Tankless water heater - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

CedarMeter · 12-31-2015, 09:49 AM

Does anyone own one? How are they?. Is it true you never run out of hot water?. Was thinking of getting one and just want some feed back. Thanks.

Peanut · 12-31-2015, 09:53 AM

We have one and don't like it. It's true you don't run out of hot water. But it often takes forever to get hot water, so you end up wasting wasting a bunch of water waiting for it to get hot all.the.time.

CedarMeter · 12-31-2015, 09:56 AM

How long is the water running before it heats up? Couple mins?

Hanni · 12-31-2015, 09:56 AM

I pretty much dislike ours, yes you don't run out of hot water so for multiple people showering etc it works good.

I hate that you have to run water for a quite a while before hot water finally comes out, if you turn off the tap for a minute or 2 repeat that process. So you either leave the tap running (while doing dishes for example) or continually wait for hot water to come back. I especially find while shaving there are times it takes forever (a few minutes) for hot water to come back, I assume this has something to do with a rest period for the unit?

This makes me question how much hot water is actually getting into things like the dishwasher and wash machine which don't draw for very long and also if it's much better to be wasting all this water waiting for hot to come out of the tap vs the natural gas savings.

Maybe our builder just put in an inferior brand or something but that's my experience.

Hanni · 12-31-2015, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CedarMeter

How long is the water running before it heats up? Couple mins?

I would say it's typically no more than 30 seconds - 1 minute, but like I said it seems like if it kicks on and off a couple of times in a short period the time it takes gets quite long.

CedarMeter · 12-31-2015, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hanni

I pretty much dislike ours, yes you don't run out of hot water so for multiple people showering etc it works good.

I hate that you have to run water for a quite a while before hot water finally comes out, if you turn off the tap for a minute or 2 repeat that process. So you either leave the tap running (while doing dishes for example) or continually wait for hot water to come back. I especially find while shaving there are times it takes forever (a few minutes) for hot water to come back, I assume this has something to do with a rest period for the unit?

This makes me question how much hot water is actually getting into things like the dishwasher and wash machine which don't draw for very long and also if it's much better to be wasting all this water waiting for hot to come out of the tap vs the natural gas savings.

Maybe our builder just put in an inferior brand or something but that's my experience.

How old is your model?

Hanni · 12-31-2015, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CedarMeter

How old is your model?

3 years, I can't remember the model off the top of my head. I'm no expert but have heard that Rinnai are very good so maybe you can find a good one without these issues. Not sure if there's any plumbers on CP who would chime in.

Howdy · 12-31-2015, 10:23 AM

We have had a Rannai for about 6 years and we love it! We also did the set up as recommended by the plumbing company so we have a holding tanks and some infrared sensors that are in both upstairs bathrooms that activate pumps so we have hot water within 10 seconds. Only issue we did have initially is that we had to install a filter system prior to the Rannai due to the little filter in the unit becoming plugged. Plumber installed this free of charge when we ran into the issues and we have had zero issues since. I clean the filter of sedimentation once a year and that's it.

scotty2hotty · 12-31-2015, 10:25 AM

I have a buddy who installs them. Says it's a tankless profession.

FleuryFan89 · 12-31-2015, 10:30 AM

It's true you never run out of water. You could shower for 5 hours and still have hot water.
They are providing a continuous feed of hot water the second you turn on the tap. However that hot water is starting out at the tank less unit so if your tank less unit is in one corner of the basement and you are trying to feed you bathroom on the top floor on the other corner of the house. It will take a bit of time to get the hot water.

Having a recirculation line with a tank less unit is a huge help in solving that problem.
But there are many variables. How the water lines are run, type and size of unit. Making sure it is installed correctly
(Happens more often then you would think)
Undersized gaslines are one of the biggest issues.

Also not all brands and models are created equal.

That being said I would have one in my house if I could afford to put one in.

zamler · 12-31-2015, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

I have a buddy who installs them. Says it's a tankless profession.

