I am interested in the idea to install a tankless water heater due to the fact our tank is “checking out” soon,
Where I live in Columbia, MD, I can only install electric tankless water heater (NO GAS); so the only kind that I know of is Bosch and I am not sure of the quality.
Our home has two master bathroom, one guest bathroom, one half bathroom, which capacity should I look for.
I installed tank water heater a while ago, is there any difference in installing a tankless water heater vs a regular tank one.
Any recommendations or tips is greatly appreciated.
Replies
Modern electric tank heaters have fairly efficient insulation. There might not be much of an advantage to going with a tankless version when you consider the extra cost of the high-amperage electric drop needed to run one.
...extra air needed, too, for a gas unit...
on new cpnstruction designed fot it, I think they would be great....
"Never pick a fight with an old man. If he can't beat you he will just kill you." Steinbeck
Edited 6/23/2008 5:51 pm by intrepidcat
you may look into a Marathon they are efficient and make shorties too
The problem is that an electric tankless water heater of the size you'll need for a whole house is probably going to require something like a 100 to 150 amp circuit.
Tankless water heaters (gas or electric) are rated in GPM flow and temperature rise.
Things like (most) showerheads and faucets are restricted to 2.5 GPM. Things like washing machines and tub filling fixtures are not.
It isn't about the number of bathrooms- it is everything about total GPM and temperature rise.
You might want to sample the link below.
http://www.tanklesswaterheatersdirect.com/shop/tanklesswaterheaters/stiebeleltron/stiebeleltronspecs.htm
You will need a large electric service to feed that on demand heater. Note the 3 year warranty on the above models. Think about how many times that contactor is going to cycle each day.
search for other discussions about this.
Tankless saves ... on standby losses of the tank ... which are relatively tiny ... assuming you have a normal family with regular daily uses of hot water. Tankless is great for occasional hot water use/needs interspersed w/ long periods of no use. My guess is you aren't in that category. It's relatively easy to calc the energy losss and the cost through a standard tank. You will find the loss pretty small relative to some families with the teenage daughters from h___ that take 20, 30, 40+ minute showers (I talked w/ a lady who has 2 or 3 of them just the other day!!).
Unless you have a specific need for tankless (e.g. space constraints, tank located out in the cold). You will find the new equipment expensive (big amps, big wire, big circuit breaker, expensive equipment). When/if you ever lose power, you have a tank full of hot water; tankless you got zip.
Invest any savings in auto shutoff valves for the kids. :)
Hope this helps.
Thank you for your reply...
Upto this point, I haven't heard anything good relating to electric tankless water heater. I have heard a lot of good relating to the gas tankless water heater.
In reference to the auto shut off valve, where can I find them as well as which brand is best.
Do you have any recommendation in reference to which electric hot water tank that is energy efficient to buy?
Thank you for your reply... :) Have a great evening...
If you're shopping at a store ... just look at the energy label ... buy the best one ... with an eye focused on reputable brand names. State, Rheem, Bradford White are a few (in no particular order). I'm sure I left out a couple brands ... no offense to others. These brands have been used in commercial construction for eons ...
Remember ... it is all simply in the insulation for electric water heaters. More insulation is more 'efficient'. But the difference between 2 inches and 2 1/4" will be negligible in your total energy picture. Line up the most energy efficient ... then pick w/ your intuition or whatever makes you feel right (sometimes you just have to set aside the science to ultimately make your own best decision).
I have one of the electric Bosch units in a 900 sq. ft. weekend cabin at the lake. It suits us perfectly since we are there infrequently and have no access to gas. I purchased a refurb unit for around $470 online , and had my plumber/electrician hook it up (very simple). Has a 10 yr. warranty, and seems well built. Ours requires 150 amp service and 2 240v breakers in the panel. It works very well and heats up almost (~30 seconds) as fast as the old tank. Only downside is that you can't run the dishwasher and shower at the same time.
There is a larger unit available that will allow one shower and dw usage at the same time; however it requires 200 amp service.
Your issue is that you may need two depending on your usage, and if there are teenagers in the house you probably won't save any money. At least everyone will get a hot shower though. Also, you don't have to vent the electric ones, so you can mount them virtually anywhere.
Hope this helps.
Nugsy
I installed a grudflos circulating pump on my HW heater and it works great -- have not looked back; so easy and you do not know it is on -- in the morning I have hot water a the kit sink in less than 2 seconds -- it has a timer and a thermostat so all is running when I need it to and not when I'm sleeping.
kit sink is 90 feet from the HW Heater so it is saving us tons in water as we used to run it 2-3 minutes to get hot water