Tankless Water heaters, yeah or nah?

[u3b3rg33k]

low flow fixtures also add significantly to hot water delivery time on any system, unless you have a hot water circulating system.

 

[Jackfre]

low flow fixtures also add significantly to hot water delivery time on any system, unless you have a hot water circulating system.

This is correct and why when you replace a water heater of any type you evaluate the entire system. Frequently a mis-piping is the cause of hot water aggravation. For instance, I spoke with my mailman this week and he told me he is re-modeling his bathroom. He had recently put in a tankless. I asked how it has been going and he said the hot water line goes from the back of the house to the front to the back and back to the front to that bathroom. He had some choice words for the previous owner and is re-piping. Also incorrect pipe size can cause long delays. The cross sectional area of 1/2, 3/4 and 1" pipe is .196, .44 & .77 sq in. That correlates directly to volume and the amount of water you have to dump before you get hot water. I've solved a lot of delay problems by simply running a dedicated 1/2" and in some cases 3/8" (not to code, but it solved the problem and gave good flow) line direct to the kitchen faucet, which is typically the one that drives you nuts with delays.
Recirc systems have come a long way as well today. I generally try to avoid them by positioning the water heater, but the other reason for them especially in the dry west is to prevent water waste. The best recirc control is the circ. at the water htr with a wireless control. Position a wireless motion sensor in the bathrooms and I have tucked a wireless push button up under the lip on the cabinet next to the kitchen sink. When we remodeled a couple years ago I laid out the plumbing so the longest run to any hot water faucet is 20'. Even with a very tight system adding the recirc dramatically improved performance. Keep in mind that in the last two years both neighbors across the road and the one behind me have lost their wells and all three have large storage tanks. My 75' dug well is perking along fine, but I don't push it.

 

[hcpatel78]

Bathtubs can be a problem with tankless, depending upon the water fill line size of the tub faucet and the tub size. If you have a 3/4" supply or one of those "waterfall" type spouts you will not get the same "visual affect" with a tankless as a tank, but the tankless will fill the tub. The 3/4" fill can supply up to 10-12 gpm. The tankless will regulate the flow to guarantee temperature is at the set point on the unit. That is usually 120*.
I will use Rinnai as an example as I've worked with them since '91, use them in my homes and am a technical trainer for them. I will not use the 199,000btu units as that is much larger than what the OP requires. The RUC-80i is a .95 EF unit with a max input of 152,000 btu. When in the winter your supply temps drop, and that is dependent upon where your water originates, the units output will decline. (In my MA home I usually saw a 5-10* drop for about 3 month of the year. With my current well the temps are consistent year round.) Specifically, the RUC80i at at 50, 60 or 70* temp rise will produce 5.9, 5.0, & 4.2 gpm respectively...all day long. If you sit in a bathtub over 105* you are no longer bathing but par-boiling, so that is the max temp.
Tankless water heaters, at least the good ones, are designed to guarantee temp at the expense of pressure. In this case if you tried to fill a tub with that 3/4" supply the unit would reduce the flow to guarantee temperature and with that RUC80i you would likely fill the tub at around 5 gpm. I have a 40 gal clawfoot tub and it takes about 5-8 minutes to fill the tub. I'm not suffering.
The number one mistake in tankless installations is inadequate gas line sizing. You may not need to increase the size of the gas line IF THE EXISTING SYSTEM CAN SUPPORT IT, but eyes open on this. You can pipe them with 1/2" pipe but the system has to be spot on to make them work. 3/4 gives more margin for error.
Location matters. Don't put it out in the N 40. Try to stay close to the primary point of use. The RUC80 can vent with PVC pipe or with the proprietary concentric poly-propylene 5" pipe. If you are on an outside wall, use the concentric pipe. If in the middle of the house the pvc may be a better option. The concentric is one 5" hole in the wall. The PVC has two 3".
In the past recirc systems for tankless have been a problem. Today, you can use Rinnai's new wireless module to operator the recirc system. Install a wireless push button up under the kitchen cabinet and the wireless motion sensor in the M Bath. You can control the water heater on your mobile device and also receive error codes if the unit is not happy. It is a slick system and is backwards compatible to all Luxury and Ultra series Rinnai's made since '06. V series does not have the Circ-logic so no go there.
For a couple days, pay attention to exactly how many minutes a day you actually have a hot tap open. I think you will be surprised at how seldom out of 24 hrs you are drawing hot water. I put in my first unit in our home when my girls were middle school. My gas bill dropped by 40%. It should have been greater savings, but once people know that they are not going to run out of hot water they tend to linger a bit more. Better comfort in other words. No one ever ran out of hot water. Years later a classmate friend of my daughters was getting married. We had a house full of kids. About 18-20 people showered and we never ran out of hot water. Now in our new home it is just the two of us but hot water is never an issue.
Hire a good guy who has attended the factory training. Get off on the right foot.

