Tankless Water Heater???

[janette]

Hot Water Heater went out, need to replace it and considering a tankless. Anyone have one? Like it or not? It would be gas if that makes a difference. TIA.

 

[beavismom]

We had one in Japan and loved it. We always said we would go tankless if ours ever went out. The only real concern we had was the load factor, but we are a small family and it looked good for us.

 

[yourtravelpro]

janette...I just pm'd you.

 

[janette]

Got an estimate today, it will be about 2x what a regular heater would cost. We could expect it to last much longer though and there are other benefits. The gas savings would only be about maybe $100 a year so it would take a long time to recoup the difference.

Anyone else have experience with these? So far sounds good but would like to hear what others have to say.

 

[mmexpress]

Tankless(or On demand is another term) water heaters are great.
I'm thinking about putting one in myself, if mine goes bad.
I have a friend in the business.
I think your savings will be more than $100 a year, plus you'll never run out of hot water, the GPH on a tankless is amazing.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We need to upgrade and I have heard a commercial about this system.
DH says, bah...can't be good..

 

[mmexpress]

The kerosene fired on-demand water heater is actually more efficient than the gas fired only because kerosene makes more btu's per gallon than gas.

 

[IceQueen777]

Does anyone know if these are good for larger homes? I thought that I heard somewhere that these are great for smaller homes, but cannot handle the load for a larger house. Anyone have this in a larger home?

 

[janette]

The only disadvantage I've found is the price.

They only heat when the hot water is on and there is no storage so the energy used is much less. I'm estimating at $100 savings and that is quessing at about a 50% reduction but our gas bills are pretty low.

Most of the problems with water heaters are with the tank, life span is 10-15 yrs at best. If something goes wrong the entire thing has to be replaced, the tankless can be repaired if needed and are expected to have double the lifespan.

 

[janette]

Our house is about 2600 sq ft with 3 bathrooms. There are different versions of the heaters and they are rated at what you are expected to use. They heat faster if more hot water is anticipated. The one we are considering is rated to do 2 1/2 things at the same time. It is only when you are doing multiple things at once that the system has problems, they never run out of hot water like a standard tank.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Originally posted by IceQueen777
Does anyone know if these are good for larger homes? I thought that I heard somewhere that these are great for smaller homes, but cannot handle the load for a larger house. Anyone have this in a larger home?

I would like to know this as well. I am thinking about getting this system BECAUSE we have a large home. Someone is always using hot water.
Right now we are going to buy 2 water heaters to replace the one we have.

 

[janette]

Originally posted by The Mystery Machine
I would like to know this as well. I am thinking about getting this system BECAUSE we have a large home. Someone is always using hot water.
Right now we are going to buy 2 water heaters to replace the one we have.

I'm sure if I had to chose between 2 heaters and one of the tankless I'd go with the tankless. We're going to check on a few more things and will probably go with it, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Randi]

I have had a tankless water heater for 34 yrs with an oil furnace. Started out with 4 people, 2 adults, 1 child and an infant. Lots of washing, clothes & dishes. Down to 2 adults now. Have never run out of hot water. Have nothing to compare prices with as it was put in when the house was built. Once about 15 yrs ago, I did have it cleaned out to get rid of any sediment per recommendation of the oil company.