Tankless water heaters

[Dionysus]

Anyone know much about these things?

We have a Rinnai model V94i tankless water heater that was installed in our home last year (new construction). It takes a long time, sometimes two full minutes or more, for the hot water to reach faucets and showers around the house. Plus we have terrible hard water here, so I’m told we need to flush it every year. I think I hate the damn thing.

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

I do not own any tankless heaters, but have considered transitioning from tanks. That conversion is really expensive so I've held off. Distance can be a problem for any heater (I assume that's the issue), but the best part about these is you never run out of hot water once you get it. If you're looking for instant hot water consider installing a booster for the faucets/showers you would like instant hot water. Those install very close to the exit point and aren't too expensive, but they require power which can be expensive to install.

Hard water is a pain in the *** for everything. Sorry I'm not more help than that.

 

[Dionysus]

I'm going to have it flushed and see if that makes any difference with water pressure, which hasn’t been great. I’ve cleaned hard water deposits from a few faucet aerators and it’s like bits of gravel in there. Pffffttt!

Sometimes the low-tech option was the better one all along.

 

[nashhorn]

Just cannot grasp the concept of a ‘tankless’ hot water heater never run joint of hot water. Just my ignorance I reckon.

 

[Dionysus]

Just cannot grasp the concept of a ‘tankless’ hot water heater never run joint of hot water. Just my ignorance I reckon.

I think I’d prefer to have a standard water heater. I rarely ever had problems with those.

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

From someone who has two regular tank water heaters, they want $1,500+ to replace one that costs $400. I've now changed mine out twice over the years and I envy those who only have to change out a box mounted on the wall.

I wonder if you could have some type of hard water filter installed in the water line just before the heater? It certainly would make it easier to change a filter occasionally instead of what you're going through. Of course a home water softener would fix the problem, but we all know how expensive those can be.

 

[Dionysus]

I wonder if you could have some type of hard water filter installed in the water line just before the heater?

That’s what we have to do and yes they’re pricey

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

We suffered with extremely hard water in Lockhart until we invested in a Kinetico softener. We are extremely happy with it, even after 8 years of service.

 

[Dionysus]

We suffered with extremely hard water in Lockhart until we invested in a Kinetico softener. We are extremely happy with it, even after 8 years of service.

Good to know, thanks

 

[mchammer]

Just had to replace a 19 year old tank heater. $900 for the water heater at Lowe’s plus $1800 install. I waited 2-3 years too late. Tank was rusted and leaking. Could have saved on install cost if I removed the older one in a planned manner myself and replaced it with a new one and then called a plumber for last step of connecting pipes, gas, etc.

 

[utahorn]

We have a Rinnai model V94i tankless water heater that was installed in our home last year (new construction). It takes a long time, sometimes two full minutes or more, for the hot water to reach faucets and showers around the house. .... I think I hate the damn thing.

We have a different model of tankless (thankless) and have the same issue with waiting for the water to get hot. More than once I have asked my wife if the water has to run around the block to get hot. Both showers are within 40 feet of the heater. I get it that the water already in the line will have to run before the water from the tankless, but damn.

I believed the hype from a Dallas sports radio station. Instant and continuous hot, they said. Does not work that way. If two people are showering at the same time, the heater cannot keep up and you get hot/cold surges.

We paid thousands to have the standard water heater replaced. Worst decision we ever made regarding our house. The plumbing company has gutted and replaced parts in the thing 2 -3 times. No improvement.

A family friend who works for her father's plumbing company, said in her opinion, "They are a solid no."

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

We have a different model of tankless (thankless) and have the same issue with waiting for the water to get hot. More than once I have asked my wife if the water has to run around the block to get hot. Both showers are within 40 feet of the heater. I get it that the water already in the line will have to run before the water from the tankless, but damn.

I believed the hype from a Dallas sports radio station. Instant and continuous hot, they said. Does not work that way. If two people are showering at the same time, the heater cannot keep up and you get hot/cold surges.

We paid thousands to have the standard water heater replaced. Worst decision we ever made regarding our house. The plumbing company has gutted and replaced parts in the thing 2 -3 times. No improvement.

A family friend who works for her father's plumbing company, said in her opinion, "They are a solid no."

Thanks for the warnings, all. I had been in the early stages of considering them.