Tankless heater help

[Fastback]

I know next to nothing about radiant floor heating but I have to agree with the above post.

However, if you use propylene glycol as the working fluid don't you need some kind of reservoir/fill tank that holds an extra gallon or 2 ?

Also, how do you automatically shut down the system if it springs a leak ?

You just need an expansion tank to compensate for heat expansion and pressure adjustments.

My system holds six gallons, so if by some odd circumstance it springs a leak I could just use a mop to clean up the gallon or so that is above grade. Once the fluid stops moving through the heater it shuts off anyway.

And don't forget that style antifreeze is safe for potable tanks and is non toxic.

All the benefits of water without the rust or a possible freeze if the system is off and a hard freeze sets in.

 

[Dave28]

Steve,

I was finally able to get a hold of Bob who sells for Titan Tankless, American Heat & Oylmpia. Here is what I found out on Olympia Tankless heaters. He told me that the Olympia heater is made by Ameraican Heat and they are phasing the Olympia heater out. The new model goes by the name of American Heat and is all stainless. He also told me they had problems with the flow switch in the Oylmpia heaters used for hydronic heating. The new flow switch works better for Hydronic heat.

He said he could sell me an Oylmpia heater with the newer flow switch installed for an addtional $40.00. I was worried about getting parts for the Oylmpia but he explained there is no problem getting parts. I believe my total cost for an 18KW with improved flow switch is $269.00.

Here are some links in case anyone needs information.
http://americanheatus.com
http://www.americanheatdirect.com/tankless
http://www.olympiatankless.com/

Dave

 

[stevefasano]

Dave,,Thanks for the info...If I ever have any problem in the future with the unit ,,I'll check the flow sensor first..

 

[dirttracker18]

No, my question is WHO USES WELL WATER IN A RADIANT SYSTEM?

I do

I am running a 40 gal electric water heater and to fill the system, in Canada, with the proper antifreeze would have been in the $1000 range.

Mine has water in it and much like the OP my has a valve connected to my domestic system for refill. Simply blow it out in the summer, clean and refill.

 

[jvitez]

dirttracker18: what happens if the power goes out? I'd be scared to run straight water in our Canadian climate. Do you have a backup plan for a power outage?

 

[markee]

If I'm not mistaken it looks like the Olympia units are just made by Titan ?
The warranty on the olympiatankless.com says
All of our products are covered by the Titan Tankless Heater Guarantee.
and the Titans are getting some pretty ugly reviews on amazon for crappy warranty and customer service.

I'm getting ready to build a laundry room off the back of may garage. The only thing holding me back from getting started is i can't seem to find a reliable inexpensive tankless water heater so i can get rid of my old tank water heater and free up the space i need do the job.

Steve,

I was finally able to get a hold of Bob who sells for Titan Tankless, American Heat & Oylmpia. Here is what I found out on Olympia Tankless heaters. He told me that the Olympia heater is made by Ameraican Heat and they are phasing the Olympia heater out. The new model goes by the name of American Heat and is all stainless. He also told me they had problems with the flow switch in the Oylmpia heaters used for hydronic heating. The new flow switch works better for Hydronic heat.

He said he could sell me an Oylmpia heater with the newer flow switch installed for an addtional $40.00. I was worried about getting parts for the Oylmpia but he explained there is no problem getting parts. I believe my total cost for an 18KW with improved flow switch is $269.00.

Here are some links in case anyone needs information.
http://americanheatus.com
http://www.americanheatdirect.com/tankless
http://www.olympiatankless.com/

Dave

 

[Dave28]

markee,

I called Niagra Industries, Inc. (http://www.tanklesswaterheater.com) a few weeks ago to ask about the Oylmpia Tankless heater and they told me they do not manufacture the Oylmpia heater. I then called Bob Michaud who sells for both Niagra Industries and American Heat. He told me that AMerican Heat manufactured the Oylmpia and they were phasing that model out and the new heater goes by the name American Heat (www.americanheatus.com/).

