Greatest invention ever. I’ve had one in my Arlinghaus’s home for 9 years. Mine is gas. I’ve had it serviced every 24 months. The service costs about $100. I’ve been told if it is serviced regularly it should last 20-25 years. Ther service consists of them flushing it out, cleaning it, takes about an hour. The brand that cane with my house is a Rinnai. 4 people in my home. Gas bill in the summer, when it’s my only gas appliance running is about $10-12.

Really, I would not have thought that at all considering where you live.

 

Our water is drawn from the lake and treated. Most hard water that I've had, came from municipal water wells in Central Indiana.

Our water is drawn from the lake and treated. Most hard water that I've had, came from municipal water wells in Central Indiana.

 

Our water comes from a lake, is treated and harder than a cement brick, lol.

Our water comes from a lake, is treated and harder than a cement brick, lol.

 

Maybe going over Cumberland Falls softens ours. :lol2:

1. Yes they do last longer...expect up to 20 years of service.

2. I'm not sure about special wiring, but they do need to be wired, they do require special venting. Installation is not an easy DIY project for most people.

3. Yes there is a wait short wait for hot water to start flowing. Since they heat on demand, there's only cold water sitting ready to go when you turn on the tap.

 

Some other things to keep in mind---

1. Make sure you get a unit that's big enough to handle your demand. If you want to do dishes, laundry and take a shower at the same time, you'll need a unit that can handle that. And a bigger unit means more expensive.

2. Hard water destroys tankless heaters pretty quickly.

3. Repairs are expensive and mostly not able to be done by the homeowner.

 

My in-laws have one, and haven't noticed a huge savings in their energy bills. They don't need huge capacity since they don't use tons of hot water, so they were able to get away with a smaller, less expensive unit. But overall, after a few years, they don't really think the benefits justify the higher initial costs.

 

I've not ever had one personally, but I've installed LOTS of them on my projects. I think @rjs4470 gave you a lot of the good basics about them.

 

As for your in-laws saying they haven't noticed a huge savings on their energy bills, most of the electricians and plumbers I've talked to who have installed any number of them tend to say that the tankless heaters don't really offer any energy savings...and if you don't get the right one for your specific plumbing situation, there's even a potential for your energy bill to go up a little.

 

They're definitely not a DIY project. They need to be installed professionally, wired up professionally, and often times people's electrical services are not sufficient for them. Also, like rjs4470 said, repairs and servicing is expensive are not DIY friendly at all.

 

Even if you think your water is soft, you need to have a water sample from your house evaluated ahead of time. A professional plumber should either be able to do that themselves, or refer you to someone who can.

 

They absolutely last longer than water heaters, by upwards of 10 years, assuming you have the right set-up installed in your house. If you're over-taxing your tankless system, then it's obviously going to shorten its life.

 

From my experience, if getting hot water out of the faucet is priority then you're better off putting in multiple smaller units for areas of the house. One for the kitchen, one for the bathrooms or even each bathroom depending on your home's layout.

Edited March 20, 20188 yr by Colonels_Wear_Blue

I've not ever had one personally, but I've installed LOTS of them on my projects. I think @rjs4470 gave you a lot of the good basics about them.

 

As for your in-laws saying they haven't noticed a huge savings on their energy bills, most of the electricians and plumbers I've talked to who have installed any number of them tend to say that the tankless heaters don't really offer any energy savings...and if you don't get the right one for your specific plumbing situation, there's even a potential for your energy bill to go up a little.

 

They're definitely not a DIY project. They need to be installed professionally, wired up professionally, and often times people's electrical services are not sufficient for them. Also, like rjs4470 said, repairs and servicing is expensive are not DIY friendly at all.

 

Even if you think your water is soft, you need to have a water sample from your house evaluated ahead of time. A professional plumber should either be able to do that themselves, or refer you to someone who can.

 

They absolutely last longer than water heaters, by upwards of 10 years, assuming you have the right set-up installed in your house. If you're over-taxing your tankless system, then it's obviously going to shorten its life.

 

From my experience, if getting hot water out of the faucet is priority then you're better off putting in multiple smaller units for areas of the house. One for the kitchen, one for the bathrooms or even each bathroom depending on your home's layout.

 

That's what our plumber recommended, and that's what we did.

In short, most people I know who have them or have had experience with them think the tankless systems aren't what they supposedly are cracked up to be. I don't have one personally but I probably wouldn't get one either just going by what people have told me.

I've had them, and I am about ready to install another one in a rental house. Gas is the cheapest to operate in my experience. If you're going with one for the whole house, expect to pay $1000.00 ++ for just the unit. Maintenance is key to the life of them. You can You Tube how to do it yourself if you're handy at all.