I've decited a while back on a tankless WH but have been reading a little about them and started seeing alot of complaints. Anyone have one? What model? Like or dislike?
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Still a new technology... well... new application. This is one of those things that will take a little bit to get the bugs out. I just upgraded my whole heating/water/ac system, and was pursuaded to keep away from them. -
We put one in my Mother's hair salon 6mos-1yr ago. Its great for her, because they use a ton of hot water (washing peoples hair, and what not.)
She likes it, but let me tell you. It was a PITA to install.Comment
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They are good only in certain conditions. you will more than likely have to have your external gas regulator replaced to a larger one by the gas company. This is due to the higher demand to heat the water faster.Last edited by Mechanic79; 10-17-2007, 09:49 AM.Comment
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My family has a couple. We love them.
One is at a vacation home, so it doesn't keep the water hot until we get there, and you don't have to turn it off when you leave. Makes perfect sense to me.
If you are raising girls it may not be economical, they will never run out of hot water.Comment
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we got em at our new house
i was leary but it is great.
my only complaint is that it takes some time to get the hot water going if you diddnt recently use it. other than that it only seems to take a tad longer than normal heating units
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yeah it depends on what your normal water use is, plus they ask that you install low flow shower heads and stuff but its good stuff i work at a place and we spec them for some of our jobs.2k2 Angel LCD
turbo trigger
CP volumizer
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2k Angel CnC LCD
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They use em lots over in Japan... I really liked mine cause I could set the temp at what I wanted it to be and not worry about balancing it out.... Just turn on and go.... Plus it's not keeping the gas running so that 40 gallons of H2O are always hot.... I liked that...
I'm a fan of em... but that's me... If/When I ever get to the point to build my house I plan on puttin em in... then again, by the time that happens I may have to check on how much shipping to the moon would be....
DMComment
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They have their place but I would never install one in my home.
The units are very expensive, about twice that of a regular tank unit. The installation price is always at least double and could be even more. To be fair the tankless unit should last about twice as long as a tank. So costing twice as much should balance out, you will never re-coupe the cost of installation though. Water heater tanks are very well insulated, once that water is hot it doesn't really take much to keep it hot. If you didn't use any water and sat there watching the heater for the day you would see it running probably fifteen minutes or so a day. That's five dollars a month at best. It would take you about 33 years to re-coupe the difference in installation cost.
If you have hard water you need a water softener installed before it. You will need to periodically clean the unit (or have it cleaned) more or less frequently depending on how hard your water is. I would figure once a year as a minimum.
You also need a direct vent for it. This means you can not use your chimney, you need to come out the side of your house and that vent is going to reach two or three hundred degrees and generally be low enough to easially touch.
As has already been mentioned you may need to up side your gas meter. You may have to up size some of the gas piping in your home as well.
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Aren't tankless waterheaters tax deductible? Also, it's been said to increase the property's value. I could be wrong.
I've also been thinking about installing one in my home but like someone said, it's quite expensive. I live in a condo which doesn't have a washer/dryer inside the unit but if I can get rid of my waterheater, I could install a washer/dryer combo in its place which would be beneficial for me since I lack the space now.
"I just came for your mayonaise." ~ TooDamnSweet
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I think the tax breaks on tankless water heaters are done and I doubt it would increase a property's value.Originally posted by gibbyAren't tankless waterheaters tax deductible? Also, it's been said to increase the property's value. I could be wrong.
I've also been thinking about installing one in my home but like someone said, it's quite expensive. I live in a condo which doesn't have a washer/dryer inside the unit but if I can get rid of my waterheater, I could install a washer/dryer combo in its place which would be beneficial for me since I lack the space now.
Your condo might be one of those circumstances where I would recommend a tankless. You probably only have one bathroom so the problem of not having enough hot water to run more than two fixtures at a time isn't really a concern. If it also gives you room for your washer/dryer then I would look into it. Remember though a tankless unit is not exactly small and requires some space on all side. This may be an excpetion to the increasing value rule. If it gets you a washer and dryer you're condo is probably worth a little more. Also remember two things buying a tankless.
1. You get what you pay for.
2. Do not buy a BoschComment
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hot water will maintain property value. You need A LOT OF GAS to heat water-on-demand.
Tank water heaters have a bad rap because they are miraculously built to last "about" as long as the warranty. No, I don't know why.
In any event, they have their place in certain situations.Comment
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Actually, I have 2 bathrooms. But I understand your concerns about being able to supply hot water to all areas of the home concurrently. Two bathrooms, washer, dishwasher, and kitchen sink might require a series of 2 heating units to satisfy the demand.Originally posted by PyRo
Yes, I've seen the cheaper models and wondered how well they worked. Like you, I also believe in "you get what you pay for" motto."I just came for your mayonaise." ~ TooDamnSweet
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From what I've gathered (I've changed more water heaters then I can count) tanks as a rule of thumb are good for ten years. Some do go bad before that, most last to fifteen or so, and some will go past twenty.Originally posted by Mechanic79
A decent tankless should run two fixture reliably, a third is pushing it, a forth you've got problems. Now if you're like me and rip the water savers right out of the shower heads you might not even get two fixtures.Comment
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Well, I'm not worried about gas flow, it's going into new construction and the meter isn't on the house yet.
I went out today and decided to go for it. My thoughts are:
Right away you get a 300$ tax credit for using one. So I got a unit that's capable of a 45degree rise at 7.4 gallons per minute. Since I'm building said house I'm legally allowed to plumb myself before inspection so no cost there. The SS vent kit ran another 280$ so I ended up spending about 200$ more then a 40 gallon high efficiency unit with the same warranty if I save 2$ a month It will have paid for itself by the end of the warranty. MY research indicates a savings of 5-15$ a month so I'm going to say it was worth it.
My biggest issue about the whole idea was that people complained about long warm up times. I'm currently used to 20 second. The new hot water will travel 1/3 the distance to the master bath. I think this is going to be just about the same if not less. We'll see in a few months when we love in.
Thanks for the input guys!
BTW the vent kit is ridiculously expensive. It's only 3 feet in total length
Oh and tax breaks are still on, and almost everyone told me to avoid Bosch, why can they make everything else so well but miserably fail with water heaters?Comment
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