You are right on Money. I installed RUC98IN in North NewJersey and we have zone 5 climates with 2.5 baths. It workes like a champ. Also let me admit we have well water, initially I was worried about it but it works perfectly on 30/50 pressure well water system. In crazy winter months when outside temp plunge to the zero and negative degrees...no problem at all..... The only one thing i dont like it that it need electricity to operate fan and inbuilt frost proof heater....When power outage happens it stop working.... I will hook up with my generator when i am going to install subpanel...

 

[b4z]

We have 2tankless water heaters in our vacation home. When we aren’t there all we are charged is the basic $10 mo. facilities charge. The previous unit was $28 mo. In our permanent residence our gas charge was $18.87 last mo. All 3units are rinnais. I would never go back to an old school water heater.

 

[Showkey]

Sure would be nice if you would publish the true installed cost of these tankless units.

It like saying l love my new commuter car and I save $50 per month on gasoline. Oh by the way I spent $50k on my electric car. One other issue .....I can’t take my new car on vacation 500 miles without stopping 3 times to charge it up. I almost forgot .....The home charger cost $3k to install and my insurance doubled.

 

[Jazzman442]

I have a really good plumber I use. My entire house is Propane. I did an analysis and thankless water heaters do not save. My gas company that I have used for 18 years the techs also told me the same thing. Unless like other her said if you have a 2nd house than it is great. I installed a efficient 50 gallon gas heater it cost a few dollars a month and I have 3 kids. Most of the hype of things like Tankless are just that. Like High efficient as systems... Hype.

 

[alexb2000]

I have a really good plumber I use. My entire house is Propane. I did an analysis and thankless water heaters do not save. My gas company that I have used for 18 years the techs also told me the same thing. Unless like other her said if you have a 2nd house than it is great. I installed a efficient 50 gallon gas heater it cost a few dollars a month and I have 3 kids. Most of the hype of things like Tankless are just that. Like High efficient as systems... Hype.

So heating 50 gallons of water 24/7/365 vs. only heating what you use doesn't save? Come on man, that doesn't even pass the common sense test. Now the additional cost of installing an on-demand system may not ever pay for itself, but that is a different argument. If you really want to "save" in total, have a 5 gallon electric heater that you turn on prior to use and then turn off after like they do in Europe, but no one here wants to do that.

BTW- Propane unless you are getting it REALLY cheap and your electric cost is somewhere around or greater than about $.18 per KWh will not save you money either.

Why not post up your analysis?

 

[philbar715]

Sure would be nice if you would publish the true installed cost of these tankless units.

It like saying l love my new commuter car and I save $50 per month on gasoline. Oh by the way I spent $50k on my electric car. One other issue .....I can’t take my new car on vacation 500 miles without stopping 3 times to charge it up. I almost forgot .....The home charger cost $3k to install and my insurance doubled.

I bought a 24kw tankless electric water heater from home depot for $324. I spent $30 on three breakers, $40 on 6 gauge wire, and $20 on conduit. I was able to re use the PEX tubing from my old tank water heater. I installed it myself. Total ~$415.

