I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank would
never fit in crawl space). The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with 2
adults and 2 small children living there. Is it feasible to install? Is
there anything else I should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

On Jul 21, 8:23�am, "Stormlady" wrote:
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. �I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. �Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. �I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank would
never fit in crawl space). �The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with 2
adults and 2 small children living there. �Is it feasible to install? �Is
there anything else I should consider? �Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? �This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

125 amp is totally inadquate. figure 200 amp for tankless electric
just for heating water.

is you home electric heat? your post isnt clear.

nearly no one who converts to tankless electric is happy with the
results

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks
there's going to be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the
floor below. Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini
levels/split level in a townhouse) and the location of the plumbing,
there's nowhere else to put the boiler so I was considering getting one of
the tankless systems. I think this could be installed in the crawl space
under the 2nd level, (tank would never fit in crawl space). The house is
currently wired with 125 amp service providing electric heat for 1200
square feet of living space with 2 adults and 2 small children living
there. Is it feasible to install? Is there anything else I should
consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of these? This is my first house
and I've owned it less than a week, so I know nothing about anything when
it comes to home renos/installs....


You will probably need more than 125 amps just for the tankless water
heater. Gas is not an option? If you are only concerned about flood damage
get a plumber to install a pan under the current water heater. There
probably is a drain line for the temperature pressure relief valve which can
be connected to the pan.

wrote in message
...
On Jul 21, 8:23?am, "Stormlady" wrote:
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. ?I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. ?Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going
to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in
a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put
the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. ?I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank
would
never fit in crawl space). ?The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with
2
adults and 2 small children living there. ?Is it feasible to install? ?Is
there anything else I should consider? ?Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? ?This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I
know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

125 amp is totally inadquate. figure 200 amp for tankless electric
just for heating water.

is you home electric heat? your post isnt clear.

The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with
2
adults and 2 small children living there.

nearly no one who converts to tankless electric is happy with the
results

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:53:18 -0230, "Stormlady"
wrote:

I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank would
never fit in crawl space). The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with 2
adults and 2 small children living there. Is it feasible to install? Is
there anything else I should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather


Hi Heather,

The short answer is no. Given that your home has electric heat (and
presumably all electric appliances), you would require a minimum of
200-amps.

Also note that whilst your service panel is said to be 125-amps, the
main breaker that feeds power to this panel is actually 100-amps.

Cheers,
Paul

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house
and the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on
the second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks
there's going to be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the
floor below. Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini
levels/split level in a townhouse) and the location of the plumbing,
there's nowhere else to put the boiler so I was considering getting one
of the tankless systems. I think this could be installed in the crawl
space under the 2nd level, (tank would never fit in crawl space). The
house is currently wired with 125 amp service providing electric heat for
1200 square feet of living space with 2 adults and 2 small children
living there. Is it feasible to install? Is there anything else I
should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of these? This is my
first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know nothing about
anything when it comes to home renos/installs....


You will probably need more than 125 amps just for the tankless water
heater. Gas is not an option? If you are only concerned about flood
damage get a plumber to install a pan under the current water heater.
There probably is a drain line for the temperature pressure relief valve
which can be connected to the pan.

Gas is not really an option, that would have to be a totally separate
system, running from a tank just to run the heater. I think that would end
up running way more than we could afford to install, there's no natural gas
lines where I am in Newfoundland.

It's not just the flood damage, with only 1200 sq feet, the bedroom is
rather small, around 100 sq feet so the closet being basically null is a lot
of space to lose, especially with a 3 year old. Of course the flood concern
is the major one. The boiler is about 6 years old now, so I'm sure it'll be
going soon and need to be replaced and we were looking at options to get it
out of her room. If we can't get it out of her room, and can't get the
tankless system, we'll definately have to get a pan and drain line. It
makes me very nervous in it's current location.

125 amp for all electric home is really low.

In article ,
"Stormlady" wrote:

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house
and the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on
the second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks
there's going to be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the
floor below. Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini
levels/split level in a townhouse) and the location of the plumbing,
there's nowhere else to put the boiler so I was considering getting one
of the tankless systems. I think this could be installed in the crawl
space under the 2nd level, (tank would never fit in crawl space). The
house is currently wired with 125 amp service providing electric heat for
1200 square feet of living space with 2 adults and 2 small children
living there. Is it feasible to install? Is there anything else I
should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of these? This is my
first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know nothing about
anything when it comes to home renos/installs....


