Hot water heaters
Posted by Jon Pace  on March 15, 2015, 5:07 pm|
We may be in for purchasing a new LP hot-water heater, as there is a water leak inside the current outdoor storage HWH with pilot. The HWH in question supplies only the kitchen sink. All else is supplied by a second unit. Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with pilotless, tankless ("instant") hot-water heaters? How about a storage HWH, but no pilot running 24/7? If you could recommend one that would meet our modest hot-water needs (one fawcet, as mentioned, and maybe a dishwasher in future), where would we find it (or order it) to buy? Thanks in advance.
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------------------------Re: Hot water heaters
Posted by Arleen on March 15, 2015, 6:39 pm, in reply to "Hot water heaters"
201.138.176.22------------------------Re: Hot water heaters
Posted by mark on March 15, 2015, 6:54 pm, in reply to "Hot water heaters"
64.134.152.140
First of all, they are cold water heaters, not hot water heaters. If the water were already hot we wouldn't need to heat it. Second: tankless, or "on demand" water heaters do not produce "instant" hot water. They produce endless hot water, but unless you have a storage tank and a recirculating pump you will be purging much cold water from the pipe before the hot water arrives at your faucet. As your plumber I would be exploring the idea of connecting your other water heater to the pipe which supplies your kitchen faucet as your easiest remedy. Bosch is the only tankless heater manufacturer with the "hydro-spark" ignition, which uses the water flow to create the ignition spark via a small turbine generator. It does not have a standing pilot, nor does it require a dedicated electrical circuit. Also numerous manufacturers offer small "point of use" electric water heaters in both 110 volt and 240 volt which could also solve your problem by simply installing it under the kitchen sink... but you need power to it.
http://www.amazon.com/EcoSmart-ECO-11-Modulating-Technology/dp/B001LZRF9M
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Posted by Larry F on March 15, 2015, 8:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Hot water heaters"
187.148.174.124
Semantics aside, I have tried my luck with the so called "on demand" tanks. The first one, a Cinza, had a pilot light and a small tank that provided a "start up" flow if hot water. It used a fair bit of propane because the pilot was always on, but otherwise was quite efficient. The problem was that the flow of hot water was sometimes eratic ..... hot, cold, hot. The ignition crapped out in 2 years.
Next I bought a Bosch at Home Depot. Good German technology, right? Wrong! Don't buy one. I paid over $300 for mine, which required a pressure tank to run it. For over $400 you can get one to run on low pressure systems. This unit was tankless (no rusted out tank) and no pilot light ( no pilot light to burn excessive fuel). What a concept?
Problem was it produced no hot water unless you ran the hot water tap at full throttle. Biggest problem, though, was that the whole burner/ ignition unit packed it in after 4 months use. It was under warranty, however, and Bosch sent somebody to fix it after 2 months of phone calls to them. In the meantime, I bought another heater. Oh, and they replaced the parts for free but charged me 800 pesos service call.
The repaired unit lasted two months. It now hangs on the wall, looking brand new, but inoperable. Meantime my 150 dollar Mexican tank produces good hot water day after day after day.
I bought my new heater from Cheli, by the way. Why support Home Depot and the crap rhey sell?
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Posted by Rob Boyes on March 15, 2015, 8:27 pm, in reply to "Re: Hot water heaters"
187.148.41.140|
We have a small (8 tube) solar water heater on the roof. It works great. Plenty of hot water, although today, not so much. But..... No moving parts , no flame, no pilot, no gas. It wasn't cheap , but I believe they are getting cheaper.
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Posted by Jon Pace on March 15, 2015, 9:20 pm, in reply to "Re: Hot water heaters"|
Thanks, Mark. First, they ARE called hot water heaters by the industry that makes them. Second, Google "tankless hot water heaters" and you will find that they are also called "instant hot water heaters" by the people who make and sell them. But you are telling me to ignore their terminology?
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Posted by mark on March 16, 2015, 7:59 am, in reply to "Re: Hot water heaters"
64.134.62.61|
Sorry Jon. I'm just a plumber who installs and repairs this stuff every day. Good luck with your problem.
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