If you dont want to DIY the install, then expect to pay an electrician at least $300-500 (or more if your WH is far away from your breaker panel, 6 guage wire is $$$). If your main panel is out of space for the additional breakers or less than 120AMPs then add another 1-3k for install cost for an upgrade to your panel.

I agree its expensive if you pay to have it installed then the costs can anywhere from expensive to astronomical. DIY is very easy if you have the space in your panel and its close to your panel.

I have nat gas in my house, and went with an electric unit because I only pay .12c per KWH. Natural gas tankless water heaters also cost significantly more than electric ones.

 

[Showkey]

I bought a 24kw tankless electric water heater from home depot for $324. I spent $30 on three breakers, $40 on 6 gauge wire, and $20 on conduit. I was able to re use the PEX tubing from my old tank water heater. I installed it myself. Total ~$415.

If you dont want to DIY the install, then expect to pay an electrician at least $300-500 (or more if your WH is far away from your breaker panel, 6 guage wire is $$$). If your main panel is out of space for the additional breakers or less than 120AMPs then add another 1-3k for install cost for an upgrade to your panel.

I agree its expensive if you pay to have it installed then the costs can anywhere from expensive to astronomical. DIY is very easy if you have the space in your panel and its close to your panel.

I have nat gas in my house, and went with an electric unit because I only pay .12c per KWH. Natural gas tankless water heaters also cost significantly more than electric ones.

I know the costs but others reading and posting do not.

I am all about DIY........but many on the forum disagree and want permits especially on new circuits and NAT gas piping. Then there’s the warranty issues on expensive heaters when installed DIY. Then there’s the lack of parts in the DIY market place for some brands.

We have talked about NAT gas costs. My water heating bill with NAT gas is about $10 per month on tank model. I would never ever consider an electric water heater. I do not find .12 per kw cheap or cost effective way to heat water. Especially when NAT gas is in the building.

 

[Showkey]

So heating 50 gallons of water 24/7/365 vs. only heating what you use doesn't save? Come on man, that doesn't even pass the common sense test. ?

It can make common sense.......

Tank unit might be 30-50k btu.
Tankless unit might be 199,000 btu

When the tankless is running it can consumes 4-5 times the gas. Tankless really save money if you don’t use them. Have a large family and endless supply of hot water from the tankless ............your water bill, sewer bill and gas bill might actually go up.........when those teenagers figure out they can take 20-30 minute showers.

So depending on use the two units might have similar operating costs.
Look at the energy guide yellow labels:

Tankless might be $204-230per year and tank might be $240-280

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/cd/cd5ee660-b8b8-4222-b7ff-c6a36ee95e77.pdf

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/c1/c15ab1d3-59dd-4c3a-b6f6-5a74964b4b85.pdf

 

[u3b3rg33k]

It can make common sense.......

Tank unit might be 30-50k btu.
Tankless unit might be 199,000 btu

When the tankless is running it can consumes 4-5 times the gas. Tankless really save money if you don’t use them. Have a large family and endless supply of hot water from the tankless ............your water bill, sewer bill and gas bill might actually go up.........when those teenagers figure out they can take 20-30 minute showers.

So depending on use the two units might have similar operating costs.
Look at the energy guide yellow labels:

Tankless might be $204-230per year and tank might be $240-280

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/cd/cd5ee660-b8b8-4222-b7ff-c6a36ee95e77.pdf

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/c1/c15ab1d3-59dd-4c3a-b6f6-5a74964b4b85.pdf

it takes the same amount of energy (BTU) to heat the same amount of water to the same temp. rate of consumption does not indicate total energy used.

rate of consumption over time does.

filling a tub:
draw 4gpm for ten minutes (40 gallons) of hot water in a typical 40 gallon storage heater: burns gas at 35kBTU/hr for about an hour after you turn it off. total fuel used: about 35kBTU. (actually more because they're about 70% efficient)

draw 4gpm for ten minutes (40 gallons) from a typical instant heater at max fire (33F inlet water, 95F temp rise to 128F, a strange condition but for making things close to equal for maths):

200000/60=3,333 BTU/min * 10 min = 33.3k BTU used. (35kBTU after you factor in the 4-5% efficiency loss).
burns zero gas for the next hour.

the argument that you can use more fuel if you leave the tap open is true for both types of heater.

if the teenagers are a problem, put in a 0.5GPM showerhead. they'll get sick of showering before they use up enough water to be a problem.

