What’s so great about tankless water heaters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My only complaint is the time it takes to get hot water can be long. I heard there are attachments to add a reserve tank or something to solve this problem. Might be something to look into.

So...you add a tank to your tankless system?

Honestly not sure what it is. I only heard that there was a solution to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with tankless last time I was considering one, is that water flow required to "turn it on" is inversely proportional to its heating capacity. So like, I have six people in my house so we need to be able to supply hot water to at least two showers and one sink at the same time. When you do that, a lot of times the flow rate from one sink won't be enough to kick the heater on. So if you want hot water to come out of your sink tap, you have to turn on another sink or a shower to get it to heat LMAO. No thank you

This sounds like FUD — if it was really a problem no one would buy them or recommend them

Yeah, something’s not right about that. I can hear mine turn on almost immediately after I start to run hot water. It just takes awhile to get it through the pipes.

[Anonymous]

unlimited hot water!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with tankless last time I was considering one, is that water flow required to "turn it on" is inversely proportional to its heating capacity. So like, I have six people in my house so we need to be able to supply hot water to at least two showers and one sink at the same time. When you do that, a lot of times the flow rate from one sink won't be enough to kick the heater on. So if you want hot water to come out of your sink tap, you have to turn on another sink or a shower to get it to heat LMAO. No thank you

This sounds like FUD — if it was really a problem no one would buy them or recommend them

Yeah, something’s not right about that. I can hear mine turn on almost immediately after I start to run hot water. It just takes awhile to get it through the pipes.

Same with mine. Less than a minute later I have hot water in my shower on the third floor (the heater is in the basement). If my son is taking a shower at the same time in the other bathroom, it's totally fine. I love mine and will never have a tank again.

[Anonymous]

Is this a solution chasing after a problem that doesn't exist for most people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My only complaint is the time it takes to get hot water can be long. I heard there are attachments to add a reserve tank or something to solve this problem. Might be something to look into.

So...you add a tank to your tankless system?

It’s not a tank it’s a pump to deliver hot water faster (or if you really need instant hot water you can get a pump that keeps hot water circulating in your pipes so your pipes become like a tank)

[Anonymous]

We have had it for 17 years in our house in DC.
We got it because we wanted to optimize the basement footprint in a small home and the hot water heater was placed in the middle of the unfinished basement.

Pros - unlimited hot water (3 teens)
Cons - when we originally got it, there were not a lot of people who know how to service it as most people in the area have a traditional hot water tank. It does take a little bit of time to get hot water going in the morning. Typically I am the 1st to shower in the house and so I turn on the shower while I am brushing my teeth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We wanted one in our new build but were told they really are best when there isn’t the space for an extra large water tank, but greater water capacity is needed.

We just did a very large water tank (can’t remember how big, sorry - but it’s huge!) and we’ve never had any issues running out of hot water in our family of 5.

Actually you’d be a good candidate for it— rather than keep a “huge” water tank at 130 degrees 24/7 you could just heat the water you need when you need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with tankless last time I was considering one, is that water flow required to "turn it on" is inversely proportional to its heating capacity. So like, I have six people in my house so we need to be able to supply hot water to at least two showers and one sink at the same time. When you do that, a lot of times the flow rate from one sink won't be enough to kick the heater on. So if you want hot water to come out of your sink tap, you have to turn on another sink or a shower to get it to heat LMAO. No thank you

This is not true. I love ours. You can supply hot water to any fixture individually or to all at the same time with no issues. And as already mentioned, it is very energy efficient and saves a lot of space in our tiny basement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with tankless last time I was considering one, is that water flow required to "turn it on" is inversely proportional to its heating capacity. So like, I have six people in my house so we need to be able to supply hot water to at least two showers and one sink at the same time. When you do that, a lot of times the flow rate from one sink won't be enough to kick the heater on. So if you want hot water to come out of your sink tap, you have to turn on another sink or a shower to get it to heat LMAO. No thank you

We installed one two years ago and have never encountered that. Also when people talk about waiting for water to heat up, we are talking pretty darn quick.

[Anonymous]

I know with most people it is the cost of switching over that makes them stop. Tankless really only works well with gas. If you don't have gas, it is not a good option compared to a traditional tank.

To run lines, properly vent, and install the first one is expensive (not as expensive to replace) but still it is significant. A tankless that is maintained - and maintenance is running vinegar through it annually, can last 20-25 years. Whereas a tank is 10-12 years.

You will save on water bills since you only running it when needed and if you have multiple family members unlimited hot water is amazing. Never having a cold shower is great.

But, the initial cost is there and that is usually the deterrent. Once you have one it beats a tanked water heater in every way.

[Anonymous]

How much is the initial cost?

[Anonymous]

My issue is taking a hot shower after or while running the washing machine and/or dishwasher. Will a tankless hot water heater solve that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My issue is taking a hot shower after or while running the washing machine and/or dishwasher. Will a tankless hot water heater solve that?

Yes, it will. As long as you have a tankless that can handle a lot of fixtures you can run all of those and shower and everyone has hot water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much is the initial cost?

I this it is double of what a hot water heater would be if you have gas in the house. So a normal water heater might be 5K with tank and install. A tankless would be closer to 10K. That is significant.