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I'm wondering if any of you good folks out there are using tankless water heaters.
We are thinking of changing over to one, I've been searching on the net but can't find many real world opinions on these things.
Not sure if the $1000.00 dollar expense would be worth it.
Any help would be appreciated.

I'm also interested in this feedback. We have a huge jet tub in our bathroom off the main bedroom. It drains our water heater and the level is just a few inches above the jets.....

We'll have one in our new office, not that this is any help to you guys in the near term.

Randy, my understanding of the devices is that you're not going to have any luck filling a bathtub with the water from one of these things. They actually do have tanks, they're just very small.

HomeDad,

Do you mean winter-summer hookup? That's what we have on our oil burner. Makes plenty of hot water on demand, though for our upstairs bathroom it may take a minute or so for the hot water to flow that far. Plus - you never run out of hot water once it starts flowing!

If you're talking about a stand-alone water on demand heater, the closest I've used is a portable camp shower gizmo. Hooks up to propane and pumps/heats the water simultaneously. The one we used has 2 burners, but only 1 burner is necessary for hot enough water for a shower.

If none of the above - sorry can't help ya there!

I'm looking at something like this for a whole house system Lowes
My understanding is there is no tank, the water will run through heated coils for unlimited hot water, and a good reduction in heating costs.

OK, nevermind...

We just had a new water heater installed for about the price of a pair of M60s at the FO. I asked the plumber who installed the new tank water heater about tankless and he told me he has installed them but they just don't cut the mustard. There you go, now you have a meaningless opinion from someone you don't know which won't help with your decision.

That's quite a high price for a hot water heater. I install my own for a fraction of that price, they are pretty easy to do.

Michael, your long term success will really depend on the quality/hardness of your water. There are small capillary tubes inside the heater that will VERY easily plug up in a short amount of time.

Because our water is so horrid in this part of SW Ontario, the local utility did extended testing, and has recommended against them. The other drawback, is reports of decreased water pressure.

As a side note, the unit you linked to was ventless and designed for installation outdoors. I would think you need to find a vented indoor unit.

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We just had a new water heater installed for about the price of a pair of M60s at the FO. I asked the plumber who installed the new tank water heater about tankless and he told me he has installed them but they just don't cut the mustard. There you go, now you have a meaningless opinion from someone you don't know which won't help with your decision.

I loved that last line. Too funny

On demand hot water heaters are quite popular in Alaskan bush communities and cabins. In the first few years of use, they’d burn down half the homes they were installed in, but they’ve improved the design considerably since then. You will have to speak to your local code governing entity to see what they will allow. Some are not to UPC, or NEC.

In my home I use a Buderus boiler/hot water heater combo. The water heater has got to be the best I’ve ever seen and the boiler just runs and runs and runs. They’ve both been maintenance free for five years now. The heater does not run out of hot water if the dish washer is running, the washing machine and three AM showers, and it’s very efficient. I filled up my 200 gallon Jacuzzi the other day with hot water to keep the electric Jacuzzi heater off. It kept up with the demand. http://www.buderus.net/Default.aspx?tabid=876&cid=13&ctitle=multi-purpose

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There you go, now you have a meaningless opinion from someone you don't know which won't help with your decision.

I think that applies to several replies in this thread... including mine!

Shawn, you're correct I accidently linked the wrong unit, ours would also need to be a LP model. Good info on the hard water, that fact alone might rule out these units, our water leaves residue on our glasses if not dried properly.
I also like Mike's suggestion of the heater/boiler but unless it has a energy saving value I'm sure my wife would veto it.

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Makes plenty of hot water on demand, though for our upstairs bathroom it may take a minute or so for the hot water to flow that far.

This AutoCirc1 or the AutoCirc2 pump will take care of that problem!

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There are small capillary tubes inside the heater that will VERY easily plug up in a short amount of time.
(...)
The other drawback, is reports of decreased water pressure.

I've been hearing the same issues since I started looking into them. Frequent backflowing is supposed to help with buildup of scale, and some houses are being run on them alone, but they're most useful as "boosters" in WCs far away from the main hot water tank and for jacuzzi tubs.

The idea is sound, I think they just need a bit more time to work out some kinks... the traditional way of leaving the "kettle boiling" all day just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Had a friend that used to turn off his 80 gallon (!?! - for a 700 sq. ft, 1 BR condo!?!) electric water heater whenever he didn't need it... he'd fire it up before showers and dishes, not sure it actually saved any money since it had to bring up a large volume of water up many more degrees than if it was being held at that temp, but he felt like he was stickin' it to the man... so who am I to say?

Bren R.

It wasn't quite the price of the M60s. The old one, a 40+ year old American Standard, had to be pulled out of the there and it was a monster. It was half full of sediment and weighed a ton. Lugging something like that out of the basement is way beyond my physical capabilities at this point in time. We're happy the way it turned out. I agree that it's probably not too difficult, but I assure you, I could find a way to mess it up.

I hear ya on that, they can be a beast to remove when they get filled with sediment. Wow you got 40+ years out of one, it's 7 to 10 around here if your lucky.

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unless it has a energy saving value I'm sure my wife would veto it.

Efeciency gains depend on what you have now. The Buderus is a “side arm” heat exchanger. You run a loop off the boiler hot water to the tank and a zone valve regulates flow through the tank’s heating coils. Amtrol introduced these things about twenty years ago. Buderus has taken the technology a few steps further with increased insulation, larger coils and a unique holding tank design.

Their boilers are very efficient. They are a European manufacture, and Europe has been years ahead of the US in the utility business for decades. Out of necessity, they have to be innovative.

Don't forget that the effectiveness of these heat exchangers also depends upon the temperature of the water in the first place. My understanding is that the available BTU's and the flow rate will dictate how many degrees you can raise the temperature of the water. Consequently, tankless heaters might be a pretty decent option in a place like California, whereas you'd need the industrial-strength one in Alaska.