Thanks to everyone for your responses!! We’ve
included the info below for anyone who is interested.
Kate and Jack
Renewable Energy website run by a HP resident: http://www.renewnews.com/2007/10/30/im-in-hot-water/
Fine Homebuilding: http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/PDF/Free/021191068.pdf
We have one, a Bosch Aqua Star although it's five years old now.
It's great, our bills dropped, the water is always hot, and we gained basement
floor space; we've never had one problem. Ours is gas, pilot light has
only gone out once in five years.
I owned a home
several years ago for 20 years. It had a RUDD Instanteous Water Heater that was
put in the house when it was built in 1904. I replaced the original copper coil
once during my time in the house - the cost was less than $300 (labor and parts
~1990). What I liked about it was that the water stayed hot forever and
forever. You could take a 4 hour shower and it would always be hot. What
I didn't like about it (but not a big deal) was that it took 1-3 minutes for
the cold water to pass through the heated copper coil. Once it got hot, it
stayed hot.
We sold some at my last job. They were commercial models that were for
bathrooms that were far away from anything else.
The customers seemed to be happy with the few that I sold.
If you use water on a regular basis, or require large amounts of water
at certain regular times, you may have to change your habits--maybe
significantly--to use the tankless, or you may end up using more fuel, or be
short on hot water. For example, if you use a lot of hot or warm water to
wash dishes (even with a dishwasher you use preheated water) or bathe or cook,
you may not get enough of it when you want it, or, if your heating component is
sized large enough to handle your needs, you may end up using more fuel because
it's being turned on numerous times throughout the day. Also, you may not
be able to size it adequately or you may need more than one if you have
more than one person using hot water simultaneously at different locations.
That was the case with me--I have multiple people in the residence and in
mornings and at nights, more than one bathroom is used simultaneously, and that
occurs daily. I did some calcs, and for me, I wouldn't have saved much,
if any fuel over the long haul w/o having forced people to space out their
usage. I ended shopping for a high efficiency tank that was just large
enough for my needs. I would go with a tankless in other situations
though--fewer people in the house, or a house that gets used infrequently (i.e.
a second home, or if someone's away a lot). Last thing to
consider--generally, the total cost of installation (labor and materials
combined) of a tankless system is notably more expensive than a
reasonably sized tank that's in an area that's already been setup for tank
usage.
My brother has used
one for about 10 years. They had to try several different models until
they found one that consistently worked for them. Overall I would say
they are pleased with it, but some of the cheaper models they tried first were
pretty frustrating. Unfortunately, I don’t recall
anymore which models they didn’t like.
I live in
We have this and
love it. We installed ours about 2 years ago after the 4th
person into the shower in the morning got a cold one. The only adjustment we
have had to make is that hot water takes about 30 seconds to start flowing so
you have to run the water a bit.
we got an estimate a couple of months ago for a tankless water
heater. the thing that you need to know is that you need to have 3/4 inch
pipes in order to have a tankless water heater. most homes only have 1/2
inch pipes, so you would have to replace all the pipes to have them be 3/4
inch. our estimate was $5k because of this expense (that was from mcnabb
plumbing, who we've used for all our plumbing stuff). lowes wouldn't give
us an estimate at all because of the pipe issue. so, the cost of
replacing all your pipes if they're not 3/4 inch is definitely a consideration.
given that, we're just going to get a regular one since that seemed like a
WHOLE lot of money to spend on a water heater.
I haven't owned one personally but know that on-demand systems have
become more mainstream the last ~10 years, after being regarded as a somewhat
older technology. Obviously it eliminates the need for a water heater and
associated overhead, but they are typically more expensive to install. A
friend in NY installed such a system ~20 years ago and they have the hottest,
quickest water of anyone I know -- I assume this can be adjusted easily,
but may be something to check out.
My friend George installed one. He did have
one issue with a sensor going bad and it took a week to come in. If you
purchase, ask about spares that the plumber keeps and how long to get parts
incase there is a problem. Otherwise he really likes it. He did have to
install a liner for chimney because the exhaust isn't hot enough to cause
correct ventilation. This is for gas. don't think electric heater
needs one.
Producers:
Rinnai www.foreverhotwater.com
Rinnai
has customer service representatives available 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. Customer service options are available by clicking here, or by calling
(866) 746-6241 ((866) RINNAI1)
Bosch
800-503-5028
www.boschhotwater.com
RUDD Instanteous
Water Heater