Should mention more about problems with collecting calcium and other deposits in a heat exchanger. This is nightmare, even with shutoff valves shown on the video
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
I live in Florida, and I love my Rinnai gas tankless water heater. Mine was installed on an outdoor wall as water never freezes over here. My small utility room has a little more room thanks to it. Thanks for making and sharing your video; it was very interesting.
I installed a tankless water heater 95% efficiency almost four years ago. This is my experience. Here are my pros: 1 Endless source of hot water, even with multiple taps or showers runing simultaneously. 2 Savings for my household in gas bill of about 10 dollars a month. 3 Spaces saving in my basement . 4 Longevity, some units can last over 20 years. Cons: 1Hot water takes a bit longer to reach the tap so it wastes some water even after I insulated all my lines. 2 A bit noisy, specially right above the unit. The exhaust fan sounds like a drone :) 3 Yearly maintenance. Descaling the unit with vinegar for an hour. I do this service myself as a professional plumber will charge more than your yearly savings in natural gas. 4 In the event of a failure it would be difficult to find parts right away , forget your home center or appliance center. Most plumbers do not work on this units. 5 No electricity = no hot water in a power outrage. I can see why this thecnology is not for everyone. Also consider that if you only need small quantities of water in small burst (turning the tap on and off )the unit will turn on an off so briefly that you wont get your desired hot water. This units shine when there is a good constant flow of water. All said my family is very satisfied with our unit. I plan to repkace it with another tankless when this one goes.
I was just thinking, it would be more advantageous to have a system that could automatically flush the heat exchanger with that vinegar solution to clear out the hard water scale and other minerals. Perhaps have it adjustable so you could have the system do it every set amount of time depending on your water's chemistry, or maybe even have PH sensors incorporated into it to adjust the amount of time between cleanings automatically. My thinking is that if the cleaning solution is just vinegar, it shouldn't cost very much. I guess the practicality would depend on how large a tank you would need to store the solution in between cleanings. Obviously if you need a several gallon tank to keep enough cleaning solution for a year's worth of cleanings, it's going to defeat part of the purpose of having a tankless heater in the first place.
We just recently bought a house with a tankless water heater. My issue is the amount of time it takes for the water to warm up to wash my hands. My bathroom is not far away from the system so I am not sure why it takes so long. We are also on a well so the waste of water is a real issue. Hope you have some suggestions. Thanks
Nice to watch. Buying a house without a hit water tank wanted to know how the heck they get hot water. No wonder it's been listen 12 days. The others go so fast.
The purely positive comments made about tankless water heater technology here are inexcusably misleading. With usage and job conditions so varied, no one knows how a tankless water heater is going to perform in any given home. One thing we do know for sure, no one mentions combustion efficiency ratings when talking about tankless heaters. The marketing industry has got to stop using the terms “endless hot water” and “efficient” in the same conversation. To create endless hot water you’ve either got to restrict water flow volume or dump an absurd amount of BTUs into the combustion process. So, 180,000 BTUs vs the 40,000 of the tank type water heater shown in this video make it not so much an automatic win for a homeowner.
Love my tankless. Love it. In Korea EVERYONE has tankless. Since I came here 10 years ago they have only gotten better. I will never do a tank again. There are reasons why the people who have them, love them.
I live in tropical country, and most people use tankless water heater since we only use it for shower not heating the whole house. I think this is better system since we mostly turn on only for 5-10 minutes for shower and only 1-2 people take a bath at the same time… so we don’t really have problem with water flow. Even with the most low setting already hot enough, but that maybe because we only need to heat 10-12 degree of water most of time
Does the stand by heater help heat your home is there such a great loss? Yes, I would agree in the summer it is a waste. Is it worth the extra cost? Repairs and maintenance costs.
Hello Steve. I been a subscriber for a long time and I love your videos. You were the reason why I purchased a portage and main wood boiler. I love the idea of heating all my building with one unit. Quick question Steve. I'm looking at tankless water heaters. Would I be able to hook one up to the wood boiler?? Just connect it to my heat exchanger plate inside.??
Tankless heater is the same as 'passage heater' ('aquecedor de passagem')??? In Brazil this is a very common heater for several decades (of course, without all the tech stuff) ...
How can I it heat city water to such a hot temperature so quickly? You say water passes by propane over the course of a second or two? I don’t understand how that could be enough time over the heat to get the water to be 100°.
My unit has started making a knocking sound every time i shut off a hot water tap, but i cant see any pipes or any parts inside the unit moving - any idea what it could be?
