[2manyfbods]

Yeah, it's a little off the usual topic content but, My Hot water heater is starting to go. I would prefer to change it before it quits completely.

I've done some research on tankless water heaters but, I would like to here feedback on those of you that have them. I live in the phoenix area so, ground water rarely gets below 45-50 degrees and I have a 200amp service panel. I only have electric

Thanks !


<F body content - I take a shower before going to the race track with my Firebird :lol >

[cccbock]

Yeah, it's a little off the usual topic content but, My Hot water heater is starting to go. I would prefer to change it before it quits completely.

I've done some research on tankless water heaters but, I would like to here feedback on those of you that have them. I live in the phoenix area so, ground water rarely gets below 45-50 degrees and I have a 200amp service panel. I only have electric

Thanks !


<F body content - I take a shower before going to the race track with my Firebird :lol >

two main concerns.

Do you have electric capacity? a typical unit might require three 40 amp circuits on a 240V system. Unless your home is practically new, and the electric service was way oversized to begin with, you probably don't have this capacity.

Second, the unit needs to be sized to supply enough hot water to meet the flow requirements of the users. For example, if the unit supplies 3 gallons per minute at a 40 degree rise (and your incoming is 50), it will never be capable of filling a 50 gallon tub with 100 degree water since the max temp here would be 90. If you reset the system to supply a higher temp, then the available flow will be less. for example, if you get 2gpm with a 50 degree rise, in this example, you will need 25 minutes to fill a 50 gallon tub with 100 degree water. Not too good.

This type of system makes more sense in an application where space is at a premium, where there may be extremely long plumbing runs, where there is plenty of electric capacity, and where long periods of time pass (measured in many days or weeks) where hot water is not required.

I suspect your local electric utility company would greatly frown on this as well...since they need to have more capacity (about 27kw) to serve your tankless unit than your old fashioned tank (about 5kw). Just round numbers.

I'd stick with old school.

bock

[2manyfbods]

Yeah, it's a little off the usual topic content but, My Hot water heater is starting to go. I would prefer to change it before it quits completely.

I've done some research on tankless water heaters but, I would like to here feedback on those of you that have them. I live in the phoenix area so, ground water rarely gets below 45-50 degrees and I have a 200amp service panel. I only have electric

Thanks !


<F body content - I take a shower before going to the race track with my Firebird :lol >

two main concerns.

Do you have electric capacity? a typical unit might require three 40 amp circuits on a 240V system. Unless your home is practically new, and the electric service was way oversized to begin with, you probably don't have this capacity.

Second, the unit needs to be sized to supply enough hot water to meet the flow requirements of the users. For example, if the unit supplies 3 gallons per minute at a 40 degree rise (and your incoming is 50), it will never be capable of filling a 50 gallon tub with 100 degree water since the max temp here would be 90. If you reset the system to supply a higher temp, then the available flow will be less. for example, if you get 2gpm with a 50 degree rise, in this example, you will need 25 minutes to fill a 50 gallon tub with 100 degree water. Not too good.

This type of system makes more sense in an application where space is at a premium, where there may be extremely long plumbing runs, where there is plenty of electric capacity, and where long periods of time pass (measured in many days or weeks) where hot water is not required.

I suspect your local electric utility company would greatly frown on this as well...since they need to have more capacity (about 27kw) to serve your tankless unit than your old fashioned tank (about 5kw). Just round numbers.

I'd stick with old school.

bock

I designed my home and had it built to my specs. I knew I was going to add a big shop one day so I made sure I had the electric service oversized to begin with. Gas is not available in my area.

The only area of the house that has a long run is the guest bath in the back of the house that rarely gets used. I'm the only one in the house so theres no worries about usage requirements since they are minimal.

Daily shower, dishwasher maybe once a week (quicker to do most by hand) and 2 or 3 loads of laundry a week? The current "old school" tank just sits there and stays hot most of the time. I wonder if the tankless heater, even though it uses more power when working, would end up saving more because I just don't use that much hot water ?

[cccbock]

I designed my home and had it built to my specs. I knew I was going to add a big shop one day so I made sure I had the electric service oversized to begin with. Gas is not available in my area.

The only area of the house that has a long run is the guest bath in the back of the house that rarely gets used. I'm the only one in the house so theres no worries about usage requirements since they are minimal.

Daily shower, dishwasher maybe once a week (quicker to do most by hand) and 2 or 3 loads of laundry a week? The current "old school" tank just sits there and stays hot most of the time. I wonder if the tankless heater, even though it uses more power when working, would end up saving more because I just don't use that much hot water ?

Your application sounds like a possible winner for the tankless unit. Your usage is low, demand is low, and you can arrange your lifestyle to work with a lower output hot water temp. Check your dishwasher to make sure it has on on-board water heating capacity. Tankless is worth doing some additional investigation including talking to somebody that has one.

Depending on the unit you select, you will very likely need to upgrade the wiring (cost is not insignificant) in addition to the purchase cost of the unit. Also check into the water quality available as the heating elements in these units can scale badly with poor water and require early replacement. The same thing can happen to a regular hot water tank, but the design allows a lot of the scale to collect on the sides and in the bottom of the tank which is not an option with the tankless.

Good luck

bock