4 ms·

I propose that you're improving things with tankless, regardless of heating technology. We just did the same on our 2014 house, which had a builder supplied 50

I propose that you're improving things with tankless, regardless of heating technology. We just did the same on our 2014 house, which had a builder supplied 50gallon natural gas water heater. Those continually burn natural gas in varying amounts to keep the tank's water heated. In contrast, the tankless natural gas is a massive win just wrt natural gas, as it's only running when hot water flow is required.

djrogers 5y ago
> Those continually burn natural gas Not really - they're very well insulated, so they do a burn/coast/burn cycle where they are off far more than they are on. That said - I'm a big fan of tankless, however in a big family with typical loads, the savings in gas alone aren't as much as you'd think.
danans 5y ago
Tankless gas water heaters have been demonstrated to not be very efficient, and also require a great deal of maintenance due to the very high BTU burner they require. Here's Matt Risinger's take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RFuFBI3r2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RFuFBI3r2c
- jessaustin 5y ago
  Risinger is entertaining, and is rarely afraid to spend more on construction, but in general his opinions seem to conform very closely to the commercial interests of his biggest sponsors. The biggest objection at your link seems to be that tankless allows long showers? What kind of ridiculous objection is that? There are big yellow efficiency tags on the front of every appliance for sale in USA. The content of those tags is closely regulated by the government. If there is some reason to believe that they are inaccurate for tankless water heaters, please link to that.
  - danans 5y ago
    Let me rephrase: Tankless gas water heaters (90-97% efficient) aren't anywhere near as efficient as more modern alternatives, specifically heat pump water heaters, which are 300-400% efficient. They are are marginally more efficient than condensing storage gas water heaters, which are 89% efficient. Given the gulf in efficiency between tankless gas and heat pump water heaters, tankless gas shouldn't really be promoted as examples of high efficiency. https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-water-heaters/?formId=8423992-4636-4-89-377412206&scrollTo=141&search_text=&type_filter=&fuel_filter=&brand_name_isopen=0&input_rate_thousand_btu_per_hour_isopen=0&markets_filter=United+States&zip_code_filter=&product_types=Select+a+Product+Category&sort_by=brand_name&sort_direction=desc&currentZipCode=94604&page_number=0&lastpage=0 https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-w...

djrogers 5y ago

> Those continually burn natural gas Not really - they're very well insulated, so they do a burn/coast/burn cycle where they are off far more than they are on. That said - I'm a big fan of tankless, however in a big family with typical loads, the savings in gas alone aren't as much as you'd think.

danans 5y ago

Tankless gas water heaters have been demonstrated to not be very efficient, and also require a great deal of maintenance due to the very high BTU burner they require. Here's Matt Risinger's take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RFuFBI3r2c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RFuFBI3r2c

jessaustin 5y ago
Risinger is entertaining, and is rarely afraid to spend more on construction, but in general his opinions seem to conform very closely to the commercial interests of his biggest sponsors. The biggest objection at your link seems to be that tankless allows long showers? What kind of ridiculous objection is that? There are big yellow efficiency tags on the front of every appliance for sale in USA. The content of those tags is closely regulated by the government. If there is some reason to believe that they are inaccurate for tankless water heaters, please link to that.
- danans 5y ago
  Let me rephrase: Tankless gas water heaters (90-97% efficient) aren't anywhere near as efficient as more modern alternatives, specifically heat pump water heaters, which are 300-400% efficient. They are are marginally more efficient than condensing storage gas water heaters, which are 89% efficient. Given the gulf in efficiency between tankless gas and heat pump water heaters, tankless gas shouldn't really be promoted as examples of high efficiency. https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-water-heaters/?formId=8423992-4636-4-89-377412206&scrollTo=141&search_text=&type_filter=&fuel_filter=&brand_name_isopen=0&input_rate_thousand_btu_per_hour_isopen=0&markets_filter=United+States&zip_code_filter=&product_types=Select+a+Product+Category&sort_by=brand_name&sort_direction=desc&currentZipCode=94604&page_number=0&lastpage=0 https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-w...