You only spoke about gas tankless water heaters. It would have been good to speak how electric heaters work in comparison to the two types Your explanation of the gas unit was exceptionally done and easy to understand
Were getting a Navien 240A2 tankless to replace two 40 gallon hot water heaters. I live in Houston Texas so even during the winter it will produce 30% more hot water than two 40 gallons units. During the summer with a tap water temperature of 80F, we will produce twice as much hot water. Since it's me, my wife, and the dog we shouldn't be able to over-tax the system.
@@kentharris7427 yeah the savings on surely there, I still would advice you to watch videos of the Pipe Doctor plumbing regarding Navien tankless products.
I am currently working on installing an outdoor boiler, I built and entire plumbing setup that consists of 3 circulator pumps and 2 heat exchangers( a 50 plate - for hydronic baseboard, a 20 plate - to preheat the water to store in the water heater tank).... after I move the water heater to a different location of my basement. I just bought the house 3 years ago, and have no clue how old the water heater is, so I was going to get a on-demand water heater , my question is should I still pipe it how I was so I would be preheating the water before going to on-demand water heater then to my mixing valve? Or in the winter time just just have my 20 plate heat exchanger act as an on - demand / then summer time I'll just valve it off to run through the new electric on - demand
Good Morning! Those are great questions, and I happen to have a lot of experience installing an outdoor boiler. First of all, I'd definitely not preheat water going into an on-demand heater. They're not made for this sort of thing, and I'd be concerned on several levels. The very best approach would be to have your 20-plate exchanger preheat water before it goes into a tank-style heater. The heat exchanger doesn't make for a great on-demand heater on its own because sometimes your fire will burn down too low and you won't have hot water (or it'll just be warm). At my place I have the thermostats on my electric water heater set just below the temperature that the heat exchanger delivers hot water. This way if my fire does accidentally drop too low, the electricity kicks in to top up the heat in the tank. I hardly use any electricity at all this way, but it is a bit of insurance. In the summer I run the hot water tank on electricity only, but I'll be changing my tank to propane to save a bit of money. Same idea for preheating, it's just that propane is 75% of the cost of electricity when it is needed. When I was designing my system I considered a tankless heater for my place, but realized that my electric water heater was pretty close to ideal, given the fact that wood heats my water most of the time. Tank-style heaters are also very simple, which means I can keep it working myself. If I were you I'd replace the tank-style heater you've got if you think it's too old. They're pretty cheap and they work really well with an outdoor boiler. How does all this sound? Bye for now, Steve
Thanks very much, I am going to go that route on keeping tank style . Thanks again an I subscribed for more of these very informative videos you put on
My pleasure! Keep my email on hand. You'll probably run into issues as you go. steve@stevemaxwell.ca Drop by for a visit sometime at my website: baileylineroad.com I think you'll like what you find there. Bye, Steve
Usually they require an upgrade to the power source . Allot of these tankless water heaters require 2 - 2 pole breakerusually 30s or 50s so you will usually have to add a run of wire or two to your pannel depending on what size your original wire was you may be able to reuse it 0
I got an eccotemp fvi 12 NG tankless..how can I keep the flow sensor from shutting off the gas when I position the shower handle to mix cold with the hot ?...very sensitive..
I see people having a water filter system attached and have the water go through the water filter before going into the tankless water heater to keep them running clean.
i have a small tankless water heater ... sometimes when the water is running at a high pressure using the water pump it acts as a cooling system and the water is cold... and when i turn off the pump ... water is resisted and the heater doesn't detect it because it's not strong.... it's a problem.... i always have to find a balance .... another inconvenience is that i don't grt instant hot water when i need yo wash my hands quickly
A plumber talked me into our gas tankless water heater. About 7, 8 years ago. Because our regular plumber is not familiar with the issues, we haven't gotten a guy over here to try to troubleshoot what is going on. Here's what occurs: Water takes a while to get hot, old house, we get that, but THEN hot for 2,3 minutes then ICY COLD and higher faster water pressure. So, very quick showers my husband and I take. No others in household. Now, when attempting to fill a tub, icy cold water gushing out after 2,3 minutes and CONTINUES to be COLD for MINUTES, this messing up ability to fill a tub with all hot water. I JUST learned about descaling this week, plumber did NOT TELL us about any maintenance. So, about to do the vinegar treatment (another scam is using an expensive cleanser, when vinegar is all you need.) But, we are far from 'handy' and busy, so we are gonna farm out the descale process, lol. But, I long for my old large tank, with endless hot water. What gives? I guess I need a plumber familiar with the downsides of tankless to try to figure out why we have little to no hot water.
@@PelonMusk So glad you commented, bc I wanted to do a follow-up and didn't know where I'd dropped the comment. Turns out, we got a smart plumber in who discovered that LEAVES had been blocking the area inside the machine, so all got cleared and also, they did the treatment where you decalcify, so we have awesome no-problem hot water all the time now.
