Tankless water heater or standard 50 gallon

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Our old house, we lost the hot water unit and went tankless...saved gas measurably (against the old tank that was probably dying)...but it took FOREVER to get hot water in the shower in the mornings, it over half filled a 10L bucket when I measured it.

New house, when the tank died, I replaced it with a tank...quick hot water, and it's enough for all four of us on a work/school morning.

Tankless would have needed a new gas supply run completely across the house also.
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
Tankless will use less gas, but not appreciatively, what's more important is how many people in the household that will take showers/baths. With tankless you'll never run out of hot water, but if you check $ & cents tankless is more expensive.


This^^^

If you will be using a lot of hot water, the tankless may be the way to go. Otherwise the payback could take, what seems like forever. Our friends have a tankless and it always seems as though the water take longer to get hot. So while you're waiting for the water to get hot before stepping in the shower, lots of water is going down the drain. And that's fine in areas where water is plentiful and cheap such as my area of the country.

In my area, we use water like it's going out of style and our bill is ~ $42-$48 per billing period(every 2 months).
 
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Originally Posted by bbhero
Originally Posted by CT8
I was thinking of a tankless water heater but when the water heater quit working on yes a Saturday , the tankless water heater store was closed I went to Home Depot and bought a regular tank water heater and an hour later had a new water heater installed.



Wait... wait.. wait a minute...

CT8 I thought you took a bath in the creek out back behind your place Grizzly Adams style
lol.gif


During the spring, summer and fall I I bath in the tail water ditch at the end of the field.. Winter time I use the indoor plummin cause the ditch is dry
 
Originally Posted by Shannow
Our old house, we lost the hot water unit and went tankless...saved gas measurably (against the old tank that was probably dying)...but it took FOREVER to get hot water in the shower in the mornings, it over half filled a 10L bucket when I measured it.

New house, when the tank died, I replaced it with a tank...quick hot water, and it's enough for all four of us on a work/school morning.

Tankless would have needed a new gas supply run completely across the house also.


Tank-less or tank type will take approximately the same time to get hot water to the farthest point in the house on a cold morning. Adding a timer based (or use a push-button) recirculation pump is a good option for ether type of water heater if you want near "instant" hot water in the morning at the furthest location from the system. An option like this will also not waste water - hence the name.
 
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I did a tankless a year ago; love it. My hot water bill is about $7 per month.
I will never use a conventional water heater again.
There are 2 of us, so 2 showers a day plus maybe 1 clothes warsher load.

As others have said, installation can be challenging.
Noritz is made in CA; this is their new line designed to replace a 40 - 50 gallon conventional style.
The biggest hassle is venting; this model allows for current vent re-use.
If yours is outside, it is a non-issue.

Norize EZ Tankless
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Tankless has to be sized significantly bigger than you would expect if there is going to be multiple uses at once. .... single faucet at 1.0GPM you may get a 75* rise in temp, but if you have a shower going and the washing machine and a faucet you may only get 45-50* rise in temp.


I HATE TANKLESS water heaters if they are too big - - a small flow won't trigger ignition!

I took a shower at a friend's house with a massive tankless unit, and I had to run the hot water tap in the sink at the same time I was taking my shower to keep the ignition lit.

The shower head by itself wasn't enough flow.... unless I wanted to get scalded.
 
We don't regret going with tankless. We have a smaller house so not tank foot print and removed one chimney. We got a Rinnai from Lowe's.. we'll known in that business. Tankless have been used for years overseas we're just behind the game as usual.
 
If you have a wife like mine, anything other than tankless and she would divorce me! As long as you have water and gas you have hot water. So far to say that if we ever move, she has told me the first thing the new house will get is a tankless if it doesn't already have one.

So if you don't use much hot water then don't go tankless.
 
After servicing all types of gas fired equipment for many years I would never buy a tankless AWH. If the water is good and neutral PH any water heater will last with recomended maintenance. The tank we use is a wet base design that gets flushed every 3 weeks when we change the cartridge inline filter. We installed it in 1986 and have never changed the anode rod which I attribute to neutral PH and filtered artiesan well water.
 
Originally Posted by WhizkidTN

Tank-less or tank type will take approximately the same time to get hot water to the farthest point in the house on a cold morning.


Nope...I'll explain why, and please DO bear in mind that we made the swap from tank to tankless, so I am actually describing what went on.

