Anone have a tankless hot water heater?

disneysteve · #1 (**permalink**) 04-27-2008, 06:41 PM

Our hot water heater is nearing the end of its useful life and I was wondering about the tankless on-demand versions that are around now. I've heard that they are pricey, but also way more energy efficient since they only heat the water when it is needed rather than keeping 50 gallons hot 24/7. Does anyone here have one? Do you like it? How expensive was it? What effect has it had on your utility bills?

LivingAlmostLarge · #2 (**permalink**) 04-27-2008, 10:18 PM

It's can be a pain to install. I loved it at our old condo. But where we are now, it's impossible to install. It's more expensive but you save a lot on utilities, plus people can take baths one after another without waiting.

momof1in150 · #3 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 03:16 AM

We have a tankless that is part of our furnace. While I like the efficiency you can't run two showers at a time. You need to time your showers and other hot water usage. There might be better ones on the market as our is 7-10 years old.

sweeps · #4 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 04:32 AM

Can you have 2 tankless water heaters?

disneysteve · #5 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweeps

Can you have 2 tankless water heaters?

I did some reading online and you can have as many as you want, even one at each water source. That is if you use electric ones, of course. If you use gas, you are limited by where your gas lines are.

responduser · #6 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweeps

Can you have 2 tankless water heaters?

Yes, why not!

zetta · #7 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 12:48 PM

We looked into it briefly when our hot water heater died. The more expensive models will provide enough water for two showers at the same time.

The main reason we didn't get one was that it was a Sunday when our heater died and we could get an old fashioned heater the same day. Home Depot told us it would be at least 5 days before the tankless could be installed!

sweeps · #8 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 12:59 PM

zetta, can I ask how much the expensive models cost?

MonkeyMama · #9 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 01:07 PM

No, but it costs about $5/month to run our hot weater heater which was purchased in 2001. IT is some kind of energy efficient model. I think even if you don't go tankless you will notice some significant savings if you look around for efficiency. For us, it came with a new home, and I don't know if there was extensive installation or anything beyond the hot weater heater that helps keep the cost down, but our gas bills still amaze me many years later.

Just from another view point.

sweeps · #10 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 01:26 PM

Also after doing some reading on this, I've found that tankless water heaters are not recommended if you have a wide water distribution system in your house. For example if your water heater is a long distance from your dishwasher, bathroom shower, etc., you shouldn't go tankless.

zetta · #11 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 02:58 PM

Quote:

zetta, can I ask how much the expensive models cost?

I don't recall exactly -- this was two years ago, and prices have probably changed, but it seems like it was a couple thousand vs $700-ish for the old style.

scfr · #12 (**permalink**) 04-28-2008, 03:47 PM

I've not had one, but I can tell you as a home shopper that the tankless systems are a real up-and-coming trend in new homes.

One other thing to look in to is a Hot Water Recirculation Pump ... They get the hot water to the taps much faster and save a lot of water. My understanding is that they don't work on all water systems, but as long as you are planning to get your tank replaced it might be worth looking in to as a less expensive alternative to a tankless.
It may not save you as much in the long run as a tankless system, but the initial cost would be much less.

For example, Costco.com is selling one for $180:
Costco - Watts Premier Hot Water Recirculation Pump

irmanator · #13 (**permalink**) 04-29-2008, 03:48 AM

I wanted one when my tank died but the guy from lowes said they could not install i would have to get a licensed plumber to do it. I was in a hurry so i got the old fashioned kind. the guy who installed it was telling me if the gas pressure coming into my house was not good enough when the tankless heater kicked in that it would take pressure away from my stove and furnace and their pilots would go out.

MonkeyMama · #14 (**permalink**) 04-29-2008, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scfr

I've not had one, but I can tell you as a home shopper that the tankless systems are a real up-and-coming trend in new homes.

One other thing to look in to is a Hot Water Recirculation Pump ... They get the hot water to the taps much faster and save a lot of water. My understanding is that they don't work on all water systems, but as long as you are planning to get your tank replaced it might be worth looking in to as a less expensive alternative to a tankless.
It may not save you as much in the long run as a tankless system, but the initial cost would be much less.

For example, Costco.com is selling one for $180:
Costco - Watts Premier Hot Water Recirculation Pump

I think we have one of those. I was trying to remember what the heck we had...

zetta · #15 (**permalink**) 04-29-2008, 12:28 PM

We have a Hot Water Recirculation Pump. It does not save any energy in the heating of the water. It may make a small difference in the amount of water used, but I didn't notice a big difference in our bill. I love it, though, because now hot water arrives to the shower in about 30 seconds instead of 2 or 3 minutes (which does save a little water).

Basically the water that sits in the pipes between your water heater and your tap eventually cools down. The pump moves that water back to the heater, and fresh hot water to your tap, so that you get hot water much quicker when you turn on the tap, especially for taps that are farthest from the heater. A friend of mine argues that it's wasteful because you're turning all your pipes into a big radiator, but again, it can't be a big effect because it had minimal impact on our utility bills.

Gruntina · #16 (**permalink**) 05-08-2008, 09:06 PM

My husband installed the tank less water heaters in our home. We have a large one for two bathrooms and can shower the same time without any conflicts.

He also installed a small one just for the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink is seems to be instantly hot so we do not waste water that way.

Prior to installing the tank less water heater (we are on septic system)... Our showers took awhile to heat up and once warm, it only lasted about 5-7 minutes and then had to wait awhile for the next shower. With that said, it’s a huge blessing and quite the luxury since it does not run out of hot water either but we need to be careful with the timing of our shower so we don't waste water.

Our tank less water heater has remote controls so we can increase or decrease the water temp. Anytime. This is handy when we need to wash a load of whites in the washing machine or sanitize bottles for wine making. Also if we do have children some day, we can lower the temp to avoid scalding hot water.

I can not really help with the cost of bills because before the tank less water heater, our old water heater ran by electricity. The Tank less we have now runs on gas.