Tankless LP Water Heater

[721h354]

Our homestead is "out in the country" where power outages are common. We also have five people sharing the benefits of a 40 gallon electric water heater. A tankless L.P. water heater is in our plans in the near future. We have never owned a tankless and any input would be appreciated. Such as, are they worth the start-up cost of probably $1,500.00 installed? Are they efficient enough long-term to pay back? Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[ray66v]

Don't do it it is a scam.

When you figure the initial cost, the maintenance, and the fact that once everyone realizes there is endless hot water, you won't save any money.

There are other draw backs like, longer wait for hot water initially, you have to open the hot water faucet and leave it running, you can't let the water trickle, if you turn it on and off, you get cold, hot, cold, hot.

Some people are so unhappy, they end up with the expense of a small tank heater to smooth out the fluctuations, and increase the speed of the initial hot water.

Like everything, you will find someone who likes it, so I am sure some will tell you how great they are.

Part of my family sells these things, and they don't have them.

 

[kenmac]

I repair and perform maint. on them. I don't want to own 1

 

[dmccarty]

Do a search on TBN for this. We just had a dicussion on these water heaters. I researched them when we were building our house and ended up putting in a plain old water heater. We had the plumber out to the house a month or so ago and he said he will NOT install a tankless water heater. Too many problems.

Later,
Dan

 

[Reverend Blair]

I dunno...some people love them and others seem to hate them. We looked into one the last time we needed a hot water heater...with just Mrs. Rev and I, heating a tank of water 24/7 seems a little extreme.

A guy I know who does a lot of enviro-construction made one point that changed our minds though. If you have cold water to start, it's difficult to get the heat you want. He recommended a passive solar system to warm the water before it was heated. I bought a lottery ticket, but since I didn't win we just went with another tank.

 

[jonyyuma]

We have only worked with the electric type, they were a pain. I Wonderedabout the cost of lp gas to make this thing work for a month?. The natural gas model at our hardware store looked to be very labor intensive to operate or keep working? Jy.

 

[gilbertmsg]

We have the natural gas type, Rennai. No issues in 4 years. We pay $20 - $25 per month for hot water. It's cheaper per month than my old electric, but not sure it will pay for itself over the long run. Nice not to have a 40 to 60 gal tank sitting somewhere in the house or garage. If this lasts 15 years I will own another, don't like having to heat water over and over again before using.

Eddie

 

[Kays Supply]

Another plumber that wouldn't have one. All the above reasons. My concern also is that if it fails, I don't have a clue how to work on the controls. The last two I had anything to do with had to be sent back to the factory while under warranty. A long wait for hot water until it came back. I had my supplier finally admit that if a customer hired me to do the required clean and checks to maintain the warranty, it would actually cost more per gallon than a good electric.

 

[beemerphile]

I think "scam" is a bit over the top. I have a Rinnai and am quite pleased with it. I kept the electric in the loop in case I ever needed it. Only needed it once when I accidentally found the underground propane pipe with my excavator.

Otherwise, I've had no urge at all to go back to the tank. There was a nice tax credit for doing it as well. I think it may end at the end of this year.

 

[Dargo]

I dunno...some people love them and others seem to hate them. We looked into one the last time we needed a hot water heater...with just Mrs. Rev and I, heating a tank of water 24/7 seems a little extreme.

Ever travel to a foreign country where energy costs are much higher than ours? One hundred percent of the homes have tankless water heaters. They look at Americans with their 50,60,90 gallon tanks of water kept hot just in case they need it and they think of us as wasteful pigs.

I've run two tankless water heaters for over 5 years now and have 2 in less used locations. Absolutely positively zero problems. I went to flush one out with vinegar to clean it like some suggest each year, and I wasted 2 gallons of vinegar; it came out perfectly clean with no buildup inside either water heater.

I have a family of 7. In the main house I had to keep a 90 gallon water heater for upstairs, where 4 of the bedrooms are and a 40 gallon downstairs where 2 of the bedrooms are located. I noticed a significant drop in my gas bill during the summer months; when the only gas running was for heating water. In my guest house, we only need hot water if someone is staying out there; the same in my barn. It seemed silly to put 40 gallon water heaters in those places!

I, for one, am extremely pleased with our tankless water heaters and would never consider going back to the old dinosaur in the basement tank water heaters.

 

[Dargo]

Another plumber that wouldn't have one. All the above reasons. My concern also is that if it fails, I don't have a clue how to work on the controls. The last two I had anything to do with had to be sent back to the factory while under warranty. A long wait for hot water until it came back. I had my supplier finally admit that if a customer hired me to do the required clean and checks to maintain the warranty, it would actually cost more per gallon than a good electric.

I went to a class and became certified to install my own. Every single part in my tankless water heaters can be replaced. You can count on pitching your tank water heater completely every 15 years or so on average. I'd much rather replace a part than an entire system.

