The post whore thread.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

Irving - I like tankless water heaters. Our water temperature is cold here in Colorado, so I would not recommend anything less than 199,xxx btu. If you go smaller than that the rate of flow to the faucets and etc could be limited. They are very expensive when done correctly(proper gas line size, venting, isolation valves etc) and require yearly maintenance. The flushing of the heat exchanger is easy if the tank was properly installed and can be done by the home owner. The last tankless I sold I charged $4200. This made sense to him because his house was built with high efficiency equipment and couldn't go with a minimum efficiency tank(he had plastic pvc venting not metal). So the high efficiency ranked water heater was around $2600 and would last probably 8-10 years, the tankless was $4200 and should last 20.

As far as catastrophic failure, I've never seen one do any damage like a tank water heater when they go.

[Great-Kazoo]

What's the average monthly cost per Kw hr? versus a standard electric hot water heater? We've compared initial price to buy versus cost to operate over our gas hot water heater. The initial investment didn't save us over the long run.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

I'm not sure. But electric is more expensive to operate than gas.

Remember they burn gas to make electricity...

[OldFogey]

What are the venting requirements? I've been told you need a 6" vent and it needs to be run at a 45 degree angle. Is this correct?

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

For Rheem tankless I use a two pipe system, 3"centratherm. Centratherm is a much safer venting material than pvc. Centratherm will not break down over time, won't leak, and is much more dependable than pvc. Polypropylene pipe.

[Erni]

OldFogey, minimum 3" and max pipe length limited to a number specified by vendor. Bends count against length. Stepping up to 4" pipe increases length.
Just went through this and would need 4" piprs based on where my heater is. Went conventional at that point.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

OldFogey, minimum 3" and max pipe length limited to a number specified by vendor. Bends count against length. Stepping up to 4" pipe increases length.
Just went through this and would need 4" piprs based on where my heater is. Went conventional at that point.

4" for a high efficiency or tankless water heater, or a standard efficiency tank?

[spyder]

You guys have made my random ass thread boring..... I stay away for years to come back to water heater shit? Really? Damn........ J/K

[HoneyBadger]

You guys have made my random ass thread boring..... I stay away for years to come back to water heater shit? Really? Damn........ J/K

HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY WELCOME BACK!!!!!!

[Irving]

You guys have made my random ass thread boring..... I stay away for years to come back to water heater shit? Really? Damn........ J/K

Well.....spice that shit up son!