Tankless Recommendation

[compguy]

New here. Google sent me. 8)

So I've read around and seen what most people think about tankless but my motivations are a little different. I could care less about the savings unless I end up negative in terms of ongoing costs, that would be bad. I want endless hot water, I want the space my water heater is occupying to make a washroom and I want a water heater that takes air from outside and vents outside without any internal air leakage. This pretty much is my motivation. I also can't stand the noise my current water heater makes. I would be fine to make noise under usage but it goes on for quite some time even after usage stops to re-fill the tank. Right now I have a PowerVent.

I have a house in Europe which uses a tankless heater so I know what to expect. In fact that unit was installed in the early 80s and recently replaced (last year) because it was never maintained and it's a vacation house that gets used all too rarely. The biggest problem is waiting for hot water but my tank sucks in this regard anyways. But I digress.

I'm looking for the following characteristics:

-high capacity
-PVC venting
-relatively quiet
-high quality
-could be used for radiant floor heating (this is a bonus) Basement isn't finished yet and floor radiant is what I want to end up doing.

So initially I was just googling around and ended up looking at a Navien. Then I got to this forum and lost all interest.

So what else is available that experts (you guys) have installed and have run without problems? I see Quietside and Noritiz have "combi" units. Does anyone else that meets my criteria? I don't mind paying a bit more for a quality unit that will not give problems.

[PLUMBER RICK]

noritz makes a condensing tankless that uses pvc venting. but remember that although they might supply endless hot water, they are typically limited to approx. 5-10 gpm with a 45 degree rise.

there is always a delay with tankless unless you install a recirc system with them.

as you have read, there's lots of hype and wishes.

rick.

[drtyhands]

Sounds like a tankless pimp thread

[compguy]

Originally Posted by PLUMBER RICK

noritz makes a condensing tankless that uses pvc venting. but remember that although they might supply endless hot water, they are typically limited to approx. 5-10 gpm with a 45 degree rise.

there is always a delay with tankless unless you install a recirc system with them.

as you have read, there's lots of hype and wishes.

rick.

Which model number and have you installed one/tried one before?

[taddeeper]

what about that vertex from ao smith. 90 percent efficient. you can put a circ line on it and use it for radiant heat lines. aren't tankless units about 82 percent? vertex still vents to outside useing pvc and you can use the 1/2 inch gas line instead of running a 3/4 line for a tankless. i like those for the money vs. tankless.

[JamesE]

Recently worked with some Takagi products. Liked them very much. I've installed the TK-Jr, T-K3, and T-M50. They are very nice. The T-M50 we setup with a recirc and it has a thermocouple that senses the return loop cold spots and adjusts accordingly along with a PID tuning you can do. Very intelligent stuff. I would recommend the Takagi to anybody.

[drtyhands]

Originally Posted by JamesE

Recently worked with some Takagi products. Liked them very much. I've installed the TK-Jr, T-K3, and T-M50. They are very nice. The T-M50 we setup with a recirc and it has a thermocouple that senses the return loop cold spots and adjusts accordingly along with a PID tuning you can do. Very intelligent stuff. I would recommend the Takagi to anybody.

Takagi was the popular back in the mid nineties.
Got passed up in popularity this past decade.

You are the second one to mention them over the passed few days.

Are they making a comback

Lots of new tankless technology coming out.
internal tanks and recircs built in.
Condensing for more efficiency.

[ChicagoPlumbin]

Takagi has a big line up of heaters for every application, small res. large res. small commercial and large commercial. Takagi just came out with the T-H2 95% condensing unit that you vent with PVC no mater what the temp of water is, even on a recirc loop (185 degrees) The T-H2 is a steal combustion unit, or they have an outdoor model. The T-H2 has a built in remote to the computer board that can give you life of the unit (electric hours) BTU's being used at anytime, gallons that have been used, and many other neat features that no one in the Tankless market has used.

T-M50 will give you 14.5 gpm 45 degree temp rise, this unit is being used in hotels, restuarants, heath clubs, and even large homes.

Takagi has taken a great leap forward with their products, and they have a bright future in 2010 when they will release 2 new products.

Full Product Catalog Commercial Catalog

Takagi has training classes all over the US, if you are a user of tankless check them out......

[SewerRatz]

This whole thread sounds like a sales pitch

[Manning Formula]

a.o. smiths tankless heaters are just rinnai heaters with a different brand name stuck on at the end.

also, a noritz rep once told me that they didn't recommend their heaters be used for radiant heating. if you asked me why, i couldn't tell you.