Tankless Water Heater

6 Responses to “Should I Goto A Tankless Water Heater?”

1. mel
   November 29th, 2009 @ 9:32 pm

   Paul is on target. the temperature rise it provides is key to your satisfaction.
   Also, I do think they make gas ones. If you can install a regular HW heater, you should be able to do one of these, too.

2. trekkie7
   November 29th, 2009 @ 10:58 pm

   see foreverhotwater.com,,,, a pro would need to install due to gas line resizing and vent reworking. There are multible brands out there,,, palomar, noritz etc

3. katnib
   November 30th, 2009 @ 4:45 am

   Hello, the tankless water heaters available on the market today will pay for themselves in gas savings in about 1-3 years depending on how much they are used.They are not a DIY project due to the venting and piping that is required (unless you happen to be in the trades).Most municipalities will require permits to be pulled due to the gas and water pipes involved as well, so check that with your local building dept.They will heat the water fantastically,but as with other new products a period of adjustment will be required to set the new system to your personal requirements.Hope this helps:-)

4. marvin A
   November 30th, 2009 @ 5:57 am

   1—lots
   2–depends on how handy you are
   3–fantastic

5. Paul in San Diego
   November 30th, 2009 @ 7:12 am

   Tankless water heaters are awesome. But, you must get one that has a sufficient flowrate (rated in gallons per minute, or GPM) for your needs. Otherwise, you’ll be very dissatisfied with it.
   I originally had a 3.2 GPM unit that worked fairly well for one hot water need at a time (one person taking a shower, running the washing machine and nothing else, etc.). But, it was kind of frustrating when I tried using hot water in two places (if taking a shower and my wife started the laundry, the hot water would slow to a trickle).
   But, I really liked the idea of a tankless water heater. So, when I remodeled my home, I replaced the 3.2 GPM unit with a 7 GPM unit (Noritz) and I love it. Right after it was installed, I turned on two showers and a bathtub at the same time and got a full flow of hot water out of all of them. Now, we can take a shower, do the laundry, and even do the dishes all at the same time with no noticeable effect in water volume.
   However, this can change if you live in a cold climate. The on-demand water heater fires up when it senses a demand for hot water (it detects water flow through the system). It then closes a restrictor valve to keep the water in the heat exchanger long enough to heat the water to the set temperature. Once the temperature sensor detects that the water is the correct temperature at the output, it opens up the restrictor valve for full flow.
   The GPM rating on a tankless water heater is based on a 55 degree F temperature rise. For example, if the cold water entering the system is 65 degrees and you have the output temperature set at 120 degrees, that is a 55 degree temperature rise (120 – 65 = 55) and you’ll get the rated flow of hot water. But, if the cold water entering the system is 55 degrees, that’s a 65-degree temperature rise. So, the restrictor valve closes a bit to keep the water in the heat exchanger longer. So, you get some flow that is less than the rated GPM of the unit.
   Installation is another issue. The venting and ducting for the unit cost me $250 to have a plumber install (parts and labor). And, if it’s electric start, you need to have a 120-volt outlet – with a GFCI – in the location for the water heater. Building codes also require that the gas supply line, as well as the cold intake and hot output water pipes, be 3/4 inch in diameter. This makes it very expensive to install if your plumbing doesn’t currently meet those requirements.
   Since I had the water heater installed during a remodel that replaced all plumbing, gas, and electrical in the house anyway, the installation of the water heater was all covered by the scope of work in the remodeling contract. But, I imagine it would have been pretty expensive to have a plumber out replacing the gas and water lines to and from the unit, as well as the installation of a power outlet in the water heater closet that originally had none.
   So, the amount of money saved on gas isn’t really the reason you would get a tankless water heater (it would take many years to recoup that cost). Rather, you get a tankless water heater because you get a truly endless supply of hot water on demand, as long as you get one that’s big enough to meet your needs.

6. Will
   November 30th, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

   The only disadvantage as far as I have researched is the high voltage it takes to run them. There’s a possibility that what you save on your gas bill will be eaten up by your electric bill. They need a separate electric line ,because of the high voltage, to run efficiently. Or you will be blowing circuit breakers/fuses constantly. and if you don’t have a clear circuit in your box there is the cost of up-grading.

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