 

[Showkey]

it takes the same amount of energy (BTU) to heat the same amount of water to the same temp. rate of consumption does not indicate total energy used.

rate of consumption over time does.

Pretty much agree........that’s why the energy guide numbers are not all that much different from tank to tankless.
That also why these claims of saving piles of money with tankless are bocus........unless they are owner not home or it a vacation ( vacation home witha tank turn it off is also common sense).
If you use hot water it’s cost money. Working couple that travels days per week and works away from home the rest of the week will save more than the family of 4 with tankless. Both households will never see a payback if they pay $2000-$3000 for the install.
Telling teenagers to not use so much hot water is like telling them not use so much data on the cell phone.

Tankless and endless supply of hot water is true and great marketing and sales campaign.....but it has nothing to do with saving money.......just the opposite.

 

[philbar715]

I know the costs but others reading and posting do not.

I am all about DIY........but many on the forum disagree and want permits especially on new circuits and NAT gas piping. Then there’s the warranty issues on expensive heaters when installed DIY. Then there’s the lack of parts in the DIY market place for some brands.

We have talked about NAT gas costs. My water heating bill with NAT gas is about $10 per month on tank model. I would never ever consider an electric water heater. I do not find .12 per kw cheap or cost effective way to heat water. Especially when NAT gas is in the building.

Its funny because my nat gas costs actually are being raised this year, while our electric rates are staying the same as the past 5 years. Also a similarly sized natural gas WH costs over 1k, while I could get the electric for $318. In my household it is me and my wife, no kids (yet). So it makes sense for us to have a tankless because we usually shower once a day at extreme most, and we do travel.

I agree that tankless might not make sense for everyone, but they sure as heck do make sense for some of us and they save a ton of space if you have a small house.

 

[Jackfre]

It can make common sense.......

Tank unit might be 30-50k btu.
Tankless unit might be 199,000 btu

When the tankless is running it can consumes 4-5 times the gas.

While not "wrong" this statement is misleading. A 199,000 btu tankless will modulate its fire depending upon flow rate and delta T, from as low as 15000 btu UP TO 199,000 btu. In other words it will fire anywhere in 1000 btu increments. The actual formula to determine the firing rate is GPM X Delta T X 500 = BTU. Unless I am running the bath-tub my tankless unit NEVER sees max input. On my tankless I can read the GPM to within .1 gpm on the digital display. As an example, my shower here in CA is a 2.5 gpm flow rate. I use 1.9 gal of hot mixed with .6 gal of cold with my unit set to produce 120* water. So 1.9x55x500=52,250 btu for my shower. Back east in MA the same flow rate shower head took 2.1 gal of hot and the water supply was colder, so 2.1x65x500=68,250 btu input. As my gas supply is sized correctly I can, with my 180,000 btu tankless run both showers and another fixture all day long if I choose to do so.

 

[yeldogt]

We have 2tankless water heaters in our vacation home. When we aren’t there all we are charged is the basic $10 mo. facilities charge. The previous unit was $28 mo. In our permanent residence our gas charge was $18.87 last mo. All 3units are rinnais. I would never go back to an old school water heater.

Standby loss is a factor in the equation. I own two properties outside the city -- beach and country -- they are empty much of the time. My old county place had an oil hot water heater that we only turned on when there .... we could arrive and take a shower is 15min ... but the unit was old and the more an oil appliance runs the more servicing it needs. My new place has an indirect tank .. I find the standby loss of modern tanks to be very low .. the cost factor of heating that water is just not very much -- I'm not using $18 a month in gas to heat HW in the house that's occupied all the time ... so what is the possible savings?

