Hello,

    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large tank 
down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a day?"
     Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim 

Jimi <u...@nospamhere.net> wrote:
> Hello,
>
>    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come
> and rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my
> existing Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water
> heating system. We don't have a family living here only my wife and I
> and we're both away through the day working .....so the hot water
> demand is only morning and evenings. It makes sense when he explains
> it. He says "why have a large tank down there heating water 24/7 when
>     your demand is about an hour a day?" Are there any disadvantages
> to this tankless system? Does anybody here have one that would care to 
> comment?  Thanks.. Jim

Some people love them, some hate them. Nothing is perfect and nothing is 
worthless. However, before condeming tank water heaters, your "consultant" 
should have explained the difference between an old style low efficiency 
tank heater that you probably have, and a high efficiency tank heater and 
those inbetween. High efficiency water heaters just sip the gas and can 
supply continuous hot water similar to a tankless yet still have the reserve 
of a tank of hot water available. 

"Jimi" <u...@nospamhere.net> wrote in message 
news:S...@posted.sasktel...
> Hello,
>
>    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
> rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
> Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
> We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
> through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
> evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large 
> tank down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a 
> day?"
>     Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
> have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim

Your existing tank isn't heating the water 24/7. It heats it to the set 
point, then turns off. The tank is pretty well insulated and will hold the 
heat fairly well. The heater only kick on for short periods to maintain the 
set point. The tankless method requires lots of energy for the period when 
hot water is being used, then sits idle. There is probably some savings, but 
I doubt it's huge
>
> 

On Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:37:01 -0600, "Jimi" <u...@nospamhere.net>
wrote:

>Hello,
>
>    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
>rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
>Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
>We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
>through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
>evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large tank 
>down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a day?"
>     Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
>have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim 
>

About the only way to really make this hit home is the hard way. Go to
your water heater and sit there for 24 hrs. Watch how much it DOESNT
run! Then call the guy back up that came to give you this so called
house efficiency rating and call him the uninformed hack he is.
Nothing wrong with tankless but if you are purchasing one to save
money by increasing efficiency you have to understand the whole
picture.
Bubba

On Apr 22, 3:37=A0pm, "Jimi"  wrote:
> Hello,
>
> =A0 =A0 I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come =
and
> rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existin=
g
> Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system.
> We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away
> through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and
> evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large t=
ank
> down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a day?"
> =A0 =A0 =A0Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anyb=
ody here
> have one that would care to comment? =A0Thanks.. Jim

Actually because you have such low usage, it will take you all that
much longer to recoup the cost.  I would think high usage would make a
better argument for spending the money on a tankless system by
replacing a perfectly good tank prematurely.  At least I'd wait until
you HAVE to replace the current tank (at 11 year point depending on
your water corrosiveness).  Then at least you can subtract a new tank
cost from the new tankless cost and start your recouping from there.

"Jimi" <u...@nospamhere.net> wrote in message 
news:S...@posted.sasktel...
> Hello,
>
>    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
> rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
> Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
> We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
> through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
> evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large 
> tank down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a 
> day?"
>     Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
> have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim
>

My water heater died about a month ago and I took a quick look at tankless 
before I bought a new gas tank style.

If you and the wife only take showers and your winter ground temp is warm 
then you might break-even on the extra cost in 10 years.

If your winter ground temps are low you should really study the temp rise 
factor.   How much a tankless system can raise the incoming water temp.

They work for some people and they don't for others.  I prefer clean dishes 
from the dishwasher and a Jacuzzi full of hot water for my aching back in 
the cooler months.


-- 
Colbyt
Please come visit  www.househomerepair.com

"Jimi" <u...@nospamhere.net> wrote in message 
news:S...@posted.sasktel...
> Hello,
>
>    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
> rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
> Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
> We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
> through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
> evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large 
> tank down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a 
> day?"
>     Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
> have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim
>
Main disadvantage to me is the high cost to install them and replace them 
when they go bad. especially if it is an old house with the tank already 
installed.
If you are in an area that looses power, the small 5 KW class generator will 
heat the water in a tank.

"Jimi" <u...@nospamhere.net> wrote in message 
news:S...@posted.sasktel...
> Hello,
>
>    I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
> rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
> Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
> We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
> through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
> evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large 
> tank down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a 
> day?"
>     Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
> have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim

A well insulated tank has minimal loss over the course of a day. Do you hear 
it turn on often when water is not used? Probably not.  Some tanks will only 
drop 6 to 10 degrees in a day, using little energy to maintain a reservoir 
of heated water. In the case of heating season, there is no loss if you are 
heating that portion of the house anyway.  So, your have to figure payback 
on only six months a year.

Price out one of the tankless models and the cost of installation.  Then you 
will think that what he says makes little, if any, sense.  Then go enjoy a 
nice beverage knowing that you are really rather efficient and cost 
effective with what you have. 

Jimi wrote:
> Hello,
> 
>     I just had a person that rates houses for energy efficiency come and 
> rate our house. One of his suggestions he made was to pull out my existing 
> Gas fired hot water tank and install a Tankless hot water heating system. 
> We don't have a family living here only my wife and I and we're both away 
> through the day working .....so the hot water demand is only morning and 
> evenings. It makes sense when he explains it. He says "why have a large tank 
> down there heating water 24/7 when your demand is about an hour a day?"
>      Are there any disadvantages to this tankless system? Does anybody here 
> have one that would care to comment?  Thanks.. Jim 
> 
> 
Hi,
Afew friends who had one installed went back to old tanks in frustration.

On 2009-04-23, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:

> A well insulated tank has minimal loss over the course of a day. 

The thing about a typical gas water heater is that it has a chimney
going up the middle of the tank, which is obviously not insulated
because it is part of the heat transfer path when the burner is
running.  So you get significantly more standby losses from a gas
water heater tank than from an electric water heater tank.

For example, with an 80% efficient burner, a gas water heater will
have an Energy Factor (which includes the standby losses) of
0.60-0.65.  So the standby losses are 15%-20%.  By comparison an
electric tank water heater can have an energy factor of over 0.95, so
the standby losses are less than 5%.

Cheers, Wayne