Tankless Water Heater

9 Responses to “Anyone using a tankless water heater? Any good? How about price compared to utility savings?”

1. NiJo
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 12:08 pm

   i have heard that the tank less are fine but the one big fall is that when you go to your sink just to wash your hands it takes a really LONG time for it to heat up cause you have to have a certain amount of water per mins to get that hot water

2. sensible_man
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

   They can be good or bad. Be sure to buy a good one and not one based on low price. Rinnai is one I hear all good things about. If you have high mineral water, forget tankless. The small tubing in them will clog easily and quickly. Make sure the person installing it also does maintenance work. Many Plumbers will install them btu, due to the high technology, do not do repairs.

3. ibibb
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 1:21 pm

   Tankless is the way to go… definitely worth the cost because you no longer are paying to keep a large quantity of water hot when you are not using it (like when you are at work for 8 hours). So over time they will actually pay for themselves. Just put one in my house and have yet to have any problem. The water is just as hot and I am yet to run out during a shower or anything. I don’t know if that is possible because I believe it heats a 5 gallon cycle in 1 minute (dont quote me here because I believe it varys depending on the model, which is actually another good thing because you can buy a system thats right for your needs). So unless you are drawing an enormous quantity I doubt you’ll ever run out of hot water. As far as life expectancy compared to a normal water heater, I couldn’t tell you but I would assume that less parts means a lesser chance of things breaking. The only drawback that I have heard is that it may take longer to get hot water, but I’ve yet to notice any difference. Good Luck

4. This Old House
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 2:05 pm

   Here’s what This Old House plumber Richard Trethewey thinks of them:

   Tankless Hot Water Heaters
   http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,213064,00.html?xid=yahoo-answers&partner=yes

   Here’s a short video clip showing how the units are installed:

   http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1631091,00.html?xid=yahoo-answers&partner=yes

   FYI I recently talked to a plumbing & heating specialist about replacing my gas HW tank with a tankless unit. He said that tankless units may need a bigger gas line than the one serving a standard hot water tank because the units have a greater heating capacity, but added that it isn’t generally not a problem to provide it. Make sure your installer is factory trained to work with the unit you purchase– apparently there are some quirks to installing tankless units and not every plumber knows about them. Also, ask your installer if a recirculating pump will benefit your system.

5. davep123
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 2:54 pm

   If this helps, I just installed one for a customer and it cost them $1500
   $600 for the unit $300 for other materials, And the rest well labor.

   IDK if it will work out for economy, the electric one i put in had 3 40amp circuits to it, so this may not be an option for you if your panel doesn’t have space.

   as for the gas models i have heard only good things about them

   Myself, I will wait because, as they get more popular the price will go down and they will have the kinks worked out till then.

6. Bill F
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 3:48 pm

   I had a Bosch gas tankless in my last house for 15 years and absolutely loved it, so much so that I took out the good tank heater and installed a tankless in the new home I moved into 8 years ago. Have never had a single problem with either one of them. I am sure that I saved $$$ by the tankful. I would never have a storage tank again. I have a 350 gallon hot tub and have filled it every time I change the water using my hot water rather than the electric heater in the tub that takes hours and hours to heat up.
   If you have gas, they are the way to go. Never, ever run out of hot water.

7. fidalgo73
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 4:02 pm

   We installed a tankless heater this summer to replace a gas hog (so we thought) tank. It does take a longer time to get hot water to the master bath which is at the total opposite end of the house from the tank (lots of water going into our septic system). Our gas consumption has actually increased (therms used) since installing – very disappointing. I should have stayed with a tank for this house. If the tank were located in the center of the house instead of the basement, it might be different. One plus is that it is very quiet compared to the exhaust blower on the old tank system.

8. Kiran P
   March 22nd, 2010 @ 4:26 pm

   Reviews & Specifications of PowerStar Whole House Electric Tankless Water Heater

   http://tech-worlds.blogspot.com/2008/11/powerstar-whole-house-electric-tankless.html

   Reviews & Specifications of PowerStar Whole House Electric Tankless Water Heater

   http://tech-worlds.blogspot.com/2008/11/powerstar-whole-house-electric-tankless.html

9. ken
   August 25th, 2011 @ 4:32 am

   i had a rinnai tankless in my new home. it is on propane and i live in the country. mice got into the fan and destroyed it. i got a new fan, looked the same, got it from a rinnai dealer, different connector for the wires, much too complicated a system. propane here is high and i will go to a standard electric tank. i got no help from rinnai. the house is 3 years old but iam on the road 80% of the time. on my old mobile i had a 24 volt switch in the bathroom that ran a big relay and we just turnd it on when we need it.

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