A friend wants to get rid of his 40 gl gas water heater for a tankless one and needs some help on some pointers and a guide in the right direction.
Thanks.
Bob B
[ 12-04-2005, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: bob bridgewater ]
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Be safe out there folks
Bob B
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bob, honestly a tankless is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be. large initial expense, new larger gas line, new stainless steel venting. very little cost savings on gas usage. also if you lose power (120 volt) you lose hot water. hot circulating system is a pain to incorporate into this system.
only advantage is small size and produces more hot water per hour than a 40 gallon heater.
still not a huge fan. have your friend really think twice about a tankless heater and ask what the advantages are.
Since my gas service charges me about 40/month I changed to an electric model. I dropped my bill about 100/month. The only drawback was pulling another feed since it needs 2 feeds of 220V but it was no big deal since it was close to the breaker. Now I dont pay that gas fee for nothing and I dont heet 40 gallons a water all day and night for a 10 minute shower (I wash clothes in cold water) Europe has used these for years but big business sees no reason to promote them .
I am in agreement with Rick on this one. The whole house tankless are very expensive. And I have removed at least scores of the little electric point of use units for dis-satisfied customers.
Though your post has given me another idea for a gadget that might let me retire early.
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If I could add my 2 cents...
Tankless water heaters (esp. gas) have a very bright future in new construction. I would not build a house without one. In retrofit situations, it just depends. Cost shouldn't be a big factor - a 50 gallon with an energy factor of 0.60 or better will run $350 plus and I paid $550 for a Takagi Jr. If the gas meter is close or the existing line is adequate the supply is not a big deal. The stainless exhaust is a consideration if the top out is pretty high. But I'll guarantee you that natural gas prices are trending up higher than inflation, and electricity is right behind since so much is now from NG powered thermal plants. The economics for tankless are good for almost any application. A friend built a cabin at 5000 feet in the Sierras and uses one for DHW and space heat (radiant slab).
The only issue I see with tankless is it is hard to use them in high end homes which want a circulating system. I have found a way to get around that problem to a limited basis but with a picky HO you still need a storage type heater. I have a feeling within a fairly short time tankless will be the law of the land.
Mark
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The most important thing that you want to check out is the filtering of the water. If you have a lot of sediment in the water you will have problems with a tankless water heater. Make sure it has a filter or if you put a filter in keep it clean......
hknoll, actually the higer btu's of the heater produce more hard water mineral deposits. therefore the heaters tend to lime up in the heat exchangers. the heater does have a filter screen similar to the screens found on a washing machine inlet.
the best way to keep the heatexchanger lime free is to circulate vinegar through the inlet , outlet. this can easily be done with the us of the shut off, bypass, bleed valves that are an accessory. a 5 gallon bucket and a small pump with 2 washing machine hoses. the vinegar is circulated throught the heater and back into the bucket untill all the lime is removed.
by doing this at least once a year, you'll extend the life of the heater.
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