Comments on: Going Tankless

By: Mollie

Mollie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:06:26 +0000

Some people (writer of The Star article) just have no creativity. We’ve been spoiled rotten for far too long and it’s time to think twice about energy use!

By: Glenn Hubbers

Glenn Hubbers — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:39:45 +0000

@Robert McClelland
I had heard that, but all of the gas units that I saw at my cousin’s in Holland as well as the ones I looked at before buying were electronic start. This could be part of the delay that people talk about. The water needs to flow for a few seconds before the gas fires to heat the water.

BTW, my friend also installed a “Power Pipe” to recover the heat from shower water going down the drain. That’s something worthwhile when copper prices are lower. Unfortunately, when I was finishing my basement copper prices were ludicrous, so what used to be $500 was now $1000.

By: Robert McClelland

Robert McClelland — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:07:37 +0000

@Glenn Hubbers
I helped someone do some renovations on their cottage last year and they had one of those units installed to feed the kitchen and bathroom. I was there for two weeks so I got to use the unit for most of that time.

It’s similar to what you describe above with a couple of differences. The first one is that it uses no energy when not in use. The gas ones, if I’m not mistaken, use a bit of energy keeping the pilot on.

The second difference is that the hot water arrives faster. Since it can be installed a lot closer to the faucet–the longest hot water pipe in the reno I did was only 4 feet–you don’t have to wait for as much standing, cold water to flow through the pipes.

The third difference is that–according to the specs–they aren’t quite as energy efficient as the gas ones; the difference in energy efficiency isn’t very much though and may even be negated due to difference #1.

By: Glenn Hubbers

Glenn Hubbers — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:03:44 +0000

@Robert McClelland Robert, I'd be very interested in hearing from someone who has one of these units to hear actual user experience. All the units that I've used are gas fired, but I'm really curious about the electric.

By: Glenn Hubbers

Glenn Hubbers — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:00:37 +0000

@janfromthebruce There are quite a number of Ontario vendors. I bought mine through Home Hardware, but I've also seen different brands in Home Depot, Rona, etc.

By: janfromthebruce

janfromthebruce — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:41:51 +0000

We have an propane tankless water heater install in house – as we have an older home. It’s the best. It takes up less space and we save lots of money.

Thanks Robert for showing the tankless electric water heater. I inherited a cottage and the old hot water tank is going to go soon. I talked to the electric guys who open and close the cottage and they thought that it wouldn’t be worth the expense of installing a tankless propane heater, and didn’t realize (and nor did they) that they also can be used with electric heat.

Now to find someone in Ontario who sells this product!

By: Robert McClelland

Robert McClelland — Sun, 31 May 2009 15:12:01 +0000

@Robert Grimwood
In an older home you might want to look at something like this. You can install a couple of them where needed instead of trying to reconfigure half the plumbing system.
http://www.airdelights.com/instant_flow_micro.html

By: Glenn Hubbers

Glenn Hubbers — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:02:32 +0000

@Robert Grimwood Rob, of course you know I'd happily consult with you on it so you get the benefit of what I learned by trial and error.

By: Robert Grimwood

Robert Grimwood — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:53:55 +0000

Thanks Glenn. We’re considering a tankless heater for our new house, but it would be a retro-fit to an older home so the information you’ve provided is helpful. Not sure which way we’re going to go yet.