Has anyone used them. I have a 40 gallon that is about to age out and was thinking about going with the tankless.

I dont know about the electric units, but I converted to a gas tankless about 6 years ago. I would never go back to a tank. Just but sure to look at how many devices will be used with it, and also if any will run at the same time, So it can be sized properly. I bought a Bosch unit. Zero issues.

Good luck with what ever you choose.

quote:

Originally posted by NFC:
Has anyone used them. I have a 40 gallon that is about to age out and was thinking about going with the tankless.

I needed a water heater one day last week. I did some limited research on the ones that could be bought at Lowe’s and HD and really couldn’t find much positive about them. There seemed to be issues with the plastic chambers splitting at the welds, general leaks at fittings, and being huge power hogs. It was also going to require running new wire and doing some work in the panel.

I may have found one that I had some faith in if I hadn’t been in a hurry and could order or research a little more. I ended up going with a tank. The first one was 26 years old but I’m not likely to get that out of this one. We did upgrade from a 40 gallon to a 50 gallon. That had the same footprint but was just a little taller.

I did go talk to the local electric co-op and they didn't offer them, only gas fired units. My tank heater is 20 years old, so I know it's on borrowed time.

I went to a heat pump style 50 gallon? It works great and very efficient. They cost a little more up front but I think it pays for itself very quickly.

Twenty years? If I get 4 I’m doing good, our water is apparently some of the worst in the country!

I was advised against the electric tankless units....

I have gas and looked at tankless and was advised to not try it with the poor quality water. Our water has a lot of calcium and it clogs faucets, shower heads and forms a film on the inside wall of the toilet tank. The electric require high amperage for whole house use.
There are some new tax credits for energy star water heaters and heat pump water heaters are supposed to work well.

Good points on the quality of water. I have city water, so I don't encounter the problems as mentioned above. To add, I think the electric units aren't as good as the gas units. If I lived in an area that had well water, I would have probably stayed with a water heater.

Following because I'm considering going tankless as well.

Beware of anything you buy from Lowes, Home Depot or any big-box store. Even if it's a brand name like Rheem, John Deere, etc, the ones made for the big box stores are usually cheaper quality models to hit the required price point. It may be the same name brand you get in a plumbing supply but the tank on the big box store version is thinner or the innards will be plastic instead of brass, etc.

I watch some videos on YouTube of a HVAC guy from Mass. sometimes and he does everything from plumbing to AC and Heat

A couple weeks ago he did a video of a Rinnai tankless heater that was not very old and plugged solid.....Would not pass any water thru it. No more than 5-6 years old

Would need to be replaced and it sounded like they need to be serviced every year but I have no clue as to what that meant

This is not happening with a tank type heater ! I never touch mine until they need replacing due to a leak and I buy from a plumbing supply dealer not HD or Lowes

Supply house.....the last time and I have 2 Nat Gas tank type......Bradford Whites...good units that last....

We converted to tankless a few years ago when our 150 gallon tank unit died. We are on Propane so that raised the cost a bit and back then required factory install by Ranai. We have had zero issues with it and it works flawlessly. We do have a large home and do have a circulating pump on ours as well.

Ranai is what I have on propane and it has been flawless as well on city water that isnt good... stops up my shower heads

I believe this is the one I got and with a savings of $250 to $300 a year it will quickly pay for itself. They were much cheaper a year ago. (Like everything else!) Let's Go Brandon!
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rh...50T10H45U0/312742081

I'm on well watere here and no complaints.

I’m confused, how do you have a tankless with a recirculating pump? The whole idea is it heats the water on demand. That’s what I don’t like about them, I have a gas water heater (50 gallon) and a recirculating pump and I get instant hot water. I have friends with a tankless and it seems like it takes forever to get hot water from the tap.

I'm confused too!
150 gallon tank?
Are you running a brothel Al???

Just having fun! No harm.

quote:

Originally posted by TPaton:
Good points on the quality of water. I have city water, so I don't encounter the problems as mentioned above. To add, I think the electric units aren't as good as the gas units. If I lived in an area that had well water, I would have probably stayed with a water heater.

I'm on municipal water system, can't have a well groundwater is polluted. People don't realize how bad the water is in many places.
In talking to installers about tankless some say they require maintenance like flushing to keep them cleared out. Local gas company that installs didn't install them at all last time I checked.

quote:

Originally posted by Cashflow:
I’m confused, how do you have a tankless with a recirculating pump? The whole idea is it heats the water on demand. That’s what I don’t like about them, I have a gas water heater (50 gallon) and a recirculating pump and I get instant hot water. I have friends with a tankless and it seems like it takes forever to get hot water from the tap.

I think that has more to do with how far the tap is from the heater. I just put an addition on my house... the new bathroom is probably a 75 foot run from the water heater and takes forever for hot water. My existing bath is right above the water heater in the basement, hot water comes out in seconds.

In our area with hard water they don't last and electric ones are expensive to run. Having a water softener system def helps with not getting plugged up. The other issue I've heard is finding plumbers that are capable of installing(correctly) and knowing the systems if and when there are issues.