# Hot Water Heater-Anyone have tankless?



## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Time for a new hot water heater, not looking forward to this except that we'll eat out at least one night while the installation is being done.

Does anyone have the newer tankless style? We're leaning towards that as the water heater is in the only unfinished portion of our basement along with the rack where DH has all of the computer equipment. If it leaked and flooded it would ruin all of his computer and theater room equipment so that's what led us to the tankless heater. 

Does anyone have any feelings either way?


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## dbeech (Jun 16, 2009)

*tankless hot water heater*

I don't really like my Takagi tankless water heater. It seems like it takes much longer for the water to run hot than with my old traditional water heater. I live in California so I hate wasting the water. Also, we frequently get "cold water sandwiches," a fairly common issue with tankless in which you get a long burst of cold water during your hot shower.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Many of the new homes I sell have the Rinnai tankless water heaters. I have never heard a complaint, all of the buyers I have talked to love them. Not sure what model they installed, I’m sure they have several to choose from.

You may want to invest in an on line Comsumer Report.


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## mellowbo (Aug 12, 2007)

Yes Ann, we have had it for about 2 years now and love it. I would never go back to the tank kind.
Carole


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## HavaBaloo (Mar 24, 2009)

They are supposed to actually heat up faster, or that is what my friend told me who has one and she loves it. Let us know what you decide and how it goes...we can have our very own consumer report here


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Yes, but like dbeech, it does take longer for the water to get hot to the back of the house where we have the showers. Ideally, if you want a tankless water heater, you should put it as close to the source that uses it the most. If we were to do it again, we'd put a second tankless near the showers.

I can't see the brand name of ours, but I thought it was a Japanese name. It has an error problem often if the washing machine is running at the same time a shower is going. (Or the if the dishwasher is running at the same time as another appliance needing hot water.)

The last downside is if your power goes out, you lose all hot water instantly, unlike a water heater that stores water, which runs out gradually. Fortunately, our power doesn't go out often, but I have lost power twice while in the shower... not fun to rinse conditioner out of your hair in instantly cold water. LOL


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

Ann, when we met with the architect to draw up our house plans, DH asked about the tankless hot water heaters. He advised against it, but for the life of me, I can't remember why.


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

We researched it a while back and our trouble is that our house is all electric. You need to have a gas water heater if you want to switch to tankless with any success.


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## Chasza (Dec 10, 2008)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my tankless!! I have Fibromyalgia, and in the wintertime, my muscles constrict and causes me pain b/c the blood won't flow well thru the muscles. It doesn't matter how many blankets or heating pads that I get under, it won't lossen the muscle constriction. The only thing that helps with this is hot water. So, I take looooonnng showers!! I used to have barely enough with a 55 gallon tank, but that got switched to a 40 gallon and it was not near enough for washing my hair and showering in the wintertime.

So, anyway, I then went to tankless and LOVE, LOVE it. Now, I have a bigger house, and it takes awhile anyway for hot water to get from one end to another -- and that is with a recirculating pump! I read up on it and knew more about installation that the plumber who actually installed it (sigh, I'll spare you guys _that story.). But, if you have a recirculating pump, you MUST, MUST have at least a 4 gallon holding tank. I have an aunt who recently had trouble with her new installation on-demand hot water tank, and even tho she did not have a recirculating pump, I still suggested that she try installing one (I haven't found out yet if that solved her problem). I think she did have a different brand than mine, tho. I should try and find out these answers.

Even with the recirculatiing pump, it still takes a few seconds to get hot water - but not too long. I don't seem to have problems running different items from it at the same time, but haven't paid that much attention. If I remember, I will run the washer and shower at the same time tonight, to find out. I do not recall having any cold moments in the shower. I do have to adjust the amount of hot/cold after being in the shower a few minutes -- I suppose when the holding tank empties and I get a shot of hotter water. But, I have always had to adjust the shower after being in it for a couple of minutes -- so maybe it's not due to the holding tank emptying, but just body temperature changing and getting warmer after a few minutes?

