i am considering replacing my traditional hot water heater with a wall mounted instant hot water heater?
highrollerkirk asked:
My plumber recommended replacing my 50 gal hot water heater with a wall-mounted instant hot water heater that does not require a tank.
I was wondering if this is recommended, are homeowners generally happy with this product?
My plumber recommended replacing my 50 gal hot water heater with a wall-mounted instant hot water heater that does not require a tank.
I was wondering if this is recommended, are homeowners generally happy with this product?
Tagged with: Gal • Instant Hot Water • Instant Hot Water Heater • Plumber • Tank
Filed under: Instant Hot Water Heater
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it is fairly new to the market,but i have heard good reviews
They are great if you buy a good unit, such as Rinnai, and do not have hard water. The original cost is high, but they do save money. Make sure the unit is rated for your usage needs.
Absolutely, they are more energy efficient, take up less space, and you never run out of hot water. They had reliability problems in the past, but have been the norm everywhere in the world but us for over 20 years and they have worked out the bugs.
If there installed correct you cant bet them and people love em.Careful on the installation some contractors aren’t real up on these things yet and just selling product.Gas line sizing is vary important 3/4″ min.ask your plumber some questions or get some references.If not good get someone else.residential in the area of 2000.installed is fair.
ive installed hundreds of these and depending if you are on a well or public water system there is a difference public pressure coming in is to high youll have to install a valve in order to cut back pressure going in the heater or you just wont have enough hot water ,and if you have more than 1 story with bath on 2nd story you just wont have enough pressure at the 2nd story , but overall if your using on 1st floor on a well system they work great.
You will absolutely love it if you get a big enough model. And, you’ll absolutely hate it if you get one that’s too small.
I bought a house several years ago that had a 3 gallon per minute (GPM) on-demand water heater. It was really cool when I only had one hot water source on (taking a shower, washing clothes, etc.). But, when taking a shower and washing clothes, for example, the hot water flow to the shower would be significantly reduced while the washing machine was filling up. So, I would get a cold shower for a minute or so while the washer filled up.
When I remodeled the house a couple years ago, I replaced the 3 GPM water heater with a 7 GPM model. Now I can have as many as three hot water sources on and it doesn’t affect the water temperature.
Here’s how they work: When there’s a hot water demand and water flows through the heater, the burner comes on and a restrictor valve slows the flow of water through the unit, so the water can heat up. When the water temperature reaches the set temperature, the restrictor valve opens and the hot water flows freely.
But, the GPM rating is based on a 55 degree temperature increase. So, let’s say you have a 7 GPM unit. If you have your heater set at 115 F and the incoming cold water is 60 F or more, you’ll get at least 7 GPM of hot water flow. But, if the incoming cold water is at 50 F, you’ll get somewhat less than 7 GPM. This is because the restrictor valve is slowing the flow to keep it in the heat exchanger longer to reach the set temperature. That’s why I would get a cold shower when the washing machine was filling up. It increased the hot water demand to the point where the heater couldn’t keep up with it and still heat the water to the set temperature.
One other thing to consider is that an on-demand water heater isn’t cheap to buy or install. The Noritz unit I bought cost $1100 on eBay (no tax and free shipping). Plus, I had to get a couple hundred dollars in additional equipment to have it installed (correct venting, intake valves, etc). By code, you’re also supposed to have 3/4-inch water and gas pipes to and from the unit. And, most of the newer units have electric starters. So, you have to have an electrical outlet installed wherever you install the heater. If you have to replace the plumbing and gas lines, and install an outlet, you may be looking at over $1000 to install it.