Tankless water heaters

gonin02 · Tar Sands Joined: Oct 24, 2004 Posts: 33

Hi,

Newbie here... has anyone had success with intalling tankless hot water heaters? I see them in Asia/Europe, and if there's something people in North America can do to reduce energy consumption, it would be getting rid of those hot water tanks. The hoarding of hot water, esp during long periods of time when no one uses it is amazingly wasteful in my opinon...

http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?itemID=879&itemType=CATEGORY&path=1%2C2%2C681

Pops · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 6:55 pm Post subject:

Thanks go, I think most folks don't know more than "the laft is hot".
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skateari · Intermediate Crude Joined: Sep 26, 2004 Posts: 548

My dad installs eletric heaters as well as the new tankless water heater.. we have one and it works great, and it saves a whole lot of energy. The water is processed threw coils and heating elements in a long tubing process which heats the water as it comes in.. very energy efficant and the water is piping hot.. My dad has been installing the Rennai tankless water heater for a few years now and business just keeps picking up.. seems like a good choice if you ask me..

mmm · Tar Sands Joined: Jul 05, 2004 Posts: 37

A relative of mine just installed a tankless water heater. I don't know what exactly went wrong with the installation, but the way the thing works is to cycle on and off a few times a second as current is drawn to heat the coils. That wouldn't be bad, but it draws so much current that all lights in the house dim in time with the current draw, so if someone takes a shower, the house is on a mild strobe the entire time.

They never run out of hot water, but it is a little odd to have all the lights strobing all the time.

Specop_007 · Expert Joined: Aug 12, 2004 Posts: 6101

Unfortunately, the initial price isnt offset by the returns on your energy bill unless it lasts for a very, very long time.
In other words, while nice its not worth the investment.

ExampleGiven · Tar Sands Joined: Jul 06, 2004 Posts: 20

A Tankless water heater should last 20 - 25 years and they can be repaired. My Gas Takagi tankless cost about 900. It costs about 25% less to run than a conventional water heater. The gas ones can deliver more gallons per minute that the electrics that I've read about.

Specop_007 · Expert Joined: Aug 12, 2004 Posts: 6101

gonin02 · Tar Sands Joined: Oct 24, 2004 Posts: 33

are high energy costs the reason these devices are popular in asia/europe?

until our energy prices reach that critical point it is not cost effective to own one in NA?

Specop_007 · Expert Joined: Aug 12, 2004 Posts: 6101