Water heaters

[Jim Wineinger]

TANKLESS 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?

[Nate Nook]

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.