On-Demand Water Heaters?

[kristen.c]

Does anyone here have one?

Our Realtor originally brought it up during our home inspection. Our water heater is on the small side and is getting up there in years and she suggested it as an alternative to putting in a new, larger version of the same unit. Then, this weekend at the Green Festival, there was a local business that sells and installs them and we stopped by for some information.

DH and I are definitely considering upgrading to one. They seem like a great option and are supposed to be incredibly energy efficient. I was just wondering if anyone here has one and what your experiences are.

[jujubee]

I'm no help, but I'd love to hear any reviews!

How do they differ than a standard water heater?

[kristen.c]

I'm no help, but I'd love to hear any reviews!

How do they differ than a standard water heater?

It's actually tankless. The units are small and are usually installed on a wall. Basically, it heats the water as you need it so that you aren't wasting energy keeping a tank of water warm that you may not need for a few hours, few days, etc. From what I understand, there are different sizes depending on how much of a demand you have and there is some sort of calculation that they use to determine that based on your water flow rate, ground water temperature, and water usage. For instance you'd need a higher powered one if you have a lot of people showering at the same time or are doing laundry/showering at the same time because it would have to heat a lot of water very quickly.

The benefit to us, besides this being a green/energy efficient product, is size. Currently, there isn't much room for a bigger water heater and the space constraints could cause a problem. Since this unit doesn't have a tank, it's much more spatially efficient as it is a fairly flat unit that hangs on a wall. Like many energy efficient things, the cost upfront is more than a traditional hot water heater- about double- but uses about 30% less energy than the traditional alternative and has a longer product life.

My concern is that it won't work as well as it does in theory, so that's why I'm wanting to get a perspective from someone who has experience with the product.

[jtjohns]

We've been looking at changing over to a tankless water heater also, and the only thing that has held us back is not being able to find a plumber in our area with experience with installing them.

The two biggest things we learned when researching them were to go with a gas-fired model, rather then electric, and that you should build in a little extra capacity so that if your hot-water needs change a few years down the line (added bathroom or appliances) you won't have to worry about upgrading the heater.

I'll be interested in reading any other comments posted here, too.

~JJ

[Frugal Cook]

The only thing that I've heard about them is issues with getting enough gas to the unit. I believe that it requires a larger gas line, but could be wrong.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

Have no clue but we would like a tankless water heater too some day. I wonder how they are at meeting the hot water demands of a large family.

[moon and stars]

That's in hubby's line of work and he installs them. I know at one time he was not that impressed with them, but that was a couple of years ago so things could have changed. I'll try to remember to ask him for his current opinion.

[kristen.c]

That's in hubby's line of work and he installs them. I know at one time he was not that impressed with them, but that was a couple of years ago so things could have changed. I'll try to remember to ask him for his current opinion.

That would be fantastic! Thank you!

[moon and stars]

If you need an electric tankless heater, it requires larger wiring than a standard water heater uses and often you will need two to three breakers. All the kinks are still not worked out in the ones that are being manufactured.

If you need a gas tankless heater, you can get propane or natural gas. You need a 110 volt electrical for it. All the kinks are worked out of these and they are proven to work correctly and efficiently.

You need to size it according to the # of plumbing fixtures in your home (count all 'hot' fixtures such as sinks, tubs/showers, washer, dishwasher, etc.).

[kristen.c]

If you need an electric tankless heater, it requires larger wiring than a standard water heater uses and often you will need two to three breakers. All the kinks are still not worked out in the ones that are being manufactured.

If you need a gas tankless heater, you can get propane or natural gas. You need a 110 volt electrical for it. All the kinks are worked out of these and they are proven to work correctly and efficiently.

You need to size it according to the # of plumbing fixtures in your home (count all 'hot' fixtures such as sinks, tubs/showers, washer, dishwasher, etc.).

Excellent information! Thank you so much. Our current water heater is natural gas and that's what we'd go with for our tankless-- our electric rates here are really ridiculous, so anything that uses gas is a plus for us.