Any ideas where I can get a link that explains benefits of tankless water heaters? I have client that is interested in buying one, he was asking how they work, etc. Any comments appreciated.
Thanks
There are pros and cons with tankless depending on type and model. Google is your friend
First thing to do is check the size of the gas meter, gas lines and total BTU usage in the home.
Vent pipes usually need upsized as well
Also the primary regulator after the meter.
Few are sufficiently sized to handle the needs of tankless water heater along with the other gas appliances in the home and would require both an increase in the pipe diameter from the meter and a larger regulator.
I did an inspection on a 7k sq ft home last month. Meter was a larger than normal “425”, designed to put through 540k BTU. Normally this would satisfy the vast majority of homes by far. Not this one. 3 tankless units, full standby generator, 3 fireplaces, 2 gas furnaces, detached garage/shop gas heater, large outside gas firepit and of course the extra large range. Total potential BTU usage? 1.3 MILLION BTU.
Scaling is an issue.
That’s not scaling. That is a leak.
Im still trying to decide on lifespan. I would say 1 out of 5 have issues.
That is very nice concept of tank less water heater which is very useful when it comes to inspection. The one big advantage is the there is no tank so you can easily open it and also easy to inspect it.
Tankless water heaters are a concept brought over from Europe. Space is the problem in Europe. Most homes are are only 500 sq ft. I’ve seen refrigerators outside and they are a 1/3 the size of ours here. So a full size 40 gallon water heater is unheard of in Europe. Tankless water heaters cost three times more then a 40 gallon one. The recovery of costs is diminished with that. But marketing does a good job promoting them.
What I would like to see is a Tempering tank sold. These were used in the old days. You will save $ with water that is at ambient air temperature going into the water heater than ground temperature water, that may be about 55 degrees.
Because tempering tanks worked, that’s why they did away with them. I’ve seen them in homes built before the 1930’s . All capped off.
I actually found a pretty interesting link on tankless water heaters a few months ago. It will help your client get better acquainted with what a tankless water heater is in the first place. It’s a good read nonetheless, won’t hurt him. http://www.canarsee.com/point-of-use-tankless-water-heater
Thanks guys, great information