You will probably need more than 125 amps just for the tankless water
heater. Gas is not an option? If you are only concerned about flood
damage get a plumber to install a pan under the current water heater.
There probably is a drain line for the temperature pressure relief valve
which can be connected to the pan.

Gas is not really an option, that would have to be a totally separate
system, running from a tank just to run the heater. I think that would end
up running way more than we could afford to install, there's no natural gas
lines where I am in Newfoundland.

It's not just the flood damage, with only 1200 sq feet, the bedroom is
rather small, around 100 sq feet so the closet being basically null is a lot
of space to lose, especially with a 3 year old. Of course the flood concern
is the major one. The boiler is about 6 years old now, so I'm sure it'll be
going soon and need to be replaced and we were looking at options to get it
out of her room. If we can't get it out of her room, and can't get the
tankless system, we'll definately have to get a pan and drain line. It
makes me very nervous in it's current location.

OK, let's see. You don't have enough power for tankless. You can't get
gas. And, as you say, there's nowhere else to put the tank. Put those
three considerations together and you are SOL, plain and simple.

Or, you could adjust your perceptions. Stop worrying about a leak. Leaks
can happen anywhere, anytime. Your toilet line could rupture, as
happened to someone here just recently. Six years isn't much on a hot
water heater. Get the pan, and put a free-standing wardrobe in the kids'
room. Yes, it's a small room in a small house. So what? You made the
babies, and you bought the house.

Another possibility: The water heater can be put anywhere. Mine's
outside, but I don't live in a townhouse. Yours could go in the garage,
or anywhere in the house. All you have to do is bring water and
electricity to it. Embrace optimism.

In article ,
"Stormlady" wrote:

"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house
and the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on
the second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks
there's going to be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the
floor below. Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini
levels/split level in a townhouse) and the location of the plumbing,
there's nowhere else to put the boiler so I was considering getting one
of the tankless systems. I think this could be installed in the crawl
space under the 2nd level, (tank would never fit in crawl space). The
house is currently wired with 125 amp service providing electric heat for
1200 square feet of living space with 2 adults and 2 small children
living there. Is it feasible to install? Is there anything else I
should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of these? This is my
first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know nothing about
anything when it comes to home renos/installs....


You will probably need more than 125 amps just for the tankless water
heater. Gas is not an option? If you are only concerned about flood
damage get a plumber to install a pan under the current water heater.
There probably is a drain line for the temperature pressure relief valve
which can be connected to the pan.

Gas is not really an option, that would have to be a totally separate
system, running from a tank just to run the heater. I think that would end
up running way more than we could afford to install, there's no natural gas
lines where I am in Newfoundland.

It's not just the flood damage, with only 1200 sq feet, the bedroom is
rather small, around 100 sq feet so the closet being basically null is a lot
of space to lose, especially with a 3 year old. Of course the flood concern
is the major one. The boiler is about 6 years old now, so I'm sure it'll be
going soon and need to be replaced and we were looking at options to get it
out of her room. If we can't get it out of her room, and can't get the
tankless system, we'll definately have to get a pan and drain line. It
makes me very nervous in it's current location.

OK, let's see. You don't have enough power for tankless. You can't get
gas. And, as you say, there's nowhere else to put the tank. Put those
three considerations together and you are SOL, plain and simple.

Or, you could adjust your perceptions. Stop worrying about a leak. Leaks
can happen anywhere, anytime. Your toilet line could rupture, as
happened to someone here just recently. Six years isn't much on a hot
water heater. Get the pan, and put a free-standing wardrobe in the kids'
room. Yes, it's a small room in a small house. So what? You made the
babies, and you bought the house.

Another possibility: The water heater can be put anywhere. Mine's
outside, but I don't live in a townhouse. Yours could go in the garage,
or anywhere in the house. All you have to do is bring water and
electricity to it. Embrace optimism.

