Propane Tankless Water Heater (Home Use)

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Lazy Daze

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My wife and I are thinking of getting one of those tankless (propane powered) water heaters. We already have propane at the house and the place where we could mount the heater allows relatively easy access for venting to the outside. I've heard (read) that they've come a long way in the last few years in terms of being able to meet the demands of the "American" lifestyle, but that's about as much as I know about them. I realize they have a higher upfront price (compared to a tank-style heater), but am also "assuming" that they cost less to run.

We are a family of 4... currently have an 8 and 6 year old and don't anticipate (knocking on wood right now) any more. The house has 2-1/2 baths. It would be nice to be able to take 2 showers at once, but that isn't a deal breaker.

Are any of you using one? What has been your experience and what brand/model do you have? Is there a particular reason you went with that model?
 
Dennis,
I looked into one last year. I have a two story home with utilities in the basement. My plumber said that it wasn't good for my application because the heater needs to be mounted near the fixture utilizing it. My water would have too far of a run to reach the showers (both on the second floor). I ended up passing on the unit. Let me know if you find out differently.
 
Dennis, we don't have one but our neighbor does. During the ice storm many years back we all went to their house for hot showers. My family of for, the other neighbor of two and themselves took showers. They never had a single issue and never ran out of hot water. We spent over three weeks without power....that hot water was the ticket. They love theirs
 
We have two 40 gallon gas hot water tanks. The house was built in 1979 and I have replaced them twice, 1994 and 2012. Not because of leaks but because I was told they last 10 years. You can leave a hot water tap on full 24 hours a day and you do not run out of hot water. Cost in 2012 was 1,500 installed. I got them because the two furnaces were original and one had problems so got every thing done at once. The contractor told me not waste my money on a demad hot water system as it was about 5,000 installed and would not save me any money. We have 3 full bath rooms and at one time there would be 3 people showering at one time. You need large diameter piping to keep water pressure up for that. Most lines are 3/4".
Ask your plumber what the cost of 2 tanks is compared to on demand system and if it is any better and uses less gas. Water tanks we have are 40,000 BTU each and not high efficency.
 
I installed a Rheem tankless water heater in my home about a year ago. It works great! My unit is natural gas fired and uses electricity to fire the gas and set the temperature level. I have a 2 story home with 1-1/2 baths. I mounted it in the garage so no venting was needed (it is an outdoor mount model). The only drawback with the unit is that it takes between 10 and 15 seconds for the hot water to reach my upstairs plumbing fixtures. I attribute this to the fact that there is no hot water radiating from the unit as there is with a hot water tank. With a tank, the water in the lines stays somewhat warm even when the water is not in use. There are only 2 of us in our home and I'm not sure about the cost savings over a standing water tank. The main reason I wanted one was to free up more space in the basement.
 
My besr friend istalled one in his house last year. Not sure about specific model information but it works great. He has 2 baths and has endless hot water with both showers and the dishwasher going. It was pretty expensive compared to a traditional system but he got some kind of tax credit to offset the high initial cost. He is a licensed contractor and did the installation his self. He did run into a problem because the unit required a different pressure than what was coming from the meter. He had to have a plumber friend run a higher pressure gas line? Something to that effect anyway. Overall it produces faster longer lasting hot water than my traditional gas hot water system. The space savings is nice too. My Aunt also installed one at her country cabin. Its installed in the kitchen under the sink. Again space savings was the main benifit.
 
LONG POST!

They have improved a LOT over the years. However, IMHO, you need to look at the total operation. Unless you are going to use an oversize tankless unit to heat a hot tub, I'd shy away from them.

I do not know the life expectancy of a tankless unit, but like anything else, it's limited and they do require maintenance. Additionally, the tankless heaters can only heat the incoming cold water "x" degrees before the water exits the system. How cold is Long Island water in the dead of a bad winter. I do know the initial cost is at least 1.5 to 2 times the cost of a tank heater.

Wellswa's application will more than suit your needs at a much cheaper initial cost. I had a friend who installed twin 50 electric's (no gas in his neighborhood) in his home and his family of 5 with 3 teenage daughters never ran out of hot water.

The tank heaters have gotten better as well. Today, there is just me and the cats. The cats don't use much hot water! Many years ago there was me, my then wife, and 2 teenage daughters. With the old (1986 era) heater in 1996 , me being last to bathe in the morning, I would end up with a tepid to effing cold shower in the morning. With a new heater (circa 1998) in 1998, I had plenty of hot water under the same circumstances. Enough so that on Monday mornings I had enough hot water to shave a weekend's growth off in the shower.

