tankless water heaters

bigdreaux

does anybody have one? are they all their cracked up to be? we are completly remodeling our house, and when i build my shop, we are thinking of putting one of these in. i just want to see what people think of them.

nvrgnbk

All the rage.

Never run out of hot water.

More efficient.

Cost is still high, though.

bigdreaux

well, i can get what is supposed to be a top of the line model for about 600 bucks. is that too much for one?

John Doe

A huge advantage of the newer models is digital temperature control--they even have a remote control. What this means is that you hop in your shower, turn it on with no cold water, straight hot, and adjust the temperature with the remote control. Not only is the tankless more efficient to begin with, its efficiency is further multiplied by not heating the water excessively hot and then cooling it with cold water. Pretty cool!

Also, there is a $300 tax credit available for tankless water heaters right now. Notice I said "credit," not "deduction." That brings the cost more in line with traditional water heaters.

nvrgnbk

is that too much for one?

Nope, although they will go down in price.

JD's comments are right on!

John Doe

Would depend if you're talking gas or electric. It would be a low end gas model.

One thing to consider with the electric models is that a typical one will require three separate 40 amp breakers with 6 gauge wire.

MeneMene

My friend in Houston put one in their 3-story house on the water. It was located on the second floor in the laundry room between the kitchen and master suite. It worked great but I can't remember for sure if that was the only unit they had. I'm thinking it was. They also had two bedrooms, a full bath and a mini kitchen on the third floor and a half bath on the first floor.

I stayed with them a few months on the 3rd floor and always had plenty of hot water.

bigdreaux

thanks guys. i have an old house, and am trying to make it as modern, and energy efficient as possible. i started today. i gutted a room. i was in shock. there was no insulation behind the exterior walls!!!!! i don't know much about construction, but, i looked at missanna and said, that's not right. lol no wonder my energy bills are running almost 200 dollars a month.

what about blown insulation? is it worth it?

SnakesInTheTower

dont have one (because I rent not own right now) but I have researched them. Upfront costs are higher, but overall utility costs are much lower because you are not using electric/gas to keep a tank of unneeded hot water hot all the time....and you dont have to worry about running out of hot water half way though your morning shower (esp good if there are lots of people in the house). Also takes up less room. There are cons, but these can be overcome fairly easily. Used widely in Europe and Japan...more now in new construction and retrofits in the US

Here is one link to some general useful information on these: http://www.chilipepperapp.com/tankless.htm

There is also a more detailed article on about.com about them: http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/tankless_hwh.htm

Hope this info helps....

Snakes ()

nvrgnbk

what about blown insulation? is it worth it?

Yes.

However, batts in the walls and blown-in in the attic is just fine.

tankless water heaters

Share this