I am not on the tankless bandwagon for gas or electric but I do know that many people price them to run everything so someone can use each bath and shower while doing a load of whites in the washer and a load of dishes in the dishwasher which is crazy. I know of a couple people who sized the unit for one bath and one appliance like a washer be really happy. One person hops out of the shower and the other hops in the other one and there is still no recovery time of a tanked unit. The marathon water heater from Rheem/Ruud is my winning pick because the tank has a LIFETIME warranty because it is plastic and the insulation is blown in and the stats and elements are easy to service if needed. They are expensive but at least it will not rust out and need to be drug back up the stairs in 10 years. Some utilities offer discounts and rebates on them also to offset the cost. Here is a link that might be useful: marathon water heaters

@slogan3561 The cotton on the market today is fine. We have Mele washers and whites come out white. Keeping them white means you need to have the following: 1. If your water is hard (lots of minerals) a water softener should be used. 2. Heavily soiled whites should be pre-treated and soaked to loosen soil before the main wash. Use the washers soak cycle or a pre-wash. 3. A good detergent with the proper amount. Not the cheapest thing you find on sale. 4. A good Oxygen bleach. Make sure to use a water temp of 140F (60C) or higher to get the maximum effect from the oxygen bleach. If you have a clothes line, use it. The UV light from the sun works great to bleach whites and it's free! Many of today's washers are not built with the consumer in mind. They are built to get the maximum rebate from the government for their eco-friendliness.

maryland...By taking the valve off- you are talking about the top valve where the intake of water is? One problem that I had from not being able to care for it was draining it- I thought (must never think again), that when the tank had quit draining that it was empty...wrong, very, very wrong :( The tank had quit draining because the valve at the bottom was plugged with scale. I was doing other things outside for about 1 hour, so I thought for SURE it was drained.. When I took the top element out to see which one was burned out- GUSHER!!! The tank wasn't even 1/4th empty, so when I took out the top element the water gushed out- with the force of water above it gushed out about 3-4 foot from the tank- water all over the laundry room!! Then, I had to take out the lower element- same thing!! That's when I realized the lower valve was clogged (some people are slow learners!). Because of this, I am not sure what to do- I know the lower valve will be clogged, but how else do I get the water out? I don't want to repeat the gushing water episode! As for the marathon- yes- my mom had one- they will stay lukewarm for almost a week after turned off! I don't have the room, though- the laundryroom is small- the WH is in the corner by the door- a Marathon would block part of the doorway. Good idea, though- especially with the need to use less energy in today's world. Is there a way to drain it without repeating the 'gusher'?

You asked what we thought of the quote: The quote includes a "descaler" . I have no solid information on what that is... but I suspect it's a completely bogus piece of equipment. It's not a water softener. If you have hard water do yourself a favor and skip the "descaler" and buy a water softener. Don't bother with any tankless unit that is significantly less than 200k btu input (they are usually 198-199k) I installed tankless units in my last two houses. I've run the numbers backwards and forwards. They will save $80-100 a year in operating costs. If you hire someone to clean them, particularly if you have hard water and no softener, and do that every 12-24 months, it will eat up all of your savings. If you clean it yourself, esp if you have soft water so you are cleaning it every 24-36 months, it's a minor deal. Don't buy a tankless only because it will save you money. It's difficult to recoup the install costs in a reasonable amount of time. Do buy a tankless if you want to save space, want continuous hot water and also appreciate saving $100 a year. The most economical to install and operate is a hybrid tank heater. The payback on that is good, there are big rebates and you get cooling / dehumidification.