On Aug 24, 2:01*am, terry wrote:
On Aug 23, 11:11*pm, Claude Hopper
wrote:
RepairNovice wrote:
On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:56:24 -0400, Claude Hopper
wrote:
Thanks Claude for your input.
My 50 gal. tank also started leaking a few weeks ago.
It was about 10 years old and as I mentioned I've been renting.
They replaced it with another 50 gal. tank but I'm not happy with it.
For some reason (I haven't figured it out yet) the replacement tank
can be heard all throughout the house when the water is heating up.
I could never hear the original tank unless I was in the furnace room..
So when I ask the company to come back I thought I'd look into getting
a 40 gal. tank instead, for cost savings.
Are point of use tankless water heaters costly? Can they be installed
in any house?
Thanks!
I paid $144.00 each for my tankless heaters and installed them myself.
They are 25 amps so you need to run 30 amp line to each unit plus plumbing.
I replaced a 40 gallon tank that started leaking with a 20 gallon and
had all the hot water I needed for showers and dish washing. I too live
by my self.
Then I moved and had hot water off the boiler coil. That thing ran 10 or
15 times a day even if I didn't use any hot water. So I shut that off
and installed 2 point of use tankless water heaters and don't regret it
a bit. They only run when you actually use them. One for the bathroom
sink and shower and another for the kitchen sink. I love this. The
longer you use it the hotter it gets.
--
Claude Hopper *? 3 * * 
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It's nice to hear that you are well satisfied with tankless hot water
heaters.
There is another do it your self group that frequently has questions
and complaints about them but it also criticises and decries our North
American practice of having a hot water storage tank either heated,
electrically, by gas or from a heating furnace.
230 x 25 amps = 5750 watts. And they only use electricity while water
is being used.
And that is going to supply hot water in sufficient quantity to do
exactly what? He's got one tank type now that supplies his entire
house. With typical incoming water temps in winter in most parts of
the US, 5750watts isn't going to supply enough hot water for even a
decent shower.
Which is why you rarely, if ever, see an electric tankless used as a
whole house solution. If you have gas available, then it's another
story.
Another questionable notion is the idea that the heat loss from a
water heater is less important because it goes to help heat the house
in winter. I think in general, this is simply false. First, much
of the heat loss in a gas heater is up the flue. Second, the heat
that escapes the insulated surfaces of the tank, would go entirely
toward helping heat the house, IF the tank were in the living space.
Don't know about you, but I rarely see water heaters sitting in the
kitchen. Usually, they are in the basement or garage. Let's say
it's in an unfinished basement area, close to an outside wall as they
are usually installed. I'd venture that the amount of the escaping
heat that makes any impact on the energy usage of the house is tiny
compared with the heat that is lost in the basement to the surrounding
walls, etc.
And even if the tank was in the living space, somehow the fact that
this heat is working against you when you have AC running never gets
mentioned.
In short, to the OP, from your water usage situation, I see nothing
wrong with going with a 40 gal unit. That is a very popular size for
homes without the need for large amounts of hot water. Many homes
have them and are not running out of hot water. Besides the initial
cost being less, whatever you save on your energy, every little bit
helps.
As pointed out you required 30 amp wiring; and 30 amp double pole
circuit breakers to connect them. That's only 10 AWG IIRC. *Not hard
to do usually; but occasionally requires 'bunching up' things
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