Instant hot water heater help

[warreng88]

We have a Bosch instant hot water heater and it has been making some funny noises lately. Does anyone know of any companies who work on instant hot water heaters? We had a falling out with the company we used to use due to some disagreements in charging.

[QUAPAW5]

Have you called The Bosch People to inquire about your Problem? ... I have a NG Bosch heater I Installed 7 yrs ago and had water valve flow problems and they troubleshooted it over the phone with me. Also they have a web site where you can buy parts. No one will touch them as far as I know.

[Plutonic Panda]

This might be kind of off topic, but quick question, wouldn't these tankless water heaters actually use more energy due to the fact that they have heat water up more quickly and thus consuming more energy in doing vs. a tank which slowly heats it usually with fire?

[QUAPAW5]

As i understand it , The tankless Water heater is a " on-demand" type heater( it has a huge copper coil that it heats the water in) vs a Tank heater which maintains a constant temp therefore fires when the temp of the water inside the tank drops below a certain setting . All i know is it saves me $ in the long run especially when i had my teenage girls living at home.

[Rover]

Tankless should be 20-30% more efficient, plus more efficient with water. Tank heaters have losses during periods of non-use. Issue is the added cost of wiring, (or piping) for large load for short time. May need to bring more amps or more gas volume to the unit than normal.

[BBatesokc]

I'm Stil considering a tankless system - however, I've had two different plumbers now tell me they are not worth the $$$$ in our situation - only two people in the house and on well water. They both claimed that the expense of installation would mean I probably wouldn't see savings for decades. No idea if this is true, but its kept us at bay so far. A neighbor has it, but only because they have kids and they constantly run out of hot water. He says he isn't saving any money but does have hot water whenever they need it and that was their goal. He says he actually thinks its costing them more because everyone takes longer showers now.

[warreng88]

The system we have was there when we moved in so I have no idea what it would cost to install a new one. I have heard the best hot water heaters are the combination of tankless and tank water heaters where there is a small tank that keeps the water warm but an instant element to it that quickly heats up the rest of the water as it goes in. I think ours is more effecient, but it still takes a while to get hot water to the bathroom that are about 15 feet away from the water heater.

[flintysooner]

This is what I have:
Bradford White GX225S6BN-337 25 Gallon High Recovery Natural Gas Water Heater - Amazon.com

Probably something newer and better now as we've had it a few years but this thing never runs out of water.

[ctchandler]

BBatesokc,
Henry Benedict, on the Home Repair show (KTOK) said many times that tankless is fine for new construction but that installation costs for an existing home were prohibitive. The radio show just went off the air after over 30 years so you can't call in and hear his opinion but the plumbers you have talked apparently have the same opinion.
C. T.

I'm Stil considering a tankless system - however, I've had two different plumbers now tell me they are not worth the $$$$ in our situation - only two people in the house and on well water. They both claimed that the expense of installation would mean I probably wouldn't see savings for decades. No idea if this is true, but its kept us at bay so far. A neighbor has it, but only because they have kids and they constantly run out of hot water. He says he isn't saving any money but does have hot water whenever they need it and that was their goal. He says he actually thinks its costing them more because everyone takes longer showers now.

[Rover]

I'm Stil considering a tankless system - however, I've had two different plumbers now tell me they are not worth the $$$$ in our situation - only two people in the house and on well water. They both claimed that the expense of installation would mean I probably wouldn't see savings for decades. No idea if this is true, but its kept us at bay so far. A neighbor has it, but only because they have kids and they constantly run out of hot water. He says he isn't saving any money but does have hot water whenever they need it and that was their goal. He says he actually thinks its costing them more because everyone takes longer showers now.

Installation costs can be high (up to $1,000, or in a few cases even more) due to increased wattage or gas flow requirements. On an old home you may even have to bring more power to the house...a very expensive proposition. If you already have a high efficiency tanked unit and use little hot water, it probably hasn't a reasonable payback. Also, if you have new low flow fixtures you have to watch the flow rates as most don't operate at less than 1/2 gpm or so. Also, payback depends on your energy cost. Are you now gas or electric? Well water doesn't have anything to do with the cost, except there are maintenance issues for mineral rich water that could add costs. Water softeners are often recommended.

[OKCRT]

Installation costs can be high (up to $1,000, or in a few cases even more) due to increased wattage or gas flow requirements. On an old home you may even have to bring more power to the house...a very expensive proposition. If you already have a high efficiency tanked unit and use little hot water, it probably hasn't a reasonable payback. Also, if you have new low flow fixtures you have to watch the flow rates as most don't operate at less than 1/2 gpm or so. Also, payback depends on your energy cost. Are you now gas or electric? Well water doesn't have anything to do with the cost, except there are maintenance issues for mineral rich water that could add costs. Water softeners are often recommended.

If you have teen aged girls then it's a must have. These things never run out of hot water. Make sure you get cng and not electric.

[Urban Pioneer]

Issue is the added cost of wiring, (or piping) for large load for short time. May need to bring more amps or more gas volume to the unit than normal.

And the venting requirements are more involved. It requires a double vent, with a special roof stack. One flue vents emmissions while the other is a fresh air intake. Interestingly enough, the two flues are PVC instead of the old metal type. The flue doesn't get that hot because of the incredible efficiency. Ideally, the two flues are in a completely straight alignment to the roof. That is one reason retrofitting is a tad bit more complicated in an existing home.

I installed one myself. Incredible... You never run out of hot water. Get gas though if at all possible. The water is hotter and without any variations in temp.

[soonerguru]

We just got a larger hot water heater and we have never run out of hot water once. We saved hundreds of bucks just going with a bigger unit.

[Urban Pioneer]

I don't think going with a bigger unit is the reason your saving money. Just the fact that it is new and probably has a smart thermostat is the reason. Some people do not have room for a larger tank which is why a compact tankless version makes the most sense in some applications.

[flintysooner]

We had a new 50 gal conventional with a circulating system. But we also installed a new garden tub. The new 50 couldn't keep up with the garden tub.

Our plumber recommended the 25 gal high recovery Bradford White. It was counter-intuitive to go with the smaller 25 gal tank but we've never been able to run it out of hot water in the 4+ years we've used it and that includes filling the garden tub. We did consider a tankless dedicated for the garden tub but the logistics and cost just proved too difficult. It also didn't make sense for us for a central tankless system since we already had the circulator.