How to hide a tankless water heater
Robin P
5 years ago
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HALLETT & Co.
5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRelated Discussions
How to Calculate Propane Usage for Tankless Water Heater
Comments (5)Gary: I'm building a new house next year where this 6-head shower will reside. It's the one big indulgence I'm allowing myself. The house itself will be super-insulated and airtight to the point that it'll require no more than 12,500 BTUs to keep the house at 70F when it's -20F outside. I'll basically be able to heat the house with a Zippo lighter, although I'll be heating the place with wood. The shower that I'm allowing myself will be using well water, coming from and returning to my land, which will be preheated both by a loop from the woodburning boiler stove that heats the cottage as well as by a substantial GFX drain heat recovery system to get the Delta T somewhere between 20 and 30 degree (depending on the time of year.) I'm sorry you're skeptical about the performance specs of the GFX, but that's your issue, not mine. I'll also be using a pair of incredibly energy efficient condensing tankless water heaters to heat the pre-heated shower water to the final desired temperature. I've done the math now and have calculated that to take two 30-minute showers per day, utilizing all six shower heads going full bore (450 gallons per shower!), each will require an average of 1 gallon of propane costing approximately $2.40 per shower. This is less than the smallest Starbuck's Latte you probably throw back on your way to work. I'm hyper-aware of my carbon footprint. And I'm willing to bet that the footprint caused by my home will be less than the one caused by yours. I just happen to place a high priority on having a really, really great shower. Bottomline: The calculations you provide are erroneous and based both on a lack of information and a number of false assumptions. More importantly though, your perception of what I'm doing is really myopic. You should be concerned about ones NET carbon footprint, not about any one individual indulgence. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. You just end up looking foolish. John...See MoreNew Tankless Water heater - how long
Comments (2)This is really a question for your plumber. There are so many things that could be happening here. I'll just list a few off the top of my head. Maybe, one of them will give you an idea: If your gas turned on? Is the exhaust vent clear of any obstruction? Does the condensate drain work and is clear of any obstruction? Does the igniter click when you demand hot water? Is the air pressure switch operating correctly and there aren't any leaks in the vacuum system? What temperatures are configured as the set points for the tankless heater? What is your water pressure like? If the flow rate is too low, the heater might not sense that it needs to produce hot water. How long are your pipes? Is the hot water pipe insulated properly? What is the diameter of the pipes? Do you have a hot water recirculation pipe? Is it a dedicated pipe, or are you piggy backing on the cold water line? Do you have appropriate backflow preventers for the recirculation pipe? Does the heater even turn on at all? What does the display show? Does the display change, when you demand hot water? Are there any blinking error codes, when you open the unit? Over the years, I think I had to deal with most of these issues in one way or another with the various appliances in our house. So, that's where I would start looking, if I was trying to diagnose a problem. But I am sure there are a lot of other problems that could cause the behavior that you are seeing. A tankless heater is not a particularly complicated appliance and diagnosis is usually straight forward. But it does have enough moving parts that I couldn't give you a comprehensive list of all the things that could conceivably be wrong with it. Some amount of delay for hot water is normal. If you have long poorly insulated pipes and no recirculation system, it could take two minutes. I guess, five minutes is in the realm of possibility, but it does feel too long. Most likely, the heater never even turned on. We eventually replaced our tankless heater with a boiler and an indirect tank. We also installed a dedicated return pipe to recirculate water. This is less energy efficient, but makes for a much more comfortable experience. It also allowed us to install radiant hydronic heating, which is awesome. We now get (near) instantaneous hot water, and supply is unlimited....See MoreTankless or Hybrid Tankless Water Heater – Discharge Pipe/Drain Requir
Comments (9)I understand. People who have had this problem - esp when the heater is on the main floor (rather than the basement) -- are often very paranoid about a recurrence. I've installed Rheem tankless units in my last couple of homes and have been very happy with the brand. You should understand that a gas tankless heater will be expensive to retrofit. They may have to run larger gas line and will have to install a new flue (as well as an electrical outlet.) Again, keep in mind the Rheem Marathon fiberglass tank water heaters. They only come in standard electric - but could be an alternative to a gas tankless. To answer your question about the drain - a condensing gas tankless requires a drain. It is my understanding of code that a water heater T&P valve must be able to discharge without causing significant damage - and thus a drain is always required, regardless of the type of heater. I assume you are grandfathered or have some way around this provision - so I won't argue that point....See MoreHiding a tankless water heater
Comments (1)What are the required clearances?...See MoreJake The Wonderdog
5 years agoRobin P
5 years agowdccruise
5 years agoOliviag
5 years agoJake The Wonderdog
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoBrandt F.
5 years agoRobin P
5 years agoRobin P
5 years agokelkim2
4 years agoManda Pierce
3 years agoJessica
3 years agocandacesandiego
last year
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