"jim rozen" wrote in message
...
In article Gndtf.30$uv.5@trnddc06, Ivan Vegvary says...

My propane supplier said that I should have gone with a "tankless" heater
instead of the ordinary (heavy duty) tank type water heater. Claims the
savings would be tremendous by not keeping 50 gallons hot, on tap 24/7.

Unless I'm missing something here, it doesn't cost anything to keep
50 gallons of water hot. Any losses from the tank to the surrounding
area will show up as heat in the area where the tank is. And seeing
as that's the idea of the radiant heat in the first place (to
actually heat the building) I can't see where the 'tremendous'
savings would come from.

Does this guy want to sell you a tankless heater, by any chance?

:^)

Jim
Excellent point Jim!! While my tank sits in the 'unheated' area of the
shop, you are right, heat loss normally would add to the ambient unless its
summer and you don't want the heat. I did not think of your good point.
No, he doesn't sell these units. I looked into them because you see them
all over Europe most often just a small unit sitting on the bathroom wall.
You turn on the hot water in the lav and it scares the bejeezus out of you
when the tankless fires up, flames and all. Supposed to be tremendous
savings.

Ivan