On Jul 21, 7:23*am, "Stormlady" wrote:
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. *I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. *Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. *I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank would
never fit in crawl space). *The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with 2
adults and 2 small children living there. *Is it feasible to install? *Is
there anything else I should consider? *Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? *This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

The smallest one person whole house Bosch electric tankless is 120a,
with a complete electric house you might need well over 200a, so
forget it. 6 years is not old for a good water heater is local water
is not bad, ask neighbors how long their tanks last.

On Jul 21, 7:23*am, "Stormlady" wrote:
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. *I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. *Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. *I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank would
never fit in crawl space). *The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with 2
adults and 2 small children living there. *Is it feasible to install? *Is
there anything else I should consider? *Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? *This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

The people who sold you this residential lemon ought to be run out of
town. Whether you know it or not, from what you have described, you
are facing massive $$ to get the place civilized. Although there will
be some good advice from responders to your post, the help you likely
need goes way beyond that. Consider consulting with a qualified
architect or structural engineer to get professional advice. While the
upfront cost might seem a bit much, avoiding all the traps of shoddy
work and incompetent contractors will ultimately be more than worth
the price. Deepest sympathies and good luck.

Joe

"Joe" wrote in message
...
On Jul 21, 7:23 am, "Stormlady" wrote:
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going
to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in
a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put
the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank
would
never fit in crawl space). The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with
2
adults and 2 small children living there. Is it feasible to install? Is
there anything else I should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I
know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

The people who sold you this residential lemon ought to be run out of
town. Whether you know it or not, from what you have described, you
are facing massive $$ to get the place civilized.


I don't really understand what you mean, the only real issue with the house
is the hot water boiler location. All the houses in the row are like this,
we were just hoping to be able to move it somewhere else.


Although there will
be some good advice from responders to your post, the help you likely
need goes way beyond that. Consider consulting with a qualified
architect or structural engineer to get professional advice. While the
upfront cost might seem a bit much, avoiding all the traps of shoddy
work and incompetent contractors will ultimately be more than worth
the price. Deepest sympathies and good luck.

Joe

On Jul 21, 2:54*pm, "Stormlady" wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message

...
On Jul 21, 7:23 am, "Stormlady" wrote:





I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going
to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in
a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put
the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank
would
never fit in crawl space). The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with
2
adults and 2 small children living there. Is it feasible to install? Is
there anything else I should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I
know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

The people who sold you this residential lemon ought to be run out of
town. *Whether you know it or not, from what you have described, you
are facing massive $$ to get the place civilized.

I don't really understand what you mean, the only real issue with the house
is the hot water boiler location. *All the houses in the row are like this,
we were just hoping to be able to move it somewhere else.

*Although there will
be some good advice from responders to your post, the help you likely
need goes way beyond that. Consider consulting with a qualified
architect or structural engineer to get professional advice. While the
upfront cost might seem a bit much, avoiding all the traps of shoddy
work and incompetent contractors will ultimately be more than worth
the price. Deepest sympathies and good luck.

You may be looking at an outdoor enclosure for another tank to get
your closet back. I don't really see any other option for you save
for upgrading the electrical service *before* considering a tankless.
Based on the BTUs one of those needs i'm curious if any electric
tankless really works well, but I have no experience with them.

nate

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:53:18 -0230, "Stormlady"
wrote:

Any help appreciated
Heather

I've become a fan of tankless water heaters. I would certainly use
them on a new construction. I can't say the same for a retro install
as I haven't seen a post construction install. The folks that built
new homes (I know of three) have three units and they are "zoned".
Those folks love the systems.

Here is a help guide: (with a video)

Tankless Water Heater Buying Guide
http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:07:13 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:53:18 -0230, "Stormlady"
wrote:

Any help appreciated
Heather

I've become a fan of tankless water heaters. I would certainly use
them on a new construction. I can't say the same for a retro install
as I haven't seen a post construction install. The folks that built
new homes (I know of three) have three units and they are "zoned".
Those folks love the systems.


Meant to add the fourth house. A three TWH system was placed in
parallel (5600 sf home). The plumber was removed from the job, for
other reasons.

It cost the couple another $400.00 for material (pc board, ??) so the
system would only call on one heater at a time. When demand goes up
the middle unit turns on, and so forth.