Anything you need to Learn about this... Google the sentence, ask questions... and also ask on TH-cam (top line)... someone will know what to do... I google it first...
I was hoping to get more info. about "how tankless water heaters work" not just a sale pitch. You know the internal workings? How does it regulate temperature? Does it restrict flow if the demand is beyond it's capacity to heat? What about these alarms?
Hi Donald, Thanks for your note. I'm happy to answer your questions. I've installed tankless systems and I see them in action all the time. As for internal workings, a gas flame heats one side of a heat exchanger, with water flowing on the other side. The flame is activate by the flow of water. These heat exchangers need to be de-scaled once or twice a year by running vinegar through the water side of the system. Special valves allow the water to be shut off and the vinegar to be piped through to dissolve scale on the heat exchanger fins. Temperature is regulated by a system that modulates the strength of the gas flame to match a preset water temperature in relation to flow rate. The greater the water flow demanded, the higher the intensity of the flame. Flow is not restricted if the water flow demand exceeds the heating ability of the heater. All that happens is you get a lower water temperature. This is why it's important to size the heater to expected maximum demand. I don't know what you mean by alarms. I hope this helps. Bye for now, Steve
Nobody mentions the fact that WHO's going to repair that tankless water heater eventually going to break down? I'm an experienced HVAC tech, used to be IBM electronics Tech. college trained in HVAC but clueless when it comes to Tankless. BTW whoever gets internet links to any of a service manual of a tankless water heater please post it. Thanks
I hate installing and working on tankless water heaters. They can be a pain. But its where we are headed. Most of our rich customers have been conned into thinking they are a necessity. I would never install one in my house. My hot water tank is almost 20 years old and still running believe it or not
Drop by my website baileylineroad.com for a visit sometime. You'll find lots of stuff there, including tool giveaways, articles and lots of other stuff of interest to hands-on, how-to people. Bye for now and thanks for watching! Steve
i am using 3 tankless water heater in my home,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and i am very very happy with them ,,,,,, one for kitchen and 2 for wash rooms ,,,,,,,,, problem i face with them is low water pressure ,,,,,,,, in kitchen pressure is ok becuase water heater is very very near ,,,,,,,, but in wash rooms pressure is low because water heater is far ,,,,,,,, so to solve this problem i add pressure booster pump with every water heater ,,,,,,, a tiny pump fit on inlet of water heater ,,,,that not only solve the low pressure issue but also gave another benefit , there is no scale develop in my water heaters , high water pressure blows away all scale which develop inside water heater ,,,,,,,, and another thing is that i use those pumps and water heater even in summer , i simply switch off the water heater but keep water running from them even in summer , that remove all scale in summer which develop during winter ,,,,,,
+gj4king1 Hello and thanks for your note. Capacity, brand reputation and fuel are the three main technical things you need to consider when choosing a tankless heater. But before you get that far you need to decide if tankless is right for you at all. It’s not ideal in every situation. Tankless water heaters are wall-mounted appliances that heat water only as it’s needed. They just sit there, using no energy at all until a hot water tap somewhere is turned on. As soon as water flows through the heater, it fires up the heating system, raising the temperature of water as it flows through the heater. There is no tank of hot water sitting there between uses losing energy, as is the case with your current heater. Elimination of these “stand-by” losses is why tankless heaters were invented. All this said, if you have a large household and use lots of hot water, standby losses from a tank-style heater become less significant. Also, today’s best tank-style heaters are well insulated with foam, so standby losses are smaller than they used to be. Then there’s the issue of an energy source. The only tankless water heaters worth installing use either propane or natural gas. Forget electric ones. If your home isn’t made for these, getting either one piped in adds cost to the installation. Here’s the bottom line: If you need a new tank-style heater, tankless is worth considering, especially when space is at a premium in your house. Choose a tankless heater that has more than enough heating capacity for your household. And finally, choose a brand with a long reputation for quality. Tankless water heaters are much more technically complex than tank-style heaters, so it takes an experienced company to make them reliable. Bosch, Rinnai and Rheem are three trustworthy names. Drop by my website baileylineroad.com for a visit sometime. You'll find lots of stuff there, including tool giveaways, articles and the chance to ask me questions. Bye for now and thanks for watching! Steve
As technology connections says, tanks full of hot water stay hot all day even if switched off. Tankless is not this big energy saver people think, especially in an average home that's using the water.
