Tominator Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Anyone have one of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWSmith Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 No...but have you considered Radiant Floor Heating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 One of my best friends has it and absolutely loves it! What do you want to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shorty785 Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 we kinda have the same situation at are cabin we heat the hot water up on the stove then dump it into a bucket and turn the sump pump on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorado bob Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 A friend of mine a tankless hot water heater----he (his wife) loves the endless hotwater when doing dishes, kitchen work etc. Me---I not sold on the idea-----they cost a pretty penny----no so sure a regular tank & blanket isn't the way to go. Pay back is a long time on them. For me when my current gas tank goes out---I going to replace with another gas 40 gallon tank. CB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 The life span for a tankless is not much longer than a tank heater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stickslinger Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 We bought one this past summer, we have the electric model, my wife and I don't have any children so its just the 2 of us in our house. Make sure you get the one that will fit your household needs, the one we have allows us to run 2 major appliances at the same time. For example: Clothes washer & Dishwasher, Shower & Dishwasher, Shower & Clothes washer, etc. But only 2 at the same time, they make models to fit your needs. Ours takes about 5-10 seconds to get the hot water flowing but after that there is and endless supply. We have'nt had it long enought to know how much energy it saves buts its nice to know that it only uses electric when we turn the faucet on and you don't have to worry about coming home and finding out the tank on your old style hot water heater decided to spring a leak!! There are several brands out there so do some homework and you will be able to find one that suits your household needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flintlock1776 Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 No...but have you considered Radiant Floor Heating? http://www.radiant-floor-heating.com/hydronic.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Tankless hot water heaters will not provide endless hot water in all conditions and depending on hot water usage may actually use more energy. Tankless heaters have a high energy usage when operating and depending on the temperature and volume of the incoming water may or may not heat the water to a sufficient temperature. I do not believe that there is a tankless heater designed for household use that can supply enough hot water for two showers and a dish washer at the same time. In our home the well water is approximately 48 degrees as it comes out of the ground and I could not find a tankless heater that could get the water temperature over 100 degrees as per manufacturer specs. The pharmacy I work at is currently operating out of a trailer due to new store construction and we have a tankless water heater that is unable to supply hot water immediately or for very long. It is a Rheem electric tankless heater. Under the right conditions a tankless heater could save a lot of money, especially if hot water usage is only a couple of times per day and not a high volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 The life span for a tankless is not much longer than a tank heater. in fact, joe, it's much shorter. about 5 years. that is a major drawback. but, if you're willing to pay, they work great. stay with a brand name, like renai. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJL Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Just finishing up on my personal home. $750,000 project. Tankless water heater.........NO. In floor heat............NO Tankless water heater way over priced, way too inefficient to justify initial cost. Infloor radiant heat..........stinks. Sure it's nice to have warm floors. But it's also nice to have heat on demand. Radiant heat will take up to 8 hours to warm a home. Forced air..........5 minutes or less. In floor heat system cost the same as forced air furnace-air conditioner-heat pump- humidifier-and air purifier. No Brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeramie Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Good question Chris. Im interested in these too.. We have a 50G tank right now. It doesnt last long. Seriously, if you fill the corner tub it doesnt make it past the jets before you run out. Im turning up the HW'er in hopes it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 One of my best friends has it and absolutely loves it! What do you want to know? Is it worth it vs. standard huge 50 gallon electric or porpane water heaters? I've done some research, not much ( I always start with you guys ) and the startup cost is higher, but not that much, unless I'm missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Just finishing up on my personal home. $750,000 project. Tankless water heater.........NO. In floor heat............NO Tankless water heater way over priced, way too inefficient to justify initial cost. Infloor radiant heat..........stinks. Sure it's nice to have warm floors. But it's also nice to have heat on demand. Radiant heat will take up to 8 hours to warm a home. Forced air..........5 minutes or less. In floor heat system cost the same as forced air furnace-air conditioner-heat pump- humidifier-and air purifier. No Brainer. Thanks Jim. I'm not worried about running out of hot water. We will get the tankless thing based on energy savings. Radiant might be used in the kitchen via an external wood burner for the house. Apparently you can run a boiler off these things. That will be my next question to all of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxAgJeepr Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 The main advantage of the tankless units are that they are an "on demand" system. They don't start heating the water until you turn the hot water tap on. Unlike your tank-type that keeps the water in the tank at it's set temperature until you open the tap, then works like crazy to heat the new water that is flowing in. That being said, the way the tankless units heat is the key factor. Electric units use heating elements similar to the ones in electric tank type units... only there are more of them. The thing you need to look at are how much water you need and the proximity to the tap. Also most of the electric types are 220 not 110 so you have to run a special circuit for them. Another factor with the electric models is the hard water factor, the more minerals in your water, the faster the elements will foul, just like in your tank type. Gas type units can be found in both LPG and NG, depending on what your source is. These are more of a "heat exchanger" They blow hot air over copper tubing and use heat transfer from the pipes to the water. Same "on demand" principle. Water hardness is not as big a factor with these, but buildup will occur. The main drawbacks are the amount of gas used and output. Someone mentioned earlier that no one makes a unit that will run a washing machine, showers, and dishwasher at the same time. I would agree with this, but a tank type won't either. And besides the dishwasher has a heating element in it anyway. One way to overcome this is to divide your house into 'zones' and use more than one unit or to have two or more units plumbed in series to get your desired outcome. Whichever way you decide to go, read the fine print on the unit. Some will guarantee a specific temperature output and some will only guarantee a specific temperature increase. The difference is the temperature of the incoming water. Suppose your input temperature is 60 deg (F), with one you'll get 104 deg (F) water, but it may only be at 2 gallons per minute (gpm). No big deal if you have a 2.5 gpm shower head installed. The other will take that same 60 deg (F) water and only heat it to 85 or 90 deg (F) at 2.5 gpm, which equates to a lukewarm shower at best. I used to be a Mfg Rep for one of the tankless companies before I came back on Active Duty (won't say which) and IMO (couldn't resist), when I build my house I will most likely put in a gas tankless. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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