Here is a help guide: (with a video)

Tankless Water Heater Buying Guide
http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:07:13 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:53:18 -0230, "Stormlady"
wrote:

Any help appreciated
Heather

I've become a fan of tankless water heaters. I would certainly use
them on a new construction. I can't say the same for a retro install
as I haven't seen a post construction install. The folks that built
new homes (I know of three) have three units and they are "zoned".
Those folks love the systems.


Meant to add the fourth house. A three TWH system was placed in
parallel (5600 sf home). The plumber was removed from the job, for
other reasons.

It cost the couple another $400.00 for material (pc board, ??) so the
system would only call on one heater at a time. When demand goes up
the middle unit turns on, and so forth.


Here is a help guide: (with a video)

Tankless Water Heater Buying Guide
http://www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com/

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:58:59 -0700 (PDT), N8N
wrote:

....Based on the BTUs one of those needs i'm curious if any electric
tankless really works well, but I have no experience with them.

nate

Hi Nate,

I have and the experience left me "cold", literally, and this was in
southern GA where, unlike Newfoundland, inlet temperatures are
considerably warmer.

Someone once remarked that there's a special place reserved in Hell
for 120-volt clothes dryers. It will be hopefully a few more years
before I can confirm this, but I expect it's right next to the
electric tankless water heaters.

Cheers,
Paul

On Jul 21, 7:23*am, "Stormlady" wrote:
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. *I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. *Aside from the fact that this renders her closet practically
useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks there's going to
be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the floor below.
Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini levels/split level in a
townhouse) and the location of the plumbing, there's nowhere else to put the
boiler so I was considering getting one of the tankless systems. *I think
this could be installed in the crawl space under the 2nd level, (tank would
never fit in crawl space). *The house is currently wired with 125 amp
service providing electric heat for 1200 square feet of living space with 2
adults and 2 small children living there. *Is it feasible to install? *Is
there anything else I should consider? *Is 125 amp enough to run one of
these? *This is my first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know
nothing about anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

Put a drain pan under it and a hose to the basement, put in a mains
auto shutoff incase of leaks or pipe bursts. Once I saw the effects
of a toilet breaking by itself when the homeowner was on vacation 2
days, it cost about 15000.00 in damages in the early 90s. There are
ways to protect your home with auto shut off devices

"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,


OK, let's see. You don't have enough power for tankless. You can't get
gas. And, as you say, there's nowhere else to put the tank. Put those
three considerations together and you are SOL, plain and simple.

Yeah, I know that now, but didn't originally, so that's why I asked about
it. I was hoping it was a feasible alternative, which it seems like it
isn't.


Or, you could adjust your perceptions. Stop worrying about a leak. Leaks
can happen anywhere, anytime. Your toilet line could rupture, as
happened to someone here just recently. Six years isn't much on a hot
water heater. Get the pan, and put a free-standing wardrobe in the kids'
room. Yes, it's a small room in a small house. So what? You made the
babies, and you bought the house.

6 years is actually a lot on a heater around here, generally after about 5
years and people are starting to think replacement cost because it's gonna
go soon. I guess it's something with our water, I don't know.


Another possibility: The water heater can be put anywhere. Mine's
outside, but I don't live in a townhouse. Yours could go in the garage,
or anywhere in the house. All you have to do is bring water and
electricity to it. Embrace optimism.

I wish I had a garage :-) The water heater really can't be put just
anywhere, if it could, I'd move it to the dryer/freezer room tomorrow, but
the way it's designed as a split level townhouse with 4 levels in a zig zag
sort of design, for want of a better explanation, it has to stay on that
side of the house because it's the only side that's plumbed. We've pretty
much just come to the conclusion that we're going to have to suck it up and
live with it.

In article ,
"Stormlady" wrote:

The water heater really can't be put just
anywhere, if it could, I'd move it to the dryer/freezer room tomorrow, but
the way it's designed as a split level townhouse with 4 levels in a zig zag
sort of design, for want of a better explanation, it has to stay on that
side of the house because it's the only side that's plumbed. We've pretty
much just come to the conclusion that we're going to have to suck it up and
live with it.

The dryer/freezer room sounds perfect. All you have to do is run some
plumbing over to it.

