tankless waterheaters ?

[william_m_long]

I'm in the market for an electric tankless waterheater,household type,two people,one bath replacing my 48 year old electric water heater. Does anyone have opinions,suggestions,pricing,where to buy, etc. Are they good,bad,will it save me money?what brand is the best?.I"m looking forward to some good opinions,suggestions.I live in Ct

Thank you bill.

[Phisherman]

Heating water with electricity can be expensive compared to other means, but electric is clean and needs no venting. Tankless heaters are perfect for trailers. If you should have any periods of no electricity you'll have only cold water unless you get a generator.

[Speedy Jim]

To even begin considering an elec tankless for all domestic hot water, you will need a humongous electric service into the house. And any energy saving by not having standby losses will be miniscule.

A 48 yr old heater?? Get another one *just* like it and be set for life...

[hallerb]

figure a upgrade to 200 amps just for water heating, plus the service for everything else.

will cost big bucks probably several thousand.

now crack a valve for say washing your hands might get cold water, because the minimum flow wouldnt be met.

now if you live in a area that freezes, nice hot water may be cool when the incoming water is cold.

figure you will save money? the energy saved by no standby losses only matters in summer in cold weather it just helps heat your home.

the tankless cost is so high any savings will take longer than the tanks about 10 years expected life.

if you want more hot water just buy a regular tank of bigger capacity.

we should make a FAQ on this as it comes up all the time.........

[Robert Gammon]

I tend to agree. Tankless has its place,but often we forget what we give up when we move from a tank system.

I see one application of tankless whole house that makes sense.

Using a oil or wood fired boiler for space heating and DHW heating. In the case where the boiler does not heat water to 140F, use a tankless to boost the temp to 140F and kill the bacteria that thrive in 95F to 130F water.

Using a ground source heat pump to heat water will rarely get the upper tank temp above 130F(most controls internal to the heat pump shut down the flow of hot water to the DHW tank when the inlet temp to the heat exchanger reaches 130F). Again use a tankless to fire the water up to

140F to kill those bacteria.

Yes, an Electric Tankless HW may require the electric utility to install a new meter and base. A new 200 amp service (box, breakers and wiring) will have to be added by an electrician. These EXTRA costs are likely to DOUBLE or more the installed cost!!!

[buffalobill]

[buffalobill]