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OT: Replacing water heater Tank vs. Tankless

RobertG

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I received great advice from this board before, so now I'm asking another question:

I'm going to replace my 26 year old water heater.

Putting in a tank less water heater will run me about $3500. Putting in a traditional tank heater will run me $1500.

3 people currently in the house w the youngest going off to college in Sept.

Which should I do? Does anybody have any experience with tankless?
 
I received great advice from this board before, so now I'm asking another question:

I'm going to replace my 26 year old water heater.

Putting in a tank less water heater will run me about $3500. Putting in a traditional tank heater will run me $1500.

3 people currently in the house w the youngest going off to college in Sept.

Which should I do? Does anybody have any experience with tankless?



Post in thread 'OT: Water Heater not working'
https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/ot-water-heater-not-working.233255/post-5481154

Post in thread 'OT: Water heater tank'
https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/ot-water-heater-tank.198573/post-4614381
 
Tankless for 30 years always hot never runs out.
How many Hot water heaters do you think I would have had to replace in 30 years?
 
I just installed tankless last year when I replaced my old one. We love it..have not had any hot water issues whatsoever and it really looks much better in the basement too

we got one called navient which was able to be put on a rack rather than on the wall too
 
I have what's called an indirect tank. The tank is hooked up to my gas boiler that heats my home. The boiler is used to heat water and the tank acts like a big thermos. Let's me pump out ~200 gallons of hot water in an hour. With 4 people (2 teens) in the house, we never have issues. The tank itself just acts as a big thermos. The water is heated in pipes, not the tank.
 
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I received great advice from this board before, so now I'm asking another question:

I'm going to replace my 26 year old water heater.

Putting in a tank less water heater will run me about $3500. Putting in a traditional tank heater will run me $1500.

3 people currently in the house w the youngest going off to college in Sept.

Which should I do? Does anybody have any experience with tankless?
I replaced my water heater tank about a year ago and had the same questions. And the estimated costs were about the same. I opted for the traditional water heater over tankless because the savings on installing a tankless was a ten year payback, far too long to merit installing it.
You're fortunate to have had your current tank for 26 years --most plumbers will recommend replacement after ten years.
 
What is the cost here? You can get a gas water heater at lowes or Home Depot for $600 . Install yourself or find a guy and you’re looking at about 1k total . That probably lasts you at least 10 years . Tankless is better ?
 
What is the cost here? You can get a gas water heater at lowes or Home Depot for $600 . Install yourself or find a guy and you’re looking at about 1k total . That probably lasts you at least 10 years . Tankless is better ?
Yes, there are those that think so. These are people’s opinions Mr argue and fight about everything. Are you really that miserable in life? Go hug your significant other
 
What is the cost here? You can get a gas water heater at lowes or Home Depot for $600 . Install yourself or find a guy and you’re looking at about 1k total . That probably lasts you at least 10 years . Tankless is better ?
700 for the tank and 800 for the install.
 
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Looking for long term saving > Tankless seems to be better, life span and considered more energy efficient.
But might have a problem with temp if you do laundry, use dishwasher and decide it's shower time when they are running.
But if not overloaded with chores tankless is supposed to get you hot water faster.
Also repair costs are higher.
Need to check warranty and if only 15 years a tankless repair might set you back more they you realize when you pay for repairs after the warranty expired.
Tank type, usually have a 5-6 year warranty , but some of the more expensive ones might be 10.
Warranties is something to look into when deciding which brand and what type to buy

Tank type recommenced draining once a year, preventive maintenance, especially in hard water areas.
That can be a do it yourself ,without calling a plumber.

Tankless water heaters also need the system to be flushed , especially in hard water areas and filters cleaned
Also It's important to make sure that the burners, circulating air passageways and control compartments are clean and free of dust and debris.
Also flushing the system is recommended to keep it in good shape.
If you're handy, instructions that come with unit should show how to maintain it.
If you're not the hands on type,call a pro and pay

Life span of around ten years is a minus for tank compared to tankless' supposed 20-30 year lifetime ;
Instillation cost for tank type is cheaper but the energy use is said to be a little higher that tankless because of the water being heated and reheated in take type, while tankless
Also so seem to take some time in some places to deliver hot water quickly.

One thing to think about before choosing, a minor thing but worth thinking about, which one would help increase the value of house if you decide to sell.
 
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Have a tankless for a long time, unfortunately had to replace this year after Ida flooded basement above level of heater ( previous floods didnt reach that high. Cost was about $4,000
 
Have a tankless for a long time, unfortunately had to replace this year after Ida flooded basement above level of heater ( previous floods didnt reach that high. Cost was about $4,000
4k is just ridiculous if the traditional tank for $600 plus install is an option.
 
