Is there anyone with a working knowledge on tankless water heaters that can give me advice?
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at
4:32 pm
E-mail me if you can. It’s gas. The problem is that it doesn’t stay running for very long. Sure we’re saving water and gas, but the "endless" hot water isn’t happening. Showers are as short as they were in the Navy. Which doesn’t work for my wife.
Tagged with: e mail • hot water • navy • saving water • showers
Filed under: Tankless Gas Water Heater
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It makes no sense that your gas water heater is "tank less". Mine would also be "tank less" meaning a gas line is run onto the property. There is no propane tank.
sounds like the sensor that detects the water temp in the outgoing line is bad. The system heats a little water and then the sensor says this water is hot and kicks off the gas. Keep in mind that most of these systems will only raise the temp of the water a certain number of degrees from the time it enters until it exits the system. this is to say if the incoming water is 75 degrees and the system will raise the temp 60 degrees then your exiting water is 135 degrees. if the incoming water is 40 degrees then the outgoing is only 100, mix this with a little cold water for the added pressure and you still have an unhappy wife.
The primary rule to remember is——–"if mama ain’t happy then nobody is happy"
A "tankless" hot water heater is nothing more than a wide piece of pipe in the line with a heat source applied to it. They are only effective where small short term demand for hot water is required. You often see them used under sinks where you only need a gallon or two of hot water. They will never supply enough for long showers.
Bear with me……it takes 1 BTU of energy to heat 1 pound of water 1 degree Farenheight. So if you want 20 gallons of hot water, it doesn’t matter what the volume of the heater is, it takes the same amount of energy.
The reason a large hot water heater uses more energy is because it has more surface area exposed and so it loses heat to the surrounding room. Also the pipes that carry the hot water lose heat which is why the hot water runs cold initially.
If you you want to save energy, then buy a high efficiency standard water heater. Wrap a layer of insulation around the tank, being careful not get too close to the heating elements or vent stack. If the hot water heater is in a cold closet, add a layer of insulation to the closet to keep it warmer. And if you can insulate the hot water pipe, then do that as well.
Tankless water heaters normally work when installed properly. Did you have it installed by a professional OR was it in the house when you bought?
Try to locate a tag that tells you the company that did the installation and the brand, model of the unit.You should also have an installation manual and instruction guide. If not, look up the information on the internet.
The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that people expect hot water instantly and that does not happen as the existing water in the lines must be emptied before theHOT water gets to the faucet/shower you are using.