Thanks alot Robert for clearing my thoughts up. I needed to hear it
from someone that actually knows whats going on
Talking to some of those people in home depot,lowe's, etc. are too busy
as these stores have only one person covering 3-4 different sections
answering questions/phones and working at the same time. I called a few
different stores to find out from different workers and knowledge does
range but all were very busy especially on the weekend. Getting a clear
answer is tough sometimes. Thanks again I now know what unit I want and
it was the correct one I thought "the powerstream".
Robert Allison wrote:
Spider wrote:
Ok Ive been checking into these now and would like to have hot water
for washing hands only. I have a few questions on them though.

Ive been looking at the PowerStream Ae12
(http://www.tanklesswaterheatersdirec...treamIndex.htm)
for under the sink,
The ariston 4
gl(http://www.tanklesswaterheatersdirec...istonIndex.htm)
for under the sink and a
GE 2.5 gallon water
heater(http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...20308985-22733)
for under the sink.
I understand the Ariston 4gl would have to be plugged into the wall
full time so it can heat and keep the stored 4gl water hot. It has a
1500 element which sounds like its going to be pricey in my electric
bill if left on all the time and if plugged in when only needed it'll
take alot longer to heat the water and end up using a lot of
electricity.

The powerstream ae12 appears to be the cheapest at $169.00 and sounds a
bit pricey for hook up with 8 gauge wire and 2 breakers but for a one
time cost of installation and the way I understood it to operate would
be the better choice as the hot water is only heated when you turn on
the water. When the water isnt on there is no electricity being used.
Please correct me if I read it wrong. Also at 240v's how would I
determine a size breaker I would need? Any formulas for this?

I just heard about the Ge 2.5 gl water heater but the guy at home depot
said its better than the tankless.It'll use less electricity. To me it
sounds similar to the ariston 4 gl as the ge has 1440 watts and plugs
in as well.Not to mention it holds less water in the tank. So to my
knowledge it would cost roughly the same in electricity use to keep the
water warm just as the ariston.

It sounded to me that the smaller powerstream under the sink type
tankless water heaters were more cost efficient in usage as it only
uses electricity to warm the water when the hot water is in use. Is the
powerstream ae12 giving you 12 gallons per hour?
The units are priced near the $180 mark and under except for the
aristone that was $129.
Anyone know any different? Am I reading between the lines correctly?


The tankless water heaters only use electricity (except for a
tiny amount) when you turn on the hot water faucet. The one
with the tank will use electricity to keep its tank of water
hot all of the time. So, if you put in GE 2.5, it will
continuously keep the water hot. If you leave for 3 weeks, it
will keep the water hot for you all 3 weeks.

The others will come on when you turn on the hot water and
turn off when you turn off the water. So it will use no
electricity for the 3 weeks you are gone. Or at night, or
whenever you are not using water.

IOW, the tankless is much more efficient on electrical use.

The Ariston is just a water heater with a small tank so that
you have hot water instantly. It is for use for areas that
are far from the water heater and take a long time for the
water from the hot water spigot to get to the fixture. It
only has enough hot water to last until the hot water from the
big water heater gets to the fixture. You will not be happy
with this one.

With the Powerstream, you will never run out of hot water.

With the Ariston, you will run out of hot water in less than a
minute.

With the tanked heater, you will run out of hot water in about
10 minutes.

YMMV, depending upon your water pressure, the size of your
pipes, etc.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX