Need info on tankless hot water heaters.

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HKMark23

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We're building a new house and are considering a tankless hot water heater. In my area they cost about 30-50% more than a standard one but they are supposedly way more efficient. I,m more interested in their small size so everything else is a plus.

Any info would be great-Thanks.
 
I just moved into a house that was built in the 50's with a tankless system. It was pretty beat up when we bought the house so we had it removed and I put in a hot water storage tank. The guy that removed the old unit was singing the praises of tankless systems and said that they are about the only thing he installs lately. Ours only had to be removed because of the age and it was more cost efficient for me to add the storage tank. When I build I will be going tankless. Pretty much unlimited hot water and no big water tank to clog up your basement. From what I hear tankless is the way to go.

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"Some people spend an entire liftime wondering if they made a difference. Marines don't have that problem."
Semper Fi
 
When you say tankless water heater are you refering to one that is installed in your homes heating boiler or the one that fits under the individual sink?
As a person who once worked in the Heating and Air Conditioning business, It is my opinion that a normal hot water heater be installed, depending on the gallon size and number of people in your household if sized right you should never run out of hot water.
It has been my opinion to have one unit to do one job.
When you have the coil in your heating boiler you can always run into the problem of running out of hot water during a heating cycle.The under the sink or direct hook up units I really cannot attest to.
I have always had a 50gal. natural gas water heater in my home and with 4 people including teenage daughter I have never run out of hot water. But I always waited to shower after the daughter was finished.
As far as the direct hook ups,under sink units, I would never heat my home or my domestic water with electric. In my area that would be over expensive plus since the water is hard in most homes it is very hard on the insides of the tanks,annodes and heating elements.
Domestic water coils in heating boilers are suceptable to same (blockage) over time unless you have a water softener.
Like I said above I have a 50gal gas water heater and all my water in the house has been softened,No problems. About once per month I do drain a bucket (5gal.) from the bottom of the water heater to make sure there is no sediment.
Hope this helps :)

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We preserve our freedoms by using four boxes: soap,ballot,jury, and cartridge.
Anonymous
 
Still waiting for the NUCLEAR model, no more electric bill either. Just dont know where to buy heavy water. ;)

[This message has been edited by oberkommando (edited September 12, 2000).]
 
It would be a gas (propane) unit for the whole house. Just 2 of us in a 1800sq.ft. 1 3/4 bath. I'm more interested in their small size & the fact that I can hang it on the wall behind where I'll put the furnace.
 
When my wife and I lived in Japan for two years (1985-87) that was all they used. Apartments and houses were too small to have a regular water heater.

When we turned the hot water on it took a minute or two to heat up, but other than that it worked fine. I thought it was a pretty good idea!
 
Once in a great while, I do something right. (Buying that milsurplus Mak was another example but I digress...) When I had my house converted from electric heat to oil heat, I asked the guys to plumb in the old electric hot water heater just in case the oil tankless job didn't work good enough.

After a couple of years of little or no hot water, I said 'To heck with this!', opened one valve, shut another, and switched back to the electric tank and I'm a happy camper.

Seems that where I live, the 'stuff' in my well water coats the coils or something and the tankless systems stop working well.

Good luck with yours...

oweno
 
In Ireland, they're found everywhere for bathroom showers. You have to turn them on for a minute to heat the coils, and watch that you don't turn the water on too strongly - or the temp will go down to cool.

When I built my last house, I put a large regular water heater right between the two bathrooms, and we never had to wait for hot water for showers and baths.

Appliances that use a lot of hot water, such as the dishwasher and clothes washer, were at the farthest point from the heater - I figured they were good candidates to suffer a wait while the hot water got to them from the other end of the house.

I guess my advice would be to put a regular hot water heater as close to the bathrooms as you can.

It makes a big difference if you have a basement, vs. slab or crawlspace.
 
I KNOW we haven't been real clear on our policy concerning off-topic [OT] threads, but REALLY, doesn't this strike y'all as standing beyond the pale?

Aren't there better places to find this out than a firearms discussion site? :confused:

[Finger hovering over the "Lock Thread" button...]

[This message has been edited by Long Path (edited September 12, 2000).]
 
When I visited my relatives in Tawain a few years back, I found out about the tankless systems. My parents had one installed at their restaurant. I like them because of the fact that you never run out of hot water, but be sure to get one that is big enough, or you run in to the problem Idaho Mike mentions. If you turn up the hot water pressure wise, it will cool off your water a lot. It does take a minute or two to get your hot water, but that is the way it is in my home, because the hotwater tank is in the garage, so I see no loss there. They are more efficent because you don't have to heat a 30 to 50 gallon tank all the time, just the amount of water you need when you want it.

To Long Path: I don't mind the off topic discussions. Not to be a jerk, but I thought that was what the general discussion board was for. Also because all these people share an intrest of mine, I trust them more for their info, and politeness. Some of the other specific boards for these questions house great big a**holes, that blast you for simple questions. Everyone here takes the time out to be polite, and answer even the most basic question. So why not use it.
 
For what it is worth, I would recommend an INDIRECT water heater. This is a unit that operates like a seperate zone off of the hot water heating system.

Pros include;
No separate burner for an additional water heater.
No separate chimney for a separate unit.
No attending maintenance of another heating unit.
Massive amounts of hot water and a very fast recovery rate.
2 types available,tank within a tank and a submerged coil. either kicks ass.

Installation involves installing piping from the boiler as another "zone" and a thermostat on the unit controls either another circulator or a simple zone valve.

I've installed a number of them with nary a complaint about running out of hot water.

The two brands I've used are Extrol Hot Water Maker and Phase 3 by Triangle Tube.

They are not cheap but are low maintenance (none) and will last indefinitely due to their simplicity. (no moving parts)

With the advent of the newer more compact (crash type) boilers these units are a perfect compliment to them. The crash boiler does not really hold enough boiler system water (typically 20-25 gals jacket) to work that well with a tankless coil in my opinion. You would have to put a flow restricter on your domestic water to allow proper heat transfer for hot water.This reduces flow at the faucet and washing machine.

Something to consider.

[This message has been edited by Contender (edited September 12, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Contender (edited September 12, 2000).]
 
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