The main goal is for future air plane steam jet engine and generated electricity and work with water condenser from air while fly so nearly fuel less air travel or even forever cruise missile
Excellent Video... I'm looking to put in a Tankless Water Heater in an Vintage Travel Trailer... but I want electricity... I don't want to tote around Propane tanks at my age (64 years old). I will not need a big water heater... can you suggest a brand? and do you have a video on installing a tankless water heater in an RV? Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful video.
I forgot to add an operational issue. You get in shower tanks comes on . You exit shower wife gets in. Water is hot at first then goes cold as unit has cycled off and not on yet. some builders install storage tank in line to combat this. So much for saving space and no standby loss
I hear you on the cold sandwich, could be annoying. If i installed one i would use the Navien with the built in recirc pump and buffer tank. Even if you dont have an external recirc loop, you can tell the Navien to use it as a buffer within itself
You get in shower, water is cold because not heated yet. A few seconds later, water gets hot. You exit. Wife gets in shower, water is cold because not heated yet. A few seconds later, water gets hot. I don't know why you would say you get a hot shower and your wife does not. Makes no sense. If you got a hot shower, should be fine for your wife also.
I bought a duplex with a tankless water heater already installed in one unit and regular natural gas in the other. Guess which one rotted out in only a short time. After pricing the replacement I had them install a regular electric tank.
Tankless heaters are expensive to buy,prone to breaking,require annual deliming,expensive to rent. Any energy savings go down the drain when its all added up. Imagine having to pay someone to delime it yearly. Its fine if you can do it yourself. Ive worked in the natural gas industry for fourty years. When anyone asks me about this type of equipment I tell them to run as fast as they can.
Pretty much a tankless is gimped without a side tank. Also, sometimes they need initial installation of upsized gas lines from the meter, which gets real expensive real fast.
Because space is the most value thing in life in Japan and Europe. They have very little land per capita. In Japan people live in one room apartments. In USA, almost everyone has space for a conventional water heater.
Thanks. Yes, I agree with you, space is limited in Japan. But i didn't think that to be the case in Europe. I thought that the reason these countries switched to water less tanks is because of the cost savings in less natural gas usage and money savings overall.
My daughter bought a house with 2 tankless heaters, one for the Kitchen second bath and one for the master bath. She called me about 6 months after they moved in and begged me to put in a hot water tank for her. I put in a family sized 80 gal gas in her garage right where the old one was and she's happy as a clam. Not a peep, no more hot /cold showers or no hot water at all. Sometimes the jawbone of an ass just works better.
Thank you so much for these easy instructions. Pilot light out, husband in hospital, all fixed very easily, thank you again!
This guy could teach engineering classes. Thanks for the amazing video and a thorough explanation!
Excellent video .. I’ve watched many tankless water heater videos of late and this was probably the best on summary.
I'm off to Home Depot right now and it seems that this bud is right for me .
Should mention more about problems with collecting calcium and other deposits in a heat exchanger. This is nightmare, even with shutoff valves shown on the video
This was an exact replacement for the old one that lasted about 10 years. th-cam.com/users/postUgkx7yWIKcrbA9KMHkGSfcgxW2lsjHT6B8Sh The top of my mitigation tube by my roofline was just a 90 elbow which allowed too much debris to fall down into the fan, eventually ruining it. Without this issue, I bet it would have kept running another 10 years. When I replaced this fan, I added an extra elbow joint so the top tube now it does a 180, which should solve that problem. The radon guys around here wanted to charge me a $300 diagnostic fee, then parts/labor (probably close to $600 total). I installed this all by myself in about an hour for the cost of the fan; it would probably be even easier/faster with two people. FYI the manufacturer's warranty greatly differs depending on whether you install it yourself (1 yr warranty) or have a licensed installer do it (10 yrs).
I live in Florida, and I love my Rinnai gas tankless water heater. Mine was installed on an outdoor wall as water never freezes over here. My small utility room has a little more room thanks to it.
Thanks for making and sharing your video; it was very interesting.
Excellent explanation. Succinct, easy to follow and to the point. Well done!
I love tankless heaters, but my favorite brand is Navien. I’d work on those all day everyday. Compared to the others, they are a joy.
I’m buying a house with a Rheem unit; any input?
@@mrad7586how is the water heater working for you?
Another extremely educational and informative video Mr. Maxwell - thank you very much. Learned a lot.
I installed a tankless water heater 95% efficiency almost four years ago. This is my experience.
Here are my pros:
1 Endless source of hot water, even with multiple taps or showers runing simultaneously.
2 Savings for my household in gas bill of about 10 dollars a month.
3 Spaces saving in my basement .
4 Longevity, some units can last over 20 years.
Cons:
1Hot water takes a bit longer to reach the tap so it wastes some water even after I insulated all my lines.
