Tankless Water Heater

[MNclone]

I noticed tonight that I have a slow drip coming from the bottom of my 15 year old gas water heater. I'll give it a closer look later, but it is likely going to need replacing.

I've been looking at a tankless system. I've got a fairly small house, 2 bathroom, family of 4. So I don't think I would need anything huge. It is looking like I could just get one like what I have for around $350, or the tankless would run between $800 and $1000.

Anyone on here have a tankless heater?
Are you pleased with it? Any drawbacks?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Three4Cy]

I noticed tonight that I have a slow drip coming from the bottom of my 15 year old gas water heater. I'll give it a closer look later, but it is likely going to need replacing.

I've been looking at a tankless system. I've got a fairly small house, 2 bathroom, family of 4. So I don't think I would need anything huge. It is looking like I could just get one like what I have for around $350, or the tankless would run between $800 and $1000.

Anyone on here have a tankless heater?
Are you pleased with it? Any drawbacks?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I talked to the plumber who fixed my water heater, he said tankless may cost more upfront, but the savings over the long run are well worth it. I would spend the money on the tankless.

 

[CycloneGB]

I know a couple people who have them in their homes. The only thing they said was the initial cost was a little tougher to put up without knowing much about them. They have no problems running out of water and say they wouldn't think of going back. Sounds like the real deal if you can stomach the extra cash up front.

 

[CyPride]

I know a couple people who have them in their homes. The only thing they said was the initial cost was a little tougher to put up without knowing much about them. They have no problems running out of water and say they wouldn't think of going back. Sounds like the real deal if you can stomach the extra cash up front.

funny, i've heard that it doesn't save any money, rather might actually cost more than a tank. How much can you really save, anyway? look at your summer bill (if you are gas) and then look at your gas bill (if you don't have other gas appliance other than your tank). the amount of energy a natural gas water heater uses is not a lot.

My gas bill this past month was $10. I've got a lot of people (6) using my house the majority of the time. How much do you think you'll save?

I'd think about it.

 

[Marc936]

I talked to the plumber who fixed my water heater, he said tankless may cost more upfront, but the savings over the long run are well worth it. I would spend the money on the tankless.

20 years down the line it would.


its kind of like how people want to buy a new car thats a lot more fuel efficient than the car they have. Well, the cost to buy it will offset your savings to not even make it worth it.

 

[breck53]

I noticed tonight that I have a slow drip coming from the bottom of my 15 year old gas water heater. I'll give it a closer look later, but it is likely going to need replacing.

I've been looking at a tankless system. I've got a fairly small house, 2 bathroom, family of 4. So I don't think I would need anything huge. It is looking like I could just get one like what I have for around $350, or the tankless would run between $800 and $1000.

Anyone on here have a tankless heater?
Are you pleased with it? Any drawbacks?

Thanks in advance for your help.

You might check out energy rebates_I believe this qualifies and would help out with initial costs.Also talk to someone who has one.

 

[CycloneYoda]

We have one. Came with the place. Compared to the water heater we had at our place in Iowa City, the on-demand water heater in this house saves us about $15-$20 per month. Had to reset the pilot one time, and it was quite easy.

 

[cytech]

funny, i've heard that it doesn't save any money, rather might actually cost more than a tank. How much can you really save, anyway? look at your summer bill (if you are gas) and then look at your gas bill (if you don't have other gas appliance other than your tank). the amount of energy a natural gas water heater uses is not a lot.

My gas bill this past month was $10. I've got a lot of people (6) using my house the majority of the time. How much do you think you'll save?

I'd think about it.

This is what I am wondering each month I don't use my furnace I get a minimum gas bill because the water heater is only other gas appliance. Not sure it would be worth it for me living by myself.

 

[CyGal]

I talked to the plumber who fixed my water heater, he said tankless may cost more upfront, but the savings over the long run are well worth it. I would spend the money on the tankless.

We replaced our water heater last year. The two plumbers we had give us quotes both talked us out of the tankless. I don't remember the reasoning right now, but the fact that two plumbers from different companies felt the same way told us we probably shouldn't get one.

 

[cygrads]

I noticed tonight that I have a slow drip coming from the bottom of my 15 year old gas water heater. I'll give it a closer look later, but it is likely going to need replacing.

I've been looking at a tankless system. I've got a fairly small house, 2 bathroom, family of 4. So I don't think I would need anything huge. It is looking like I could just get one like what I have for around $350, or the tankless would run between $800 and $1000.

Anyone on here have a tankless heater?
Are you pleased with it? Any drawbacks?

Thanks in advance for your help.

We had one put in 4 or 5 years ago. I don't think we have saved any money overall - at least not yet. What we save in gas goes down the drain in additional water cost. It takes time for the tankless to heat the water and then get the water to your point of use. It takes some adjusting to - it took us a while to figure out when you turn on the bath water for your shower you need to start the shower because if you let it get hot and then pull the knob to send the water to the shower head that hesitation turns the tankless off and you get cold water for a while until it heats it up again. I figure my savings will come when in another 5 years I won't have to replace it because it will likely last 20 or more years so I'm saving on the replacement of at least one water heater.

Also, the plumber I had put my tankless in could install it but knew nothing about them - it is still somewhat of a specialty item and many plumbers do not have the expertise so I assume that is why they advise people against them.

I think it depends on how long you expect to be in your house - another 5 to 10 years then put in a regular tank if you are going to be in your home for 15 or 20 years then a tankless may make sense. You said it was a small house so getting hot water to the point of use should not take long.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[KCy]

How long does a tankless last? Gas water heaters don't last all that long so it may be worth it based on their lifespan alone. I don't know the answer but worth checking it out.

