Greetings all.
I'm wondering what your expert opinions are of tankless "on-demand" water heaters (for the whole house). I found some supposedly new ones on EBay for about $750 (natural gas) and would do the installation myself. But I've never lived in a house that had one, and wanted to know if there was any industry wisdom on them. Obviously I'll have to buy one that's powerful enough to supply my house, plus room for future growth. Any other thoughts on these? Any brands to look for, or stay away from?

Thanks for any help or advice!

- james

I have looked in to them and passed them by. If you currently have a gas hot water tank, look at your bill. One of the better insulated conventional tanks might be a better investment. This question keeps coming up, check these threads. https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showth...light=tankless

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showth...light=tankless

My daughter recently installed one. I am waiting to hear how it does for them. Also watch the minimum flow rates and clearances.

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Originally Posted by jamlove

Greetings all.
I'm wondering what your expert opinions are of tankless "on-demand" water heaters (for the whole house). I found some supposedly new ones on EBay for about $750 (natural gas) and would do the installation myself. But I've never lived in a house that had one, and wanted to know if there was any industry wisdom on them. Obviously I'll have to buy one that's powerful enough to supply my house, plus room for future growth. Any other thoughts on these? Any brands to look for, or stay away from?

Thanks for any help or advice!

- james

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... high (have children?) it can be a worthwhile investment and in particular if you have an electric heater. Bosch and Takagi are name brands but it doesn't sound like at $750 you are getting a premier name? The off names can be just as reliable and I have seen such a unit.

As for the install, be careful to vent properly as these things emit an enormous amount of gases in a short period. Failure to vent the unit according to both the manufacturer's instructions and building codes can lead to lethal amounts of exhaust gases.

What about the quality of a Rennai R53 tankless gas water heater, are there any problems with it and the average price and when was it manufactured ?

My company was one of the first ones to be trained and certified for installation of tankless hot water heaters in So.California. As an installer I swear by them. As a homeowner, I swear by them, as well. Have 2 tankless hot water heaters in my own house and I could not be happier. Yes, the upstart cost is a bit higher than conventional hot water heater - but every thing else is superior to them. If you have the funds to install one - I highly recommend doing so. Back to you. Milo