# electric tankless water heaters



## fshrs1 (Nov 20, 2009)

anyone have feedback on these? Looking to instal one in my own home before I sell in new construction. I have 1 bath, live in the midwest, well water.


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

*I prefer the gas model...Personally*








some thoughts from a few on the electric ......  http://www.contractortalk.com/f5/tankless-water-heater-install-87712/

B,


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## mrmike (Dec 9, 2008)

fshrs1 said:


> anyone have feedback on these? Looking to instal one in my own home before I sell in new construction. I have 1 bath, live in the midwest, well water.


This subject seems to irritate many. No, I wouldn't recommend one with 2 60amp breakers etc that have to supply oddools of Wasteful hot water to baths with 2,3, or more wasteful showerheads or if someone has 4 baths, etc. "gotta be some big families" still left. 
BUT, in your situation, I would definatly highly recommend one. I also have one bath with well water & have been using one for years and it has been highly efficient........ I have a Titan n-160 & you only need a 60 amp breaker to feed it. The temp is adjustable on it, so you can adjust accordingly to your incoming water temp & pressure. Believe me, it will serve you well ! There is no way I would have a big tank, Gas or electric, keeping water hot all day long for just the two of us- when there is this option.........................


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## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

junk...


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## Mike's Plumbing (Jul 19, 2010)

fshrs1 said:


> anyone have feedback on these? Looking to instal one in my own home before I sell in new construction. I have 1 bath, live in the midwest, well water.


I would do a lot more homework berfore I consider selling it. Installing one in your home is great and all but it doesn't qualify you. The questions your asking can be found with researching the manufacture. Each unit is different and each home is different so advice doesn't make sense unless it's researched first by you.

To answer your question I'm with rex, it's junk. 

Mike


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

Mike's Plumbing said:


> To answer your question I'm with rex, it's junk.
> 
> Mike


Mike,

Although I'm usually on board with what you are saying, this time I have to disagree.

Three years ago I got rid of a powervented water heater and installed a Noritz *gas* tankless unit in my own house. I have 7 kids and 4 baths and my parents live with us (so there are 11 of us in the house). After a hard day at work, it's nice to come home and take a nice lllllloooooooonnnnnnggggggggggg hot shower without running out. I installed the commercial 199K btu model. It performs flawlessly and we never run out of hotwater even when all the showers are going, wife is in kitchen, etc. It dropped our gas bill too. I love it and would never go back!

With that said, my experience may be better because I dropped the extra bucks on a commercial unit from my trade supplier. I have heard of some who have installed the Bosch units from blowes and had high failure rates. Re-inforces the get what you pay for idea.......

I do agree with the first part of your post. Definitely do the homework as each situation is different.

My .02 ................

Mark


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## fshrs1 (Nov 20, 2009)

Thanks for all your input. I've considered gas models but would have to use propane. Not a big fan of propane for a single appliance. Maybe if the furnace was propane also. I wouldn't use an electric for a large application. 120 amps or more is excessive. For a small home gas utility not available electric makes sense. I was curious as to make and model that would perform well. There is plenty of info available on the internet, but that is the issue at times, to much information to sort through and who do you trust. This a a great format and I trust tradesman that have experience in the field over a manufacturer toating there own product.


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## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

svronthmve said:


> Mike,
> 
> Although I'm usually on board with what you are saying, this time I have to disagree.
> 
> ...


 
ummmm electric are junk....nothing was ever said bout gas

gas is fine if sized right


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## svronthmve (Aug 3, 2008)

rex said:


> ummmm electric are junk....nothing was ever said bout gas
> 
> gas is fine if sized right



Sorry - Missed that. I stand corrected......and apologize if necessary!


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## mrmike (Dec 9, 2008)

rex said:


> junk...


 

This is ludicrous to say.:wallbash: Have you ever owned one? How do you base this ?? Svronthmve said it right that each situation is different............


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## Mike's Plumbing (Jul 19, 2010)

mrmike said:


> This is ludicrous to say.:wallbash: Have you ever owned one? How do you base this ?? Svronthmve said it right that each situation is different............


I think I can speak for Rex here. We both do this for a living. That means we do it 24/7 not once in a while. Not only do we install them but we sevice them as well. We get to hear on a daily basis all the feedback from customers. Electric tankless are the worst of the bunch. I don't own one because I did my homework. I have a 50 gal gas normal good old fashioned water heater with a recirc line. I get my hot water in less than 1 second and my gas bill is dirt cheap.

