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We'll be moving down to our new home in Clayton (hopefully in next few months) and will be in need of all new appliances. As such we are considering a Propane stove/range (we like gas cooking vs electric). Since we would be installing a large enough tank for it and the gas fireplace, we are also thinking about running a tankless water heater as well. Any folks in the area running such a setup ? If so, what size tank would be needed to not require frequent fill ups ? We hope it would be more cost effective and more efficient in the long run (and not just making Hank Hill happy ;-)). Its all sort of new to us and want to make the right choice for the long term. Our thought process (due to where we are coming from) is the less running off electric, the better. Thanks in advance.
We just talked to a plumber today about a tankless water heater but ours would run on natural gas. He said no matter what do not allow anyone to talk you into a tank that would put out less than 8.5 gallons per minute which he said would allow 3 showers to be running at the same time in the winter and 4 in the summer. The one downfall would be that if the power goes out so does your hot water unless you have a generator because it is an electronic ignition for the heating element as opposed to a pilot light in a traditional water heater. Our water heater is in the attic which is why we are seriously considering replacing our water heater with a tankless. The plumber stated the tankless is more efficient than a traditional water heater so it uses less gas. I hope this helps you out at least a little bit.
we're putting in a tankless water heater in 2 weeks for the same reasons cncsmomndad mentioned, water heater in the attic. The 8.5 gpm depends on the temperature rise, which is the difference between the temp of the water coming into the house and the set point of the water heater. The larger units are not necessarily better if you have to raise the temp of the incoming water by 50 degrees or more. You should check with the propane company to see if they carry and install the heaters. I know PSNC sells and installs Natural Gas tankless heaters.
Thanks to all for the replies. NG is not an option where we will be. Electricity generally costs alot for heating, and with oil prices rising, so will the cost of generating/buyng power. The more oil goes up here on Long Island, the higher the surcharges the local utility applies. Our bills doubled from the surcharges a few ago after the katrina oil crisis. I am not sure how the majority of electricity is produced down there at this point and how much comes from the nuclear plant, but in reality, there is no escape from rising oil prices no matter what form of energy is used (aside from solar or systems based on geo-thermal energy, etc). Electric rates will probably be impacted, just how much will be the question. We may sit on the idea of the tankless heater for a while and will probably just make sure we get a big enough tank to accomodate it in case we decide to go with it. We'll see what the costs are for the propane for cooking/fireplace and our electric costs for heating/hot water with the system the house came with, etc. Thanks again. For those installing the tankless water heater, keep me posted on how that works out for you. Good luck as well to you guys.
My sister has a tankless water heater, and they haven't had any problems, they love it! Their house came with one, so they don't necessarily know the different in that particular house, and they have not ever been without power for long periods of time. They are quite happy with it and the water heats up in all of the bathrooms quickly (the tankless is in the garage) and two bathrooms are upstairs, seems to have no problems traveling.
FWIW:
I researched tankless when my w/heater went out early this year. I have Nat.gas and figured based on my needs the added expense of setup would take many years to pay back the minimal savings, by then the tankless would need replacement of pricey parts. Some tankless systems do not need electricity (e.g.Bosch). PSNC talked down the Bosch system based on their outdated information. Also keep in mind one must maintain 1gpm flow on the hot side to maintain warm water, otherwise you get a shot of cold water when you least expect it (from research/not experience).
It has been nice with Nat.gas to offer showers to neighbors during the few extended power outages. Tankless requiring electricity can hook to smallish UPS as the current draw is small if yours doesn't need a forced air vent.
I hear our electric rates are much less than other parts of the country. All our electric comes from the nuclear plant, unless it shuts down for maintenance -when they pull power off the 'grid'.
I am a HUGE fan of tankless hot water heaters! We had one in our home in MA and I can't stress enough how freakin' awesome it was! AND we got a $300 credit on our federal taxes for installing it! I don't know if they still offer that, but it was a nice little bonus. And we used propane for heating our home and hot water, as NG was not in our street. I could take a shower and stay in the glorious hot water for hours if I wanted, all while the dishwasher ran, my son took a shower in the other bathroom AND the washing machine was going with a hot water load! NEVER ran out of hot water! I so miss that down here. That is one of the upgrades we will be doing in our home downhere, too. But since we had to replace the kitchen counters and other such things, and the hot water tank is running fine at the moment, the tankless system will just have to wait until next year. Only problem with waiting, if I am the 3rd one to take a shower in the morning, I am Moderator cut: bleep outta luck having enough hot water to get all the way thru my shower! Yep, I miss the tankless we had...
Last edited by autumngal; 09-10-2008 at 07:32 AM..
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andy, andy, andy
