What is the downside of gas tankless water heaters?

Question

I know they are a lot more expensive.

Are there electrical parts that need replacing by high paid technicians.

I can replace the old tank type myself for about $350.00.

Can you install the high tech type by yourself or do you need a lot of

training..

I'm leaning toward the old fashion type.

What do you think? Wile it may save some money on natural gas, what about any high price repairs.. And the fact that they start at about 6 or 7 hundred dollars.

I used an electric one in Europe and it was less than satisfactory.

Answer 1

When my water heater broke I considered one but ater I found out it wouldn't produce enough hot water for me I went with a conventional hot water heater. I like rather warm showers and I wash dishes with hot water so I think the cost of one of those vs a regular hot water heater  speaks for itself!

Answer 2

I have moved into a apartment and it has a gas water heater and I refuse to get the gas turned on because the price of gas and once when I was living in another apartment the water heater almost killed me because of carbon monoxide gas from where the burner was burning rich and plugged up the flue and I was unaware of it! Only electric for me! Oh and if you have hard water the tank-less type will plug up fast with lime deposits!

Answer 3

The downside is there's not that many around so a lot of plumbers don't know that much about them or how to install them properly. The program "This Old House" did a show on them a few months back that you may want to watch, it describes the cost, installation and benefits to having them over a regular water heater.

Answer 4

If you get a gas one then you can roast hotdogs on it. Also you can eat more hotdogs than usuall

Answer 5

BOTH BENEFITS AND DRAWBACK/ WEIGH THE BENEFITS/ DRAWBACKS AND COME TO YOUR CONCLUSION

Benefits and Drawbacks of Going Tankless

If you're considering making the switch to a tankless water heater, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons first.

Benefits:

Most tankless units come with a federal tax rebate of $300.

They never run out of hot water.

They last five to 10 years longer than tank heaters.

They're more efficient with no standby heat loss.

They take up less space and can even be installed on walls or outdoors with an anti-freeze kit.

Smaller units can be installed under cabinets or in a closet, closer to the point of use.

They only need enough power to heat the amount of water necessary at any given moment.

You can shave as much as 20 percent from your water heating bill.

Electric models don't produce greenhouse gases.

Most units are operated by remote control and have up to four separate settings available.

There's no possibility of flooding due to a ruptured tank.

Drawbacks:

They cost up to three times as much as a tank water heater.

Your hot water output is split among all your household fixtures.

You may need to add a larger natural gas line to supply the unit with enough fuel.

Venting gas and propane units requires expensive stainless steel tubing.

Electric models may require an additional circuit.

Gas-powered units produce greenhouse gases.

Gas units require the additional expense of an annual servicing.

Electric models require a lot of energy.

They need a minimum flow rate of .5 GPM in order to activate the heat exchanger.

Lag time can require you to run your water in order to get to the hot water, increasing water waste.

Other Considerations:

Water heating accounts for about 20 percent of your home energy budget.

A whole-house electric model costs $500-$700.

A whole-house gas model costs $1,000-$2,000.

Electric models are generally cheaper to install than gas.

Natural gas is less expensive now, but expected to surpass electricity in the coming years.

A standard bathtub holds about 35 gallons, soaking tubs hold between 45-80 gallons.

downside of gas tankless water heaters

From How Stuff Works.

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Answer 6

The only downside is it's expensive, about $3000 vs $400 for a traditional tank.

Answer 7

Well Wile E , since you owned one, you should be familiar with the lag time to get HW at the taps. Frustrating. Also, if you are are on a well water supply and it is at all hard water, you will be de-calcifying the unit regularly.  Works great when it works- sucks when it breaks.  The installation is not for the novice.  This technology might be needing some improvement before it's in every house.  

Answer 8

about 2 1/2 times more cost yes, had mine for 4 yrs now no problems, yes u can install it urself....on scale of 1-10 ...4 if u know light plumbing, it plugs into wall outlet, 110 V.....

just make sure u size it right to the amount of ur water demand.....

lic. gen. contractor

Answer 9

This day and time...you may should consider converting to electric. You will have to run power (if its not already there)- but in the long run you will save money.

If you are going to spend that kind of money- it would be foolish not to go electric. Electric heaters are far better today than they were 10 years ago. And electricity is much cheaper than gas.  

Answer 10

I have one in my house.  It came with the house when I bought it last Sept.  

It was installed incorrectly and I had to pay to have it reinstalled correctly.

It was something to do with the slope of the tubes or something like that, but I'm not sure that was it either....anyway  I was told the faulty installation would not effect my hot water supply, but would effect the number of years I get out of the unit.