2 A bit noisy, specially right above the unit. The exhaust fan sounds like a drone :)
3 Yearly maintenance. Descaling the unit with vinegar for an hour. I do this service myself as a professional plumber will charge more than your yearly savings in natural gas.
4 In the event of a failure it would be difficult to find parts right away , forget your home center or appliance center. Most plumbers do not work on this units.
5 No electricity = no hot water in a power outrage.
I can see why this thecnology is not for everyone.
Also consider that if you only need small quantities of water in small burst (turning the tap on and off )the unit will turn on an off so briefly that you wont get your desired hot water. This units shine when there is a good constant flow of water.
All said my family is very satisfied with our unit. I plan to repkace it with another tankless when this one goes.
What Brand of tankless water heater is good?
... for a travel trailer...
By far the best explanation I have come across. Thanks a lot. 😁
I was just thinking, it would be more advantageous to have a system that could automatically flush the heat exchanger with that vinegar solution to clear out the hard water scale and other minerals. Perhaps have it adjustable so you could have the system do it every set amount of time depending on your water's chemistry, or maybe even have PH sensors incorporated into it to adjust the amount of time between cleanings automatically. My thinking is that if the cleaning solution is just vinegar, it shouldn't cost very much. I guess the practicality would depend on how large a tank you would need to store the solution in between cleanings. Obviously if you need a several gallon tank to keep enough cleaning solution for a year's worth of cleanings, it's going to defeat part of the purpose of having a tankless heater in the first place.
We just recently bought a house with a tankless water heater. My issue is the amount of time it takes for the water to warm up to wash my hands. My bathroom is not far away from the system so I am not sure why it takes so long. We are also on a well so the waste of water is a real issue. Hope you have some suggestions.
Thanks
You’re having to push all the already sitting water in the hot side line then the hot water from the heater.
Possibly outdated unit. Possibly low flow fixtures dont trigger the unit. Possible scale build up in the lines not triggering unit to turn on
You can install a recirculation kit for a nominal charge.
Just had this tankless model installed today. So far it's nice. We'll see what our savings is as time goes by.
What was your savings?
Been a year since you posted the comment. What's the update on your savings?
We're waiting....
Nice to watch. Buying a house without a hit water tank wanted to know how the heck they get hot water. No wonder it's been listen 12 days. The others go so fast.
great video, hope you are stil making these!
The purely positive comments made about tankless water heater technology here are inexcusably misleading. With usage and job conditions so varied, no one knows how a tankless water heater is going to perform in any given home. One thing we do know for sure, no one mentions combustion efficiency ratings when talking about tankless heaters. The marketing industry has got to stop using the terms “endless hot water” and “efficient” in the same conversation. To create endless hot water you’ve either got to restrict water flow volume or dump an absurd amount of BTUs into the combustion process. So, 180,000 BTUs vs the 40,000 of the tank type water heater shown in this video make it not so much an automatic win for a homeowner.
Love my tankless. Love it. In Korea EVERYONE has tankless. Since I came here 10 years ago they have only gotten better. I will never do a tank again. There are reasons why the people who have them, love them.
What are the reasons to LOVE them?@@lowbrowartfag
I live in tropical country, and most people use tankless water heater since we only use it for shower not heating the whole house. I think this is better system since we mostly turn on only for 5-10 minutes for shower and only 1-2 people take a bath at the same time… so we don’t really have problem with water flow. Even with the most low setting already hot enough, but that maybe because we only need to heat 10-12 degree of water most of time
Does the stand by heater help heat your home is there such a great loss?
Yes, I would agree in the summer it is a waste.
Is it worth the extra cost?
Repairs and maintenance costs.
Hello Steve. I been a subscriber for a long time and I love your videos. You were the reason why I purchased a portage and main wood boiler. I love the idea of heating all my building with one unit. Quick question Steve. I'm looking at tankless water heaters. Would I be able to hook one up to the wood boiler?? Just connect it to my heat exchanger plate inside.??
Tankless heater is the same as 'passage heater' ('aquecedor de passagem')???
In Brazil this is a very common heater for several decades (of course, without all the tech stuff) ...
How can I it heat city water to such a hot temperature so quickly? You say water passes by propane over the course of a second or two? I don’t understand how that could be enough time over the heat to get the water to be 100°.
My unit has started making a knocking sound every time i shut off a hot water tap, but i cant see any pipes or any parts inside the unit moving - any idea what it could be?
Is one tankless water heater sufficient enough?
Any recommendations regarding Tankless installers in Greater Vancouver area?