The best recommendation I can make beyond the twin 40 propanes is to install a true hot water loop and a circulation pump. It pays for itself in less than a year in saved water.

HTH
 
I have several both at our house and at rental properties. I only use TAKAGI brand units and have had zero problems with them. Install a water preconditioning system (AQUAPURE) and an airgap (hammer arrestor) in the cold water inlet - strongly recommended. Last point, don't think you'll save money because you wont. Ends up that although the tankless is more efficient, not running out water ever means everyone will take LONGER showers.
 
We installed a Rinnai tankless heater a year and a half ago and love it. We have the same situation as you, propane with 2-1/2 baths and 4 people (3 & 6 year olds). I can honestly say that my unit will pay for itself in a few more years. I paid $2800 installed. The only maintenance is flushing with vinegar annually. The only downfall as others have stated is a bit longer time to get hot water on the second floor, our unit is in the basement. The best part of all is no worries of the tank rotting out and flooding the basement (which is why the old tank heater needed replaced...)


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I looked into this a few years ago - I have a 50 gallon tank, which serves all our needs for a family of 5 pretty well, but for an oversized whirlpool tub in the master. I ran into two barriers. First the Unicorn problem - was impossible to find a qualified contractor that had done one. Second, was told by the many contractors that don't do it (with obviously no experience) that it can be difficult to install in existing construction due to venting requirements. So, I didn't make much headway. If your market has matured a bit for this product, you may have better luck. I work in real estate and see hundreds of homes a year. I'll be darned, but I don't think I've yet seen one. Duel 40's and the "loop" are the more typical deluxe systems that I see. The issue of getting two showers at the same time may have much more to do with your existing plumbing vs. your source of hot water, especially in an older home. My house is 11 years old and we can run two showers without trouble. My 1921 vintage bungalow was a different story.
 
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I wanted one also, My biggest fear is that the "radiator" will get deposits on it and eventually clog up - I have a water softener but am not sure how well or long the tankless last - Nobody around here has one. I would like it for the size compared to my 40 gal tank.

LK
 
Don't do it. Your kids will take hour long showers now because they can!

We have the Bosch model available at Home Depot. Works great. We bought it more for the limitless hot water but there was still some cost savings in our gas bill. Of course we had a 20% gas price increase to offset any savings but we did remain about neutral at the time. The water is so hot you can't use it straight hot only but you can control max temperature. We can also run multiple items at the same time. We regularly have washer or dishwasher going when taking a shower.

I don't understand the comment about having to be near the location of use. Your current hot water has to travel the same distance.

I had to upgrade my gas lines in the basement because these units are a lot higher BTU requirement than the existing hot water heater. I live in an old house and the lines were a mess anyway. I was able to straighten them up without any additional pipe needs. Get one of their online manuals and you can see what I'm talking about. The pipes need to be large enough to deliver the demanded gas.
 
wish2fish said:
.........I don't understand the comment about having to be near the location of use. Your current hot water has to travel the same distance...,,,.
Click to expand...

I didn't understand that either as my thoughts were the same as yours. The plumber tried to explain it but all I heard was "Waa Waa Waa".



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One of the rentals I manage has one installed and works great. They have a big garden tub in the master and one of those walk in tubs in the other bath. When we were doing the purchase inspection on the place. The inspector was filling everything with hot work and just keep working and working. I was surprised how good it worked. Since then the tenants have nothing but good things to say about it.
Unlimited supply of instant hot water....
 
Dennis,

They are a great addition, they allow you to always have hot water, which may be no good if your kids like long showers. they also save gas by not having a pilot light and a big tank of water to heat. We use one and save 15-30 dollars a month in gas.
 
my Tekagi instant HW services 3 radiant floors, my shop 1000 sq ', attached double car garage and a sunroom plus domestic hot water, it's great! sure you have to wait 10 seconds for the second floor shower to reach temp but there's no waste when not in use!
 
I install them all the time in houses and they work great. $5000?? $2800 ?? bogus numbers, they should be about $2000.00 installed. Depending upon your usage, they could pay for the difference(remember a new 50 gal. boiler-mate is going to cost some money) in a short period of time. On demand= no standing hot water 24-7-365. Any other questions, you could pm me Dennis
 
This is fantastic information. I appreciate everything you've guys have written. I'm going to read through it a few more times.

tdschafer said:
I didn't understand that either as my thoughts were the same as yours. The plumber tried to explain it but all I heard was "Waa Waa Waa".

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Click to expand...

I think I feel the same way as you. Once the water is hot... it's hot, right? Making a few assumptions, it sounds like maybe that plumber doesn't have much experience with the tankless heaters - sort of a "can't teach an old dog new tricks" kind of thing?
 
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