Tankless water heater?

**frugalfranny** · 12-07-2009, 04:55 PM

Does anyone here have a tankless water heater, or know someone that has one?

If so, can you tell me what you know about the pros and cons of them - other than initial cost.

Any help - GREATLY APPRECIATED!

I think my water heater is dying a slow death and I am investigating putting a tankless in when I have to bury it!

Understand you can put a unit at each main water source - anyone do this? (IE: kitchen and bathroom) Also, the further away from the 'water source' (shower/sink) the longer it takes for hot water - logical- (IE: bathroom shower w/unit in basement) but how bad is this? Any worse than letting the hot water get there with a tank?

If you have one - do you have very hard water?

ANY INFO will be greatly appreciated.......TIA!

**Greebo** · 12-07-2009, 06:23 PM

I have friends with one. They love it.

Pro - On demand hot water. Off demand, no wasted energy.

Con - Must run water at full - if you don't turn the water all the way on, the heater doesn't kick on.

**SixxOfDiamonds** · 12-07-2009, 06:34 PM

I asked a question similar to this a while ago... check out that thread for a possible bit of help!

[ame="http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122682"]Tankless VS Tank-Style Water Heater - Frugal Village Forums[/ame]

**TigerGirl1226** · 12-07-2009, 06:35 PM

My inlaws have 2. They have a very large house and have one on the side of their master and one of the side with the other bedrooms. They like them.

**frugalfranny** · 12-08-2009, 01:28 AM

Originally Posted by Greebo

I have friends with one. They love it.

Pro - On demand hot water. Off demand, no wasted energy.

Con - Must run water at full - if you don't turn the water all the way on, the heater doesn't kick on.

This concerns me and is not a feature/con that I have read about. Thanks Greebo. Could be a problem at the kitchen sink.......I seldom run the water at full.

Thanks six of D - thought I had read it before but glad you posted the thread. I put it in my favs.

**Peaches** · 12-08-2009, 04:33 AM

Originally Posted by frugalfranny

Understand you can put a unit at each main water source - anyone do this? (IE: kitchen and bathroom) Also, the further away from the 'water source' (shower/sink) the longer it takes for hot water - logical- (IE: bathroom shower w/unit in basement) but how bad is this? Any worse than letting the hot water get there with a tank?

Confused...one at each main water source? Don't you just have one boiler for the whole house?

Most people in Britain have a combi boiler. Is this the sort of "tankless heater" you mean? We have one and we love it. We get hot water on demand and if we're not using hot water, we're not using energy.

We don't have to have our tap on full. The boiler will kick in even if we don't have the water running full blast.

**Greebo** · 12-08-2009, 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by Peaches

Confused...one at each main water source? Don't you just have one boiler for the whole house?

It isn't mandatory to limit your water supply afaik.

We don't have to have our tap on full. The boiler will kick in even if we don't have the water running full blast.

The technology may have improved since I last checked into the "full flow" requirement.

**Pemberleyan** · 12-08-2009, 08:46 AM

We have had them for several years and we don't regret getting them, but there are some small cons. There is no "trickling" or small flow of hot water, for instance. A certain amount of water going through the pipe is required to flip the heater on. I can't brush my teeth at my bathroom sink because my particular faucet won't allow enough water flow to switch on the heater and cold water really hurts my teeth, so I have to go to the guest bathroom with a different faucet.

If you have, say, a long house with kitchen at one end and bathrooms at another, it might be worth your while to put one at each end of the house. We have one inside the basement under the bathrooms and one outside of the house near the utility room and kitchen.

It may be that some newer models don't require as much water to flow to switch them on. Also ours will not work if the power is out even though they are gas-powered because electricity is required for that "switching on" that I mentioned. If the power were to go out while you were in the shower, it wouldn't be a problem because the heater is already running.

**NikoSan999** · 12-08-2009, 09:20 AM

If you haven't read the other thread Whitney started do so. Especially Judy Dial's.
There can be issues with the electrical box etc. Maybe she will repost here.
We have friends that have a small one and they love it.

**KeithBC** · 12-08-2009, 03:57 PM

I looked into getting one for our guest cottage. The reason I didn't was that it needs a lot of electricity. The cottage only has a 50-amp electric supply, and I didn't want to upgrade it. It shouldn't be a problem if you have a modern 200-amp supply, but it would be a problem on an older system.

**frugalfranny** · 12-08-2009, 06:49 PM

Thanks for all the input gang.....keep it coming please. Giving me lots to think about..........

Originally Posted by KeithBC

I looked into getting one for our guest cottage. The reason I didn't was that it needs a lot of electricity. The cottage only has a 50-amp electric supply, and I didn't want to upgrade it. It shouldn't be a problem if you have a modern 200-amp supply, but it would be a problem on an older system.

Thanks Keith - I had read a little about that 'potential' issue. Figured that would come out when I got the estimate - after doing my research for other potential 'snags'......

The 'full flow' issue is a real concern now (didn't know about that - THANKS FV'ERS!!!)....along with the fact that I have extremely hard water. (the MAIN reason my tank is going out now!) If I am going to have to lay out some big money for what looks like, at this point, TWO units; I don't want them to die in 5 years or ? from my hard water.

The other thing that no one has mentioned, is the length of time it takes for the hot water to 'get there' if you have the unit in your basement. I know the units are 'fairly' small but my bathrooms are so tiny that if I had to have some 'thing' on the wall in my bathroom it would make it HORRIBLY cramped! (not to mention that they certainly aren't built for 'beauty!!)

**NikoSan999** · 12-08-2009, 08:23 PM

FF, you really need to read Judy Dials in other thread. There was also something about "flushing" out. Hard water??? Don't remember and it may not have been her. She was very descriptive.

**frugalfranny** · 12-09-2009, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by NikoSan999

FF, you really need to read Judy Dials in other thread. There was also something about "flushing" out. Hard water??? Don't remember and it may not have been her. She was very descriptive.

Thanks niko..........just went back and read the whole thread. I will be checking some of the sites that they posted too.

Now I am a little concerned with the elec. part and would bet that the traditional will be what I go with..........It hasn't died yet but I am sure the bottom element is so 'limed up' that it is just a matter of months.........darn hard water!!

**IntlMom** · 12-09-2009, 01:36 AM

our house has two. I have two observations:

1. it takes F O R E V E R for the water to get to the kitchen sink, (the furthest spot away) I mean like nearly 3 minutes at full blast - wasting water irritates me!

2. When we loose power, we have no hot water. NONE

That's it.

**frugalfranny** · 12-09-2009, 01:41 AM

Thanks IM.

Afraid I would be the same way. If I put just one unit in and put it in my basement, it would be the same thing. If I put more than one unit in and had one in the kitchen AND one in the main bathroom you would be hitting it when you even MOVED in my tiny main bathroom.

I call it a 'fall in' bathroom..........if you ever fell in there; you would either fall in the toilet, the sink or the bathtub as there is no place else to go!!