Tankless Water Heaters

UffDa

UffDa

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 11, 1999
Messages
42,596
My water heater is about 10 years old and from my experience, it is probably near end of life and they usually fail at the most inconvenient time. (Weekends and holidays)

I am considering replacing it with a tankless heater. My sister has a Rinnai and I was not impressed with it's ability to heat water. She lives in the boonies in No. Calif. and
it runs on propane.

I have been pricing the various brands and the run from about $200 to $1000. Does anyone have experience with them?
 
I did a lot of research and decided on a Takagi, but when I went to a local supplier the guy running the desk actually convinced me to buy a Noritz. He literally called another warehouse and I paid over the phone. I live off the grid so I wanted something bullet proof. Supposedly the dairy industry and other industrial users tend to go with Noritz because they're so reliable. I haven't had a problem in two years, just make sure you plumb in a bypass to flush the unit with vinegar once a year, it's amazing how much scale comes off the thing.
Interestingly Toyota designed a lot of the system Noritz uses.
 
The closest I come to having experience is the shop at work. My boss told me it had a tankless water heater when it was built, but it failed after three years, and was replaced with a conventional 30 gal. gas water heater which has been running for 13 years now. I looked into them for some of our apartments, but installation cost was prohibitive. we would either have to plumb in gas (the apartments are on concrete slabs) or double the electical service capacity to run units large enough to do the job.
 
Uffda your tank is 10 years old? Unless you have really bad water that tank is still young. I have an electric 40 gallon tank that is at least 30 years old (the house was two years old when I bought it and have been living here for 28 years) and over the years I have had to replace the elements twice. I am on a well, and the water is very good.

The only drawback is the extreme cost of electricity we have around here and have been thinking about getting a tankless water heater or just getting an oil fired tank. To get around the high costs of electricity and since we are on time of use I installed a timer so that the water heater only runs at night during the cheap rate. We found that there is plenty enough of hot water to get through the day, allow us to do things like take showers and run the washing machine during the day when electric prices are at peak.
 
First of all, the major reason your tank heater will fail is the exhaustion of the sacrificial anode. The anode rod can be easily and inexpensively replaced thus doubling or even tripling the life of the tank. There are plenty of online resources, vides, etc. Start HERE

Is your existing tank electric or gas?

A gas-fired tankless heater needs electricity, a 120V / 15A circuit. If there is no outlet near (within about six feet) of the tank, then you will have to install one. Keep in mind that code will not allow the permanent use of an extension cord.

Gas-fired tankless water heaters are horribly inefficient. Yes, I said INefficient. They save energy overall because you only use hot water for minutes per day and a tankless heater does not keep 50 gallons of water hot 24/7. But, for those minutes when a gas-fired tankless heater is making hot water, it is incredibly inefficient. The consequence of this is that the exhaust gas is blazing hot and so the exhaust flue must be double-insulated. The exhaust flue for your existing gas-fired tank is almost surely not good enough and will have to be replaced. The new flue will be expensive. So, be sure to think about that cost as you consider your options.
 
Well...
Redneck-water-heater.jpg
 
^
^
^
:D

We have one of those small under the sink water heaters at work. The redneck version probably works better.


Thanks for the input. I neglected to mention that my water heater runs on natural gas. If and when I replace it, it will be with the old fashioned tank type.
 
The water heater in my home is also likely on its last legs too. The hot water runs out after about 10 minutes. This in turn has boosted my efficiency in the morning. :D i might look into replacing the sacrificial tube soon. The landlady is an uber tightwad.
 
About the exhaust, you can get an in-wall unit that direct vents to the oustide of the building. No vent pipe. This is what I have. You'd have to sawzall an opening, flash and trim. Not a big job if you're handy and not a big deal to plumb these things. There are models that DON'T require electricity, a paddle accuates the ignitor when water runs through it. Mine is an electronic ignition so its wired 110v. I consider it extremely effecient, when one 5 gallon tank of propane lasts me a month at least with a multi-person household. Water tanks are almost extinct IMHO. From a quick read online it seems on-demand flash heaters save an average of 20-30% of your hard-earned money. Good luck with your project.
 
RevDevil said:
The water heater in my home is also likely on its last legs too. The hot water runs out after about 10 minutes.
Click to expand...

That is the failure of the dip tube in the water heater. It's about a $5 part and very easy to replace. Do the anode while you're at it.
 
Assuming he doesn't have water like ours. We get that symptom here when there are 20 gallons of lime in the tank. I've seen 30 gallon water heaters that required a hoist to load in a pickup, two men couldn't lift them that high.
 
Gollnick said:
That is the failure of the dip tube in the water heater. It's about a $5 part and very easy to replace. Do the anode while you're at it.
Click to expand...
Thank you Sir. I did read through the link you provided, I also browsed the Bradford White website and found some generalized infomration, condensed but not as informative as the initial link. I will be stopping by the local hardware stores this afternoon.
 
UffDa said:
^
^
^
:D




Thanks for the input. I neglected to mention that my water heater runs on natural gas. If and when I replace it, it will be with the old fashioned tank type.
Click to expand...

Don't worry be happy, natural gas is the best way to go, your tank is barely middle aged, more likely young. It should be the least of your household worries:thumbup:
 
RevDevil said:
The water heater in my home is also likely on its last legs too. The hot water runs out after about 10 minutes. This in turn has boosted my efficiency in the morning. :D i might look into replacing the sacrificial tube soon. The landlady is an uber tightwad.
Click to expand...

If your water heater is electric, and has 2 heating elements, you might want to check the lower heating element. The problem you describe is a common symptom of a failed lower heating element. The lower element heats the water initially, while the upper element keeps the water hot. If you are being short changed on the amount of water it is likely the lower element. However if your water heater is old or you have hard water where you live then you might want to try flushing out your tank. I have found that tanks that have alot of build up are easier to flush by removing the lower element. This gives you a larger opening in which to remove the sediment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top