aktartt
New Member
I own a tiny studio apartment (400 sq. ft.) with only a shower (no tub), lavatory, and kitchen sink (no dishwasher) needing hot water. An old Bosch Aquastar 125 from the late 1980s has worked great until now but is starting to act up (needs parts that are no longer available). To give myself time to select a good replacement, I'd like some recommendations. Only a single tenant rents the place at any one time, so it would be unusual if two devices needed hot water simultaneously.
The Aquastar (37lbs., 27" X 17") is wall-mounted in the upper part of a pantry. Although the manual calls for a 3/4" gas line, the plumber who installed it seems to have modified the fittings to accommodate the existing 1/2" gas line. (Water lines are 1/2" which is what the Aquastar called for, so no problem there.) There is attic access to a larger gas line (either 3/4" or 1"--I can't tell) running up behind the wall from the kitchen stove and over to the gas wall furnace, and the 1/2" line supplying the tankless appears to branch off this main line and drop down into the pantry.
I'm willing to spend the money to have this line replaced with 3/4" pipe, per the specs of the new models. The problem is that most of the indoor tankless units on the market seem to be condensing, and since the apartment is on a slab and not near an exterior wall or other plumbing, there is no easy way to run a condensate drain.
So can anyone recommend a brand and model of non-condensing indoor NG tankless with a small footprint that would work in this situation? Thanks.
The Aquastar (37lbs., 27" X 17") is wall-mounted in the upper part of a pantry. Although the manual calls for a 3/4" gas line, the plumber who installed it seems to have modified the fittings to accommodate the existing 1/2" gas line. (Water lines are 1/2" which is what the Aquastar called for, so no problem there.) There is attic access to a larger gas line (either 3/4" or 1"--I can't tell) running up behind the wall from the kitchen stove and over to the gas wall furnace, and the 1/2" line supplying the tankless appears to branch off this main line and drop down into the pantry.
I'm willing to spend the money to have this line replaced with 3/4" pipe, per the specs of the new models. The problem is that most of the indoor tankless units on the market seem to be condensing, and since the apartment is on a slab and not near an exterior wall or other plumbing, there is no easy way to run a condensate drain.
So can anyone recommend a brand and model of non-condensing indoor NG tankless with a small footprint that would work in this situation? Thanks.
