Replies

1. 
   Waters | Dec 15, 2008 09:56pm | #1

   Veritable tombs of discussion on tankless water heaters here in the past.

   Use the 'advanced search' function and start reading!

    

    

2. 
   BossHog | Dec 15, 2008 10:07pm | #2

   Ditto what Waters said - There have been literally hundreds of discussions about them.

   Always do everything you ask of those you command. [General George S. Patton]

3. 
   Clewless1 | Dec 27, 2008 02:41am | #3

   Efficient?  Yes, reasonably. Are your radiant heat and potable water part of the same loop of water? That may be a problem. Do you have a heat exchanger for the radiant system?

   Personally, I'm not a big fan of the 'tankless rage'. IMO they are being oversold as having BIG savings which generally is NOT the case. Everything has a place, in space, in time, though and they are great for many applications. You are already set up to have it, so it's a reasonable thing to use.

   You may get many more years of service from your old system. Keep your eyes on the newest technology and buy when it dies ... no sooner.

4. 
   semar | Dec 27, 2008 07:57am | #4

   As mentioned in the thread' there is a lot to look up
   my 2cts. If you go gas you often cannot vent into the same furnace vents. Extra vents thru the roof can be very expensive. You need the space, going thru floor(s), closets, extra framing, drywall, paint.
   Some have direct vents, again it depends on where the heater is located.
   2. option: go electric.
   Personally I would wait until they have really reliable products on the market. Some European units are good but if you don't have a service depot close by it spells trouble. Also some electrics within the units can be very expensive to replace. All your savings go out the window.

1. 
   musashi | Dec 28, 2008 06:47am | #5

   Here are 2 more cents:

   Four years ago, I had a Bosch tankless installed.  I am pretty happy with it, but for two things:

   1.  It is sometimes difficult to mix hot and cold in the middle range.  If you turn the cold on enough to make the water merely warm, the hot shuts off entirely.  I am not quite sure why it does this, but it was mentioned in the instruction booklet.

   2.  The unit starts via a hydrogenerator - water flows through it, a wheel spins, and it creates enough current to light the piezo electric starter.  Trouble is, the generator intake screen clogs about once a year, so no hydro-generation, no spark, and no hot water.  By now, I am practiced enough to get it up and running again in half an hour or less, but still...

   I like tankless, but I don't think that I would buy this unit again.

    

   Alex

    

    Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
   -Groucho Marx

1. 
   USAnigel | Dec 28, 2008 04:54pm | #6

   I also have a Bosch unit. When installed I added a whole house filter from sears with the clear case. I am always amazed by how much crud in the water. The dirt collects on the outside of the filter where you can see it. I change it around 3-4 months.

   The township opens the system every 6 months to "clean" the pipes but stirs up the junk by doing this. My filter is covered in little bits after this.

   The water tastes much better with the filter in. I use the black ones from HD with the charcoal in them.

   I love the never ending hot water as we all leave around the same time in the morning. With the old system we would run out. When I refill the hot tub I just run the hot water till I have enough.

   I would get another.

1. 
   MisterT | Dec 31, 2008 09:25pm | #7

   I researched this a few years back.any tankless system, especially one like the Bosch, needs to have a water softner and a fine particle filter upstream.Even "city" water can be hard and dirty enough to cause the need for a frequent cleaning regimen..
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   "After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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