Are Tankless Water Heaters a Waste of Money?

[krw]

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Where I am the cost factor goes 1/0 the other way. ;-) The tankless heater still needs a flue, not a small thing in an existing structure, nor is the initial cost.

[clare]

Nor the drawbacks.

[clare]

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Only for the power used by the POU which only heats the first couple gallons, at most - and keeps that amount hot - and CAN be put on a timer if water usage is predictable. For instance, the POU can come on early in the morning to provide instant hat water for the morning bathroom use, and then come on again for evening use.

[clare]

A well insulated small water heater has negligible heat loss.

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

it also has negligible ability to provide plentiful hot water

[trader4]

kless heaters.

ntage. =A0- Hide quoted text -

Try putting a jacuzzi style tub in the master bath.

[trader4]

And how does that tank work with a shower? Don't you wind up with real hot water, then it peters out as the cold water in the hot water lines refills it. To be followed by the temperature rising back up again once hot water from the main water heater arrives? I would think it would make for a real interesting first few minutes.

[clare]

Which, if you READ my post, it has no need of doing with a 40 (canadian) or 50 (US) gallon gas water heater backing it up. And the

50 gallon water heater standby losses are VERY negligible (about 50 therms per year installed in heated envelope of house) and are only an issue at all for the roughly 4-5 months where it is warm enough that a little heat added to the house is not welcome.

[Metspitzer]

I don't have one, but I want one. My kitchen sink is around 60 ft from the water heater. I usually go without using hot water when washing my hands in the kitchen.

[krw]

 - Hide quoted text -

I've had one in each of the last three houses (one had the domestic coil in the boiler). I don't believe I've ever filled one. ;-)

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

4 or 5 months of extra heat in those months when it isn't welcome are as much of a consideration as anything else

[clare]

But the AMOUNT of extra heat is the issue. So VERY little - to the point it is inconsequential to me. Leaving a light on in the furnace room for an hour or two causes more heat

[trader4]

ca

As is the fact that most water heaters aren't installed in the heated part of the house. At least not here in the northease. Typically in the basement. Plus, like you I'm tired of hearing this "benefit". It applies only in climates cold enough where you don't need AC in the summer and the water heater in inside the heated house.

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

it is not so very little: if it was, these tanks would more often be placed in the middle of all houses so that the distribution of hot water is more efficient.

or

do a calculation: estimate how many gallons of water your gas usage would provide (if you can estimate that figure separate from heating/cooking) and see if that compares to what you estimate your hot water usage is. the difference is heat that gets into you house one way or another

[clare]

Up here housing is expensive enough that the basements are heated living space in the large majority of homes.

And i did not say the "lost heat" was a benefit - I just said it is no big deal. Nothing to make a tankless an advantage over.

[clare]

Easier to keep it to one side of the house -close to where the gas comes in - close to the chimney, and in space off to the side that does not interfere with using the rest of the basement as living space.

Pretty difficult to do - but total gas usage for the year is under $700 to heat the whole house and water - and during the summer the water heater gas usage is often below the minimum - so I put in a gas bar-b-q - no more propane and make it worth while paying for the gas over the summer.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Easier is not better. Take the easy way today and have it be a PITA for the next hundred years for the homeowner.

[Vic Smith]

Easier is better when it's better. Tanks are also where they are because of plumbing walls. Or plumbing wall are where they are because of water heaters. In many houses that's near the chimney. And it didn't turn out that way because the house designer was just "lucky" it turned out that way. For my hot water use, the only advantage I see in tankless is no standby losses. That's it. Way too many disadvantages to even consider tankless. A real nightmare to me, mainly because they require electricity, and maybe expensive maintenance. So far, the only advantages - besides no standby losses - I've seen argued for tankless is space saving and "endless HW." And maybe instant HW for point-of-use tankless. All are non-issues for me. Probably those who want the endless HW lose the standby heat loss advantage, because they use more HW. Look at DarbyDad. He would use 200 gallons of hot water per shower if he had one of these bad boys. The economics of going tankless reminds me of the GM Volt. A lot of cost for some "special" advantages. If you want it, and can afford it, go for it.

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

I've seen any number of houses, old yes, that have the water heater near the center of the floor plan. gas line isn't a problem nor is the venting

[Vic Smith]

Didn't know about that turbine ignition. I googled a bit, and only saw a Bosch. Not a good one according to reviews. Seems they'd have models that handle ignition with batteries. I see some use fans, so they need 120V. Anyway, I like the idea of tankless, but not the complexity. PCB's, flow sensors, special venting, etc. More to go wrong. That 25 year longevity looks like pie in the sky to me. If tank models had the failure/repair rates I see for the tankless jobs, the companies making them would go out of business. I've only had tank NG water heaters, and only replaced 2 that came with my houses. Both started leaking some years after I bought the house. Don't know how old they were $2-300 bucks for a new one, zip-zam-boom, done and forget about it for however many years they last. Haven't found out yet how long the ones I installed will last. Anyway, if you want to save that space and have "endless" hot water, go for it. l can see those advantages. Just don't care about them.