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Mine is installed outside and we have had no problems with freezing. I love it and would never go back to tank (even though I'm generally frugal and tankless is definitely more expensive to install). I paid somewhere around $2500-3000 I think. For me, it reduced the time to heat master bath shower from 3 minutes to 15 seconds, but that just depends on how the piping works for each house.
My mom actually recovers most of the water that is wasted waiting for hot water. She collects the water in plastic pitchers she keeps in her bathroom and kitchen. She's from the depression era. She wastes nothing
What is the normal maintenance for a tankless water heater in our area -in other words how often do you "flush" it? I've heard so many different answers, but the best answer so far is that it "depends on your region in the country and how much hard water there is." If there is a lot of hard water, you flush every year. If there is soft water, you don't have to flush but every 4-5 years.
Look at this national map of hard water. NC seems to have very soft water. What are people doing to maintain their tankless water heater? It's an expensive piece of equipment, so would like to maintain it.
Tankless can be mounted anywhere. For a house on a slab you can purchase an exterior mounted unit. My unit is mounted on the exterior of the home and requires no venting. I don't necessarily believe that tankless are a great deal as much as they are simply nice in that you have unlimited hot water. I think the time to pay back on a tankless vs. a traditional hot water heater is probably about 10 years considering the low cost of natural gas these days. Think of it as the Prius of hot water heaters.
What is the normal maintenance for a tankless water heater in our area -in other words how often do you "flush" it? I've heard so many different answers, but the best answer so far is that it "depends on your region in the country and how much hard water there is." If there is a lot of hard water, you flush every year. If there is soft water, you don't have to flush but every 4-5 years.
Look at this national map of hard water. NC seems to have very soft water. What are people doing to maintain their tankless water heater? It's an expensive piece of equipment, so would like to maintain it.
I flush mine every two years but probably could get away with doing it less often since it doesn't appear that dirty when I flush it. It is very easy on my unit, the isolation valves are easily accessible and I use a $20 water pump, a small section of hose and two gallons of white vinegar (purchased at Costco) to do the flush. By the end of the 20 min flush the white vinegar has a very slight greenish tint to it. I would think every 4 years is fine given the soft water in Raleigh.
Tankless can be mounted anywhere. For a house on a slab you can purchase an exterior mounted unit. My unit is mounted on the exterior of the home and requires no venting. I don't necessarily believe that tankless are a great deal as much as they are simply nice in that you have unlimited hot water. I think the time to pay back on a tankless vs. a traditional hot water heater is probably about 10 years considering the low cost of natural gas these days. Think of it as the Prius of hot water heaters.
Thanks. I noticed one on the outside of a neighbor's house the other day. Between that and the ten year payback, I'm now officially talked out of this.
We did install a small hot water heater under our kitchen sink for instant hot water. THAT thing is wonderful. At least five of our neighbors have copied us.
One plumber told us tankless was the only way to go, and another plumber told us that we would always run out of hot water. The first guy said they don't give you instant hot water though. I have to decide by Monday because I just found out my tank is leaking.
Tankless can be mounted anywhere. For a house on a slab you can purchase an exterior mounted unit. My unit is mounted on the exterior of the home and requires no venting. I don't necessarily believe that tankless are a great deal as much as they are simply nice in that you have unlimited hot water. I think the time to pay back on a tankless vs. a traditional hot water heater is probably about 10 years considering the low cost of natural gas these days. Think of it as the Prius of hot water heaters.
One plumber told us tankless was the only way to go, and another plumber told us that we would always run out of hot water. The first guy said they don't give you instant hot water though. I have to decide by Monday because I just found out my tank is leaking.
A properly installed tankless system is a very good product. You should never run out of hot water if the unit is properly sized for your needs. They do not give you instant hot water although there are ways to improve/decrease the time it takes to get to a faucet/shower/etc. Any plumber that knows what he is doing should be able to help you with that issue if it is important to you. Payback can be greater than 10 years however, if you currently have a tank unit located where it could cause damage you need to take that into consideration. Make certain the plumber you use has a lot of experience and is well versed in the unit he wants to install. You might want to get the installation instructions of the unit under consideration to familiarize yourself.
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