jdog Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 So now my water heaters has a drip, it's the tank style that was replaced about 2015, with it needing to be replaced again I started looking around and wanted to know if any of you have or used the tankless heaters. Pros and cons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I had one in a rental once. You'd never run out of hot water. Except when the thing would somehow error out and needed to be reset, typically halfway through a shower, and you'd instantly lose hot water with no warning. Happened roughly every three weeks. I don't know what unit it was and I imagine they wouldn't really have caught on if they all did that, but it turned me off the idea somewhat. I don't really know how it might've affected energy usage or anything though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 I have one and installed it myself even. wouldnt you know it still works and has no trouble filling the 80gallon garden tub I also installed. Works well, could it be better and more on demand yes, however you would also need a recirculating pump to allow for you to have instant hot water whenever you turn the faucet on. Otherwise as I have without one, it takes 30 seconds or so of running the water before the lines fill up with hot water. Kinda trivial-co but its a $500 difference that I didnt care to spend of mess with and can always install later on. And with that there is maintenance involved as well, as once a year, much like a tank heater you should be inspecting and cleaning those parts to keep it working most efficiently. More so the worse you water is, as in sediment, calcium, iron and whatever else you might find in typical city treating water or even countryside water wells which can be a bit harder. NOW I have a natural gas unit in the city house which was more feasible then if I had to run propane. Which they have great smaller units you can install directly under the sink vs the whole house. Myself I have a whole house unit and got a great deal on it at the time. So was worth it by far for me. Mainly the usage is most important for deciding to install a tankless. If you use hot water a lot and perfer longer hot water use then Id suggest going that route. I went that route based of the need after installation of garden tub and not even being able to fill it half way before hot water ran out. It costs some coin up front, but overtime you get that back or get your money's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdog Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 1 hour ago, gogmorgo said: I had one in a rental once. You'd never run out of hot water. Except when the thing would somehow error out and needed to be reset, typically halfway through a shower, and you'd instantly lose hot water with no warning. Happened roughly every three weeks. I don't know what unit it was and I imagine they wouldn't really have caught on if they all did that, but it turned me off the idea somewhat. I don't really know how it might've affected energy usage or anything though. That would suck 51 minutes ago, MiNi Beast said: I have one and installed it myself even. wouldnt you know it still works and has no trouble filling the 80gallon garden tub I also installed. Works well, could it be better and more on demand yes, however you would also need a recirculating pump to allow for you to have instant hot water whenever you turn the faucet on. Otherwise as I have without one, it takes 30 seconds or so of running the water before the lines fill up with hot water. Kinda trivial-co but its a $500 difference that I didnt care to spend of mess with and can always install later on. And with that there is maintenance involved as well, as once a year, much like a tank heater you should be inspecting and cleaning those parts to keep it working most efficiently. More so the worse you water is, as in sediment, calcium, iron and whatever else you might find in typical city treating water or even countryside water wells which can be a bit harder. NOW I have a natural gas unit in the city house which was more feasible then if I had to run propane. Which they have great smaller units you can install directly under the sink vs the whole house. Myself I have a whole house unit and got a great deal on it at the time. So was worth it by far for me. Mainly the usage is most important for deciding to install a tankless. If you use hot water a lot and perfer longer hot water use then Id suggest going that route. I went that route based of the need after installation of garden tub and not even being able to fill it half way before hot water ran out. It costs some coin up front, but overtime you get that back or get your money's worth. Thank you that's what I was looking for. I'm looking to do a whole house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 6 hours ago, MiNi Beast said: …And with that there is maintenance involved as well, as once a year, much like a tank heater you should be inspecting and cleaning those parts to keep it working most efficiently… I’ve had my tank water heater since 1995 (27 years) I’ve done nothing to it and it still works well. But I’ve been waiting for the day it leaks or stops working for the last 10 years. Now it’s just a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiNi Beast Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 2 minutes ago, fiatslug87 said: I’ve had my tank water heater since 1995 (27 years) I’ve done nothing to it and it still works well. But I’ve been waiting for the day it leaks or stops working for the last 10 years. Now it’s just a challenge. You have been blessed for sure. And for sure a tank heater from then were built good and did last, nowadays they are not being built to the same quality standards and if so you are buying at premium unfortunately. Which at that point why not consider a tankless and gain space and higher level of abundance. With you being better case of heaters working well, I have swapped so many hot water heaters so rusted out, or filled with sediment, and roasted by junk controls. 3-15 years with 10 years being average of a good quality heater. 20 + years for those lucky ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdog Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 8 minutes ago, fiatslug87 said: I’ve had my tank water heater since 1995 (27 years) I’ve done nothing to it and it still works well. But I’ve been waiting for the day it leaks or stops working for the last 10 years. Now it’s just a challenge. You've gotten lucky, it just seems like last year I replace this one. Same with the fridge, the just don't make things to last anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankTheDog Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 I have 12 years on an AO Smith heater, it’s on it’s 3rd thermostst. Otherwise it’s been good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 I switched to a NG tankless a few years ago. I love it. Direct vent, 98% efficient. There is no delay in getting hot water out of it versus a regular tank unit. If you have hot water in your lines all the time with a tank unit then it isn't installed correctly. Never had any fault codes or shutdowns or anything like that. I need to run vinegar through it one of these days... Yes, you should do maintenance on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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