Water heaters

I saw this topic from almost a year ago. It was deemed then as not yet being worth it.

What is the update from those that have tried it. Is it really almost maint free and with time have better ones come on the market so that it might be worth considering now?

Edited: 06/26/2010 at 08:20AM by Jim Wineinger

Jim Wineinger

Real Estate Investor · ten mile, Tennessee

1501 posts
16138 Influence
16 Awards

Icon_minipost May 25 '09, 05:31 PM

Let me update the reason for asking.

My rehab property has a well, which is not yet determined as to good or bad condition of the sump pump. The only thing I know for sure is that the wiring will need to be replaced wheather or not the pump itself needs to be replaced.

Then the other day I noticed that the roads in the area were being "trenched" so I stopped and asked the workers about it and it seems that city water is being put into the area.

Is there a difference also in these tankless water heaters as to the kind of water lines they are hooked to? Public versus well?

Edited: 06/26/2010 at 08:20AM

Nate Nook

Real Estate Investor · New Jersey

11 posts
38 Influence

Icon_minipost May 27 '09, 09:45 AM

I have a 3 unit & tried to put in TANKLESS water heaters. I did tons of research on what to buy, how to install them, etc.

In the end I ended up selling them.

I wanted to put all of them together, similar to how the existing water heaters are setup. But it wasnt possible because:
1) Venting is much more complex, the air is hotter and the intake a big deal. Very much unlike regular tank water heaters.
2) The water line (gas pressure) needed to be very high. Mine was on the border. I live in Jersey City, NJ.
3) Piping in general. Gas lines have to be larger, and the different vents depending on the type of tankless (PVC is ok for some, Stainless steel only for others).
4) Service: Most people have no idea how to install them. I had 4 guys give me quotes and 3 were clueless beyond belief. 2 of them were through a tankless water heater site as authorized installers. 1 knew what he was doing ok, but was an idiot still imo. I ended up offering extra money to an authorized REPAIR guy from Bosch to install them: he was great to answer questions (to verify the quotes were horrible), and was very knowledgable. He refused even though he was 30min away because he hated working in Jersey City due to dealing with the town.

From a cost perspective, the tenants are the ones benefiting if it is cheaper to run. This means I pay more money so they can save it. It doesnt make sense. Also no tenant is going to see that as added value enough to pay more rent IMO.

Tankless are more expensive to fix / replace than tank water heaters too. You'd be better off just buying a better tank brand I think. I dont remember the brands, but I do know they arent available at home depot for sure.

CONCLUSION:
Not worth it. I might try again if it were my own house.

Edited: 06/26/2010 at 08:21AM

Nate Nook

Real Estate Investor · New Jersey

11 posts
38 Influence

Icon_minipost May 27 '09, 09:48 AM

I am not sure it matters what type of water you are hooked up to.

To be honest, calling a repair guy from a tankless water heater company was the best thing I ever did. They know the models inside & out, and have fixed every idiot thing you can think of.

Forget calling installers, sales guys, etc.

Edited: 06/26/2010 at 08:21AM

Jim Wineinger

Real Estate Investor · ten mile, Tennessee

1501 posts
16138 Influence
16 Awards

Icon_minipost May 27 '09, 12:44 PM

Sounds like it is still sit back and wait for this technology to improve.

The basic question about well or city water was for those who might know because of the filtering process used by city water companies there is very little sediment that can get into the water lines, but this is not the case in individual wells. Some sediment (especially in drought times with lower water levels) can come through the lines. How would this affect the tankless systems if any at all.

Edited: 06/26/2010 at 08:21AM

Kirk B

· Select a State

156 posts
623 Influence
2 Awards

Icon_minipost May 28 '09, 12:40 AM

I largely see the benefit of a tankless hot water heater as energy savings. There is some debate as to how much longer they actually last. They have a higher combustion effeciency and you don't have to have 30-50 gallons of water constantly heated on standby.

In consideration of a rental, I would not pay between $1,500 to $2,000 for tankless instead of $500-600 tank per unit for replacement. All you will be doing is lowering your tenants gas bill and saving some energy.

Unless you are a hard core believer in Global Warming (an obivous hoax, no scientific consensus) like SOME people in Tennessee do, I would just put in the standard tank kind.

In your own home, you would need to do a cost benefit analysis of the savings in energy bill and replacement cost over the longer lasting and efficeint tank model. This depends substantially on the cost of natural gas in your area.

The tankless water heater is used much more frequently in Socialist places like Europe than America. So be careful there.

One last thing to consider is the new Socialist regime is giving out a lot of money as an incentive to make energy efficent home improvements. It may be worth it if you can get some fake money the Fed prints out of thin air to offset the cost.

Oh one last thing, from a practical standpoint, you have to let the water run for a few seconds before the water will be hot due to the distance from the heater to the faucet. This can influence the location of the installation.

Edited: 06/26/2010 at 08:22AM