I'm not saying that having an on-demand in a vacation house is not a good idea -- especially if it's going to have a high demand (that's the big reason to have one) .. or maybe if you have extremely expensive propane in a remote rural area. Each situation is different and with lower prices and reliable modulating units the tankless are getting better.

It still comes down to overall costs -- with most people the tank is the least expensive option. Most people use hot water many times throughout the day -- so the standby loss is not a factor .. often houses do require extra on demand units to work correctly .. all of this adds complexity and cost.

In the end it's only hot water

 

[Showkey]

It can make common sense.......

Tank unit might be 30-50k btu.
Tankless unit might be 199,000 btu

When the tankless is running it can consumes 4-5 times the gas.

While not "wrong" this statement is misleading. A 199,000 btu tankless will modulate its fire depending upon flow rate and delta T, from as low as 15000 btu UP TO 199,000 btu. In other words it will fire anywhere in 1000 btu increments. The actual formula to determine the firing rate is GPM X Delta T X 500 = BTU. Unless I am running the bath-tub my tankless unit NEVER sees max input. On my tankless I can read the GPM to within .1 gpm on the digital display. As an example, my shower here in CA is a 2.5 gpm flow rate. I use 1.9 gal of hot mixed with .6 gal of cold with my unit set to produce 120* water. So 1.9x55x500=52,250 btu for my shower. Back east in MA the same flow rate shower head took 2.1 gal of hot and the water supply was colder, so 2.1x65x500=68,250 btu input. As my gas supply is sized correctly I can, with my 180,000 btu tankless run both showers and another fixture all day long if I choose to do so.

The rest of the story is.........
Then there is the cold climate where the inlet water temp is 34-42* winter and summer 42-48* summer.

On the other post about stand by losses ........just received my Sept NAT gas bill. 45.2 therms $9.43 for hot water, gas dryer gas cook top. In the grand scheme standby is not a concern as it might be $2.00 per month ?

 

[Jackfre]

...and the rest of the story is that you loose .4gpm of output/10* reduction in water supply temp. So my 180,000 btu tankless that at a 70* rise had a 4.3 gpm output would give 3.9 gpm. It is an important point and one I always trained contractors to discuss. Ask the question, "Where does your water come from?" If it is reservoir water and you are in WI then yes, it will be cold, cold, cold. Ask the right questions when you are making a buy and understand the features of the unit you are buying.

 

[dodgepolara500]

So my gas fired tank water heater sprung a leak and I am debating whether or not I should switch to a tankless water heater.
From what I read online, the biggest complaint is that they don't heat the water enough and don't get past 120. We have a large jacuzzi tub that needs a lot of water and don't want it to be lukewarm.
Any issues with the temp from these?

 

[alexb2000]

So my gas fired tank water heater sprung a leak and I am debating whether or not I should switch to a tankless water heater.
From what I read online, the biggest complaint is that they don't heat the water enough and don't get past 120. We have a large jacuzzi tub that needs a lot of water and don't want it to be lukewarm.
Any issues with the temp from these?

No issue with the temp, you keep the hot tap full open for the flow which kicks on the water heater and then temper it with just a little cold. Different from a 160 degree tank heater where you temper a lot more. If 120 isn't hot enough (I've had no one complain) then you can change the setting, 120 is just the default.

 

[Nivekdodge]

Seems to be two schools of thought, those that have them and love them and those that don’t. My tank water isn't sitting hot at the tap either.

 

[Negen]

I prefer the Asian style 220v that get installed below a sink or above a shower. Rather than the American style that are in the garage and heat the water for the whole house. Really depends on your use and needs. I never tested out the gas heaters though.

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[u3b3rg33k]

So my gas fired tank water heater sprung a leak and I am debating whether or not I should switch to a tankless water heater.
From what I read online, the biggest complaint is that they don't heat the water enough and don't get past 120. We have a large jacuzzi tub that needs a lot of water and don't want it to be lukewarm.
Any issues with the temp from these?

Rinnai's tankless come set to 120F, can be turned up to 140F, and will go past 140F with a commercial "controller" that reduces the warranty period to the commercial period. Set one up with a friend and he was happy after turning it up to 125F.

