We are looking at a house to buy and it needs a new water heater. It’s on the outside of the house in an old sheetmetal enclosure that will need to be rebuilt. A tankless model could probably be put somewhere else and not need an enclosure.
By the time I buy a 40-50 gallon water heater and build a new enclosure for it, I can almost just go with a tankless model. We don’t mind spending more for the tankless if is worth it.
The house has gas heat, so we would go with a gas tankless.
Anyone here think they are worth it? We are a family of 2 adults, 2 kids, and potentially adding a third adult (my mother) in the coming year.
What are the pros/cons of the tankless for y’all that use them?
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
matt; do yourself a big favor, that you will be much happier with in the future! Rebuild the shed and get the inside tankless heater! Move the Mother into the shed!
matt; do yourself a big favor, that you will be much happier with in the future! Rebuild the shed and get the inside tankless heater! Move the Mother into the shed!
By “shed” we are talking about a sheetmetal box that is big enough for a corpse. Momma might be older than I am but if I try to fit her in it, I’m the corpse that’s going to inhabit it
The house does have a rather beefy workshop built outside, which I likey . Finally somewhere to park my jon boat, or put the autos when it’s time to work on them.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
By the way, thanks for the advice on the water heaters. At this point, it would be worth it I think to get the better tankless model. Given that they typically last twice as long as the average tank heater (from what I’ve read) then that’s a thumbs up.
The current tank that’s there is literally 20 years old, which is 145 years in “tank heater” years.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
Can anyone suggest a good contractor to give me a quote on installing and replumbing whatever might be necessary?
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
matt; make the out building into an apartment! Believe me, she is going to take over your easy chair in front of the TV and she will control the TV remote! My mother-in -law lives with us and I know hence I speak!
Actually, Easy, if she want’s to watch TV, she will need to bring her own. I do not even own a television. I’ve spent the past 6 years finishing my M.Div and simply didn’t have time to watch it. I got rid of my old tube tv (a 14" joke anyhow) when they switched to digital, and I was denied a coupon for a free set of antennas based on my address (previous tenants had gotten a set, thus I was denied when I applied).
Lol, I really only miss the Speed Channel and Discovery Channel. I’d rather spend the time fishing or reading. But instead, I spend the time fixing broken autos and broken outboard motors (which I usually break in the process of fixing).
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
We install Rinnai and Rheem, the Rinnai is your most popular
Pros: endless hot water, supposedly more efficient, there is two stages, control pad inside gives you easy access to control temps, 10 yr heat exchanger warranties
Cons: it does take a bit for your hot water to reach you, they only fire when there is a call. Power goes out, no hot water. They use lots of gas on high demand
Also usually when going from a tank to tankless the gas line isn’t big enough. 1/2" to 3/4" is usually required
$2500 is a average cost to go tankless from tank
Hope this helps!
Will the gas model still work if you lose power? How does it ignite? Been toying around with the idea of replacing my existing gas heater with a tankless one but, don’t want to lose the ability to have hot water if the power goes out.
“Apathy is the Glove in Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
You have to get a permit to swap hot water heaters? Good freaking grief. Do I need to get a permit to take a shower too?
We gotta find out who keeps making these absurd laws and vote their rear ends out of a job, and chase them out of town.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
So basically I need to get a pro over and do an estimate, if I’m reading you right. Gotcha, tjackson.
Honestly I do not mind paying that if it means I don’t have to replace the thing in 6 years. I’ve seen a LOT of brand new water heaters crap out after 6-7 years.
“Sire, it belongs in truth to the Church of God, in whose name I speak, to endure blows and not to inflict them. But it will also please your Majesty to remember that she is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”…Theodore Beza
Actually, Easy, if she want’s to watch TV, she will need to bring her own. I do not even own a television. I’ve spent the past 6 years finishing my M.Div and simply didn’t have time to watch it.
Congrats on completing your Masters in Divinity. Quite the accomplishment. I waited until I was almost 40 to start my Bachelors in Theology. That alone was an undertaking.
I went from electric to gas water heater which was great. The gas water heater had a pilot light which meant when the power went out I still had hot water. A few years ago I changed it out to a gas tankless which I like too. It only heats on demand as you know which is better especially in an empty nest household. It does take longer to get hot water out of the faucet but not terribly long. The electric ignition instead of a pilot light means less gas use but won’t work if the power goes out.
Will the gas model still work if you lose power? How does it ignite? Been toying around with the idea of replacing my existing gas heater with a tankless one but, don’t want to lose the ability to have hot water if the power goes out.
“Apathy is the Glove in Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”.
New standard tank gas heaters typically require an exhaust fan to remove combustion fumes, and they have a small control board that requires power as well.
I had a tankless heater several years ago.
My water is supplied by Mt P Water Co and is full of minerals.
This water clogged and rusted out the tank’s heating elements in two years.
I went back to an regular tank; no problems since.
I suppose some sort of water treatment can be installed to clean up your water-would add to the cost.
“Watch what we do, not what we say.” John Mitchell
Sea Hunt Triton 202
Yammy 150
. Finally somewhere to park my jon boat, or put the autos when it’s time to work on them.