One idea you might want them to consider is to add a heat exchanger to the
shower drain.

See this:

http://www.gfxtechnology.com/GFX.html

Looks to me like they might be able to downsize their current gas water tank
and still have plenty of hot water.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
Jeff Wisnia wrote:


A friend who's facing replacement of a 60 gallon gas water heater asked
me what I knew about electric tankless heaters.

The "family" is two adults living in a single family house in the Boston
Area.

I've no firsthand experience with tankless heaters. The bit of stuff
I've read leads me to believe that installing a whole house tankless
unit as a replacement for their gas fired heater is very likely going to
require increasing the capacity of the electric service to their house,
along with the installation a new panel and heavier conductors from the
panel to the tankless heater location.

The incoming water supply temperature around here gets into the low 40s
during the winter, requiring a pretty powerful tankless heater in order
to raise that to a comfortable temperature for showering, even with a
low flow showerhead.

And, if one person is showering and the other starts the clothes washer
and then decides to do the dishes, things could get coolish in the
shower, huh?

I'm thinking they'll be needing at least a 125 amp 220v circuit for the
heater, which will almost certainly necessitate the electrical changes
mentioned above.

Comments from those in the know?

Jeff


Thanks guys, I think I'll tell my friend to "fughedit" and just get
another gas water heater (with tank) installed.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.