Tankless water heater

[JIMMIE]

I was thinking of replacing my NG water heater with one of the new tankless ones until I saw the price, about 2K bucks installed. I took a look at my gas bill for the summer months and figure my current water heater is costing me about $220 a year to operated and from the manufacturere info I could save 10 to 20 per cent if I got with the tankless unit or 22 to 44 dollars a year. Am I missing something here? This doesnt seem worthwhile at all. The thing would probably need replacing before I ever reached a break even point.

Jimmie

[Robert Neville]

No, you aren't On top of the numbers you posted, you also have to take into account that tankless heaters require recurring maintenance and will liely require a larger electrical service or gas supply.

That's why 99% of the residential hot water systems in this country are storage tank.

There are situations where tankless heaters make sense, but overall economics rarely favor tankless.

[JC]

I mis-posted this on the computer question thread. They probably think I'm "tanked".

[ransley]

If you only pay 20 a month that isnt much, I paid 470 for a bosch tankless and put it in myself, gas bill in summer is under 10$, I still figure I got a 4-5 year payback 8 yrs ago, so im ahead. How much of that 20$ is cooking and dryer, my unit is a single use, the big ones cost alot more and all usualy need gas line modifications.

[Van Chocstraw]

I have 2 tankless electric units I paid $150 each for and installed them my self and I love them. They are cheaper than keeping the oil fired hot water boiler on all summer. Depends on your hot water use. I don't use much. I have one for the bathroom shower/sink and the other under the kitchen sink. I use only cold on the washer. I just had to run 30 amp circuits to each one and a little plumbing. I think it's the best way to go. My electric bill was $29.00 last month.

[Phisherman]

Please read the Consumer Reports article on tankless heaters. They are expensive to buy and maintain. I decide not to get one because they require periodic descaling, don't work at all during power outages, and they have the "cold-water sandwich" issue. Most Americans have tank water heaters. The tankless does save some energy, but IMO not enough.

[trader4]

What is the "cold-water sandwich" problem?

[h]

??? I'm an American and I know NO people who take 30 minute showers. That's completely insane. I can wash my body, wash and condition my waist length hair, and shave my legs in a 5 minute shower.

[Phisherman]

Apparantly, tankless heaters may not heat a portion of the stream of water. You get hot, then a short time of cold, then hot again. It is mentioned in Consumer Reports. Not a big deal unless the water is pouring down your back!

[Phisherman]

Teh only time I take a shower more than 10 minutes is for muscle strain, back ache, knee surgery, etc. The pulsating shower heads can take away some kinds of pain, quickly and easily. In that case, I would take a longer shower.

[Wayne Whitney]

This occurs when you use the hot water, shut it off, and use it again. For example if you take a shower right after someone else. There is a few second latency for the burners to reignite, and so you get a short slug of colder water. It comes out some time after you start the second use, depending on how long the pipes are from the tankless heater to the point of use. Of course, if you wait a while between uses, all the water in the pipes will have cooled, so you won't notice the extra bit of cool water.

Cheers, Wayne

[Douglas Johnson]

You haven't met my youngest daughter...

-- Doug

[mike]

Another thing to consider is that a tank provides you with emergency drinking water in the case of a natural or man-made disaster.

[Van Chocstraw]

You can also get it if you use the water too slowly and the over-temp kicks it off for a time.

[JIMMIE]

I avarage 3.5 people here, My teenage daughter has a steady flow of friends over

Jimmie