Tankless water heater

I don’t think there is a gas line to the dryer. I did have the gas line retained/moved back slightly and stubbed out when I remodeled the kitchen so I could have a gas range. But ultimately I decided on an electric induction. In El Paso solar options might be viable over my lifetime, or then again, the coming climate apocalypse might render it all moot.

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So you are all electric already?

Yes, I would imagine. I have a brother in law in Maine plastering all of New England with solar panels. He’s offered to come down to us if we wanted solar panels. We would like solar panels but don’t really like the brother in law that much. lol

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HaHaHa omg I wish I dint have the same prob<><>

Tesla roof tiles anyone???

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If this is directed at me…no. I have a gas water heater and a gas furnace.
I could have a gas range but have electric. I have a gas fireplace.

My husband and I both think they sound cool!

Since you’re already considering gas, the only thing I would add is that they do need regular maintenance to remove mineral deposits (i.e. descaling). How often the maintenance is needed depends on your water quality. You can do it yourself fairly easily if the appropriate service valves are installed when the unit is installed. I descale my mother’s electric unit with vinegar, but her unit does not have service valves, so it’s not at all easy.

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I have had my demand heater for 20 years now, no tank to rust out. 3500-4000 seems awful expensive to install it considering the venting is already in place.

RR

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We have one. We put it on the house when we moved in, and sized it for three bathrooms (we had two) for when we put apartment in the backyard. It supplies plenty of hot water to both locations, and we’re pretty happy. One downfall is that it takes ages to get to the apartment or the house bathroom farthest away from it, so just make sure the one you get has a recirculation loop. The plumber said that would solve the problem.

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Yes! I mentioned that the Airbnb bathroom is the furthest and that the lines go through the porch ceiling outside (insulated but still) and back into the air room. Add a recirculation loop was exactly what he mentioned. Thank you.

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Sorry, missed this.

No problem with consecutive showers, and depending on the flow rate, the possibility of being able to have concurrent showers (ie you and guest, in separate bathrooms).

JF

These are the norm in the UK where people have a mains gas supply to the house; they can also be powered through a gas tank, or solar/electric with battery storage. They are called combination boilers, or “Combi’s”. As John describes, they provide instant hot water, and depending on size, can also heat radiators.

I have three shower rooms and a bathroom, with no complaints about competing for hot water.

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I have one that not only provides constant hot water to upstairs where I live, but also enough of it to heat the entire Airbnb (2 bd/1ba, kitchen, Liv Rm, Office) apartment downstairs. Bargain! It’s paid for itself years ago.

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My HVAC company talked me out of it due to the huge cost differential and maintenance requirements, for a variety of technical reasons which I don’t recall exactly but which made sense. (Dicey if I would outlive the payback period!) I listened because they are actually making less money just replacing the tank water heater.

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I had two of them at a place we built back in 2010. Worked great. But it was new build, not renno…

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I can get a high capacity Rheem at Home Depot Canada for about $1700CAD before taxes. Your price seems stiff, even though it includes installation.

I can also lease one from the local utility at $41CAD per month from $15CAD for a tank. The big advantage is space. Though you will save on keeping a tank hot. But concurrently other utilities are going very high and it’s not an easy decision.

Even though I live by one of the Great Lakes, my water will is very high and going higher (+4.5%). As it should be.

Internationally it’s a global crisis. A tank is plenty for two showers. Each tank here uses 60 gallos. My rules clearly indicate that a 5 minute shower is the rule of thumb. Beyond that I can and will start adding water saving devices.

I have never had an objection. While staying in Canoga Park in 1991 in a good hotel I was repeatedly asked to conserve water and not use towels bedding etc. to conserve water.

A recirculation loop will both reduce the energy savings and add to the already high cost of the tankless heater and installation.

Additionally, if you don’t already have a loop installed in your house, then the easiest (cheapest) way to make a loop is to recirculate the hot water through the cold water lines, so instead of waiting for the hot water, you will actually have to wait for cold water.

Anyway, looking at it from a cost perspective, I found some numbers and estimated that it’ll take 30 years to recover the up-front cost difference of replacing a regular tank heater with a tankless. That includes replacing the tank heater twice because it will fail in half the time, but it doesn’t include the cost of any maintenance, or the cost and energy consumption of a recirculation loop.

Bottom line, if you make the switch, don’t do it because you think it’ll save you money, do it because it’s eco-friendly, or you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water, or whatever.

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Absolutely true that a recirculation loop will detract from the energy efficiency. However, my plumber told me that at least one company (so sorry…can’t remember for anything which it was!) has a recirculation loop built into the tankless heater. He said it was “genius”. So I would think that’s worth looking into.

I have 2 of these, well actually 3 if you count the one in my home. 2 are gas and produce more hot water than the electric, but my electric is a small one and in a cottage with no kitchen but full bath and no complaints from anyone, including me with powers my whole house, which has 3 bathrooms, kitchen, etc.

I am in a cold climate (Maine) and you have to be sure the plumber installs correctly. I had an idiot plumber that installed one with the combustion air intake and the exhaust on the north wall (coldest) and it continually froze until it was junk! Like I said idiot plumber!!

Many if not most also have a diagnostic board, which throws error codes allowing the homeowner to have a clue why a malfunction may occur and many of those are an easy fix for homeowner requiring you to power off and back on. I am a big fan.

I purchased all of mine on line and payed so much less and I bet you can too and then have the plumber install the one you purchased. I own 3 Bosch heaters with great luck. Rinnai is another great brand. You can read on the manufacturers site how many devices it will power at once, i.e., 2 showers, dishwasher, etc. Back to back showers are no problem because it doesn’t store water like a typical hot water heater, it only heats when water is called for. This is where the savings come in because you are not paying to simply store hot water in a large tank during periods when no hot water is being called for.

You can purchase online on Amazon for $1,000 - $1,500 depending on the size and capacity you need and whether gas or electric. The electric ones are around $600 - $800 but consume a lot of electricity when in use which is only when water is called for. The electric do not require venting to the outside so in some respects easier to install but you have to be sure your electricity service panel can support the amperage.

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