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Tankless Hot Water Heaters

I've been hearing a great deal about tankless hot water heaters and would like to know your opinion on these.  I have very hard water at my home, so I'm hoping that this new type of system may resolve some of my problems, not to mention be much more energy efficient.

Thank you, Terri in PA


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Paul
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I am a plumber and I only put it in my home because a customer, due to a miscommunication canceled his contract after it arrived. In our home the multiple usage doesn't seem to be a factor. We don't seem to operate more than one shower at a time or run the washing machine or dishwasher when we shower. One funny quirk: My daughter said her bathtub water was not hot enough which momentarily stumped me. Then I realized that the flow rate from the tub spout is much higher than from the shower head. By reducing the flow she could get the 125 degree hot water that is the controlled max on the heater. It only added a few minutes to the time necessary to fiill the tub. Incidentally, I have a yahoo group for plumbing questions which I welcome you to join.  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zelskid/

 
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Angie1313
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We recently had one installed and really loved the effiency of it.  The only minor drawback we had is that we found a small patch of mold near it.  After we called someone that did black mold removal, we didnt know if the mold was there before the heater or caused by the heater.
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Hi Angie, Thanks so much for responding to my questions and sharing your experience with us.  Mold can be a real concern, so I will definitely keep this in mind when consulting with the water heater manufacturers.
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Paul
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Gas or electric? I installed one myself in my home. The plumbing is easy. The tank requires much more amperage than a storage tank. Upside: saved storage space and elimination of standby loss. Downsides: Price, electrical work needed, and inability to run 2 fixture simultaneously. My 11.k unit can't keep up with 2 simultaneous usages. Larger more expensive units are available. Assuming hiring out the job, would it be worth 1200 bucks to save maybe $8 per month?
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Thanks for your input, Paul.  The ability to keep up with hot water demand is a concern, which you helped to answer.  We can't get natural gas in our rural location, so an electrical unit would have to be the type we would need, so it sounds like the savings on electricity wouldn't be that great.
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Thanks for the great info, Paul, as well as the link to your site.  Since we do operate our dishwasher, washing machine and showers at night, we're thinking that the tankless heater may not be the best unit for us.  We appreciate everyone's input!  First time I've used yedda--it has been very helpful!
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