Your buddy won't be going into the entertainment biz anytime soon.

bc-chris · 12-31-2015, 10:39 AM

we have one (rinnai) and personally i do like it

it does take a a little bit to get hot water - but that depends a lot on what tap i use. the tap in my games room is fairly close to the tankless unit and there is hot water pretty quick (10-15 seconds). if i turn on a tap up stairs in the ensuite (which is up 2 floors and at the other end of the house) it seems like it takes forever.... but that being said, the hot water has to travel from the unit to the tap and the 'travel time' would be the same if it was a hot water tank.

one draw back with tankless units is that they only turn on after a certain flow rate. get below that flow rate and they turn off - so if you want just a trickle of hot water you're out of luck

i like the fact that i'm not paying to keep a tank of water hot and i like that when we have company everyone can have a shower and we don't run out of water

Locke · 12-31-2015, 11:45 AM

My parents got a Rinnai and pretty much hate it.

There is no cost savings of any kind because of the amount of energy it uses and the amount of water it wastes.

So yes, its true that you 'never run out of hot water' which is awesome in case you decide to channel your inner Cosmo Kramer and choose to live in your shower, but otherwise its a real pain in the ass.

As others have said the water takes forever to heat up and doesnt get as hot as a normal water tank.

Kjesse · 12-31-2015, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

I have a buddy who installs them. Says it's a tankless profession.

This is so bad it deserves a quote. Probably a perma-ban also. And seppuku https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku

bc-chris · 12-31-2015, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locke

My parents got a Rinnai and pretty much hate it.

There is no cost savings of any kind because of the amount of energy it uses and the amount of water it wastes.

So yes, its true that you 'never run out of hot water' which is awesome in case you decide to channel your inner Cosmo Kramer and choose to live in your shower, but otherwise its a real pain in the ass.

As others have said the water takes forever to heat up and doesnt get as hot as a normal water tank.

Locke - get them to check the unit - there should be an adjustable temperature control on it. i know ours gets almost scalding hot if you want. one downer is i think the unit resets after it loses power - so if the power goes out you have to put it back to the temp you like

Locke · 12-31-2015, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bc-chris

Locke - get them to check the unit - there should be an adjustable temperature control on it. i know ours gets almost scalding hot if you want. one downer is i think the unit resets after it loses power - so if the power goes out you have to put it back to the temp you like

Yeah I know, its not at my house its at my parents' place, they got it set to the max 120.

FleuryFan89 · 12-31-2015, 12:26 PM

Most units that say the max heat is 120
Actually have the ability to be changed to a max of 140 on their commercial setting
Which can be changed with the dip switches or programing
Depending in brand, model etc...

Locke · 12-31-2015, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FleuryFan89

Most units that say the max heat is 120
Actually have the ability to be changed to a max of 140 on their commercial setting
Which can be changed with the dip switches or programing
Depending in brand, model etc...

I'm not hacking a water heater.

Fuzz · 12-31-2015, 12:33 PM

Looking at my utility bill, water costs more than gas at this point(if you remove all the fixed costs). I'd rather pay the extra gas bill to keep it warm than the wasted water. I've used them plenty in Europe when renting places, and really hate that you pretty much have to go full blast to get hot, and that it takes so long to get hot. The only benefit is the small size.

I think if I did have one, I'd get additional small electric units that go under the sink for an extra boost before the main one gets water to where you need it. I heard that is a good way to go. May as well burn, gas, electricity and water all in one shot!

Barnet Flame · 12-31-2015, 12:35 PM

One of the few benefits of living in our pokey little maisonette in London is that we don't have any of the issues mentioned above. We had ours installed at the end of August. The water pressure and temperature are both excellent.

At the same time as getting the boiler installed we had mixer taps put in. The tap situation in the UK has annoyed the hell out of me since we moved here. Why would anyone want fricken seperate hot and cold water taps?