Any first hand EchoSmart water heater reviews?

I can't comment on EchoSmart. I have a Rinnai tankless water heater. It's natural gas but needs 120 vac to run the fan and controls. I've had it since December 2011. No problems. But, I'm a bachelor and wash clothes in cold water. My dishwasher runs every couple days so the water heater runs for that and my showers.

Would you buy one again? A few times a year I spend a couple of weeks with a friend that has one. I'm not crazy about it. You can't get how water with a low flow. If you cut the flow too much it goes cold.

Since it is a vacation home and often sits unoccupied weeks at a time it makes sense but for daily use, I prefer the tank. I do laundry in cold water. Cooking, dryer, grill are gas and I only spend $150 a year.

Yes, I would buy another one. I experimented after seeing your question. Turning the hot water on roughly half a turn doesn't quite give the shower head a good stream. It's enough to make the heater come on. I normally turn the hot water on all of the way then regulate the temperature by turning the cold.

In my limited experience I'm just a user and have no idea of some setting could be changed. Only once did I have a shower go cold but the sink, fairly regularly.

This is at a beach front property in New Jersey. In winter, it sits for many weeks at a time so it makes sense not to keep 40 gallons of water hot and ready.

I'm in a warmer climate and have never heard the water heater go on unless water was being used. In my last house, hot water was a small tank in the oil boiler. On a hot August night I'd hear it kick on at 2 AM even though it would not be used for hours. I eventually changed the system. Energy Kinetics System 2000 that aI heard about on this newsgroup. Saved me 40% on oil and paid for itself over a few years.

I think the only setting on my water heater is water output temperature. I really don't remember. The instructions are probably in a safe place somewhere.

Probably all you need. Set too high, you'd reduce the flow and potentially shut it off. I'll try to take a look on my next visit.