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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh

    tankless water heater....anyone switched over?

    looks like it's that time....i've got a 40gal natural gas water heater that is about done....thinking about going tankless..


    anyone got a recommendation?


    what about installation? less? more?
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Southern Pines, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    looks like it's that time....i've got a 40gal natural gas water heater that is about done....thinking about going tankless..

    anyone got a recommendation?

    what about installation? less? more?
    Can't offer any suggestions. I am just about in the same fix as you. My natural gas water heater is 16+ years old, but I see no signs predicting imminent failure. OTOH, it is 16+ years old, so for what should I be watching? I haven't a clue what to expect when it quits, so I'll be interested in this thread.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC area
    An acquaintance put one in and his water and gas bills went up.

    Seems his teenager never ran out of hot water.

    -jk

  4. #4

    I had and have one

    I switched at my last house and one was at my new house.

    My gas bill definitely went down. It does take longer for the water to get hot. Also you don't have to worry about the hot water heater leaking.

    I like 'em. Looking for a way to get hot water faster.

    SoCal

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO

    Talking Tankless in the Rockies

    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    looks like it's that time....i've got a 40gal natural gas water heater that is about done....thinking about going tankless..


    anyone got a recommendation?


    what about installation? less? more?
    I bought a townhouse here in Steamboat back in the 1990s that had a tankless water heating system -- essentially an in-line system that heated water as it flowed through a pipe. It was an Australian system IIRC. Anyway, it began to behave erratically, so we put a conventional water heater downstream from it, and that combo worked perfectly, and we never, ever, ever ran out of hot water. And, I believe, the only time the tank heater came on was to maintain the temperature of the water, inasmuch as it was receiving heated water to begin with.

    I suspect the products have improved substantially, but a tankless system is inherently more sensitive than a system with a tank, where even if the burner/heater comes on erratically, you still have a tank of hot water.

    sagegrouse

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    looks like it's that time....i've got a 40gal natural gas water heater that is about done....thinking about going tankless..


    anyone got a recommendation?


    what about installation? less? more?
    We recently looked into it, and it was considerably more expensive. Not only the unit, which I am sure you know, but also installation. In order to install the tankless system, we would have had to have a new exhaust line/vent installed (the existing one is too small), and a dedicated electrical outlet. So, even with a tax break (now expired, I believe) and lower gas bills, we would not have recovered the extra cost for something like 20-30 years.

    Combine the added cost and work with the added wait time for hot water, and we ultimately decided to pass. If your installation situation is different, the calculation may lead to different results.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indiana
    Quote Originally Posted by moonpie23 View Post
    looks like it's that time....i've got a 40gal natural gas water heater that is about done....thinking about going tankless..


    anyone got a recommendation?


    what about installation? less? more?
    We switched from a tank to tankless a year ago and could not be happier. The delay is not much longer and the "hot water sandwich" is minimal (and pretty predictable). The best part is the unlimited hot water, which comes in handy when you are running appliances and taking showers simultaneously. We bought a Rinnai 9.4 gpm.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    i went with the 40 gal natural gas...the old unit completely died right after i posted, so we were looking at NYE and the weekend with no hot water....


    the installation is MUCH more and the savings (even with the tax credit) looked about 10 years out....they're only warranted for 9 years...so....i needed to move fast....sweetie doesn't like having to go to the Y for a shower...
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    Thanks for starting this thread and all the responses. My wife and I were looking into the possibility. Our conventional water heater isn't giving out quite yet, but the tax incentive prompted us to take a look. With the incentive now expired and the cost issues brought up in this thread, we'll stick with what we've got for now.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Wilmington, NC

    Any regrets?

    Not sure if I should have started from scratch with a new thread or not. I guess is the tech has come a long way in 11 years?

    Anyway, does anyone who has made the switch have any regrets?

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by 91_92_01_10_15 View Post
    Not sure if I should have started from scratch with a new thread or not. I guess is the tech has come a long way in 11 years?

    Anyway, does anyone who has made the switch have any regrets?
    We put a tankless hot water in our house about 3 years ago. A "Navien" (our plumber had installed several of these for his other customers and he likes this brand) but there are also other brands (Rinnai, etc) available. So far, it has worked well but there is definitely a longer lag to get hot watch to the faucets and tubs than with the old-fashioned tank hot water heater and I think the water is not as hot (although we had the plumber turn up the hot water temperature to 130 degrees from the initial recommended 120 degrees) as the water from our old tank propane heater, but it is now certainly hot enough for showers or baths. I was intending to keep track of out propane bills to see if we were saving money with the tankless heater but I never did. I think it is hard to do an accurate apples-to-apples comparison, because there are several variable involved in how much hot water you use over different time periods. But, in theory, you should use less propane or natural gas with a tankless heater because you are only heating the water when it is actually being used rather than keeping a 40, 60, or 80 gallon tank heated all the time. It was more expensive to buy up front and the installation process took more time and was more complicated than installing a traditional tank heater and therefore cost more money too. Also, the tankless heater should last longer than a tank heater (We are on well water and the water is extremely "hard", so the old tank heater clogged up fairly fast with limescale and other deposits. Time will tell if that is true. Overall, we are happy we put it in (I should also say that there are only two of us living in our house most of the time, so it is very rare that there is more than one "draw" on the hot water system at a time. I understand that the tankless systems may not produce enough hot water if there are several people using hot water at the same time in the same house).

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    I bought a vacation town home 25 years ago that had one installed (by previous owner's plumber son). It worked just OK and after 2-3 years had a conventional unit installed but left the tankless one in place upstream. The combo worked well together.

  13. #13
    Put one in about ten years ago and have never regretted it. It was pricey but the endless hot water is amazing. I have two teenage daughters who have put it through the wringer but without an energy bill increase. Well worth it IMO.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    northern Virginia
    You may also want to consider a heat pump (aka hybrid) water heater. Google can give you background info, but here's a couple of starter links:

    https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/...-water-heater/

    https://www.consumeraffairs.com/home...ter-value.html

    Like other higher efficiency products, first cost is higher but will mostly cost less to operate (your mileage may vary -nat. gas vs elec., northern vs. southern climate, etc.) Based on my 60 seconds of research, they are eligible for $300 in tax credits, but so are the efficient models of traditional gas and electric water heaters.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by VA_BDevil View Post
    You may also want to consider a heat pump (aka hybrid) water heater. Google can give you background info, but here's a couple of starter links:

    https://www.energyvanguard.com/blog/...-water-heater/

    https://www.consumeraffairs.com/home...ter-value.html

    Like other higher efficiency products, first cost is higher but will mostly cost less to operate (your mileage may vary -nat. gas vs elec., northern vs. southern climate, etc.) Based on my 60 seconds of research, they are eligible for $300 in tax credits, but so are the efficient models of traditional gas and electric water heaters.
    This is what I will be switching to once my electric one goes out. We have a 50 gallon tank now and never run out of hot water. Family of 5 so not sure if y’all have huge families or just waste/use a ton of water at one time.

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