Bob told me that they had around 700 Oylmpia heaters left. He informed me they were having a problem with the flow switch in the Oylmpias when used for hydronic heating and that they could change the switch out to the new one that is used in the American Heat model for $40. I purchased the Oylmpia 18k model from Bob and recieved it yesterday. I hope to have it installed this weekend and I will update everyone on how it's working.

Dave

 

[markee]

I also talked to Bob I live in south Florida and have an appointment on Monday to meet up with him go down to the factory here and see the units in action.
So if anyone has suggestions of things I should look for when I demo the units questions I should please chime in.

I tried searching around for any reviews on the Olympia Tankless Water Heater and American heating but really can't find much info.

What i did find was this Consumer Complaints page ? http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/american_heat_tankless_water_heater.html

Florida is full of rinky dink fly by night companies.
I own a fire equipment fire extinguisher servicing company down here for 25yrs. I've been in every imaginable bizness you could think of no bizness can open till they have fire extgs.we service close to 5000 places a year and I've seen it all

I really hope these units look descent so i can get one and on with laundry room renovation its just stuff like the above link makes it hard to trust?

If anyone sees any positive reviews on the Olympia Tankless Water Heaters and or American heating ? Please post them

 

[Dave28]

markee,

Let us know what you find out. I have not had a chance to get mine hooked up yet. I am waiting for my friend to install a new 200 amp service panel for me. I am hoping I can get my tankless heater installed by the end of the week so I can report back how it is working. Let us know what the company says about honoring the warranty on the Olympia heaters.

Dave

 

[frazmy]

Thank you for this wonderful forum. I have a very simple question regarding using a new tankless water heater to heat my house instead of my current oil-fired water boiler. Can I simply install the tankless on the input of my boiler after disabling the oil fire, and using the circulator and the thermostats of the existing system?. So the water would circulate from the tankless to inside the boiler without firing the boiler then to the zones. This could be the least expensive way to convert to tankless water heater for heating the whole house. I need your input please. Thanks.

 

[anthony666]

start a new thread .. yes, but bypassing and isolating your old boiler is always better

 

[Banjorear]

I have a tankless, NG model, a Rinaai. I installed in the attic where the original tanked model was.

Please understand the realities of a tankless heater. Rarely will you save enough to offset the cost of them. Consumer reports published an article on this. Summary: there is no free lunch it cost X to heat water, the only saving is in the maintaining of the water. That is cheap the tankless is not.

Second the cold sandwich. Tankless heaters take a moment to heat the water. So, your wife takes a nice hot shower. You follow 10 minutes later. You immediately get hot water from the pipes, then cold water for a few seconds, then hot again. Sounds like no big deal but very irritating

Third, maintenance. Think of your coffee maker it slows down you clean it with vinegar. Same thing here. Once a year you use the isolating valves to pump vinegar thru it for an hour.
Fourth these work on rise so it will do fine in the summer when the input temp is 50 degrees but less so in the winter in PA when the input temp is lower

I use a tankless, I save 40% of my water heating cost and I do not have cold sandwiches.

I replaced the bad hot water heater and eliminated a second heater which heated only master BR and powder room water. I save pennies on the one I replaced but nearly all on the other.

I placed a 5 gallon tanked heater AFTER the tankless so there is a small bit of hot water on hand and whatever brief blast of cold sandwich is mixed in the tank. The five gallon runs very little after all of the income water is heated before it gets it.

I plan on improving my system further by placing a 50 gallon tank (with bypass valves for winter shut off) BEFORE the tankless. Since it is in an attic, in Alabama I will save quite a bit there too.

Is it worth it for you, maybe? You will save space and DIY is a huge savings. Reality is you can save nearly as much with a water heater blanket and a timer. Unless you have special requirements, think hard on why you want to do this.

The house we bought has a Rinnia in it as well. Hate, hate, hate it. It is so dependent on flow rate that it won't turn on unless the facuet is wide open.

When it goes I'm going back to a Triangle Tube indirect hot water tank. That was the best set-up I've ever used.