Have a tankless for a long time, unfortunately had to replace this year after Ida flooded basement above level of heater ( previous floods didnt reach that high. Cost was about $4,000
what yearly preventive maintenance did you find you needed to do with the tankless to keep it in good shape.before flooding made you have to replace it.
 
I received great advice from this board before, so now I'm asking another question:

I'm going to replace my 26 year old water heater.

Putting in a tank less water heater will run me about $3500. Putting in a traditional tank heater will run me $1500.

3 people currently in the house w the youngest going off to college in Sept.

Which should I do? Does anybody have any experience with tankless?
A tankless water heater for $3500, you should get another estimate.

My son has a plumbing company in Florida and he installs them for much less than $3500
 
Looking for long term saving > Tankless seems to be better, life span and considered more energy efficient.
But might have a problem with temp if you do laundry, use dishwasher and decide it's shower time when they are running.
But if not overloaded with chores tankless is supposed to get you hot water faster.
Also repair costs are higher.
Need to check warranty and if only 15 years a tankless repair might set you back more they you realize when you pay for repairs after the warranty expired.
Tank type, usually have a 5-6 year warranty , but some of the more expensive ones might be 10.
Warranties is something to look into when deciding which brand and what type to buy

Tank type recommenced draining once a year, preventive maintenance, especially in hard water areas.
That can be a do it yourself ,without calling a plumber.

Tankless water heaters also need the system to be flushed , especially in hard water areas and filters cleaned
Also It's important to make sure that the burners, circulating air passageways and control compartments are clean and free of dust and debris.
Also flushing the system is recommended to keep it in good shape.
If you're handy, instructions that come with unit should show how to maintain it.
If you're not the hands on type,call a pro and pay

Life span of around ten years is a minus for tank compared to tankless' supposed 20-30 year lifetime ;
Instillation cost for tank type is cheaper but the energy use is said to be a little higher that tankless because of the water being heated and reheated in take type, while tankless
Also so seem to take some time in some places to deliver hot water quickly.

One thing to think about before choosing, a minor thing but worth thinking about, which one would help increase the value of house if you decide to sell.
I recently chose a std hw water heater over a tankless. Tankless was more than twice the price with installation.

We have electric only and the warranty on the tankless was only 1 year compared to 10 years for the std unit. The installer also said they’ve had quite a few problems with the tankless. That decided it.
 
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I recently chose a std hw water heater over a tankless. Tankless was more than twice the price with installation.

We have electric only and the warranty on the tankless was only 1 year compared to 10 years for the std unit. The installer also said they’ve had quite a few problems with the tankless. That decided it.
+1
We did a big energy audit and upgrade of our home 7-8 years ago and it was then a no-brainer to stick with a direct vent tank heater due to the issues you mentioned with tankless systems.
 
I have a tankless heater in my furnace. The hot water is not endless and takes a little time to recharge. So back to back showers is not super ideal for the 2nd person. But on a good note I was not getting hot water and replaced the hot/cold water mixing valve yesterday. A couple hundred $$ fix as opposed to $1500-$2k fix. Hot water blasting better than it has in last couple years and much less of a footprint in basement so it is pretty ideal
 
A tankless water heater for $3500, you should get another estimate.

My son has a plumbing company in Florida and he installs them for much less than $3500
I would be retro fitting a tank heater so I need electric run to where the heater would be installed, then they have to direct vent the unit and then run a new gas line, need to tap the 1/2 inch pipe. And since it's in a new location reroute the water lines. The units run between 800 and 1200. I was using the upper range.
 
Those with tankless…

anyone venting yours out of the old stack, the same one you use for your heating? I know you can do this with a traditional tank, but was told not allowed for tankless. Has to be its own direct vent.
 
What is the cost here? You can get a gas water heater at lowes or Home Depot for $600 . Install yourself or find a guy and you’re looking at about 1k total . That probably lasts you at least 10 years . Tankless is better ?
Those water heaters are garbage. They don’t stand behind the warranty so if something goes wrong you are screwed.
 
