[bloodc]

Is a tankless hot water heater a good deal?

We have a 4 bedroom house currently 2 people living in it.
Our hot water heater is 16 years old and needs replaced we
Are considering going with a tankless heater which is more
Expensive but were not sure if would be a good deal or not.

[labman]

I have looked at them and concluded they can't live up to their hype. I have a gas water heater and gas dryer. In the summer, my gas usage is far less than the claimed stand by loss for conventional water heaters. As for instant hot water, if you instal the tankless where your tank is now, you will wait until the cooled off water in the pipe all runs out just like you do now. The tankless is smaller, but its large clearance requirements prevented me from installing one closer to my point of use. They have a minimum flow to get hot water. There is a thread here today where somebody can't get warm showers out of one.

A retro fit may require new wiring or piping. If you have a 40 amp breaker and #8 wire for your current tank, it may take more. Talk to your utility before committing yourself to more demand. A new meter and breaker box won't come cheap. The half inch gas line may need to be replaced. I would really dig in and find the numbers before buying one. If you listen to Tom, and flush your heater monthly, it may last far longer than the 16 years of your old one.

I had to replace my 25 year old tank last summer. I went with a conventional. There are also high efficiency tanks available.