On Jul 21, 1:54*pm, "Stormlady" wrote:

snip

I don't really understand what you mean, the only real issue with the house
is the hot water boiler location. *All the houses in the row are like this,
we were just hoping to be able to move it somewhere else.

snip

To clarify, I am skeptical about the hot water problem being the only
issue with the house. It may be more factual to say that that is the
first one you are aware of. Other issues will surface over time, that
being the nature of old and unusual houses. Good ideas with
professional help can guide you through those crises.

Joe

I think what you should be looking for is several small tankless water
heaters for each hot water demand area. Not one big central one. They make
the small ones but I have no idea what they cost. They are supposed to be
popular in Europe. A friend of mine was in France and his uncle had them in
his apartment and they worked great.



"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house and
the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on the
second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks
there's going to be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the
floor below. Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini
levels/split level in a townhouse) and the location of the plumbing,
there's nowhere else to put the boiler so I was considering getting one of
the tankless systems. I think this could be installed in the crawl space
under the 2nd level, (tank would never fit in crawl space). The house is
currently wired with 125 amp service providing electric heat for 1200
square feet of living space with 2 adults and 2 small children living
there. Is it feasible to install? Is there anything else I should
consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of these? This is my first house
and I've owned it less than a week, so I know nothing about anything when
it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather

"Stormlady" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for opinions/advice on these. I've just purchased a house
and the current hot water boiler is in the closet in the child's room on
the second floor. Aside from the fact that this renders her closet
practically useless for hanging clothes, I'm concerned that if it leaks
there's going to be a huge mess with damage to her room/floor and the
floor below. Unfortunately due to the layout of the house (4 mini
levels/split level in a townhouse) and the location of the plumbing,
there's nowhere else to put the boiler so I was considering getting one
of the tankless systems. I think this could be installed in the crawl
space under the 2nd level, (tank would never fit in crawl space). The
house is currently wired with 125 amp service providing electric heat for
1200 square feet of living space with 2 adults and 2 small children
living there. Is it feasible to install? Is there anything else I
should consider? Is 125 amp enough to run one of these? This is my
first house and I've owned it less than a week, so I know nothing about
anything when it comes to home renos/installs....

Any help appreciated
Heather


Short version -- Don't do it - you'll still have a potential leak
worry.because you'll still have a water heater with its associated joints
and connection in your closet. Water leaks are likely to come from the
connections, not from rusting through the tank body.

Long version -- For an interior location like you've described, the hot
water tank (I hope it's not actually a "boiler"!) should already be sitting
in a tray to keep leaks from causing damage -- and it's probable that the
tray has its own drain, which should ease your worries about water damage --
if a fitting on the tank leaks, the water goes into the tray, and then
drains outside. Even without a separate drain, any new leak from the unit
is likely to be small at first, and retained in the tray, and you're likely
to notice the water before it ever becomes a big problem.. If your existing
hot water tank was improperly installed (ie, without a tray), your
before-sale building inspection should have uncovered that fact.

I'm not a fan of tankless water heaters, having used them for a number of
years at apartments in Asia. Tankless heaters were always considered
"low-end" and the bigger, better apartments had a conventional hot water
tank.

As you've described your situation, if you substitute a tankless unit for
the existing tank, you'll gain some closet space, but it won't get hot
water to your sinks any faster because they'll still run through a length of
cold tubing. Also, you won't have eliminated your worry about water damage,
because the tankless unit has fittings and connections that are just as
likely to leak as those of a tank. I don't like the suggestion of a series
of smaller tankless units because it means giving up cupboard space in each
kitchen or bathroom, a considerable extra expense for wiring and plumbing
each unit -- and also creates several new opportunities for leakage
problems.

I'd suggest you check on how the existing tank is installed, and if the
existing unit has been there for a long time and you're really really
concerned, buy a new one now and make sure it's installed with a proper
drain.

By the way, there are several other more serious water-damage areas with
which to be concerned, including the hoses to your washer (which may burst
after a few years of use if they are kept under pressure), leaks in/around
the disposal, blockages in the air conditioner condensate line, ice dam
problems around the gutters if you live in the north, and water intrusion
around the foundation if the property isn't sloped sufficiently.

You might ask around your townhouse neighbors if anyone has had a water tank
leak problem -- barring multiple problem statements, don't obsess over the
issue and enjoy your new home --