Comments on: The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Water Heater Edition

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:09:48 +0000

I’m with Tall Bill. I can’t imagine living with something that made that much noise and/or having to relight the pilot light and not having it checked out. Talk about dangerous!

Did you consult Consumers Report when doing your comparisons and making your decision as to which water heater to purchase?

By: Jean

Jean — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:44:10 +0000

I too would be interested in your calculations re: tank vs. tankless. My husband had been stationed in Europe while he was in the military and loved the tankless heaters, so when our very old tank (in our very old house!) bit the dust about four years back, we went tankless at his insistence. I was doubtful, but honestly, it has already paid for itself in reduced gas bills–I was amazed. The “wait” is no longer than it was from the tank, and if this concerns you, use the “wait” water to refill Brita pitchers and a pitcher for plant watering. (Both of which we regularly do.) I think a lot of plumbers here overcharge for the install because they are unfamiliar with the product–you need to look for one who believes in and is familiar with tankless heaters, which requires some planning before the old heater craps out! We knew it was coming because our old tank heater was percolating like yours, so we had time to shop around. For me it has been like the front loading washer–I could never go back!

By: Tall Bill

Tall Bill — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:03:30 +0000

You could hear the popping from upstairs? Did you know that a POP from a gas heater is due to water flashing into steam between sediment pieces at the bottom? You were very LUCKY in that you avoided a flooded basement or worse! Why was the pilot light going out? Was the vent corroded or blocked in some way, or was the access cover left off because it’s hard to get back in place? Regardless, from what you’ve shared about your home, I suspect it’s the original tank that should not have gone out so early. I hope the whole situation was checked when the replacement went in. Be well & the pic of your cute one was heart warming. Takes me back to when my daughter was little – now 6′ & opinionated ;-)

By: Evita

Evita — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:14:10 +0000

I too ignored the signals that a dying water heater sent me (browning water and sediments passing through pipes) until it died and flooded my basement. Trent, you were LUCKY!

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:56:01 +0000

Regarding #11 and #12 on my second point.

Yes, even with a tank water is wasted while hot water travels up the pipe. But plumbers I’ve spoken with say that more water is wasted with tankless systems. Not that water is more valuable that energy, but it also means you’d have to wait longer for hot water.

I lived in Scotland for a while, and my house had small tankless water heaters around the house, so this problem was eliminated.

Personally, I just purchased a new tank, and have spent my extra money on a high efficiency furnace, refrigerator, AC, clothes washer, light bulbs, etc. My energy use is fairly low. I just don’t think the tankless system is worth it.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:09:31 +0000

The tankless credits are only for the really expensive heaters. Mine went out 4 months ago (beginning of summer), and I had them replace it with a new one. The cost of gas on my gas bill has gone from $15 a month to $1 dollar in the over the summer. I even keep the newer one on a higher temperature.

By: almost there

almost there — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:11:51 +0000

The U.S.A. is decades behind in plumbing technology. 40 years ago while living in Japan we had a propane fired tankless water heater. It never ran out of water supporting a family of 6, with a dishwasher. Their TOTO toilets even have models that test your blood pressure and give UA results too. (Besides being paperless)

By: AnnJo

AnnJo — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:03:29 +0000

@Kevin M, if your cold tap water is safe to drink, so is the water in your hot water tank. It all comes through the same water lines and contains the same particlates. The sediment is that common particulate matter found in your water supply, mostly calcium carbonate precipitated out of the water by the high temperature; you’d want to filter the sediment out if possible, but it’s safe to drink the water. In an emergency that involved possible contamination of the water mains (floods, for instance), you’d want to shut off the main line to prevent contamination of your supply.

By: Jules

Jules — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:50:04 +0000

Tankless water heaters are very common in Europe, and if it’s a newer model, there aren’t any issues.

By: Colin

Colin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:40:07 +0000

Andy:

2) Doesn’t that depend on the location of the faucet relative to the heater regardless what kind it is?

By: Kevin M

Kevin M — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:39:08 +0000

@Andy – re #2 there is also water wasted waiting for hot water from a tank.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:18:04 +0000

1) From an environmentalist perspective, it would be better to spend extra money on insulating a house (or a neighbor’s house) than buying a tankless water heater. We should spend our green dollars to maximize green results!

2) Tankless heaters aren’t really instant. Water is wasted waiting for the hot water.

By: Kevin M

Kevin M — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:59:54 +0000

Agree with the above, I’d love to see your cost/benefit analysis as well as research that shows you running out of hot water would be an issue. I’m going to be in your boat sooner than later…our HWH is 16 yrs old.

@AnnJo – is water stored in a hot water heater safe to drink? What about the sediment?

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:39:03 +0000

I’m disappointed you didn’t go tankless!!!

Who ever runs the dishwasher while they shower? Come on now. If that is your only reason to not get one, you really duped yourself. This from the guy who has wholeheartedly changed the way he does things just to be a bit more frugel….

Shower in the morning, laundry in the evening, dishwasher on a timer for night time. Save hundreds in gas bill.

By: Amy

Amy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:45:02 +0000

Oh dear. There are two points to a tankless, saving energy, and having unlimited hot water. We have a tankless, and we can run washing machine, dishwasher, AND both showers simultaneously. We have never, ever run out. Have you honestly heard otherwise?

Bigger cost upfront, and I don’t care how long it takes to get it back. The environmental factor is more important.

By: AnnJo

AnnJo — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:38:38 +0000

Another consideration in the tank vs. tankless choice:

With my hot water tank, my house has a built-in 60 gallon emergency water supply, which I would not have with a tankless water heater. Storing (and replacing every six months) that much water would be a big chore, and the cost of proper containers is more than trivial.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:55:40 +0000

I work for a plumbing contractor and I find your dilemma interesting. Your analysis of the tankless water heater is what we find with 75% of our customers. The upfront cost is high enough that the payback is usually around 10 years. That is obviously different for every house, and the tax credit does bring that number down. We get many inquiries on tankless water heaters because of the buzz they get for energy savings, but for most residences it is not as great a deal as it appears. I would be interested in seeing your calculations.

By: nickel

nickel — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:39:20 +0000

Based on what I’ve read in the past, your house is fairly new, correct? Just curious how old the heater was before it died.

As Matt noted, ours went out this past weekend. I suspect it’s the thermostat, as it will successfully heat a tankful before throwing the breaker. The house is about eight years old, though, and the original owner did very little in the way of regular maintenance, so I’m not inclined to pour any money into it. The new one gets installed on Friday.

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:27:44 +0000

The tankelss ones have the 30% tax credit, and VERY few tank heaters have it, are you sure that with that tax credit, that the tankless was still more expensive?

By: Matt Jabs

Matt Jabs — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:10:14 +0000

Hmmm, you & Nickel both had the water heaters go this week… must be something in the blogosphere.

At my first home I had to drain the water heater every 6 months because we had well water w/a lot of rust etc. Now we have city water so the regular maintenance is needed much less often. Actually, I have yet to drain the HW in our new house and we’ve lived there 2.5 years… maybe it’s time.

Thanks for the link!