 

[Jackfre]

I have a really good plumber I use. My entire house is Propane. I did an analysis and thankless water heaters do not save. My gas company that I have used for 18 years the techs also told me the same thing. Unless like other her said if you have a 2nd house than it is great. I installed a efficient 50 gallon gas heater it cost a few dollars a month and I have 3 kids. Most of the hype of things like Tankless are just that. Like High efficient as systems... Hype.

Authoritatively stated by the man who doesn't have one. Hell, in Tampa, all you do for hot water is turn on the cold. I think you will find that your LP Techs have not been to training and find it easier for them to sell against tankless.

DP 500- On Jacuzzi tubs check your fill rate with a bucket. If your tub has a 3/4" supply the flow rate can be in the 10-12 gpm range. If 1/2" it is likely 5-6 gpm. Depending upon temp rise requirements with tankless you will likely be in the 6-7 gpm. It may take a couple minutes longer to fill. One of the nicest things about tankless is that once the tub is filled if the tub doesn't have an in-built heater you can end up taking a lot of short baths due to heat loss. With a tankless if the tub cools you do have hot water capacity to peak the tub.

 

[Negen]

There are a couple types the Asian style that connect at each water facet that needs hot water and then there are whole house styles. I have no experience with the whole house style but the under sink style is good in that hot water is instant on. I have seen houses with large whole house instant on in the garage and they did bear bring hot water faster and energy is saved by not having to store hot water but there was a delay compared to under the sink styles.

I do not know how ng instant on units work with power outage but normal storage tanks heated by ng work just fine when power is out. Pilot lights should be checked and maintained although I believe this is less of a issue now than in the past.

Sent from my G8141 using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[59 wagon man]

a tankless doesn't mean instant on though it happens in microseconds. yours is instant on because the water heater is so close. think of it this way avg. family of four doesn't even use 4 hours of hot water a day so to heat your tank either electrically or gas is using over 7,000 hrs of heating that water to make tempeture.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

I thought the way a regular gas or electric tank heater worked was they heat water to the level, whatever you set it at, then it cycles on as needed. So a 50 gallon insulated tank heater holds water at, say, 160F then the element(s) turn on or gas on when it drops, then cycles back off when temp. goes back to 160. So it doesn't run continuously.


Sent from my SM-S320VL using Tapatalk

 

[dodgepolara500]

Went with a tank heater and so far I am happy I didn't bother to change to a tankless. Cheaper to buy and install and didnt see huge upside to making change.

 

[rmanrman]

I had a top of the line Takagi propane tankless water heater that failed in a year
$2200 in the dumpster. Why because I’m on a private home water well that has minerals and other soluable stuff that clogged up the tiny tubes inside along with many sensors. Takagi serviceman said not their fault no warranty repairs
So I then went with a stainless steel indirect water heater and for two years so far works great never runs outa hot water. Check your water quality First

 

[TheEquineFencer]

Food for thought...

 

[kTHREE]

^Matt Risinger is the biggest paid advertisement toolbag out there.
I'd trust a 10 year old before anything that he pitches on youtube.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

What I'd like to see...someone take a 40-80 gallon standard HWH and then take a tankless HWH that's rated for the same "size usage", then power both of them, (yes were going to use 240 Vac not LPG/NG), turn both on at a 2-3 GPM flow rate until the conventional tank HWH runs out of hot water, then cut both water flows of. During this test you'd monitor the amp draw of each heater until it reaches a state of "idle time" when it is at a point of not consuming mass quantities of power to get the tank temp back to a steady state. When the conventional HWH reaches this state, if there were some way to monitor it for lets say 30 days to see how much power it consumes just maintaining tank temp without any usage, I think then it would be a good example of comparing apples to apples.

Yes the tankless would give "endless water". But I feel this test would give a good comparison of side by side useage and operating cost for the average home owner replacing an electric HWH in a like situation.

