Tankless Hot Water Heater Recommendation

[WIMUSKY]

Ours is starting to leak, time to replace. It's old. Currently looking at Rennai. All kinds of different BTUs. Rather have a little overkill, wife loves her showers. We have a tankless in our motorhome and love it.

2 bathrooms are above the boiler room, kitchen is on the level above the room, but further away.

What do you reccomend?

Here's the specs on our current one.

Thanks,
Musky

 

[WIMUSKY]

Too many options/series. Also, condensing and non condensing... I need a tankless 101....

Need indoor and propane...

 

[WIMUSKY]

I forgot about Rheem. Looks like condensing is the way to go...

 

[captmello]

there are many factors to consider. if you're sold on tankless, then go for it, but I would consider all options. if space is the biggest concern, tankless is the best, but if you have space for a tank, there are other options that may be cheaper to operate and cheaper upfront to buy.

 

[cptbill]

I have an "eco smart" tankless unit that I installed about 5 years ago and it works great and was a lot less then then most of the other brands(got it at the depot) 2 full baths, outside shower, kitchen w/dish washer and laundry no issues at all. My brother has had his eco smart unit all most 10 years now and it's still going strong . only thing you have to get use to is waiting a min. or 2 for the hot water but after that you'll have hot water forever it you want to

 

[WIMUSKY]

Thanks for the responses. Space is not an issue. May go back to a tank. I'm sure the new ones are much more efficient than the '91 we have and alot cheaper than tankless. It's gonna be the wifes call..... Learned a little in 27yrs, but have a long way to go..lol

 

[gm280]

We went thought the same dilemma a few years ago myself. However, we had a little different situation since we don't have gas. After contemplating everything for all options, good and bad, we went back to a tank setup and that took care of it quickly. Just my story. It wouldn't have been too costly to change over for the additional wiring, but I read the different good and bad stories online and decided to forego the change.

 

[WIMUSKY]

To add fuel to the fire, our dishwasher quit. Smelt like burning wire.
Looks like a common wire went astray and grounded against the box. Now to find the fuse which I think is inside the door. We have a Bosch...

 

[gm280]

Seems you are having an interesting time. But don't despair, in a couple weeks you will look back and probably laugh about it all. Believe me, things can be worst...

 

[WIMUSKY]

No doubt.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Much better. Wire nuts were too small and they weren't taped. I taped the repair. Ya, and cleaned the mess underneath.....

Back in business

 

[gm280]

That looks tons better.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Yup. Never did find a fuse that I read about, that surely would have blown. Wonder how many peeps would have sprung for a new one. Cost me 3 wire nuts and some time which I have alot of, I did find the control box incase that would ever need to be replaced...

 

[bruceb58]

Noritz condensing. That is what I had at my old house and recommend. Started with a Rheem and it was a piece of junk. Personally, if I had to do it over again, I would never put in a tankless water heater.

 

[southkogs]

Personally, if I had to do it over again, I would never put in a tankless water heater.

I have several friends who told me the same thing ... opted to stay with the tank at my place.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Why wouldn't you guys go tankless again, and/or why didn't others like them? I believe Rennai is pretty much top of the line. I need to make a decision soon...

 

[gm280]

I never had a tankless, although I did some extensive research on them before going back with a tank unit after ours started leaking after 19 years. The stories online talked about heating problems and parts not available for their models when they had to replace parts. Just my $0.02 cents worth. But I was researching electric versions since we have no gas option in our area. The electric versions were not talked up even a little...

 

[WIMUSKY]

We do have gas which makes for better heating. I wonder if the main issue being electric units? Ours lasted 29yrs, it's a '91... It had a good run...

 

[southkogs]

I've never had one, so I'm only going on the couple people I know who did. Most places around here heat water with electricity, and that may play a role. But both of them had service issues within a couple years of putting it in, and then like GM said - not quite enough supply.

For the cost difference, with their "not-so-happy-with-it" talk, I opted to stay with a tank.

 

[bruceb58]

Why wouldn't you guys go tankless again, and/or why didn't others like them? I believe Rennai is pretty much top of the line. I need to make a decision soon...

The only reason to get one is if you don't have space for a tank.

The efficiency difference is small. If you don't descale it every 6 months or yearly, you lose all the efficiency gains. They don't work when you lose power. If a part needs to be replaced, it may take over a week to get. If you live in a very cold climate and power goes out for an extended period of time, it may freeze. With a tank water heater, you have an emergency supply of water...

With the Rheem that I had, the flame sensors would get soot on them so it would error out and lock up. I would have to take the whole burner assembly apart every 2 months to clean. Only reason I replaced it with another tankless was because I had al ready repurposed where the tank used to be.

Was thinking about a tankless for my vacation rental. Thought better of it since I would lose thousands of dollars if it went out before a rental. Plus in the case of my vacation rental, the water heater is inside the house anyway so the heat lost from the tank just heated up the house anyway.

I went Noritz for my second tankless after talking to a repair place when I was having problems with my Rheem. They suggested the Noritz.

BTW, that 35K BTU heater you have in there now is tiny. If you do decide to go up to a bigger tankless unit, make sure your gas line is big enough to support it. My house was also on propane. The line going from the tank to the house was 1 1/2" and I was able to tap off of it. If you have a 3/4" line for a good part of your distance, getting a 90K BTU one might be a problem. Ignore this if you are using an electric version.