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Those with tankless…

anyone venting yours out of the old stack, the same one you use for your heating? I know you can do this with a traditional tank, but was told not allowed for tankless. Has to be its own direct vent.
Correct and if you install these in a city where the properties are right next to each other it becomes a nightmare to vent to code
 
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Those water heaters are garbage. They don’t stand behind the warranty so if something goes wrong you are screwed.
I got a whirlpool one with a 6 year manufacturer warranty . It’s in year 10 now . Probably not going to get much more out of it but it was a $375 unit and a $200 for a local guy to put it in with permit.
I never heard of anyone not getting at least 6 years out of the cheap ones , even in areas with very hard water. I am sure it happens though. You’ve heard of the manufacturer not honoring it’s warranty ?
 
I have what's called an indirect tank. The tank is hooked up to my gas boiler that heats my home. The boiler is used to heat water and the tank acts like a big thermos. Let's me pump out ~200 gallons of hot water in an hour. With 4 people (2 teens) in the house, we never have issues. The tank itself just acts as a big thermos. The water is heated in pipes, not the tank.
I think the draw back with these is that the boiler is working year round
 
We've got electric tank HW. Can't drain it as the drain doesn't drain any water any more - expecting failure soon. Need to start looking at replacement. We already obviously have the power and plumbing in place - it should just be some Plex and a swap out to tankless I think. I can't imagine electric tankless needs a exhaust vent. Right?
 
We've got electric tank HW. Can't drain it as the drain doesn't drain any water any more - expecting failure soon. Need to start looking at replacement. We already obviously have the power and plumbing in place - it should just be some Plex and a swap out to tankless I think. I can't imagine electric tankless needs a exhaust vent. Right?
did a quick google and found this ( but before accepting it as gospel, double check when buying one)
>Unlike gas tankless water heaters and gas traditional tank style water heaters, electric tankless water heaters do not require any venting. This is often one of the deciding factors when choosing whether you should purchase a gas or electric tankless water heater. Since no venting is required for electric tankless, their installation cost is often cheaper and they don't suffer the same heat loss that gas tankless water heaters do through the vented air. This lack of venting is one of the main reasons electric tankless water heaters operate at a much higher efficiency (usually 99%+ efficiency) than gas tankless water heaters (usually 80 - 85% efficient).<
 
did a quick google and found this ( but before accepting it as gospel, double check when buying one)
>Unlike gas tankless water heaters and gas traditional tank style water heaters, electric tankless water heaters do not require any venting. This is often one of the deciding factors when choosing whether you should purchase a gas or electric tankless water heater. Since no venting is required for electric tankless, their installation cost is often cheaper and they don't suffer the same heat loss that gas tankless water heaters do through the vented air. This lack of venting is one of the main reasons electric tankless water heaters operate at a much higher efficiency (usually 99%+ efficiency) than gas tankless water heaters (usually 80 - 85% efficient).<

That's kinda what I saw whilst causally browsing this topic before the holidays. My PITA electric tank HW heater might payoff when replacing with an electric tankless.
 
did a quick google and found this ( but before accepting it as gospel, double check when buying one)
>Unlike gas tankless water heaters and gas traditional tank style water heaters, electric tankless water heaters do not require any venting. This is often one of the deciding factors when choosing whether you should purchase a gas or electric tankless water heater. Since no venting is required for electric tankless, their installation cost is often cheaper and they don't suffer the same heat loss that gas tankless water heaters do through the vented air. This lack of venting is one of the main reasons electric tankless water heaters operate at a much higher efficiency (usually 99%+ efficiency) than gas tankless water heaters (usually 80 - 85% efficient).<
Not venting would mean more heat is transferred to the water, but the cost of heating with gas is much cheaper than electricity, so even with less efficiency I believe gas would still cost you less.
 
I got a whirlpool one with a 6 year manufacturer warranty . It’s in year 10 now . Probably not going to get much more out of it but it was a $375 unit and a $200 for a local guy to put it in with permit.
I never heard of anyone not getting at least 6 years out of the cheap ones , even in areas with very hard water. I am sure it happens though. You’ve heard of the manufacturer not honoring it’s warranty ?
Not heard, experienced. Rheem ones sold at the big box retailers. They break down a lot and you’re SOL on a warranty. My plumbers won’t use them anymore if I have tenants with no hot water. They only buy from the supply houses.
 
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I think the draw back with these is that the boiler is working year round

I have my boiler professionally serviced every year in November (right before winter) My service company (who I trust) really has no issue from a boiler lifespan with this set up. The boiler is way more efficient in heating the water than a traditional natural gas hot water heater. However, I will note that the indirect also requires electricity, because of the pump that carries the water to and from the boiler. But since all hot water heaters require an electronic pilot light (no more standing gas pilot lights like the old days) Everyone is tied to electricity in some capacity. I have a whole house back up generator so for me, I have no issue with hot water with a loss of power.
 
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