Is it worth to change to tankless water heater?
Posted on | April 3, 2010 | 6 Comments
Which one is good for residential use (4 to 6 persons). I notice there are indoor tankless and outdoor tankless, which one works better and safer? I need to do bathroom extension, can I just ask my contractor to do it?
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6 Responses to “Is it worth to change to tankless water heater?”
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April 3rd, 2010 @ 6:03 am
I have begun to check this out for myself…I don’t know it all yet but so far consensus seems to be:
Initial cost and installation is more than a conventional one.
This additional cost will be recouped little by little over the life of the unit because you are only using energy to heat water as you use it; you don’t use energy to heat a big tank of water just to sit there.
April 3rd, 2010 @ 6:11 am
yes
April 3rd, 2010 @ 6:51 am
google ” what are the problems with tankless water heaters” i wouldnt buy one.many people have had them removed. its kind of a fad in my opinion.
April 3rd, 2010 @ 7:23 am
My brother and his family (four daughters!) came home from vacation about three years ago to a basement flooded by the water heater. He installed a tankless one that day. I have asked him about it a number of times and he has had nothing but good to say.
According to him, they can do laundry and dishes, and someone can take a shower all at the same time and the water never goes cold. I am sold on the idea and I’ve been looking on Ebay at the Titan tankless water heaters, but since I had to buy a new traditional one about six years ago I’m not ready to shell out the money just yet. When I do, I will definitely go tankless.
There is another option to try though, if your traditional water heater is still in good condition. You can also get under the sink tankless heaters for some of your faucets to see what you think for yourself.
April 3rd, 2010 @ 8:21 am
The only really good reason to use a tankless water heater is when space is at a premium. If you have the room for a regular water heater, use one. Especially with a family…It’s not like you aren’t using hot water on a regular basis. If you lived alone and took one shower a day and did one load of laundry a week, it might make sense to look at a tankless type…I would stay with a regular style water heater.
These things have their drawbacks. You need good water pressure, and good water volume to feed it. The gas versions are sometimes difficult to vent. They have large burners and a lot of them require 4″ vent so it can be difficult to install. Also…with a tankless heater you divide the heat when you have multiple loads. Meaning that if someone is taking a shower and the dishwasher is running, and someone washes their hands in the powder room, everyone gets warm water! nobody gets hot water! You might get the idea that I’m not a fan of tankless water heaters…I’m not. I’ve installed a number of them over the years, and I don’t think there is any great advantage to them. The new conventional heaters are well insulated and have pretty good efficiency ratings. And they aren’t as fussy to install. Also, if you have an existing gas water heater you may have to completely replace the gas piping to your home to accomodate the much larger volume of fuel required by these units when they run.
April 3rd, 2010 @ 8:32 am
At Lowe’s you can order a Bosch Tankless Water Heater for around $1500 which will simultaneously supply hot water to 2-3 major appliances. That means your washing machine, dishwasher, and a shower taker. This price is for gas. There are LP and electric also. This one works indoors and outdoors. And it’s Energy Star rated! It offers freeze protection and a remote wireless thermostat is available. Look it up on http://www.lowes.com and type in the keyword “tankless water heater.”