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Tankless Water Heaters???


Casper

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They've been used in Europe and Asia for decades. Now that everyone is "going green" there is a viable market for them here.

 

Aside from the initial investment, they pay for themselves in X years depending upon how much hot water you pump.

 

There was also a tax credit for purchasing one, but I dont believe it has been extended through 08'.

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They've been used in Europe and Asia for decades. Now that everyone is "going green" there is a viable market for them here.

 

Aside from the initial investment, they pay for themselves in X years depending upon how much hot water you pump.

 

There was also a tax credit for purchasing one, but I dont believe it has been extended through 08'.

 

$300 tax credit and I believe it is good through '08. If not and I buy one, the motherfuckers are giving me $300 (the sales guy told me about the tax credit).

 

I know they've been used in Europe for years, but mainly in flats and studios, not full homes. Supposedly they've improved drastically over the past few years, and no longer have the problems they used to (someone taking a shower, someone turns on hot water at the sink, neither get hot water).

 

I'm pretty impressed by these. Our house is brand new (moved in Nov). We have an 80gal hot water tank which is way overkill for my wife and I and two dogs. For $900, but I could see it making up for itself rather quickly.

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I have one and it's worth every penny. Besides savings on the gas bill, you have an endless supply of hot water to fill large baths, or take a long shower. It is 1/5 the size of a standard heater also.

 

Ever have any problems with it like when someone runs the washer or turns on the hot water at the sink?

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Nope. There have been several times that both showers were being used at the same time, and no issues. I don't know which brands are better than others, but the home inspector said ours was a very good one. I just looked, it's an AquaStar.
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http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/

 

I've thought about the smaller units (installed at the hot water line in a bathroom) that provide a "boost" of heated water, as my home has good hot water but I have to keep the water running for ~30 sec to get warm. Not very economical, as I figure I waste a good 1.5 to 2 gallons of water everytime my wife or I take a shower.

 

I'm glad people are realizing that every dollar saved (especially looking over the long run) is worth the initial investment. Forget the environment...the only green I'm looking to save is in my pocket! :)

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$300 tax credit and I believe it is good through '08. If not and I buy one, the motherfuckers are giving me $300 (the sales guy told me about the tax credit).

 

I only did a quick google, but it looks like it hasn't been extended. Check a dot gov website to confirm though.

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You have to get one that's got enough rating for what you need it for. It has to be big enough to keep up with your household demand.

 

The one's I've been looking at say they're the equivalent of a 60gal hot water heater. And, they can be linked together so I could expand it later if I need instead of replacing.

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Many places use them now and they are great!

 

There are a couple of ways they can help:

1) no need to keep a tank of water hot, you only heat what you use

2) save on piping. (Mostly for smaller homes) you only run cold water lines throughout the house and split it where you need hot water. Put multiple small tankless units under each sink and it supplies your hot from the incoming cold line.

3) they heat more efficiently since they use a heat exchanger design, less energy to heat the same volume of water.

 

If you get a larger single unit, many places will now install them where you use the most hot water so the hot "arrives" faster. Since they are much smaller than a tank design, they can fit nearly anywhere.

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They work great. We have one now and have enjoyed it for about 3 years.

 

Between this unit and the heated floors in the kitchen and bathrooms and other upgrades we've added to our home, we have yet to see a gas bill that is painful. Our highest over the winter was $138 and that's for heating 3,200sq ft.

 

We do tons of laundry and washing too. No problems with our system.

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Electric ones aren't so great. I had one that was a bit too small and a bit too underpowered. It required a massive amount of power and kept flipping the breaker. When it was running, it wasn't really all the warm. If you get one, go with gas, and go with overkill.
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I have been looking into these also.My water heater is taking a s**t right now and everyone in my family says I'm crazy for looking into these.I have 3 kids and a wife and would like to save money and energy every place I can.Thanks for the info.
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I'm glad people are realizing that every dollar saved (especially looking over the long run) is worth the initial investment. Forget the environment...the only green I'm looking to save is in my pocket! :)

The real fun is when you save both sorts of green at the same time. I may own a hybrid, and I may use CFL lights all over my apartment, but when I'm spending a third as much on gas compared to everyone else, and a quarter as much on electricity, well, penny saved equals penny earned, and pennies are the coins mostly likely to multiply like rabbits in your pocket :)

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Guest Spoiler71
My dad and I sell and install them, there are a few different options and some install things you need to know. But there is no better option in our opinion.
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yup yup i installed some with my brother, oh so spiffy, and they are the best choice unless you heat your house with a boiler, then you would want a heat exchanging hot water tank where the boiler heats a tank of water then continues and heats the house
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