Tankless or Tank

Users who are viewing this thread

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
It really depends on the situation. One of the biggest issues is incoming wintertime water temperatures and how hard the water is. Next biggest thing is what volume of water do you need and for how long and often, including how fast.

Filling a large soaking tub fast is not one of the things a typical tankless can do. But, if you gang multiple ones, the sky's the limits, but at a cost in both infrastructure to make it work and up-front costs to make it happen. That might be an advantage in say a spa or bathhouse.

To me, the delay in producing water, the inability to do it at a low volume where you might want warm water, the infrastructure upgrades that may be needed (gas line sizing, meter, etc.) and the need for what is probably annual maintenance to clean up the heat exchanger would limit the situations where it is useful.

Both electric and indirect WH can be made with some pretty good insulation. My indirect let me take a hot shower for three days in early spring when my boiler died on late Friday. I did not want to pay for it to be dealt with over the weekend.

Last bit, finding someone who understands and can service the thing AND has parts, when the time comes, can vary radically depending on where you live.
 

Dana

In the trades
Messages
7,889
Reaction score
509
Points
113
Location
01609
If the goal is to save space, tankless solutions have a place.

If the goal is to save money (or the planet), not so much.
 

Dj2

In the Trades
Messages
2,611
Reaction score
258
Points
83
Location
California
In my area, having a 30-50-100 gal tank can be a life saver in an emergency like a major quake. Having some bleach to disinfect the water would help (a couple of drops of bleach for each gallon). Not as good as bottle water, but better than no water.

In the 1994 quake, we had no water for a few days.
 
Messages
68
Reaction score
2
Points
8
Location
Wellston, OK
We've put in hundreds of tankless water heaters. Great in some ways and not so much in others. I tell my customers its like a 60 year old man marrying a 20 year old woman. Wonderful most of the time, but there are drawbacks. We also service tankless water heaters and they require a higher level skill set. Parts can be a day or two away. But a 98 % efficiency, continuous hot water, and not paying to keep 50-75 gallons hot 24/7 is great. If you have a good plumber they are great.
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
One way to look at the efficiency is that at least some of the 'wasted' heat goes towards warming the area. In the winter time, that can be a bonus, and it's not lost heat. If you air condition the space, it can be a detriment. Pretty much any plumber can replace a tank in at most a couple of hours even on a weekend (at a premium, but still). Today's WH are required to have better insulation than older ones, so it isn't as big of a hit. Throw in the potential utility upgrades that may be required to install one, the periodic maintenance, and the upfront cost, the business case doesn't always work out. Not all can be used with a recirculation system and may require some additional equipment, and that delay to get hot water at the tap will mean wasting a precious resource. Depending on what you pay for water and sewer, add that into the equation.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks