On 27 Dec 2004 09:34:51 -0800, "Mike" wrote:

Our current tank heater is about 2 feet from the wall so I figure
sweating in a few elbows and maybe 10 feet of copper tube and a few
feet of electrical isn't going to cost me $50 for an install. Not sure
how they come up with those installation charges, but the labor could
be the bulk of it. I don't think they would really "Have" to be wall
mounted if your current unit sits in the middle of a room. Just make a
little mock-up mounting platform and mount it to that if you want it to
remain in the same area.
The big problems are with electric you need to run very heavy cable
and probably will need a new service. With gas you'll probably need
larger diameter gas pipe and a different regulator to feed it. That's
the problem with on-demand heaters, they demand a lot of energy at
once.