Tankless Water Heaters, please tell me your results

[TheVTCGuy]

I live in a (very) small condo here in San Diego, and being alone my hot-water needs are pretty minimal, but when I needed a new heater a few years ago I looked at tankless. Not sure why I didn’t purchase then but I ended up getting the smallest tank heater I could, figuring it would be enough, but if I want anything longer then a 11 minute HOT shower I am out of luck. So now I am re-considering getting a tankless. For a small place like mine, they price very reasonable, less then $1,000 (my tank was about $350). If it is a worthwhile endeavor I am willing to pay the added expense, but have heard good things... and bad things... about tankless water heaters. Can you tell me yours?

[Abdullah71601]

Have you considered a solar hot water tank? Your climate should be ideal for that.

[benvh]

We just moved into our first house back in November. The previous owners recently installed a tankless system and it's worked great so far. No more running out of hot water when I shower after my wife! The house was built in 1940 and a lot of the insulation isn't ideal, but even now in the cold weather it's been great.

Ben

[Jocke]

Shame on you thinking about a tankless, that is very disrespectful to Anna.

You will fill her up with ice cold water?

[teqp]

I have a Navien tankless and it works great for us. Just make sure you do the maintenance on yours, if you get one, to keep it running properly. Maintenance is to clean the air filter and descale, frequency should be based on how hard your water is. If you have a water softener make sure to run the soft water through your tankless. We installed ours last year after the previous owner had a Noritz. It was only 8 years old and broke down.

[swils8610]

I have a tankless water heater and love it. My gas bill went down significantly and we always have hot water. Thumbs up for me.


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[Tmac478]

I've had a Noritz for over 10 years. Works great and really efficient. You're supposed to flush them out every couple of years with vinegar and a sump pump. I just did mine for the first time a few months ago. Highly recommend one.

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[austinp]

If it will be powered by natural gas then I highly recommend. It's run by electricity then no.

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[Old Geezer]

We built a new home last year and went with a tankless water heater on gas. We love it. The endless hot water is wonderful and so far we’re finding it much more cost effective than previous tank water heaters we had in our homes.

[Tony64]

Big fan of tankless hot water Paul, and I think it's ideal for your situation.

The problem used to be that they were great for smaller apartments but less so for large homes. I'm not sure that's the case anymore as I see these more and more often, especially with new construction.

The big advantage (other than space saving) is that you're only heating the water when you use it, imstead of keeping a large tank of water heated 24/7. You'll never run out of hot water and you'll never come home from vacation to a busted water tank and a flooded house. Ask me how I know...

[locutus49]

Make sure the vent is the right size to the outside.

[BNA/LION]

When we remodeled our garage we went through the process of figuring out the right one. We love it and are glad we had one installed.

[keschete]

We love it. The people who built our house put a gas water heater in the attic. It’s a horrible place and can cause damage if it leaks. We switched to a gas tankless and love it.

[Dr. Robert]

I like them.

[rebel_1]

Paul, there are good and bad for both tank & tankless. I’ve installed many of both including solar (my personal favorite). My recommendation would really depend on your situation.

[Gharddog03]

Works great.

[bayerische]

We have district heating, and the heat exchanger for the hot water is basically a tankless system. Impossible to run out of hot water.

[Andad]

We have solar.

Hot water 24/7.

Guess it doesn't work everywhere.

[Jocke]

Of course 11 minutes isn't enough.

[swatty]

Originally Posted by Jocke

Of course 11 minutes isn't enough.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by Jocke

Of course 11 minutes isn't enough.

HOW does he get these pictures!?!?!? I don’t have a camera in my shower

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by rebel_1

Paul, there are good and bad for both tank & tankless. I’ve installed many of both including solar (my personal favorite). My recommendation would really depend on your situation.

Rebel, please come out to San Diego and install mine... oh, and help me pick one out too. I have done all the restoration on my condo, with the exception of the pipes behind the wall in my shower (hired a professional plumber). My heater is a gas powered, I am not about to take on welding gas lines, it is not something I trust myself doing.

See you tomorrow?

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

HOW does he get these pictures!?!?!? I don’t have a camera in my shower

He flies a drone in there.

[Abdullah71601]

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Rebel, please come out to San Diego and install mine... oh, and help me pick one out too. I have done all the restoration on my condo, with the exception of the pipes behind the wall in my shower (hired a professional plumber). My heater is a gas powered, I am not about to take on welding gas lines, it is not something I trust myself doing.

See you tomorrow?

You don’t need to braze gas pipe. I understand the peace of mind you get from a pro, but gas lines can be DIY.

I had a solar tank when I lived in Florida. I always had hot water. You drive an environmentally friendly car, I’d think solar would be in your wheelhouse in sunny southern California.

[Johny]

Originally Posted by MonBK

He flies a drone in there.

[locutus49]

Paul,

In our last townhouse we looked at installing tankless. But the vent to the outside was 4" in diameter and we would have needed 6 or 8" (I forgot which), and that meant cutting a bigger hole in our wood shingle roof.

So make sure the installer tells you if your outside vent is the right size.

Originally Posted by TheVTCGuy

Rebel, please come out to San Diego and install mine... oh, and help me pick one out too. I have done all the restoration on my condo, with the exception of the pipes behind the wall in my shower (hired a professional plumber). My heater is a gas powered, I am not about to take on welding gas lines, it is not something I trust myself doing.

See you tomorrow?

[rolexjim]

We have a Stiebel Eltron in our home and love it.

[rebel_1]

Paul, gas lines are actually easier than water lines! If you could land an F/A-18 on a boat at night, I’m sure you could handle it! If not, I’ll stop by and help you out!

[rolexjim]

Also, to you gas users, you can always convert to electric if you run into problems with venting.

[Jocke]

Originally Posted by rolexjim

Also, to you gas users, you can always convert to electric if you run into problems with venting.

Please don't talk electric with this guy.