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Tankless water heaters? What brand/type do the pros recommend?

5K views 24 replies 14 participants last post by  Daneel 
#1 ·
I'm in the market to replace a couple of 16 year old water heaters with perhaps tankless units. These conventional water heaters both pop and zing so loud when heating up water that it sounds like people are getting shot. I tried emptying one of them and I guess it is so clogged with lime that it won't even drain.

1. Is it time for new water heaters?
2. If so, are tankless recommended?
3. If tankless are recommended, what brand and type unit do you recommend?
4. If tankless are not recommended, what brand and type of unit do you recommend?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
Plumbers like them because they get paid to work on them all the time.
But I bet most would not have one in there own house.

Just make a few calls to just what it cost to even install them. Do not expect to get a pay back time. There going to need to be replaced long before you break even.
 
#4 ·
I put a Rheem in my house about 4 years ago. Endless supply of hot water is great but maintenance is big project. I have to clean and purge mine every 9 months. Not a fun task and it would be much worse if I actually had to hire a plumber. $$$

My opinion. Stick with a Tank. Buy a new one and just make sure you drain it per manufacturers recommendations. This will make it last longer.
 
#12 ·
I put a Rheem in my house about 4 years ago. Endless supply of hot water is great but maintenance is big project. I have to clean and purge mine every 9 months. Not a fun task and it would be much worse if I actually had to hire a plumber. $$$
Then you must have really bad water. I installed a Rheem gas tankless almost 5 years ago and have never needed to clean and purge it. Or do any other maintenance, for that matter.

Despite some other opinions expressed here, I love the tankless and would never go back.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies. I was leaning toward the tank anyways. But there are two tanks to replace, so that's over 1k for 2 LP gas tanks. $$$$$ Is there any chance I can flush these out by replacing the plastic drains on them? I think I read that I could drain the hot water through a faucet, then remove the plastic drain to get a coat hanger in there to unclog, then put a wider mouth metal ball drain on it and then do a good flush with the wider drain.

Is this possible or is this a lost cause after 16+ years of use on these tanks?
 
#7 ·
If you haven't done any flushing of your heaters for 16 years you may not be able to clean them out. That's the issue with water heaters, they build up with sediment and loose their efficiency. You need to flush them regularily. My water heater has a clean out door for that purpose. Tankless water heaters are much worse as far as lime and sediment build up. The small tubes will create problems that tank type heaters do not usually have. If you want a water heater that will last, I suggest Marathon. They are fiberglass. Although they still require maintenance, the tanks will last vitrually forever. I believe Marathon are electric only.
 
#15 ·
Sorry, you couldn't pay me to take a marathon either. The first hour rating is less than the number of gallons of water the tank holds.


:laughing:


Besides, replacing elements : You have to flush the darn thing with cold water until the tank is cool so that you don't strip the plastic threads when you install the new one.

What happens to plastic when you heat and cool and heat and cool and heat and cool and heat and cool.... etc .... etc........

"Guaranteed never to rust" does NOT mean it won't leak. Someone should bomb that factory.
 
#8 ·
16+ years. Bite the bullet and buy two new ones. 16 years old they could start leaking at any time. It is always better to do it when you have time to replace them and it is time now. If they start leaking while you are not home you will have a big mess to clean up.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I need to bite the bullet.

Back to brands now.

I need to know what brand to buy in LP gas heaters. Any opinions? It looks like there are some "12-year models" as the highest rated in longevity. That's real scary being that mine are 16 years old.

Installation-
Should I do this myself or pay someone. I just finished re-plumbing a remodel bath if that helps. What should I expect for installation costs? I'm in Jacksonville FL.
 
#10 · (Edited)
AO Smith promax is the water heater i have. My plumber put it in a couple years ago. Took about an hour with me be a second pair of hands for him. This includes taking the old one out I think its 40 gal. I don't have any whirlpool tubs. I don't run out of hotwater when taking a shower. I'm on natural gas.
 
#13 ·
The first quote I received came about to about a $300 installation charge per tank, assuming everything is 'perfect' and they don't add anything extra on for having to walk up a flight of stairs or something.

This sure looks like a job I can handle myself with a friend to save $600+.

Any gotchas to look out for?
 
#17 ·
If you can sweat pipe or solder copper as some people call it, you should be able to replace your water heaters with a friends help.

Here's a good tip. Make sure you have all the supplies you need, have a plan and start in the morning. I have seen several people DIY and they get stuck because they need 1 part after Home Depot closes. Start early and you can always run to the store if needed.
 
#21 ·
We had a Titan tankless in our previous house. It was less than three years old when it caught fire. Flames were coming out of the vents at the top. Cut off breaker and grabbed a fire extinguisher but it was too late, the heat caused the compression fittings on the water pipes to expand and the pipe burst outwards, twisting it behind the wall and putting out the fire.

New house has a tank heater. I like it. :eek:
 

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#23 · (Edited)
I ended up installing a single 85 gallon water heater and replumbed the house to accept hot water from the single heater. A few hours of work and I have saved tons of money by doing this. My propane gas bill used to be 100/month. Now I pay < 30/month for the electric Marathon 85 gallon.
 
#25 ·
I researched on-demand HWHs when it was possible we would have to install a second HWH only for the kitchen. Then I ditched this idea when a plumber was willing to jackhammer in a crawl space under a stairs to repair a below-slab hot water leak.

Consumer Reports did a study of tankless water heaters in October 2008 (www.consumerreports.org/cro/applian...eaters/overview/tankless-water-heaters-ov.htm). I believe efficiencies amd maintenance hassle have improved since then. Nevertheless installation costs for on-demand HWHs are significantly higher than for traditional HWHs.

What I liked about the Noritz MRC661-OD is this (www.noritz.com/products/nrc661/):
It is made for outdoor use.
There is no vent pipe. (It uses condensing technology.)
It is relatively small (7" deep, 14" wide, 21" tall) and hangs on a wall (36 lbs.).
It can be supplied with a 1/2" gas line. (There are other gas pipe requirements.)
The energy factor is 0.91.
Someone else was going to pay for the installation!
Less hassle and less costly for the someone else than demo'ing and rebuilding half the stairs and moving us out for half a week.


Since not having to consider a second HWH, I have begun to think about calc build-up on plumbing fixtures. I am going to try out an idea I read about for the recommended annual cleaning of a Noritz on-demand gas heater: A pump is immersed in a bucked and pumps vinegar through the HWH and drains back into the bucket -- for an hour. I intend to pump vinegar through our kitchen sink hose and nozzle which is starting to switch hard between full and spray. We'll see how much this improves the situation.
 
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