The feedback is always worth a read

[greengeezer]

I came in from doing yard work and wanted to stay in a hot shower for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately, my small 30 gallon water tank said otherwise.

My home is so small that increasing the size of my tank is impractical so I have been looking at the tankless units that give unlimited hot water.

The drawbacks I have read about are having to rewire a massive electrical cable to power the beast and reports that water with high mineral content shortens the life of the unit. We have really bad water.

You guys are like my internet version of Popular Mechanics and I’m sure one of you has the tankless unit or at least has an opinion about it. What do you say?

 

[MichiganHerd]

I would go with the tankless, and also invest in an iron filter system. Over the long run, it will save you, but at our advanced age, it's possible the long run won't last long enough. You can even do a cheap iron filter system which is simply something I got for practically nothing. I just flush might pipes once every three months and then toss the filter into a bucket of water with iron out that cleans it in a week. Have two filters I alternate in and out. I'm on a well, so also have a soft water system.

Bad water will also shorten the life span of a traditional water tank. If you smell sulfur in your water, the tank rod is slowly dissolving, and at minimum, have to replace those at times, which is a thankless job to perform.

 

[greengeezer]

I removed the anode rod from my last water heater and it was the diameter of small gage wire.

 

[riflearm2]

I have one at two of my properties, but I don’t know much about them. I just hire some West Virginia types to handle them for a few dollars.

 

[WV-FAN]

if you have lp or natural gas, go with that in a tankless. i had the electric tankless water heaters and my lights would dim when i turned the hot water on; i had two of them (one for each side of the house) and they were each on a 100 amp breaker. they were difficult to regulate and we had to be super careful with the kids as those things would put water out that undoubtedly would leave 3rd degree burns if one wasn't careful. however, that was 18 years ago and i'm sure they've made efficiency strides since then. i changed them out around 10 or 12 years ago for an 80 gallon tank.

another issue i had with mine was we have a pressure pump. as the pressure went up and water was being pushed through them faster, it wouldn't be as hot. as pressure would fall off, the water would get hotter. there were times in the end that you'd go from getting a blast of scalding hot water to cooler water while showering. when the kids started showering versus bathing, i replaced the tankless heaters for a tank.

i still have them if you want them. free to any home, just gotta rip them out of the walls that i recessed them into when we built.

 

[ThunderCat98]

I wouldn't go tankless unless you have gas.

@MichiganHerd what filtration system do you have?

 

[MichiganHerd]

@MichiganHerd what filtration system do you have?
[/QUOTE]
If you're talking about the Iron filter, I think I got it at Lowes about 20 years ago. It's simply referred to as a whole house filter, and you fit it on the piping between the well intake and the soft water system. I can get off the couch later to see if there's a brand name on it, but it's literally hard plastic, with a screened filter that all water is forced to pass through. Plumbing is the worst part, but fairly simple if you know what you're doing.

 

[MichiganHerd]

Just Google whole house filters. Mine is a simple single filtration, maybe cost $65.00, plus plumbing hardware. Think they make them now with hardware already attached on the top (non plastic), but you still have to cut out the existing piping to make space to add it. I call it a rifle section, about 5 inches long. Then add the two receiving sections, and then the fun part. 20 minutes of screwing.

 

[greengeezer]

I have one at two of my properties, but I don’t know much about them. I just hire some West Virginia types to handle them for a few dollars.

Yes, your expertise is in the areas of finance, baseball, and blowjob acquisition. Fixing things? Ummm . . . Not so much.

 

[greengeezer]

I wouldn't go thankless unless you have gas.

@MichiganHerd what filtration system do you have?

No gas, only propane. I use that for my fireplace and I hate those ugly tanks at the end of the house. I’m trying to grow a bush in front of them.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

I love that house.

 

[greengeezer]

I love that house.

😁

 

[WV-FAN]

No gas, only propane. I use that for my fireplace and I hate those ugly tanks at the end of the house. I’m trying to grow a bush in front of them.

LP will work fine.

Gas vs Electric Tankless Water Heater: Which is Best

Gas vs Electric: What you need to know to make an informed buying decision. A guide to help you select the right unit for your household's hot water needs.

www.waterheaterleakinginfo.com

 

[greengeezer]

I’ll probably just turn up the tank temperature a bit and think about the tankless unit over the winter.

 

[riflearm2]

I love that house.

Me as well. It has great aesthetics. A toothless, crackhead neighbor, but a nice house.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

Natural light is my #1 requirement in a house.

 

[greengeezer]

Natural light is my #1 requirement in a house.

I agree. I have over 30 windows and skylights in this little place. Before I built, I came to the lot to see how the sunlight reacted with the property. Sat here for hours and made notes.

 

[wvkeeper(HN)]

That's awesome

 

[i am herdman]

No gas, only propane. I use that for my fireplace and I hate those ugly tanks at the end of the house. I’m trying to grow a bush in front of them.

That house is awesome. Can't imagine putting shingles on that roof. Used to work for a guy and if they were doing something quick he had two guys that would tie two ladders together and one guy would act as the counterweight for the guy on the other side of the roof. hahaha

That house is awesome .

 

[greengeezer]

The first winter after I moved in, heavy snow built up on the roof. Suddenly, there was a loud roar and it all broke loose and tumbled down like an avalanche. I thought for a moment the whole place was falling down.

 

[WVUSerg]

Natural light is my #1 requirement in a house.

 

[riflearm2]

Ever have issues with birds on the windows? I have huge windows on both a salt lake place and California. California has an inside camera activated about once every other week due to birds crashing into the window. Many of them can be seen in the video crashing into the glass, and some leave a nice smear/feather mark which is a pain to clean off.

 

[greengeezer]

I have had problems with birds flying into windows. I had the large triangular window made of double strength plate glass for that reason. I hear a big thud then a rain of feathers start falling down. Seems to happen a few times a year.