Weekend warrior: Is tankless water heater the future?
Special To the Bee
Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, June 18, 2005

My husband and I bought a 20-plus-year-old condominium that is all
electric. We inherited a standard electric 50-gallon hot water tank
that is over 10 years old and seems to be failing.

We have done some research on replacement hot water tanks and systems,
with an eye toward longevity as well as the primary goal of generous
amounts of ready hot water at a reasonable cost. We are seriously
thinking about putting in a tankless hot water system. We are told by
the manufacturer that it will afford us instant and unending hot water
at an economical price, we will gain an extra closet where the old
tank was, and that this is the equipment of the future.

We are told by the naysayers that it will not heat quickly or hot
enough, that we will incur a great fire danger due to the current
needed to run through old electrical wires, that no one knows how to
install them properly or how long they'll last, and that they may be
good for gas-powered installations but not for electric-powered
installations. We talked to people at SMUD, and they were
noncommittal, saying they didn't know much about them.

Can you tell me what is known about tankless hot water systems?

- Mrs. Lewis Rosenberg
via e-mail

A: Yes, tankless water heaters are becoming more common, says Vince
McDonald of McDonald Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in
Sacramento. "I am not sure to what extent that builders are going to
tankless water heaters but certainly it is a growing trend.

"Retrofitting from a standard tank type of heater to a tankless unit
does require additional work and expense. The gas models have the
capacity to deliver quite a bit more GPM (gallons per minute) than the
electric models.

"I know of no electrical hazards when it comes to a tankless electric
water heater that is properly installed to current building codes,"
says McDonald. "However, in the Sacramento area, electric tankless
water heaters are rare and only lately have we gotten any interest in
them. As a result, I have no track record with them."

McDonald says that after researching tankless heaters on the internet
he has discovered that they require a great amount of power. Many
units require more power than most people's present electric panel is
capable of providing, he says.

After you have selected a model you think will supply your needed GPM
delivery of hot water, call a licensed electrician to size up your
electric panel to make sure you have the electrical capacity for the
larger demand that a tankless electric water heater requires, he
recommends.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifest...13919093c.html


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