You only spoke about gas tankless water heaters. It would have been good to speak how electric heaters work in comparison to the two types
Your explanation of the gas unit was exceptionally done and easy to understand
Do they work in canada winters water comes in freezing
Were getting a Navien 240A2 tankless to replace two 40 gallon hot water heaters. I live in Houston Texas so even during the winter it will produce 30% more hot water than two 40 gallons units. During the summer with a tap water temperature of 80F, we will produce twice as much hot water. Since it's me, my wife, and the dog we shouldn't be able to over-tax the system.
Don't get Navien.... I would recommend watching videos of Mikey Pipes Plumbing.!! Navien👎👎
@@videos10 It's already installed. Our gas bill went from $40 per month down to $10 per month to run the tankless water heater.
@@kentharris7427 yeah the savings on surely there, I still would advice you to watch videos of the Pipe Doctor plumbing regarding Navien tankless products.
I am currently working on installing an outdoor boiler, I built and entire plumbing setup that consists of 3 circulator pumps and 2 heat exchangers( a 50 plate - for hydronic baseboard, a 20 plate - to preheat the water to store in the water heater tank).... after I move the water heater to a different location of my basement.
I just bought the house 3 years ago, and have no clue how old the water heater is, so I was going to get a on-demand water heater , my question is should I still pipe it how I was so I would be preheating the water before going to on-demand water heater then to my mixing valve? Or in the winter time just just have my 20 plate heat exchanger act as an on - demand / then summer time I'll just valve it off to run through the new electric on - demand
Good Morning!
Those are great questions, and I happen to have a lot of experience installing an outdoor boiler. First of all, I'd definitely not preheat water going into an on-demand heater. They're not made for this sort of thing, and I'd be concerned on several levels.
The very best approach would be to have your 20-plate exchanger preheat water before it goes into a tank-style heater. The heat exchanger doesn't make for a great on-demand heater on its own because sometimes your fire will burn down too low and you won't have hot water (or it'll just be warm). At my place I have the thermostats on my electric water heater set just below the temperature that the heat exchanger delivers hot water. This way if my fire does accidentally drop too low, the electricity kicks in to top up the heat in the tank. I hardly use any electricity at all this way, but it is a bit of insurance. In the summer I run the hot water tank on electricity only, but I'll be changing my tank to propane to save a bit of money. Same idea for preheating, it's just that propane is 75% of the cost of electricity when it is needed.
When I was designing my system I considered a tankless heater for my place, but realized that my electric water heater was pretty close to ideal, given the fact that wood heats my water most of the time. Tank-style heaters are also very simple, which means I can keep it working myself.
If I were you I'd replace the tank-style heater you've got if you think it's too old. They're pretty cheap and they work really well with an outdoor boiler.
How does all this sound?
Bye for now,
Steve
Thanks very much, I am going to go that route on keeping tank style . Thanks again an I subscribed for more of these very informative videos you put on
My pleasure! Keep my email on hand. You'll probably run into issues as you go. steve@stevemaxwell.ca
Drop by for a visit sometime at my website: baileylineroad.com I think you'll like what you find there.
Bye,
Steve
Great video, subscribed, is it easy to install tankless water heater.
Thank you
Usually they require an upgrade to the power source . Allot of these tankless water heaters require 2 - 2 pole breakerusually 30s or 50s so you will usually have to add a run of wire or two to your pannel depending on what size your original wire was you may be able to reuse it 0
I got an eccotemp fvi 12 NG tankless..how can I keep the flow sensor from shutting off the gas when I position the shower handle to mix cold with the hot ?...very sensitive..
I see people having a water filter system attached and have the water go through the water filter before going into the tankless water heater to keep them running clean.
Your video is so amazingly helpful. Thank you so much for your time & effort 😊
that was incredible thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
How much does it cost?
Are you installing PVC pipe for gas exhaust
i have a small tankless water heater ... sometimes when the water is running at a high pressure using the water pump it acts as a cooling system and the water is cold... and when i turn off the pump ... water is resisted and the heater doesn't detect it because it's not strong.... it's a problem.... i always have to find a balance .... another inconvenience is that i don't grt instant hot water when i need yo wash my hands quickly
What happens if you install a tankless water heater in an M4 Sherman tank?
A plumber talked me into our gas tankless water heater. About 7, 8 years ago. Because our regular plumber is not familiar with the issues, we haven't gotten a guy over here to try to troubleshoot what is going on. Here's what occurs: Water takes a while to get hot, old house, we get that, but THEN hot for 2,3 minutes then ICY COLD and higher faster water pressure. So, very quick showers my husband and I take. No others in household. Now, when attempting to fill a tub, icy cold water gushing out after 2,3 minutes and CONTINUES to be COLD for MINUTES, this messing up ability to fill a tub with all hot water. I JUST learned about descaling this week, plumber did NOT TELL us about any maintenance. So, about to do the vinegar treatment (another scam is using an expensive cleanser, when vinegar is all you need.) But, we are far from 'handy' and busy, so we are gonna farm out the descale process, lol. But, I long for my old large tank, with endless hot water. What gives? I guess I need a plumber familiar with the downsides of tankless to try to figure out why we have little to no hot water.
