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12/07/2006 01:24:59 PM · #1 |
OK, I've read the reviews and I'm left with the big question... Should I or should I not go with a tankless water heater. It seems that the people who like it LOVE it and there are just as many people who HATE it!!!!
My wife and I are remodeling our master bathroom and getting rid of our electric hot water heater. We've decided to go with natural gas, we just don't know if we should go tankless or not. I know it's not photography related, but I was wondering if anyone here had any experience (good or bad) with this type of system. |
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12/07/2006 01:32:45 PM · #2 |
I have a lot of experience with one...
I REALLY REALLY like the fact that I can take an ENDLESS shower with scalding hot water and the gas bill actually has gone down...the water bill has gone up though.
The biggest problem is that if I am washing dishes at the kitchen sink and my husband is in the shower, the pilot goes out and we have to relight it.
Basically only one person can be using the hot water at any one time or the pilot goes out and you have to relight it.
I cannot fill up the bath tub because it causes the pilot to go out...showers only and my husband and I cannot use use 2 showerheads in the shower or it will go out...we have to share one.
Once you figure out what makes the pilot go out, you adjust your methods of doing things and it is no big deal...I get very annoyed with the accomodations I have to make sometimes but the endless hot water supply when I am in the shower is worth it.
If I had kids who need baths, I don't know what I would do because I cannot fill the tub without the pilot going out.
I don't know, I like it most of the time but when the hot water ends suddenly with no warning and I just lathered my body and am full of soap, it is very irritating.
That does not happen very often any more but it happened all the time in the beginning.
Message edited by author 2006-12-07 13:34:18. |
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12/07/2006 01:36:39 PM · #3 |
| Wow never knew that so many people didn't like these. I'm looking at replacing an aging Tank with one... |
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12/07/2006 01:37:17 PM · #4 |
I was gonna go this route once but opted out. The supply by demand wasn't capable of producing enough hot water for the number of people and other devices using hot water in my house. You couldn't take a shower and run the dishwasher at the same time.
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12/07/2006 01:37:45 PM · #5 |
| Looks like your system needs to be adjusted. The burner kicking on shouldn't blow out the pilot light. |
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12/07/2006 01:38:39 PM · #6 |
I installed a Bosch Aquastar about a year ago, and would never go back to a conventional water heater. Our gas bill went down for one, and I can go in and take a shower and be in there for 10 day straight if needed - never runs out.
The amount of space it saved too was a huge asset in the garage. |
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12/07/2006 01:43:11 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by _eug:
Wow never knew that so many people didn't like these. I'm looking at replacing an aging Tank with one... |
Yeah, that's my dilemma!!! We thought it was a no-brainer because there are plenty of people that have wonderful results like  BradP, then we did more research and found that there are just as many that have nothing but difficulties and they're STUCK with an expensive "cold water heater".
Message edited by author 2006-12-07 13:43:42. |
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12/07/2006 01:45:15 PM · #8 |
I think the biggest thing is the number of people in your house and the demand.
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12/07/2006 01:47:14 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by BradP:
I installed a Bosch Aquastar about a year ago, and would never go back to a conventional water heater. Our gas bill went down for one, and I can go in and take a shower and be in there for 10 day straight if needed - never runs out.
The amount of space it saved too was a huge asset in the garage. |
What'd the Bosch cost? |
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12/07/2006 02:00:05 PM · #10 |
My experience is that I LOVE them with Gas and HATE them with electric :-)
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12/07/2006 02:19:16 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by _eug:
Originally posted by BradP:
I installed a Bosch Aquastar about a year ago, and would never go back to a conventional water heater. Our gas bill went down for one, and I can go in and take a shower and be in there for 10 day straight if needed - never runs out.
The amount of space it saved too was a huge asset in the garage. |
What'd the Bosch cost? |
In addition to the cost of the heater, you may have to allow for some re-plumbing at least part of the house. A contractor I spoke with recently said that these heaters require copper piping; if you have galvanized pipes they may need to be (partially?) replaced.
If you plan to stay in the house, they are a good deal in the long run, both economically and environmentally. |
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12/07/2006 02:23:28 PM · #12 |
Not sure what BradP paid for his, but I bought our Bosch AquaStar (along with the separate exhaust system) nearly 3 years ago, & it was over $900. Then again, we will never run out of hot water. There is NO pilot light, and the unit self-ignites when the water flows & spins a little turbine ignitor! (No batteries, etc.) Knowing how much hot water is needed in a house with 3 daughters, I was happy to have the tankless installed.
