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Yeah, I don't want anything that's running continuously. Just something there when I need it. My current water heater is a 40 gallon tank that uses LP for heating, so that doesn't use any electricity. So I don't mind a slight uptick in my usage there. But I would really like to just get a small tank that I can flip on when I know I'm going to be using the hot water at that faucet.
As far as my concern for the waste thing, I was raised by my grandparents that both lived through the depression and grew up somewhat poor. They went on to raise 7 of their own while often worrying about how to make ends meet. So trying not to waste when possible is something that was ingrained in me a long time ago. One product of that is a pet peeve for lights being left on. The wife has a bad habit of leaving lights on constantly, which drives me bonkers at times. So I'm constantly running following her around the house shutting lights back off, lol!
Point of use are extremely common in places like Japan where many people have them in their kitchens. I lived there a couple of years and had a whole house flash in my apartment, but I used them in my office and in other people’s houses and they were quite effective. Honestly, my flash water heater in Japan was just incredible. I could set it to whatever temperature I wanted right at a panel by my kitchen sink, so if I wanted really hot water for soaking for a bit, I could do that right there and then put it down again when I wanted a cooler temperature. It looks like the single sink versions are about $100-200 and then there is the installation.
Point of use are extremely common in places like Japan where many people have them in their kitchens. I lived there a couple of years and had a whole house flash in my apartment, but I used them in my office and in other people’s houses and they were quite effective. Honestly, my flash water heater in Japan was just incredible. I could set it to whatever temperature I wanted right at a panel by my kitchen sink, so if I wanted really hot water for soaking for a bit, I could do that right there and then put it down again when I wanted a cooler temperature. It looks like the single sink versions are about $100-200 and then there is the installation.
I would handle the installation, so not worried about that. I do like your feedback on how they work. My biggest concern at this point is how routing my hot water through it will affect it's operation.
I have to dispute the poster's advice who talked about the $100 spike in electric bill from use of a re-circulating pump. We had one in a 75 foot long ranch house where the water heater was at one end and the kitchen at the other end of the house. Never noticed a change in the electric bill. Oh, it might have been $5 or $10, but it was so little I never really noticed. So something must have been up with that particular installation the poster talked about. The main thing we did notice was hot water when we turned the faucet on - and we loved that! Home Depot has the pumps and they were easy for our handyman to install - the main thing was needing an electrical outlet where the pump was installed, and as that was under the bathroom sink at the farthest point from the water heater (this is the optimum place, the instructions say), this only meant running a line down from the outlet already in the bathroom. The pump is so quiet you never hear it.
However, having said that, we also lived in the UK for awhile, where their hot water is usually supplied by a boiler installed in the kitchen, and this was also lovely. Of course, that boiler also served as the furnace for the house, so a different situation altogether. But this might mean that one of those "instant" hot water deals talked about above would suit you. I've a neighbor who has one and he loves it.
I have to dispute the poster's advice who talked about the $100 spike in electric bill from use of a re-circulating pump. We had one in a 75 foot long ranch house where the water heater was at one end and the kitchen at the other end of the house. Never noticed a change in the electric bill. Oh, it might have been $5 or $10, but it was so little I never really noticed. So something must have been up with that particular installation the poster talked about. The main thing we did notice was hot water when we turned the faucet on - and we loved that! Home Depot has the pumps and they were easy for our handyman to install - the main thing was needing an electrical outlet where the pump was installed, and as that was under the bathroom sink at the farthest point from the water heater (this is the optimum place, the instructions say), this only meant running a line down from the outlet already in the bathroom. The pump is so quiet you never hear it.
However, having said that, we also lived in the UK for awhile, where their hot water is usually supplied by a boiler installed in the kitchen, and this was also lovely. Of course, that boiler also served as the furnace for the house, so a different situation altogether. But this might mean that one of those "instant" hot water deals talked about above would suit you. I've a neighbor who has one and he loves it.
I'm trying to see eye-to-eye with you on this. Is the correct installation where the pump only runs intermittently and not constantly? If so, that could be why.
I'm trying to see eye-to-eye with you on this. Is the correct installation where the pump only runs intermittently and not constantly? If so, that could be why.
Yes, the pump is controlled by temperature. When the water cools to a certain temperature, the pump comes on again. It's a very tiny pump - you can see them on Home Depot.
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