I inherited a new in the box tankless water heater.

[Erico]

A buddy of mine purchased this thing 5??ish years ago but never installed it.

It's a "Sets" brand electric tankless water heater.

Besides the massive amount of electricity this thing requires, is it even worth the trouble to install it?

I've read some bad reviews AND the company is out of business. I'm guessing they were one of he fly-by-night outfits that have given tankless a bad name.

We have been contemplating building a second bath with walk-in shower for my aging mother in law. Part of the plan is to make room by removing the gas water heater and installing a tankless.

She is on a budget so the price of this heater was just right. I have been setting aside fixtures from friends taking out perfectly good items for aesthetic reasons - toilet, vanity etc.

It may be oversized (if that is possible) for her 1 bath (2 if I install this or another) small three bedroom 1 level cape cod style house. Just her living there.


It requires a 100 amp breaker at the main box and a sub panel with a 60 amp breaker and another quad breaker. So not even sure the box she as can accommodate this unit. Although we have been contemplating an upgrade anyway.

 

[Stuff]

The last thing you want to do with anyone "aging" is to make them a guinea pig. Even the best tankless have issues. Electric ones in the northern states can be close to useless in the winter.

Best to sell it on eBay.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Dana]

There is no electric tankless worth owning at NY type wintertime incoming water temperatures, even if you had a sufficiently high power service and the wiring capacity to handle that much additional load. If tankless, go with natural gas.

To heat 40F incoming water to a comfortable 105F at the showerhead at 2 gpm you're looking at about 19,000 watts of tankless to just barely keep up. At 2.5gpm (a standard showerhead, not low-flow) that's close to 24,000 Watts. That's 100 amps @ 240VAC do you have 100A of "extra" capacity to spare? How about #1 AWG or #0 AWG wiring between the panel & tankless? A 60A 240V service isn't enough power to keep up even with some low flow shower heads. It's not worth the aggravation.

This is just one of the reasons these things aren't very popular north of the Gulf Coast states...

Any 199,000 BTU/hr condensing gas tankless can support a couple of simultaneous full flow showers with a bit of capacity to share. They have other quirks to deal with (eg "cold water sandwich") that an electric tankless wouldn't have, but it can at least do the basic job.

 

[Erico]

The last thing you want to do with anyone "aging" is to make them a guinea pig. Even the best tankless have issues. Electric ones in the northern states can be close to useless in the winter.

Best to sell it on eBay.

I figured as much. Thanks.

 

[Erico]

There is no electric tankless worth owning at NY type wintertime incoming water temperatures, even if you had a sufficiently high power service and the wiring capacity to handle that much additional load. If tankless, go with natural gas.

To heat 40F incoming water to a comfortable 105F at the showerhead at 2 gpm you're looking at about 19,000 watts of tankless to just barely keep up. At 2.5gpm (a standard showerhead, not low-flow) that's close to 24,000 Watts. That's 100 amps @ 240VAC do you have 100A of "extra" capacity to spare? How about #1 AWG or #0 AWG wiring between the panel & tankless? A 60A 240V service isn't enough power to keep up even with some low flow shower heads. It's not worth the aggravation.

This is just one of the reasons these things aren't very popular north of the Gulf Coast states...

Any 199,000 BTU/hr condensing gas tankless can support a couple of simultaneous full flow showers with a bit of capacity to share. They have other quirks to deal with (eg "cold water sandwich") that an electric tankless wouldn't have, but it can at least do the basic job.

I figured as much. Thanks.

Gas will make much more sense. If we do it. It seems like they've come down in price even since last I looked.

We may still upgrade the box.

Mr. And Mrs. Set-in-Their-ways wanted an electric stove because she had one out in the country. Even though she is now on city gas. So we had the electrician install a 240 line as part of a kitchen remodel. He's recommending a box upgrade sometime in the future.

For some reason the previous owners had an electric dryer even though a natural gas line is right there. I told the mother in law to go gas if that old unit craps out. A month later one of the units craps out and they go out and buy a new set with an electric dryer. I ask why they didn't listen and the husband gets snippy with me that they want what they want.

I get the electric stove because that is what you are used to cooking on. But who cares how your clothes dry? Turns out she hates the stove - the old one was a really nice jenair slide in. The new one is a decent GE slide in. I guess you get what you pay for. We were on a budget.

We could have saved a ton of amps by utilizing the gas in the house.

Old folks set in their ways. Lol. We had just done a face lift on the old kitchen with new countertops, sink and backsplash. Six months later they decide to move back in to town in case something "happens to one or the other". She wanted the exact kitchen layout, counters and backsplash. She's a saint so we give her what she wants.

Whith in a year, her husband gets diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Fast and brutal. Their timing was perfect.