Tank vs. Tankless H2O heater

[blackdog2086]

I'm 100% on the tankless bandwagon. I've had mine for 15 years and have had zero problems or complaints, and the newer ones are much improved (and cheaper) than mine.

I'm a bit far out for natural gas, so mine is propane. I disagree with the statement that they use a ton of gas just to take a shower. Due to the high cost of natural gas, Europe and Japan went tankless over 30 years ago, and haven't looked back. They are far more efficient than the tanked heaters, take up a small fraction of the space, and don't rust out or build up sediment.

By the way, mine is plumbed with 1/2" and works just fine.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have tank and tankless... natural gas, propane and electric...

Still like the tank type the best... especially since the gas versions require no electricity.

I have a whole house siemens electric tankless that works ok... it is actually at the cabin and requires massive power for short intervals... no gas in the area and the propane is too far away unless I want to haul smaller cylinders... there is 3 phase power nearby so that's the reason... it will fill the bathtub with hot water... just takes awhile because too much flow and the water just will not get to temp... showers work much better.

The gas tankless have not been trouble free... would never put one in a rental again... 40 gallon gas heaters are pretty much set and forget around here.

Besides... running out of hot water can be a good thing as we enter the 4th year of water restrictions.

 

[Jim Nelson]

We have solar hot water backed by a propane tankless and so far it works fine. We've only had this set up for 4 years so time will tell.Our propane used to average just over $100 per month and since going this route and heating mostly with wood we now use less than 40 gallons of propane per year.With our solar electric system our only high expense is water which runs from $300-$500 per month.
Our water heating and solar only works this well because we are in a warm climate and I don't think It would work so well in Colorado where we used to live.

 

[drizler]

From what i have read (and it was a lot) much depends on the quality of your water and minerals in it. Hard water means lots of cleaning added to the expense of the unit's cost. There was some thread 7 or 8 years back by a bunch of plumbers in Ohio about this. A lot of old timers who had seen it all both ways. Their final conclusion was just get the tank and be happy. Put it in a nice warm place in the house and blanket it. Their overall conclusion was that in the end the savings would just about break even with the high cost and breakdowns so why bother. In the city with nice soft water, fine and dandy, in the country especially in that region nothing but problems and constant cleaning. Apparently that part of the country is plagued with hard water like mine here. In all my searching this was the only objective serious discussion that I saw. Most of the rest were, "all selling something" even though it was veiled.

 

[jk96]

We have solar hot water backed by a propane tankless and so far it works fine. We've only had this set up for 4 years so time will tell.Our propane used to average just over $100 per month and since going this route and heating mostly with wood we now use less than 40 gallons of propane per year.With our solar electric system our only high expense is water which runs from $300-$500 per month.
Our water heating and solar only works this well because we are in a warm climate and I don't think It would work so well in Colorado where we used to live.

$300 -$500 for water? Is this a commercial operation or the cost for your home? I see your in CA but wow. I think our monthly bill runs about $50 for water.

 

[gary49]

One thing worth noting is that on 4/16/15 regs change and all tank heaters less than 55 gal. will be a couple of inches larger in diameter (more insulation) and electric heaters larger than that will use heat pump technology. How are you going to get the old tank out? Will it come out if you strip the housing off the tank? Might be easier to just enlarge the door opening. If you go with tankless, get one that has a buffer tank built in and be prepared for more frequent maintenance. No question, tankless is more efficient.

 

[jk96]

One thing worth noting is that on 4/16/15 regs change and all tank heaters less than 55 gal. will be a couple of inches larger in diameter (more insulation)

We have geothermal so we run two tanks. One 50 gallon buffer and one 50 gallon powered tank. Our powered tank is a Marathon. It is huge compared to our metal tank.

 

[RalphVa]

Most fossil fuel efficient heater are the hybrid ones or a heat pump system alone. However, there have been compressor problems (I had 2 go out on me and have gone back to plain electric).

I've concluded that the way to save electricity or fuel is all electric and solar panels. Can't get the wife to invest the money on them though. She says they won't pay out before we die. Probably right.

Ralph

 

[Jim Nelson]

$300 -$500 for water? Is this a commercial operation or the cost for your home? I see your in CA but wow. I think our monthly bill runs about $50 for water.

This is for a 6 acre property with fruit trees.We are in the process of getting rid of most of our avocados which are the biggest water hogs.They used to be a real good deal for small farmers like us but that's no longer the case.They won't even pay the water bill now.

 

[kenmac]

someone mentioned if you are on city water you should not have to worry about hard water... Most of the tank less I have worked on with stopped up water coils are in the city.. Your water may look fine, but water really changes when you heat it,, When water is heated, all those minerals separate from the water ,and attaches to the walls of the water coil.. Without regular maintenance, the coils will stop up.. Again ,,Most of these gas tank less are rated 199,900 BTU..The typical tank type water is around 30,000-35,000 BTU..You do the math..I have replaced several (per the customer) with a tank type...They are like vehicles...You can buy 1 ,and not have problems. Other people buy the same type vehicle,and have a ton of problems...SO, you have my view as a plumber for 35 yrs ,and have installed several tank less, and have worked on several ,and have replace several back to tank