had all success installing the flow hot water systems. His key like mine on all things life is using the right one.

Dan

[I-SIG]

Be aware that if yours is electric and you want a whole house system you could be a looking at a major electrical service upgrade. You could likely need to upgrade to a 320/400 amp service entrance. On top of what your electrician charges, your local power company likely would have some charges for upgrading the service entrance cables from the transformer and maybe even the transformer itself.

These units, electrically, are no different than an electric stove. They are just big resistors which is pure load so your system must be designed accordingly both before and after the meter.

Wes

[treitz3]

but it's a lot of money and to me I don't see the need.
Not confronting. I'm curious. How many smackers of a difference are we talking? [up front, that is.] The need for some is that they are not home often. If hot water is available enough for the needs when they get home, then [in theory] it should be a substantial savings over the long haul for a couple like this. Vacation homes, for example.

In a scenario like this, wouldn't it be beneficial?
The purity of the water here really limits the life of water heaters and I will be due for one probably next year at the latest. Thanks.
Would this have any effect on the lifetime of this type of system?

[janmike]

Would this have any effect on the lifetime of this type of system?

That is truly a question I will ask. As it stands now, the longest life of a water heater here is 5 years and that is pushing it. Spending more upfront will reduce the cap cost over time and will definitely reduce the monthly recurring. We are a small family and pushing anywhere from 3.5 gal per min to 5 gpm would suffice.

[MrNightly]

Also remember, that thru 2007, you can get a credit for a tankless water heater.. energy saving thingy or whatever. Just FYI. I think it's a $500 credit!

Cheers!

[janmike]

There is an anergy rebate program in Canada, but it does depend on where you live. Both Federal &/or Provincial assistance.

[schwarcw]

Both of my brothers have installed these in the last year or so. When sized right, they provide an endless supply of hotwater. The key word there was sized right. These units were both gas fired. Since they are wall mounted, they can free up floor space if you've got a big round tank tucked into a tight spot.

Like anything, do the research, size it correctly and don't buy the cheapest. Check out the warranty, have it installed by a reputable plumber.

[janmike]

I see the brand name Titan a lot. Not sure what they are like.

[Ron-P]

With a small house and a family of only 3 I'd love to have one, but the only reason I won't ever switch over, I live in earthquake land and I like having a 50 gallon water storage tank in my garage.

[tcrossma]

Not confronting. I'm curious. How many smackers of a difference are we talking? [up front, that is.] The need for some is that they are not home often. If hot water is available enough for the needs when they get home, then [in theory] it should be a substantial savings over the long haul for a couple like this. Vacation homes, for example.

In a scenario like this, wouldn't it be beneficial?

Would this have any effect on the lifetime of this type of system?

I'm certainly no expert on this, but I read enough to know that, for me, a tankless system was not what I wanted. I like having 80 gallons of hot water available in the basement.

The thing that makes me nervous, more than the upfront cost (because I honestly don't know how much more expensive they are than a good tank system) is making sure it is designed properly. To me it wasn't worth the risk, or the possibility that in the future things might change and adversly affect the performance of the system.

[SKsolutions]

They have been used successfully in Europe and Asia for almost 30 years. So has the plastic plumbing (polybutylene) for 50 years. Neither were code acceptable in my state until 2 years ago.

[jcaut]

Another consideration (at least for the electric units, not sure about gas) is the minimum temperature of the incoming water. Here in my town, our water source is a lake. Right now the temperature of the water coming out of the tap at my house is in the upper 80's F. BUT, in January or Feb., it may very possibly be 38 degrees F. That's a big difference and I'm sure would figure into requiring a bigger unit.

I had to put a new electric water heater in my house when I bought it and here's what I got. http://www.marathonheaters.com/ They're expensive too, but they're supposed to last. I know mine is very efficient, too. I once turned it off because we were going out of town for a few days. Five days to be exact, and when we got home, of course I forgot to turn it back on. We still had enough hot water for three showers. I was impressed.

Jason

[Frank Z]

The downside to retro fitting a tamnkless system is that most existing homes do not have a properly sized gas line down stream of the gas meter, nor do they have a properly sized vent to handle the high BTU ratings f these systems. Talk to several contractors and your local building department before spending your hard earned cash, you might be in for a very rude awakening.

[F1nut]

Michael, I know you heat with oil as I do. My hot water is heated by the oil burner, no tank. It's always on, always hot and never runs out. Maybe you could look into one of those.