My water heater is 12 years old and I want to get a new one. Someone recommended a tankless gas water heater and said it is more efficient and more economical. I don't know a thing about it. Is it a good idea to get this? There are 2 adults and no children in the household. Please help. Thanks.
2006-10-09 10:50:53 · 7 answers · asked by rona w 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Hi
A tankless water heater heats the water only as you use it thus saving the energy that a standard tank uses to store hot water 24/7 when you only use it AM and PM. It will save a considerable amount of energy IF you can stand it's idiosyncracies.
Because a standard water heater stores 30 to 50 or more gallons of hot water, you have the ability to use a lot at once. You can crank up your shower, run your tub faucet wide open, run the washer at the same time, etc. and reasonably expect to get a good volume of hot water if your house is plumbed correctly.
A tankless heater has a small flow switch that turns on the burner (I haven't seen an electric one yet) when it senses that you are drawing hot water. Thus it saves a lot of energy. The caveat is that it only heats water at a particular reduced rate of flow - usually 2 gallons per minute maximum. This is OK for today's limited flow shower heads but will not feed more than one appliance or faucet at once. It will also require that you fill your tub more slowly than with a standard heater (not a problem if you rarely take a bath and only use the shower).
It will take longer for your clothes washer to fill if you wash with warm or hot water. You probably won't notice the difference with a dishwasher since they use very little water (less than 7 gallons) these days.
A second major difference is cost. Around here, a standard water heater of moderate quality can be purchased for $300 or so. A tankless unit will easily be twice that or more.
It comes down to these two things: Can you afford the up front cost in order to gain savings for years? And can you adjust your lifestyle a little to adapt to the limited flow rate? If you can (most of us can) than you can save a lot - about 25% of your gas bill if you live in the north and much more if you live further south (where house heating takes a smaller bite). In addition, the tankless units are physically a lot smaller so you might find the space savings usefull - especially if your hot water tank is in a closet!
Hope that this has been helpful.
2006-10-09 11:28:02 · answer #1 · answered by Gilley 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's more expensive to start off, but probably worth extra money in the long run. It works by only heating the water when the water is flowing, so with no water flowing, the unit is off. When you turn the water off, the burner or element heats up, the water passes through the heater and gets hot, in cold, out hot. It's still would not be instant hot at the faucet though, in that manner it would work the same as a regular water heater with take.
Good luck
2006-10-09 11:17:39 · answer #2 · answered by kamenfire49 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a tankless water heater and it worked great. The only draw back is the noise when it runs, it sounds like a blow torch.
One problem I had was the heating coils were copper and soldered to a steel supply line. Galvanic action corroded through them one week after my two year warranty expired. Open the unit and check, all piping should be of the same material.
2006-10-10 05:55:42 · answer #3 · answered by big_mustache 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
tank less (flash) water heaters are cool. i have put a few of them in......dont use an electric one....i dont like them
the only things to consider is lime and flow rates.
i suggest you go to a real plumbing store (not lowes) and tell them what you want. u need to size the unit according to how many bathrooms you have and things such as, do u and your spouse take showers at the same time the washer is filling and the dishwasher is running? according to ur usage habits a 5 gal per min system might be ok, or u may need a 15 gal per min system.
i STRONGLY suggest that if lime is a problem in your area, that u use a tank less with a water softener. here in the hills they plug up in a few years if you dont. of course outsiders have been known to chip teeth on our water.
hope this helps
Possum
2006-10-09 11:59:32 · answer #4 · answered by hillbilly named Possum 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our daughter lives in Seattle Washington and recently re did an old house. She installed a tankless / hot water on demand system and it is AWESOME!!!! She has already saved what it cost in the utilities and she never runs out of water.
This type has been popular in Europe and Great Britain for years.
Go For It!!!!
2006-10-09 10:55:15 · answer #5 · answered by Barbados Chick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in my opinion i think of they're a waste of money pondering how little power it takes to maintain the water in a 40 gallon tank warm. in case you have ever became your water heater off for twenty-four hours you will see the water remains rather heat even after 24 hours. The tankless require bigger venting and are plenty extra costly to place in. they're limited in how various of a temperature enhance they are able to furnish. in the experience that your incoming water is genuine chilly you may could set up 2 instruments in sequence. you will could seem on the guidance from the producer to make sure the temperature difference.
2016-12-08 11:41:46 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't have first hand info, but I was told the same thing. I think it would be worth your while to look it up on the internet and check it out.
2006-10-09 10:55:42 · answer #7 · answered by smartypants909 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