As I stated before; clean, maintain?? In 5 years I've not touched them. I 'cleaned' two of them only to find they had no need for cleaning. This is beginning to sound to me like the guys with horses and buggys talking about how terrible those motorized machines are. LOL

 

[RoMad]

We also have a Rennai tankless heater. We have had it a little over a year and have been very happy with it. One feature I like about it is it is very easy to adjust the temperature. Sometimes when my back is bothering me I push the up botton on the control panel and turn it up to 115. After my shower I put it back on 110.
I don't understand the comment about waiting for the water to get hot. Our house is about 70 feet long with the water heater in one end and the master bath in the other. With the old tank heater I had to wait until the hot water pushed the cold out of the lines before the shower got hot. With the new one, same thing, I don't really think it takes any longer to get hot water to my shower. YMMV
The OP mentioned power outages. You need 110 even for a tankless, for the controls.

 

[kenmac]

This is beginning to sound to me like the guys with horses and buggys talking about how terrible those motorized machines are. LOL

I wish everyone (except me) had 1. LOL... I charge good $$ to work on them. I've been to several classes on the Rheem unit

 

[simonds]

Everyone here that is posting probably has different types of water. So for some of us it may work fine and others who have hard water are going to have problems. My water is very hard. My gas 40 gallon waterheater needs to be cleaned out at least twice a year. It gets a very large deposit of calcium buildup inside of it. When it builds up it will sense a false water temp and fire up or maybe not fire up. Sometimes we have very, very hot water and sometimes it maybe just be luke warm water. A tankless water heater in my house would not work. It would be building up with deposits very quickly because the cores in these are much smaller than your standard 1/2" or 3/4" pipe. I would probably have to clean it out at least once a month to operate correctly. If you have soft water or a water conditioner it may be a good choice for you.
I've been a General Contractor of new homes for 41 years.
This is just my opinion

 

[Sigarms]

My concern also is that if it fails, I don't have a clue how to work on the controls.

Gosh darn it, then you go to a class and learn!!

I've been to several classes on the Rheem unit

Well, being a Rheem, that was your first mistake LOL Sorry Ken, never a fan of Rheem on their separate hydronic side.

I went to a class and became certified to install my own

Thanks Brent, you've just given me a reason not to sell the brand you bought lol

There are other draw backs like, longer wait for hot water initially, you have to open the hot water faucet and leave it running, you can't let the water trickle, if you turn it on and off, you get cold, hot, cold, hot.

Ummm, and what water heater won't you have the problem with? Personally, if it's an extremely long run to the farthest outlet, I'd put a pump in with motion detector.

To the OP, being that you're on LP, it's a **** if you, **** if you don't trying to save money. As mentioned, because you have endless hot water, chances will increase that you will use more hot water than you have before, thus you will burn more gas.

As mentioned, the biggest issue on these units for people out in the "country" is the condition of the water. If you're on a well, almost a promise that you will need to clean the heat exchanger out at least once a year. A pain, but you vinegar usually does the trick.

Now, for what it's worth, I have a 75 gal LP direct vent sitting in the basement that has been there since the house was built in 1988, and I haven't changed it out yet LOL

Just make sure you look at the temp rise rating on the unit compared to the flow rate. Too many people go off of only the flow rate and end up getting in trouble.

 

[kenmac]

They are difficult to work on. At Rheem we had them laid out on a table . They are difficult getting at some of the parts. In the class they give you a magnetic screwdriver so you can get to the small areas to hold the screws & small parts.

 

[nickel plate]

Interesting to read that those who are against them, don't own them.:confused3: I have had for the last five years an LP tankless unit and will report back soon-PROS AND CONS FROM AN OWNER-don't have time right now.

 

[ray66v]

Interesting to read that those who are against them, don't own them.:confused3:

Even more amazing, I don't have to get too close to the edge of the roof, to find out I will fall off either.

 

[Dargo]

I wish everyone (except me) had 1. LOL... I charge good $$ to work on them. I've been to several classes on the Rheem unit

I cannot comment on them. That is not the brand I have. The brand I have does start with the letter "R" though.

 

[Dargo]

Thanks Brent, you've just given me a reason not to sell the brand you bought lol.

It really is pretty easy, as I'm sure you know. I used my dad's HVAC card (okay, his name too) when I got (him) certified. Being that my dad honestly is only 15 years older than me, I didn't have too hard of a time. Yeah, now you know....I wasn't exactly the product of proper planning.

Oh yeah, I'm sure you also know, 180 degrees is waaaaaay too hot for a residential setting. Mine are the tan colored commercial units that are a little more BTU in size but don't stop at 120 degrees like the 1 residential unit I helped install. Oh, BTW, I do have 3 pieces of the really expensive intake/exhaust pipe someone over figured for a job though if you know anyone who needs any. If you know what I'm talking about, you know what I mean by "really" expensive!