Tank vs tankless water heater?

[Illini Pete]

Hey Y'all,

I'm putting finishing touches on my shop and plan to install a sink to wash my hands and keep the honey's laundry sink clean. I want to install an electric water heater to be used for hand washing or maybe a bucket of water for car washing. Would I be better off with a small tank heater, like 20 gal, or a tankless? Both seem to be available for around $200 at Menard's for example.

Any opinions are appreciated. Thanks,
Pete

 

[koditten]

Well water=tank water heater

City water with low hardness=tankless

The minerals in hard water are hard on the tankless. Read up on stripping the scaling on tankless and you won't want a tankless.

 

[Highbeam]

Go much smaller. Hand washing and filling a bucket will each use way less than 5 gallons. They make 2.5, 6, 10, 15, 20 gallon heaters but the small ones are 2000 watt and only require a 20 amp 120 volt circuit. I would stick with the 6 or 10 gallon tank heater. They can be turned off until you need them and then you only have to wait 30 minutes or so for the water to heat up. Or, you could just leave it running all the time.

 

[slickgt1]

Tankless for sure. Only problem I keep seeing with them, is it takes some time for the cooled water in the pipes to flush out and get the hot water going. But if your sink, and heater are not too far away from each other, this issue will no exist for you.

You can't beat the efficiency of them. 3 of my properties now have them, and I will never switch back.

 

[K13]

Well water=tank water heater

City water with low hardness=tankless

The minerals in hard water are hard on the tankless. Read up on stripping the scaling on tankless and you won't want a tankless.

This. If your water is not softened don't go with a tankless. The city I live in doesn't soften the water and plumbers strongly suggest not installing tankless without a water softener due to the build up of scale and the problems it causes.

 

[Illini Pete]

Thanks Guys,

I do have well water but it's softened. Am I right that the tankless doesn't use any current until you open the tap? For intermittent use like I will be doing, seems that tankless would be most efficient?

Thanks again,
Pete

 

[slickgt1]

Thanks Guys,

I do have well water but it's softened. Am I right that the tankless doesn't use any current until you open the tap? For intermittent use like I will be doing, seems that tankless would be most efficient?

Thanks again,
Pete

Very very little current because it still runs it's electronics, but that is again, very little.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks Guys,

I do have well water but it's softened. Am I right that the tankless doesn't use any current until you open the tap? For intermittent use like I will be doing, seems that tankless would be most efficient?

Thanks again,
Pete

Correct. No big draw until it's working. The other benefit of the tankless is that it can be hung on the wall and not take up floor space.

Drawback is that you need lots of current and with the reduced flow rates, filling a bucket will take longer.

 

[koditten]

If this is for the shop only, I would have no problem using a small tankless unit. As long as you know you won't be getting full pressure out of the garden hose to wash the car. This would work for just about everything you listed.

 

[Illini Pete]

If this is for the shop only, I would have no problem using a small tankless unit. As long as you know you won't be getting full pressure out of the garden hose to wash the car. This would work for just about everything you listed.

I put a T in the water line from the house with one branch to the shop where the heater will be and the other branch to a yard hydrant so a tankless heater shouldn't affect the pressure at the hydrant.

I think I'll go small tankless, just seems simpler plumbing and overall easier.

Thanks guys,
Pete

 

[JMURiz]

Check into under-sink heaters that are used in commercial spaces. I've seen them in offices and where my wife used to work. That may suit your low demand needs.

 

[lh4x4]

My understanding of tankless heaters is that to work well they need a full supply of water going through. Such as when the dish or clothers is running.

Low flows like just turning the tap for some hot water to wash your hands is not doable. But my info is from a number of years back and technology may have adjusted for low flow usage.

 

[ddawg16]

Tankless.

I did a lot of research on this prior to building my 2-story addition...

Key point...garage.....infrequent use.

For a house....if your the type that takes a shower in the morning and then there is no hot water use until that evening...and then maybe only a couple of hours....go tankless...if your wife is home all day? Tank water heater.

Garage? Once, twice a day? Tankless is a good fit. Chances are a 120v unit would work just fine.

 

[macdabs]

My old shop has a small wall 2.5-3 gallon Rheem water heater that has been in use for 24 years and was used every day till 2 years ago. The thing draws very little electricity . I wish I would have installed the same thing in my new shop instead of the standard 40 gallon water heater I installed that is wasting electricity every day just to wash your hands . I added a shower to the new shop is the reason I went with a standard heater.
Mac

 

[Illini Pete]

My understanding of tankless heaters is that to work well they need a full supply of water going through. Such as when the dish or clothers is running.

Low flows like just turning the tap for some hot water to wash your hands is not doable. But my info is from a number of years back and technology may have adjusted for low flow usage.

If this is the case, I wouldn't have a problem letting the water run for a while until it got hot. I have to do this in my house if the hot water hasn't been used all day and I have a 50 gal tank.

Where you from in Illinois?

Pete

 

[roche]

What are some good tankless heaters?