@@PelonMusk So glad you commented, bc I wanted to do a follow-up and didn't know where I'd dropped the comment. Turns out, we got a smart plumber in who discovered that LEAVES had been blocking the area inside the machine, so all got cleared and also, they did the treatment where you decalcify, so we have awesome no-problem hot water all the time now.
Anything you need to Learn about this...
Google the sentence, ask questions... and also ask on TH-cam (top line)...
someone will know what to do... I google it first...
Call a plumber?
Yeah they suck unless you have very severe size constraints
I was hoping to get more info. about "how tankless water heaters work" not just a sale pitch. You know the internal workings? How does it regulate temperature? Does it restrict flow if the demand is beyond it's capacity to heat? What about these alarms?
Hi Donald,
Thanks for your note. I'm happy to answer your questions. I've installed tankless systems and I see them in action all the time.
As for internal workings, a gas flame heats one side of a heat exchanger, with water flowing on the other side. The flame is activate by the flow of water. These heat exchangers need to be de-scaled once or twice a year by running vinegar through the water side of the system. Special valves allow the water to be shut off and the vinegar to be piped through to dissolve scale on the heat exchanger fins.
Temperature is regulated by a system that modulates the strength of the gas flame to match a preset water temperature in relation to flow rate. The greater the water flow demanded, the higher the intensity of the flame. Flow is not restricted if the water flow demand exceeds the heating ability of the heater. All that happens is you get a lower water temperature. This is why it's important to size the heater to expected maximum demand.
I don't know what you mean by alarms.
I hope this helps.
Bye for now,
Steve
Thanks. That helps a lot. The issue that I had was low flow/pressure. And it turns out that the flushing descaling worked perfectly.
How hot can tankless water heaters heat water up to?
Nobody mentions the fact that WHO's going to repair that tankless water heater eventually going to break down? I'm an experienced HVAC tech, used to be IBM electronics Tech. college trained in HVAC but clueless when it comes to Tankless. BTW whoever gets internet links to any of a service manual of a tankless water heater please post it. Thanks
I hate installing and working on tankless water heaters. They can be a pain. But its where we are headed. Most of our rich customers have been conned into thinking they are a necessity. I would never install one in my house. My hot water tank is almost 20 years old and still running believe it or not
Excellent video, thank you very much :)
Thank You Sir
Drop by my website baileylineroad.com for a visit sometime. You'll find lots of stuff there, including tool giveaways, articles and lots of other stuff of interest to hands-on, how-to people.
Bye for now and thanks for watching!
Steve
@@baileylineroad
Grateful thanks
72 cubic feet seems a little large for a water heater, how many gallons is it?
Its actually just over 538 gallons.
Great video! Thanks.
Good video wondering how long of a vent pipe can be installed
Would it work in -40 Celsius temp?
Holy moly, is the F or C?
@@somethingappropriate They are the same at -40.
Dont forget that water heaters for our after a few years because the water sits there. I just had one rot out.
i am using 3 tankless water heater in my home,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and i am very very happy with them ,,,,,, one for kitchen and 2 for wash rooms ,,,,,,,,, problem i face with them is low water pressure ,,,,,,,, in kitchen pressure is ok becuase water heater is very very near ,,,,,,,, but in wash rooms pressure is low because water heater is far ,,,,,,,, so to solve this problem i add pressure booster pump with every water heater ,,,,,,, a tiny pump fit on inlet of water heater ,,,,that not only solve the low pressure issue but also gave another benefit , there is no scale develop in my water heaters , high water pressure blows away all scale which develop inside water heater ,,,,,,,, and another thing is that i use those pumps and water heater even in summer , i simply switch off the water heater but keep water running from them even in summer , that remove all scale in summer which develop during winter ,,,,,,
What do you look for when picking a quality tankless hot water?
+gj4king1 Hello and thanks for your note.
Capacity, brand reputation and fuel are the three main technical things you need to consider when choosing a tankless heater. But before you get that far you need to decide if tankless is right for you at all. It’s not ideal in every situation.
Tankless water heaters are wall-mounted appliances that heat water only as it’s needed. They just sit there, using no energy at all until a hot water tap somewhere is turned on. As soon as water flows through the heater, it fires up the heating system, raising the temperature of water as it flows through the heater. There is no tank of hot water sitting there between uses losing energy, as is the case with your current heater. Elimination of these “stand-by” losses is why tankless heaters were invented.
