Tankless Hot Water Heater

[Greg DeBacker]

I'm going to be moving my hot water heater. I was thinking about maybe going with a tankless hot water heater but I don't know of anyone who has one. I searched this group and found many threads on them but not much first hand information. I found a lot of messages from people thinking about installing them. Threads from people who know someone who has one. And messages from people who installed them.

Does anyone out there have one and use it for all of their hot water needs (shower, tub, dishwasher, washing machine, etc)? If so how do you like it? Is yours gas or electric? What climate are you in?

My plan is to use it for a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house with a dishwasher and washing machine. I have a large tub that I will want to fill. The climate is moderate. Not sure of the cities water temp is but it is cool here all year round but never gets below freezing.

Greg

[C.J.]

I bought a house in NY back in '91 and replaced a circa-1950 system a Weil-McClain 104,000 BTU oil-fired boiler with a tankless coil for domestic hot water. This was a 3 BR 1 bath house with a dishwasher. My wife and I took showers 30 minutes apart. In the winter, the tankless was barely adequate. A normal length shower usually required constant temperature adjustments and sometimes ended with lukewarm water. The triple-aquastat controller for the boiler would almost always shut down the circulators trying to keep up. No combination of control settings seemed to work. Keep in mind, this was a small house, about 1100 sq. ft. I oversized the boiler in an attempt to prevent hot water issues.

I ended up installing a 50-gallon electric HWH and fed it from the tankless. I also valved it so that I could run the HWH or the coil alone. Never had any issues after that.

Consider a Boilermate, or similar hot water maker. On-demand hot water in a cold climate is tough. Storage is key.

[MJS]

I'm wiring in some instant water heaters in a church and I havn't done all the math but I think they are a pig in a poke. I'm electrical and I have to re-arrange panels, add high current wires, and hide big wires. I think they lower plumber capital costs and increase electrical costs. Long term.... I think a well thought out and controlled hot water source would have been less expensive.

[John]

If you want to use a tankless for a whole home you need to really watch the output rating..We put in a Takagi TK-1 about four years ago, in a 2500 sq foot home and love it..It can keep up with two showers at once with no problem..Albeit they are a bit more expensive, it works..Plus the gas bill went WAY down..With nobody home during the day, all that gas used to keep the water hot in the standard tank was lost..We also opted for the optional electronic thermostat which allows you to choose your output temp, just like on your furnace..We put it on higher temp for dishwasher and laundry and turn it down to 102 degrees for shower..No mixing in cold water..It's great... Hope this helps! John

[Skippy]

I put one in a 2300 sqft house about 4 months ago. I put in the Takagi TK-2 (gas). My wife and I just love it. I live in Atlanta, so the temperature here is farily mild - but in the winters it does get below freezing. We have a large jacuzzi tub that with our prior tanked water heater - it would fill about halfway before the water really started being cool getting into the tub. Now my wife can fill it completely with the same temeprature hot water all the time.

We have taken a shower and run the washing machine at the same time. The water is just as hot, the pressure just dropped. Now this was using the hot setting on the washer. We do take showers back to back without any issue.. and two showers have run at the same time with no problem.

The only thing that kinda caught me a little unaware is the venting. You have to use Stainless Venting which is EXPENSIVE. I live in a ranch and think that I spen $300 on venting. a 2ft straight section of vent costs around $30. If your heater is on an outside wall and can be vented directly outside, then this is not an issue. There is also a company called Rinnai that makes heaters that can sit directly outside.. so venting is not an issue.

The nutshell. I love it. and any house that I move into I will probably do it again.

[C.J.]

Take a look at this site... lots of good info, and the guy has decent prices. I have no affiliation.

[Robert J Rolleston]

[Robert J Rolleston]

[mark Ransley]

For most of the US with high electric they are a pig in a poke.. Not to mention running dedicated 100 to 200 amp circuts. Go back to e bay ass hole

[mark Ransley]

A true dual use electric water heater with sufficent GPM rating and temp rise needed for any Zone 7 area or lower will need a dedicated 200 amp service.. Im no electrician but adding 200 amp I think would cost 1000

[Robert J Rolleston]

[Robert J Rolleston]

[m Ransley]

You got 100 from me you liar ,,,,, as months ago you BSed people ..... You ASSUMED , you know the US pays double for ELEC per BTU as to GAS a shit head con like you should removed. you are a CONNN