Good info on TANK-less water heaters (houses, dorms, to buy)

[loves2read]

A Warning About Tankless Water Heaters | Fox News
that title sounds like there was a recall or risk of explosion--but it is just Fox News getting your attention....

many people often ask about choosing conventional vs tankless water heaters

this article has good info and might be helpful to read when having to buy a new water heater to replace a broken/aging one...

note that one of the top factors to consider is that the efficiency of tankless depends on the CLOSENESS to the point of use...
putting a tankless in the attic or garage then where the conventional one was located and having a long run to the faucet is going to work against the efficiency/purpose of getting a tankless in the first place...

the optimum solution would be to have three or four smaller tankless units convenient to water useage points but that is probably not going to happen unless there is new construction and an adaptive architect/builder/owner...

[Threestep2]

We had one unit in the attic of our place in AL - it cut gas down to 6-10$ (water, fireplace, stove). At approx. 4k I do not see myself putting in several:>)

[loves2read]

the point is to have smaller units--
you would not need a unit that is large enough to heat water for an entire house repeated 4 times if you had a smaller, more economical unit for each bathroom...
like the fridge that college students have in their dorms is not what their parents have in their home kitchens...

having smaller, at-source units happens a lot in Europe where energy is more expensive, bathroom facilities much less luxurious or common--since many homes have 1 bathroom period

[Eric S]

Our home has the full time circulation pump, so there is virtually no lag time in having hot water at any faucet or shower head. They say it negates somewhat from the efficiency inherent in having a tankless unit. Whatever. It works.

My neighbor who also has a tankless unit but no circulation pump has to wait an uncomfortably long time for the hot water to arrive at the point of use.

My only disappointment is that most similarly sized houses to ours have two units. We only have one... AND during the coldest months - those with a much higher "delta T" to overcome - you may find yourself with the shower handle pegged over on the hot side.

-Eric

[pinipig523]

Several for a 5-6000sq foot home might be costly....

[ChristieP]

And since they have to be on an exterior wall, installing several isn't really possible unless you do it in the pre-build plans.

I love my tankless. It cut our gas bill by 1/3 immediately. I wish we had been able to do a circulator pump, too.