It CAN be frustrating to adjust properly in the beginning, so make [[[[[[[[!!!!!DAMNED SURE!!!!!!]]]]] that whoever installs your unit knows what they are doing or your spouse will be very grouchy, very quickly! Seriuosly, even if the experienced installer wants 4x the cost, do NOT rely on the average (uninformed) plumber...make sure they have properly installed lots of these before.
(BTW - for the person not able to run the dishwasher...there is normally a button on the front of the dishwasher that will sense the temperature of the water, and raise the water temp using the unit's heating element. It's often marked 'Auto Temp', or something similar.) |
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12/07/2006 03:26:26 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by _eug:
Originally posted by BradP:
I installed a Bosch Aquastar about a year ago, and would never go back to a conventional water heater. Our gas bill went down for one, and I can go in and take a shower and be in there for 10 day straight if needed - never runs out.
The amount of space it saved too was a huge asset in the garage. |
What'd the Bosch cost? |
I think it was around $475.00 at Home Depot, and I did the installation myself.
Here are a couple shots I dug up:
 
Imagine a 40-gallon conventional unit in the same location - took up a lot of room!
This is the smaller unit - can handle one major use, like dishwasher or wash machine or shower, but with only 2 people in the house, I didn't need more. The unit I bought has a gas pilot light, and have never had to re-light it to date. It is right besde the garage door too and even on the windiest days, it hasn't been a problem. |
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12/07/2006 03:29:25 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by rossbilly:
(BTW - for the person not able to run the dishwasher...there is normally a button on the front of the dishwasher that will sense the temperature of the water, and raise the water temp using the unit's heating element. It's often marked 'Auto Temp', or something similar.) |
This is true. But now all the money you saved on gas(probably more than what you saved) just went to the electric company because you had to power a 5000 watt electric heater element to get the job done. Where's the efficiency in that? It's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't things I guess.
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12/07/2006 03:41:39 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by slickchik:
I have a lot of experience with one...
I REALLY REALLY like the fact that I can take an ENDLESS shower with scalding hot water and the gas bill actually has gone down...the water bill has gone up though.
The biggest problem is that if I am washing dishes at the kitchen sink and my husband is in the shower, the pilot goes out and we have to relight it.
Basically only one person can be using the hot water at any one time or the pilot goes out and you have to relight it.
I cannot fill up the bath tub because it causes the pilot to go out...showers only and my husband and I cannot use use 2 showerheads in the shower or it will go out...we have to share one.
Once you figure out what makes the pilot go out, you adjust your methods of doing things and it is no big deal...I get very annoyed with the accomodations I have to make sometimes but the endless hot water supply when I am in the shower is worth it.
If I had kids who need baths, I don't know what I would do because I cannot fill the tub without the pilot going out.
I don't know, I like it most of the time but when the hot water ends suddenly with no warning and I just lathered my body and am full of soap, it is very irritating.
That does not happen very often any more but it happened all the time in the beginning. |
which one do you have? because the biggest aquastar (250s something) could only reach up to 6.3 gallons per minute allowing to probably use two shower heads at the same time. smaller version have a lower GPM, that's why you can't use your bathtub because thouse thing go up to 20+ GPM. you could try low-flows maybe that will help you use two shower heads. |
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12/07/2006 03:54:20 PM · #16 |
The tankless heaters I was looking at are designed to work with your normal water heater. They're small electric units (110 or 220) that mount under a sink or in the wall near a shower. They provide instant hot water when the tap is turned on, then turn down or off when they sense hot water coming from the normal (tank) water heater. I was considering having them installed in our home. I didn't know there were units that completely replace the normal water heater. Getting rid of the tank would be a plus for folks like us that have well water, because the water heater tank can be a breeding ground for bacteria.
