Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Tank or Tankless Water Heater?
- Thread starter SJLee
- Start date
The new 'normal' hot water heaters are so efficient now, and reheat so quickly, that the tankless for a whole house installation really doesn't make much sense to me. You won't save any water, and will save very little energy, and your cost will be many times that of a high quality electric or gas water heater
What DOES make sense is a dedicated unit for a bathroom or sink, especially an upstairs bathroom in an old house that takes a lot of water running before it gets warm, or a house with lots of kids or guests.
IMO and IME.
What DOES make sense is a dedicated unit for a bathroom or sink, especially an upstairs bathroom in an old house that takes a lot of water running before it gets warm, or a house with lots of kids or guests.
IMO and IME.
True, but the tankless has you beat on saving space. 
Plus, on new construction you won't need to put up a barrier to protect it like you do with the tank ones.
-Mike
Plus, on new construction you won't need to put up a barrier to protect it like you do with the tank ones.
-Mike
True, but the tankless has you beat on saving space.
Plus, on new construction you won't need to put up a barrier to protect it like you do with the tank ones.
-Mike
+1 for new construction. If you can really do it right, it makes some sense. However, retrofitting into an older house like the OP, not so much. Of course, with the size of most new houses, saving space in the basement is kind of a moot point.
Tank heaters often fail by corroding through when the sacrificial anode becomes consumed. Replacing the anode before it's gone can significantly increase the life of the tank.
-
-
Tankless work well if you have a natural gas line or propane. Electric Tank Heaters these days are operating more efficiently as are Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heaters.
When I was stationed in England during the mid-late '80s, they were pretty common there. I hated the ... things. I'd get maybe 5 gallons of blisteringly hot water - which no human could possibly take a shower with - then.. nothing. It took so long to regulate the water temperature so I could shower, I had about 2 minutes before the hot water quit. And, a cold water shower - in the UK - is no fun at all... If you tried to take a bath with it? I'd wind up with just enough water to cover my ass. So, a rudimentary bath - of sorts - was possible. But, sitting in a puddle is not my idea of a real bath. I used to just bathe at the base gym, where I had enough hot water to take wonderfully long, hot showers... I would hope the things have improved since then; but I still prefer the 50 gallon water heater that lives in my garage. And, which uses natural gas - like my clothes dryer. I'm sure tankless water heaters have their place; but, that place is not in my house...