I have the gas unit Rinnai. But, I am discussing changing over my heat/air units to individual room units called "Mr Slim" b/c the heat/air situation is not great in my home. So, the guy talking about this to me one day, saw the gas on-demand hot water unit, and remarked that there was an electric unit that he liked much better than the gas units. So, from his remark, then you can get electric units. I'll try to remember and ask him what the brand name was, if anyone wants to know.

The gas unit does hang on the outside of the house, with the controls on the inside and the 4 gallon glass holding tank on the inside as well. The thing I did not like about the controls is you don't have a good choice of temperature settings. You have, I think, 115 or 120 or 130 degrees. I thought that wasn't enough choices, but have set mine on 120 degrees, and have actually not changed it - even during the wintertime, the 120 degrees was plenty.

If you are patient, I'll try and get ahold of my aunt this week, and ask what type she had tried to use and if the holding tank helped, etc., if you would like.

edited: You know, if you have alot of kids in the house and the water is turned on/off alot -- then it might be a good idea to have a holding tank, anyway.
Lynn_


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## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

I've seriously thought about a tankless. I love the idea of it and I'd sure like to claim the space in the garage currently occupied by the water heater. 
It might take too long and waste too much water though if it takes extra long for the hot water to reach the kitchen sink or master bathroom shower. It already takes a few minutes, I'd hate to add even more minutes of wasted water. 
I know I could put a bucket in my shower and a pail in my kitchen sink to catch the water but I'm not that motivated and I don't want to lug a bucket from my shower to the yard every day.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

We're considering it for several reasons, the main one being the chance of flooding our basement which is where the water heater is located. Since the basement is finished and there's so much computer/electronic equipment down there we'd be out lots of $$$ if we had a water problem down there. 55 gallons is a LOT of water to have spreading through the house.

The tankless will be mounted on the wall in the area where the water heater is now, that's the only portion that's unfinished, and it will have an alarm so if there's a problem we'd know about it immediately. We have a neighbor who just got one a few months ago and she loves it. I think my husband is calling the plumber today to get started since our current heater is leaking and he can barely sleep at night he's so worried.


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## Redorr (Feb 2, 2008)

I just had a long conversation about these with a plumber friend this past weekend. He loves them and recommended the Rennai. I would suggest that you read up on the options for installation and best options on some consumer rating sights. And most importantly, have a plumber who understands the issues of proximity and pumps and is experienced with them do the installation. My friend Shawn says the ones with more controls for temperature are the top of the line. 

These will be the standard eventually, so I imagine the prices are already coming down. 

Clearly, the good night's sleep will be worth it.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

DH would agree with you, he hasn't slept well since we noticed the leak last Friday! The cost is making me crazy but there's nothing I can do about that. Glad I've been setting aside some $ for Chicago!


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## Chasza (Dec 10, 2008)

Redorr said:


> . And most importantly, have a plumber who understands the issues of proximity and pumps and is experienced with them do the installation. Clearly, the good night's sleep will be worth it.


Agreed on knowledgable plumber!! I was the one who said I had to have a holding tank (with the recirculating pump).......yet the plumber didn't understand that the water had to go THRU the holding tank. So, I would walk by the outside unit (gas unit) and hear it going on/off constantly and knew that wasn't right. The plumber said he called and talked to someone and that I needed some new setup. NOT. I called another plumber who noticed right away that it had all been installed incorrectly. Now, the original plumber was listed as an authorized installer on the local gas utility. Sigh. So, yeah...... good plumber Very important!

I do wonder, tho, about your installing it on the inside --- I think I would prefer electric in that case.

Also agree it's not worth losing sleep over to keep the other unit around -- BUT: having a buzzer sound if there is a leak won't help unless you are home and are safe and able to turn off the water supply via the outside valve box. Seems to me that you might consider it being installed elsewhere, and that you preferably won't have any water lines running near your equipment. FWIW: My current unit is not located near where the original tanks were --- all you do is tie into existing lines, so you can locate the unit anywhere, if that is your personal preference.

Lynn


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

we have an on demand water heater, tankless, and i love it. did i say i love it?!


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