It'd be nice if a plumber in here stepped up and did the test. I'll contribute beer for an unbiased test.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

^Matt Risinger is the biggest paid advertisement toolbag out there.
I'd trust a 10 year old before anything that he pitches on youtube.

Personally, I liked it when he did the comparison with a 2010 model old HWH against a new Instant on one...I saw that going south in a hurry...but it was food for thought...

 

[MattT]

When the conventional HWH reaches this state, if there were some way to monitor it for lets say 30 days to see how much power it consumes just maintaining tank temp without any usage, I think then it would be a good example of comparing apples to apples.

When we moved out of the old house I forgot to turn the water heater off. After I noticed it was still on and cut it off the light bill went down over $10 a month. That's at 10 cents per kwh so over 100kwh per month in standby losses.

I'd already decided on a tankless for the new place, mostly because there isn't a good place for a tank, before I found out how much the old tank was costing.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

When we moved out of the old house I forgot to turn the water heater off. After I noticed it was still on and cut it off the light bill went down over $10 a month. That's at 10 cents per kwh so over 100kwh per month in standby losses.

I'd already decided on a tankless for the new place, mostly because there isn't a good place for a tank, before I found out how much the old tank was costing.

How old was the heater?

 

[Git]

^Matt Risinger is the biggest paid advertisement toolbag out there.
I'd trust a 10 year old before anything that he pitches on youtube.

From what I have looked into, I would say for the most part, that his video was right on.

I have a 16-year-old, 75 gallon, Bradford White water heater. It looks like the current price to replace it is around $1,200. I can get a top of the line, 200k Rheem or Rinnaui tankless for around $1,500. (I already have a dedicated recirc line with a pump). At this point, I am probably going to go tankless when it starts to show signs of failure.

Why - mainly because the replacement 75 gallon heater weighs around 260 lbs and I have to get it 18" up and over to it's stand and number two is I will regain some space in my garage. Lastly, a good tankless should last 20 years

 

[TheEquineFencer]

From what I have looked into, I would say for the most part, that his video was right on.

I have a 16-year-old, 75 gallon, Bradford White water heater. It looks like the current price to replace it is around $1,200. I can get a top of the line, 200k Rheem or Rinnaui tankless for around $1,500. (I already have a dedicated recirc line with a pump). At this point, I am probably going to go tankless when it starts to show signs of failure.

Why - mainly because the replacement 75 gallon heater weighs around 260 lbs and I have to get it 18" up and over to it's stand and number two is I will regain some space in my garage. Lastly, a good tankless should last 20 years

Is the present HWH electric?

 

[MattT]

How old was the heater?

I don't know for sure. At least 15 years old. And probably 40 gallons.

 

[Git]

Is the present HWH electric?

No, natural gas. It would be a small fortune if it was electric

 

[Showkey]

From what I have looked into, I would say for the most part, that his video was right on.

I have a 16-year-old, 75 gallon, Bradford White water heater. It looks like the current price to replace it is around $1,200. I can get a top of the line, 200k Rheem or Rinnaui tankless for around $1,500. (I already have a dedicated recirc line with a pump). At this point, I am probably going to go tankless when it starts to show signs of failure.

Why - mainly because the replacement 75 gallon heater weighs around 260 lbs and I have to get it 18" up and over to it's stand and number two is I will regain some space in my garage. Lastly, a good tankless should last 20 years

Is the meter and gas line sized to meet the tankless ? 1/2” line is adequate to run a 200k unit. This is where others have found the install cost to go up to $500-$3000 extra.

You likely will not save on the operating cost, especially with the recir system.

Depending on your use habits, water, sewer and gas cost may actually go up.

Depending on water quality maintainance cost might go up substantially.

 

[1953mercury]

I ran my first my first tankless heater (propane) for 22yrs, and it was still working when I changed it out. The latest one has been in 15 years with zero service, other than flushing the filter screen every 3-4years. I have very hard water and run a water softner with standard pre-filters, which is only common sense. I owned and operated a heating business for many yrs, and there is no way a standard water heater will run as economically as a tankless. Mike