Tankless water heaters?

Does anyone have experience with tankless water heaters? My current water heater in my home is 9 years old and when it dies I was thinking of replacing it with a tankless electric heater. The price seems to be a bit higher than a standard unit but I would expect that you would save a lot on the monthly bill, especially for a single person or couple. I have no idea how long they last compared to a standard unit.

Any help appreciated.

Tks

Dennis

Dennis,

My brother had one in his home, he hated it and after several short-lived repairs (not hacked - he’s a helicopter mechanic), he tore it out and replaced it with a conventional W/H. From what I recall, he reported no change in his power bill!

This is all I know about it.

Steve

They have become very popular here in the midwest over the last several years. There are several large very respectable companies that manufacture different types of units. They have been used in europe for many years. On paper they should save a fair amount of money. You have to find a plumber who is familiar with the proper installation.

My friend had one in his new house a few years ago and said he had a lot of problems with it. The technology should be getting better and I bet there are some good models now.

I have been using ECOTOUCH ECO55 for a while and so far it works great. Very satisfied with this water heater, easy to install and very easy to use. I mounted it under the building near the shower and operated remotely through the floor. Very satisfied with this purchase.

Had a Rinnai in my home for 10+ years, no issues at all and I love it. The space savings, the reduced risk catastrophic failure, and no fear of ever running out of water. Would do it again with no hesitation!

We’ve had success using the latest Rheem tankless and hybrid heat pump hot water heaters. From an energy efficiency standpoint both are superior to standard hot water heaters.

Tankless water heaters are all about incoming water temp. The further North (colder incoming water temp) the less desireable as you need to heat the water much further.

The next discussion is gas or electric.

Electric are more simple and easier to install. Gas has a higher water heating capacity for more volume with colder incoming water.

I have a few in use in North Dakota (cold water) for single fixture point of use (commercial bathroom), but won’t use them for entire homes unless I put a gas one in.

Don’t do it. I’ve had several and never learned my lesson. Each break down is so costly. And there does not seem to be industry standards like the tanks do. Meaning almost anyone can fix or replace a busted tank. Few can fix these tankless high tech garbage.