Fuel prices are cheap right now but going forward it's expected to go up a lot. Once that happens I can see gas tankless as the way to go. Electric just doesn't make sense. I guess you can put one in and find out.

Mike


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## mrmike (Dec 9, 2008)

Mike's Plumbing said:


> I think I can speak for Rex here. We both do this for a living. That means we do it 24/7 not once in a while. Not only do we install them but we sevice them as well. We get to hear on a daily basis all the feedback from customers. Electric tankless are the worst of the bunch. I don't own one because I did my homework. I have a 50 gal gas normal good old fashioned water heater with a recirc line. I get my hot water in less than 1 second and my gas bill is dirt cheap.
> 
> Fuel prices are cheap right now but going forward it's expected to go up a lot. Once that happens I can see gas tankless as the way to go. Electric just doesn't make sense. I guess you can put one in and find out.
> 
> Mike


 

I guess you are the expert here and my owning one has no bearing. In my case it is great......... but junk to some......... Using propane is a no no here, as they overpriced me years ago with 4.29 a gal.......... Come & get your tanks, man..........I'm moving on....... I have heated with pellets for a few years now-using NO OIL OR GAS- thanks to that junk Electric on demand !!! 
Enough said on this subject..........


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## Mike's Plumbing (Jul 19, 2010)

mrmike said:


> I guess you are the expert here and my owning one has no bearing. In my case it is great......... but junk to some......... Using propane is a no no here, as they overpriced me years ago with 4.29 a gal.......... Come & get your tanks, man..........I'm moving on....... I have heated with pellets for a few years now-using NO OIL OR GAS- thanks to that junk Electric on demand !!!
> Enough said on this subject..........


That doesn't mean it wont work, it's just that other options can be, and usually are.....much better. One persons experience doesn't mean it works well everywhere you go. Don't take it personal, but after years of dealing with nothing but plumbing- experience does matter.

If your happy that's great.

Mike


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

Well water and tankless water heaters do not make a good team unless you are treating the water thoroughly prior to it going into the heater.


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## Irishslave (Jun 20, 2010)

I just moved into a different home. Low and behold water heater failed, so I investigated these tankless units. pricey. also a water softener was suggested. More money. I opted for the standard 40 gallon, set it on low and it's fine, installed it myself so my total cost---$300. I might consider it if I had LP gas service. Propane is just all around too expensive, the heaters and the fuel


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## kontraktor (Nov 30, 2010)

Stiedel Eltron is pretty good. Look into their "Tempra" line

http://www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com/tempra.html

http://www.pexuniverse.com/store/manufacturers/stiebel-eltron


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## Neecy Mech (Dec 14, 2010)

Hey, I am just now switching modes, and getting more involved with tankless water heaters. This is a very informative thread. I have been getting more and more requests for tankless water heaters the past 6 months.


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## Electric_Light (Nov 25, 2007)

They save on standing loss over storage type, but it has a HUGE demand. I've seen them in use in public restrooms where the building receives a large electric service. I believe the lunchbox sized lavatory sink ones are 7kW AC 277v, powering from phase to neutral on 480Y/277v service. 

In Europe, they have "electric shower" which is on-demand water heating and they run on 3phase 415v and they're like 12kW. So, for 240v single phase, you'll need 50A per shower.

Consult with your utility about off peak rate. You may save more by using a storage water heater set to piping hot (150F) in conjunction with thermostatic regulator at water heater and a off-peak timer. By having the water as hot as possible, you increase the amount of usable hot water. The thermostatic regulator limits the water leaving the water heater at 125F or so by blending cold water before it enters house plumbing.


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

For what it's worth I'll give my input... I do quite a bit of plumbing but don't do too much with hot water heaters. A good friend of mine owns a campground and I replaced an old junker in the mechanical room (runs 2 bath houses and washers/dryers etc) with an AO Smith lp tankless. Easy install and he had his gas company make all their connections on the lp side of it. He's metering 10 pounds a month and his electric bill drastically reduced... It's a pretty slick unit!
I know some plumbers that install Rinnai and they complain about bad parts/elements etc... out of the box.
Good luck


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