 

[BleedCycloneRed]

If you a considering a tankless water heater, (assuming you are looking at an electric one), consider that they have a much higher electric demand and therefore there are wiring costs associated with the tankless model, and you may have to confirm that your existing electric service has capacity for the unit. I can't speak for gas-fired tankless units since all my investigation has been on electric models.

 

[CycloneYoda]

We had one put in 4 or 5 years ago. I don't think we have saved any money overall - at least not yet. What we save in gas goes down the drain in additional water cost. It takes time for the tankless to heat the water and then get the water to your point of use. It takes some adjusting to - it took us a while to figure out when you turn on the bath water for your shower you need to start the shower because if you let it get hot and then pull the knob to send the water to the shower head that hesitation turns the tankless off and you get cold water for a while until it heats it up again. I figure my savings will come when in another 5 years I won't have to replace it because it will likely last 20 or more years so I'm saving on the replacement of at least one water heater.

Also, the plumber I had put my tankless in could install it but knew nothing about them - it is still somewhat of a specialty item and many plumbers do not have the expertise so I assume that is why they advise people against them.

I think it depends on how long you expect to be in your house - another 5 to 10 years then put in a regular tank if you are going to be in your home for 15 or 20 years then a tankless may make sense. You said it was a small house so getting hot water to the point of use should not take long.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

My wife hates this, but it has never bothered me. I have always jumped into the shower without waiting for the warm water.

 

[cygrads]

How long does a tankless last? Gas water heaters don't last all that long so it may be worth it based on their lifespan alone. I don't know the answer but worth checking it out.

When I did the research before getting mine I seem to recall a life of 25 to 30 years was not out of the ordinary. Not hard to believe since the only time these units operate is when there is a demand for hot water which is not that often. Regular tank water heaters are working 24/7.

 

[clones26]

A tankless should provide instant hot water, if it takes too long to get to the point of use warm, you need a bigger tankless water heater. We have one at the lake and when 10 people need to shower within an hour we never run out of hot water. My 2 year old regular water heater at home only takes 3 people showering to run out it seems. The tax credit for them in 2010 is 30% of cost.

 

[drmwevr08]

If you a considering a tankless water heater, (assuming you are looking at an electric one), consider that they have a much higher electric demand and therefore there are wiring costs associated with the tankless model, and you may have to confirm that your existing electric service has capacity for the unit. I can't speak for gas-fired tankless units since all my investigation has been on electric models.

I will get a tankless the next time I have to put something in. My biggest problem with the tank right now is that in order to make sure we dont run out of hot water with 2 or 3 consecutive showers is that we have the heater cranked up on high so that we can use less of it for each shower. Having kids this is not ideal. There is a burn risk we are assuming in order to not take cold showers. I would say if you have 4 or more people the performance will be worth it and there should be long run savings, even if you arent going to live there 20 years.

I would also echo that a lot of plumbers probably don't know quite enough to be relied upon for thier opinion on the matter. Many are operating on tankless shortcomings that havent really been a problem for a number of years.

 

[brett108]

funny, i've heard that it doesn't save any money, rather might actually cost more than a tank. How much can you really save, anyway? look at your summer bill (if you are gas) and then look at your gas bill (if you don't have other gas appliance other than your tank). the amount of energy a natural gas water heater uses is not a lot.

My gas bill this past month was $10. I've got a lot of people (6) using my house the majority of the time. How much do you think you'll save?

I'd think about it.

Tankless water heaters are inherently more efficient. They are on demand. You are not always trying to keep the water in the tank at a set temperature. Also, they will not scale and suffer from underdeposit corrosion, because the heating occurs over tubes that are flowing, keeping deposti formation at a minimum. Tankless water heaters are the way to go if you have any kind of a natural gas bill.

 

[MNclone]

Thanks for the advice. I will definately have to take a look at my gas bill this summer. I know it can't be much. I'm not going to make a decision quite yet, because I'm heading to Canada for the rest of the week. (Yes, I'm going to shut the water heater off!)

 

[DaddyMac]

I think the biggest questions are

- How long do you plan to live in the house. It'll take some time to recover that cost, but you most likely will see a utility savings. I know a couple people who have them and love them. Never heard a complaint. If I were to move into new construction, it's the way I'm going.

- How much continuous hot water do you need? These things have a finite amout of water they can heat at a time, whereas a tank can push more already heated water, faster. of course, once that tank is expended, the tankless can generate heated water longer. So if your family takes consecutive showers or does other concurrent uses, a tankless may be a benefit.

No central water heater is "instant on". If the water sits there unused in the pipes, it'll cool. A tank system that always heats will provide a bit of extra heating, but that's about it. If your faucets are far away from your heater, you'll have a lag. Only real cures for that is a local heater, or circulator pump - which probably isn't a good idea with tankless.

- Even with a gas tankless, most I believe will need an electrical service for the control system. Most water heaters don't have one nearby. I know mine doesnt.

And will you be able to mount the tankless to a nearby wall, most likely exterior to vent it, without having to run your pipes too far, thus increasing cost. This is the problem I have, my water heater is tucked near my furnace, on an interior space,and the service and out-line is covered by various ducts from the furnace. It'd cost a small fortune outside the installeation, to reurn the plumbing.

 

[CycloneYoda]

Just took a look at mine. Looks pretty standard. No electrical service at all. Mounted on an old chimney shaft perfectly. With manual, I have full access to maintain it properly without all hell breaking loose. Less than 3 years old.