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12/07/2006 04:28:42 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by Mick:
The tankless heaters I was looking at are designed to work with your normal water heater. They're small electric units (110 or 220) that mount under a sink or in the wall near a shower. They provide instant hot water when the tap is turned on, then turn down or off when they sense hot water coming from the normal (tank) water heater. I was considering having them installed in our home. I didn't know there were units that completely replace the normal water heater. Getting rid of the tank would be a plus for folks like us that have well water, because the water heater tank can be a breeding ground for bacteria. |
Oh, I know what you're talking about. From my understanding those under sink water heaters are more of a "luxury" kind of thing than a practical one. Basically they just make it so you don't have to wait 30 seconds when you turn on the faucet to get hot water out of it. They aren't very efficient though and if you're out of hot water they won't do much for you. |
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12/07/2006 04:43:48 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by Megatherian:
Originally posted by Mick:
The tankless heaters I was looking at are designed to work with your normal water heater. They're small electric units (110 or 220) that mount under a sink or in the wall near a shower. They provide instant hot water when the tap is turned on, then turn down or off when they sense hot water coming from the normal (tank) water heater. I was considering having them installed in our home. I didn't know there were units that completely replace the normal water heater. Getting rid of the tank would be a plus for folks like us that have well water, because the water heater tank can be a breeding ground for bacteria. |
Oh, I know what you're talking about. From my understanding those under sink water heaters are more of a "luxury" kind of thing than a practical one. Basically they just make it so you don't have to wait 30 seconds when you turn on the faucet to get hot water out of it. They aren't very efficient though and if you're out of hot water they won't do much for you. |
Yeah, we looked at those too. What we're looking at right now is a whole-house unit like the one posted above. I think I'm being swayed against getting one. I've done some reading about maintenance costs etc....
Brad, do you have to have it serviced? If so, how often/how much? |
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12/07/2006 04:49:50 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by Palmetto_Pixels:
Brad, do you have to have it serviced? If so, how often/how much? |
Nope. No maintenance needed, no tank to rot out, nothing to clean out so long at the combustion is clean and leaves no deposits. I've checked mine and looks as clean as the day I installed it. |
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12/07/2006 05:20:32 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by BradP:
Nope. No maintenance needed, no tank to rot out, nothing to clean out so long at the combustion is clean and leaves no deposits. I've checked mine and looks as clean as the day I installed it. |
Sounds good.... I had read several people complaining that it required service every 2-3 years which was costly and the support was less than desirable if you did have problems/questions. |
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12/07/2006 05:43:37 PM · #21 |
We have a tankless hot water system heated by an oil furnace and it rocks!
Hot water for as long as you need, which comes very handy when showering with a friend ;)
I had known nothing but electric hot water tanks before and will never go that route again. |
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12/07/2006 05:45:59 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by robs:
My experience is that I LOVE them with Gas and HATE them with electric :-) |
What are the problems with electric units? Is it just the cost, or are there other problems?
Natural gas isn't available where we live, so everything in our house, including our current water heater, is electric. Needless to say, we're used to hefty electric bills. On the plus side, our gas bill is very low. :D
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12/07/2006 09:34:01 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by rossbilly:
Not sure what BradP paid for his, but I bought our Bosch AquaStar (along with the separate exhaust system) nearly 3 years ago, & it was over $900. Then again, we will never run out of hot water. There is NO pilot light, and the unit self-ignites when the water flows & spins a little turbine ignitor! |
I don't know how there is no pilot light...We have the Bosch AquaStar too...the $500 model we bought last year. It is the smaller one. It has to have a pilot light to self ignite when the water flows. Unless you have a more expensive model. I don't know if the price came down in the last 3 years or we bought a cheaper model.
BTW, we use low flow shower heads and the burner goes out when both are being used. |
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12/07/2006 09:40:07 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by Mick:
Originally posted by robs:
My experience is that I LOVE them with Gas and HATE them with electric :-) |
What are the problems with electric units? Is it just the cost, or are there other problems?
Natural gas isn't available where we live, so everything in our house, including our current water heater, is electric. Needless to say, we're used to hefty electric bills. On the plus side, our gas bill is very low. :D |
I found that the electric could not heat it fast enough for a shower (or at least the one we had a few houses back could not) - The place that had one from natural gas was pure magic :-) The place we are in now is all electric with oil heating - talk about dark ages but I guess that's what comes with moving to the north-east US :-).
As Beagleboy says, Gas can handle a shower for two :-o)
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12/07/2006 09:44:02 PM · #25 |
funny...I was just looking at water heaters yesterday and today. I'm going to stick with the tried and true natural gas 40gal tank system. It just didn't seem to me that one gets that much with the tankless system for more than twice the cost. You would have to save a lot of gas for that to pay off, I think. also, since I plan on installing myself, replacing with the same system looks a lot easier to me.
I've beem using the same 40gal heater that was here when we bought the house 17 years ago. Can't ask for much more than that. |
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