Anyone tried the tankless on-demand water heaters?

[tabasco]

I'm thinking of going this route because of the higher efficiency.

Also, my tank water heater gives the water an awful odor. The cold water smells fine, so I think it is the hot water tank and possibly iron-reducing bacteria causing the smell.

[NMDemDist2]

1. I had one in Phoenix and it worked well for us with no children

be aware that basically you can only run hot water at one location at a time as a general rule.

so if you're running the dishwasher, don't try to take a shower etc.

also you'll want fairly soft water if you expect it to last for any length of time. Also you'll need to insure you have the power circuits available to run another 220v appliance if you don't have natural gas service.

let me know if you have any other questions, I'll answer them if I can

[tabasco]

4. I'd be getting a propane model.

I have a wellhouse and it would save a lot of space in there too.

It's just going to be two of us so maybe it's a good option.

Thanks for your info!

[NMDemDist2]

5. the gas one's are much more efficient

Sounds like you might be a good candidate for them. The two things I noticed were

1) I could take a 40 minute shower and never run out (a good thing)
2) it did seem to take a bit longer for the hot water to get all the way to other end of the house so it appeared to waste more water (a bad thing)

[Kolesar]

6. Run a dedicated, small diameter hot water feedline straight from the heater to the shower valve

They call this the "manifold" system. A pipe with a diameter of 3/8" will only hold a gallon or so of cold water that has to be purged. Use that flexible pipe that can make turns and be snaked like electrical wire instead of stiff pipe and elbows. This will increase the flow rate and pressure.

[Kolesar]

2. My conclusion is that they are a good idea in a region with a short heating season

Where I live, the furnace runs from late September until some time in May. That "wasted heat" from the tank is not really wasted heat. It goes into the basement and heats the house.

I wanted to get a tankless heater, then I figured that a very large gas pipe would have to be routed to the new heater (larger than the pipe to the tank since you need a lot of heat instantly). All that plumbing and probably cutting new exhaust and air inlets seemed like an expense that I would never recover through fuel savings. Concentrate on water savings like a low flow showerhead and an efficient clothes washer. If you need to replace the tank, get one with a check valve so heat is not lost through convection within the hot water pipe.

Since you live south of me, the numbers for a tankless heater might work out better. You might want to look into some sort of solar preheater for the sunny months.

[tabasco]

3. Thanks!

Good info.

[tabasco]

7. FYI for anyone interested.

www.houseneeds.com

This site has remanufactured units with full warranty for about $100 cheaper than a brand new one. I waited for a 125B. The people called me when a remanufactured one became available. $499 + 25 shipping. All models not always in stock with the remanufactured.

[Dover]

8. This is the electric water heater some utilities are pushing

I don't have any personal experience with them, but apparently it's a good choice for it's compactness, efficiency (thermally keeps in heat) and it's lifetime warranty. And of course it runs on electricity which can work well with solar.

http://www.marathonheaters.com/index.html

[Dover]

9. oops,...double post