tankless water heaters?

I'm considering switching and looking for opinions on them.

I'm looking at one large enuff for a whole house and supplied from a well (cold well water. in CNY!)

They are a little more expensive but the will not run out of hot water.

I've installed several of both kinds.

electric.

I've narrowed my choices down to either S.E.T. or Powerstar

as efficient as gas but still better than a tank. I've had no problems w/gas, but we did have a couple of electrics that had to be replaced because of built up mineral deposits. If using well water a decent filtration system (directly before heater) would be a good idea.

Monitor puts out an electric on demand water heater that is very good but also fairly expensive especially if you have a long run with your pipes. There are also some very good gas heaters on the market ,Paloma, is one brand name off hand. I have used both and gas has some very good results....

I had one at a house I've since moved from. As soon as I can, I'll be getting one for this house. Imagine standing in the shower for days and never running out of hot water - mmmmmm...

when the tank heater needs to be replaced. He is planning on using them when we build our 'old age' home as the maintenance will be much easier.

I have a pal who put one in his kitchen (piped separately from the rest of his huge house) when they first came out. He loves it!

We are looking into one of those Euro closed boiler heating systems for the house too. Havocdad has researched those for a couple years now that they are showing up in the US. He has experience with them in Europe and says they are great. The house is old and I can only reach so far down the ductwork with the vacuum; dust is a problem which the radiant heat system will eliminate for me.

Was thinking of suggesting to my well-heeled sister that she get a tank-less heater for her niece the next time she is at a loss for birthday present ideas. We could put it on the water line to the back yard for my daughter and she could have a soaking tub out there with a old claw foot tub under the mesquite tree at a fraction of what a Jacuzzi would run her! ;)

We considered buying one a few weeks ago when our water heater died. But the cost up-front was considerably higher than a conventional water heater would have been, and the estimate for installation was also quite a bit higher. We weren't sure the energy savings would recoup that investment, so we went with a conventional water heater this time. But since this is new technology, it may well come down in price soon...

My old, 40-gallon heater tank started leaking, and I had promised myself when the water heater that came with my house (I bought 12 years ago, and it was probably already a 10-year-old heater at that time) I'd go tankless.

I live alone, so my use is going to be far different from someone with family members or other roomies. But my therm usage (my Bosch is natural gas) is about 4 a month, winter or summer. That heater is the only thing in my home that runs on gas, so it's easy enough for me to see how it's doing.

The water heats as hot as I want it, and in summer when the incoming water is a bit warmer, it's a snap to adjust the burners down to heat it less.

One gripe: My heater is in my basement about 30 feet of pipe from my bathroom or kitchen. It doesn't really take any longer for the hot water to get there than from a regular tank, but the heater fires only when I'm drawing at least 1.5 quarts per minute from one or more taps. In other words, anytime I want hot water in intermittent periods (doing dishes by hand), I get hot water to the tap, but shutting it off stops the heating of new water. When I rinse, if I don't turn the tap high enough, the heater doesn't kick in again, and that means as soon as the heated water from the fill-up that is still in the pipes runs out, I get cold water again. It's not a huge deal, but it makes me stay aware of it. I've gotten really good at filling the sink, then getting through all my rinsing before I empty the hot water from the pipes.

If you have a large house, you might consider placing several tankless heaters closer to the taps. They sell smaller, electric, under-counter models that are nearly instant. If you would be pulling cold water all the way through a large house from one location, multiple tankless would save water and energy.

my mother-in-law has one and loves it. Takes up less space, cuts down on electricity, and you never run out of hot water. We don't use a lot of water here, but the hot water runs out really fast...lol maybe that's why we don't take long showers?

because they're so much more energy efficient. They supply enough hot water for most needs without holding a tank at temperature for the hours we're asleep or at work.

The installation cost is what stops most of us. They are much more expensive than the jobs with the tanks. I am not sure what the lifespan is, whether they may be longer than the tank heaters.

did not cost much more than a new large tank heater, it is very easy to install if you know how to install anything (just mounts on the wall, hook up the gas/water lines, and run the vent pipe up to the code height), and we can run two showers at the same time with no drop in water temperature.

ours has a pilot light, and when we put in another one soon in our other house next door we will get a pilot-less model.

They are not good to install outside if you live where it is below freezing at all, but indoors anywhere is fine.

Msongs
www.msongs.com/howarddean2008.htm

I do love DU!

It looks like a go on an electric model: I really dont want to install a LP tank outside.

I was just reseaching this, this morning.

I think I will do this.....