Tank starts with a tank of already hot water, and only has to displace the water in the pipes.
Tankless starts cold, and has to detect flow to fire up...first delay...then it has to get enough heat into itself to start heating the water...that too takes time. So yes, it DID take longer to get the water to the shower head.
 
What Shannow said.

Go tankless if you're more concerned about maximum efficiency.
Go tanked if you're more concerned about performance.

Longevity may be a wash.

In my experience, I'd choose traditional 50-gallon water heater.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by bbhero
Originally Posted by CT8
I was thinking of a tankless water heater but when the water heater quit working on yes a Saturday , the tankless water heater store was closed I went to Home Depot and bought a regular tank water heater and an hour later had a new water heater installed.



Wait... wait.. wait a minute...

CT8 I thought you took a bath in the creek out back behind your place Grizzly Adams style
lol.gif


During the spring .summer and fall I use the crik. winter time i use the indoor plummin !!



^^^^^^

Beat answer possible
lol.gif

Really well done.
 
Originally Posted by Eric Smith
Tankless have been used for years overseas we're just behind the game as usual.


I wouldn't say that we are "behind the game". Small houses or apartments overseas do not have the room for a traditional water heater, so a tankless water heater is ideal.
That being said, years from now, when your tankless needs parts, chances are nobody local will have them. Yes, they do (usually) save a small amount of energy verses a traditional water heater, but you may not get it back from the initial cost.
They do take longer to supply hot water, as the water has to go through the entire system before it gets hot, but if you want an unlimited supply of hot water, it's the way to go.
And yes, I've had a tankless water heater since 2005 when I built my house. Actually, about three of them. They don't last as long as their warranty, despite flushing out the minerals.
 
There have been coin operated tankless gas hot water systems and cooking stoves in holiday homes for at least 4/10 of a century that I have personally witnessed, and from what I remember of them having lots of enamelled cast iron, decades before that.

They call them "instant"...to make them seem all Jetsons, and people feel left behind....they are anything BUT instant.

Installing a recirculation system to make them "instant" at the faucet (I'm translating here, Oz doesn't use the word) is not "efficient"
 
Yeah … i use them overseas often … the type right next to the tap … they age too and sometimes barely keep up … still if I was all electric … would use them and just learn the PM required …

But I did go against the grain on this … many would say even on gas you need 40 gallons or 50 gallons …
I easily keep up with 4 people in the house on a moderate gas unit … I knew the useage timing (habits) are different … and dropped from 40 gallon to 29 gallon gas unit … no regrets … modern gas equipment heats fast … starters improved etc …It's also located in a climate controlled utility room … so that went into my gamble … and I needed every inch to add a shower (near pool) to that room …
 
Originally Posted by Shannow
Originally Posted by WhizkidTN

Tank-less or tank type will take approximately the same time to get hot water to the farthest point in the house on a cold morning.


Nope...I'll explain why, and please DO bear in mind that we made the swap from tank to tankless, so I am actually describing what went on.

Tank starts with a tank of already hot water, and only has to displace the water in the pipes.
Tankless starts cold, and has to detect flow to fire up...first delay...then it has to get enough heat into itself to start heating the water...that too takes time. So yes, it DID take longer to get the water to the shower head.


Understood, but weren't you comparing that behavior in two different houses with different plumbing runs, etc.?
I know in my old house with a tank, I had to run the hot water to my upstairs bathroom for a minute or so before I got hot water. Very similar experience I have now with my new house and a tankless system to my furthest run. You may also be thinking of earlier generation of tankless systems for some of the delay. I have a utility sink right beside my tankless and as soon as I turn the hot water on, in about 5 seconds the water is quite hot.
 
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Have had a tankless Nuveen for about a year now. Works fine, condensing unit. Mine was about a break even due to old one being a direct vent. Yes, gas savings are there but break even as stated will be 10-15 years down the road. Also, a tankless should be flushed with vinegar once a year and if you have a plumber do it you negate the savings. The only real positive for me is unlimited hot water, all else is about the same, time to get hot water, net cost etc. Again, my outlay was about the same as direct vent heaters are way up there in cost so the difference for me was less than $500 to go tankless. I also think it will be a selling point for the house but maybe not. Certainly takes up less space in the garage. If you live in a very cold climate the outflow pipe for the condensation may be an issue, make sure the pitch on the pipe is really good or it will freeze in the winter months and back up water into the house.
 
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