All this said, if you have a large household and use lots of hot water, standby losses from a tank-style heater become less significant. Also, today’s best tank-style heaters are well insulated with foam, so standby losses are smaller than they used to be. Then there’s the issue of an energy source. The only tankless water heaters worth installing use either propane or natural gas. Forget electric ones. If your home isn’t made for these, getting either one piped in adds cost to the installation.
Here’s the bottom line: If you need a new tank-style heater, tankless is worth considering, especially when space is at a premium in your house. Choose a tankless heater that has more than enough heating capacity for your household. And finally, choose a brand with a long reputation for quality. Tankless water heaters are much more technically complex than tank-style heaters, so it takes an experienced company to make them reliable. Bosch, Rinnai and Rheem are three trustworthy names.
Drop by my website baileylineroad.com for a visit sometime. You'll find lots of stuff there, including tool giveaways, articles and the chance to ask me questions.
Bye for now and thanks for watching!
Steve
Not what I was looking did. I want the internal mechanics explained
As technology connections says, tanks full of hot water stay hot all day even if switched off. Tankless is not this big energy saver people think, especially in an average home that's using the water.
Is this gas?
The main goal is for future air plane steam jet engine and generated electricity and work with water condenser from air while fly so nearly fuel less air travel or even forever cruise missile
Thank you!
Excellent Video...
I'm looking to put in a Tankless Water Heater
in an Vintage Travel Trailer... but I want electricity...
I don't want to tote around Propane tanks at my age (64 years old).
I will not need a big water heater... can you suggest a brand?
and do you have a video on installing a tankless water heater in an RV?
Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful video.
How do mansions that have 12 bathrooms, 2 washers, 2 dishwashers have enough hot water and water pressure?
So it’s electrical this mean Edison owns it?
I don't even know how I ended here but its too interesting hahah
Me too lol
It randomly popped up in my recc
I forgot to add an operational issue. You get in shower tanks comes on . You exit shower wife gets in. Water is hot at first then goes cold as unit has cycled off and not on yet. some builders install storage tank in line to combat this. So much for saving space and no standby loss
I cant, I wouldnt ever instal an instantaneous heater
I hear you on the cold sandwich, could be annoying. If i installed one i would use the Navien with the built in recirc pump and buffer tank. Even if you dont have an external recirc loop, you can tell the Navien to use it as a buffer within itself
You get in shower, water is cold because not heated yet. A few seconds later, water gets hot. You exit. Wife gets in shower, water is cold because not heated yet. A few seconds later, water gets hot. I don't know why you would say you get a hot shower and your wife does not. Makes no sense. If you got a hot shower, should be fine for your wife also.
I bought a duplex with a tankless water heater already installed in one unit and regular natural gas in the other. Guess which one rotted out in only a short time. After pricing the replacement I had them install a regular electric tank.
Is it safe to shower my moose with this tankless water heater?
NIce vid
I came here to find out how a tankless water heater works not a commercial.
The biggest downside for tankless heaters is their reliance on fossil fuels. That is going to become more and more of a problem going forward
Wow, this technology it is in Europe for over 15 years.... And is not so efficient how is described here .......
Navien is way better than Rinnai..
Tankless heaters are expensive to buy,prone to breaking,require annual deliming,expensive to rent. Any energy savings go down the drain when its all added up. Imagine having to pay someone to delime it yearly. Its fine if you can do it yourself. Ive worked in the natural gas industry for fourty years. When anyone asks me about this type of equipment I tell them to run as fast as they can.
Pretty much a tankless is gimped without a side tank. Also, sometimes they need initial installation of upsized gas lines from the meter, which gets real expensive real fast.
If tank less water heaters are so inefficient, then why are they the most popular option today in all or Europe and Japan? thanks.
Because space is the most value thing in life in Japan and Europe. They have very little land per capita. In Japan people live in one room apartments. In USA, almost everyone has space for a conventional water heater.
Thanks. Yes, I agree with you, space is limited in Japan. But i didn't think that to be the case in Europe. I thought that the reason these countries switched to water less tanks is because of the cost savings in less natural gas usage and money savings overall.
My daughter bought a house with 2 tankless heaters, one for the Kitchen second bath and one for the master bath. She called me about 6 months after they moved in and begged me to put in a hot water tank for her. I put in a family sized 80 gal gas in her garage right where the old one was and she's happy as a clam. Not a peep, no more hot /cold showers or no hot water at all. Sometimes the jawbone of an ass just works better.
Waste of time, just talking about stuff people already know
fantastic video thanks!