Heat pump tank units are physically a bit larger than a non-heat pump. They also require air space for the refrigeration system to function.
Tankless water heater yes/no
- Thread starter sarahperdue
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Heat pump tank units are physically a bit larger than a non-heat pump. They also require air space for the refrigeration system to function.
bradfordwhite
Well-known member
Heat pump is a terrible idea. First you said you wanted something small. They aren't small.
They're expensive, they are maintenance intensive and not reliable. They're also NOISEY.
Do you know what your ACTUAL water heating needs are?
The 50s attitude of having a 50 or 60 gallon water heater with water at a constant 150 degrees is ridiculous, wasteful, and dangerous. It's not appropriate.
Dishwashers use about 8 gallons of hot water but broken up into small batches.
Clothes washing doesn't always use hot water and if it's an efficient machine will use maybe 5 gallons.
hand washing thru-out the day can use as little as a few cups of hot water at a time.
Only showering and using a bathtub can really see large volumes of hot water so it depends how one does it. Personally I don't let my shower run when I'm not rinsing soap off. I have a switch on the shower hose to make it very easy to be efficient.
There are people who say they take L-O-N-G HOT showers. That's extremely bad for the skin and is unhealthy. It pre-maturely ages the skin. It's obviously wasteful of resources and is certainly not the norm. And the old stereotype of having a large bathtub/jacuzzi thing as a luxury is just silly. Most new homes don't do that any more. It's a time waster.
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Personally i have a 6 gallon 120 vlt 2000 watt water heater that I've had since 2010. Has worked all this time with no problems. Makes virtually no noise and measures about 16" cubed. I bought for $43 on CL. I control it with a twist switch so most of the time it's not running. Doesn't require any special wiring or electric service. Certainly doesn't require any gas service (which is not permitted in my home)
Costs me very little, makes no noise pollution, is nearly no maintenance.
There was a time when I had a dedicated 2 1/2 gallon water heater for the kitchen sink, a 4 gallon water heater for the washer, and used the 6 gallon for the shower.
The 2 1/2 gallon is good for a hand washing sink but for the kitchen it wasn't quite enough.
Now I just use the one water heater and it works great.
You can find affordable, easy to use compact water heaters on Ebay.
I wouldn't recommend gas but if you want to try it you could go with something that uses easy to fill portable propane tanks such as the ones bar-b-q grills. In southern states a gas water heater can be hung on an exterior wall thus not requiring venting and the gas would be completely outside the home envelope.
Good luck making a decision.
They're expensive, they are maintenance intensive and not reliable. They're also NOISEY.
Do you know what your ACTUAL water heating needs are?
The 50s attitude of having a 50 or 60 gallon water heater with water at a constant 150 degrees is ridiculous, wasteful, and dangerous. It's not appropriate.
Dishwashers use about 8 gallons of hot water but broken up into small batches.
Clothes washing doesn't always use hot water and if it's an efficient machine will use maybe 5 gallons.
hand washing thru-out the day can use as little as a few cups of hot water at a time.
Only showering and using a bathtub can really see large volumes of hot water so it depends how one does it. Personally I don't let my shower run when I'm not rinsing soap off. I have a switch on the shower hose to make it very easy to be efficient.
There are people who say they take L-O-N-G HOT showers. That's extremely bad for the skin and is unhealthy. It pre-maturely ages the skin. It's obviously wasteful of resources and is certainly not the norm. And the old stereotype of having a large bathtub/jacuzzi thing as a luxury is just silly. Most new homes don't do that any more. It's a time waster.
----
Personally i have a 6 gallon 120 vlt 2000 watt water heater that I've had since 2010. Has worked all this time with no problems. Makes virtually no noise and measures about 16" cubed. I bought for $43 on CL. I control it with a twist switch so most of the time it's not running. Doesn't require any special wiring or electric service. Certainly doesn't require any gas service (which is not permitted in my home)
Costs me very little, makes no noise pollution, is nearly no maintenance.
There was a time when I had a dedicated 2 1/2 gallon water heater for the kitchen sink, a 4 gallon water heater for the washer, and used the 6 gallon for the shower.
The 2 1/2 gallon is good for a hand washing sink but for the kitchen it wasn't quite enough.
Now I just use the one water heater and it works great.
You can find affordable, easy to use compact water heaters on Ebay.
I wouldn't recommend gas but if you want to try it you could go with something that uses easy to fill portable propane tanks such as the ones bar-b-q grills. In southern states a gas water heater can be hung on an exterior wall thus not requiring venting and the gas would be completely outside the home envelope.
Good luck making a decision.
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Hi Sarah,
We installed a Rinaii gas tankless water heater in 2015. It replaced the standard builders 30 gallon water heater. It was the best thing we did. Our house is 2000 square feet, 2 full baths. 4 adults. We can run the dishwasher, clothes washer and two people taking showers and never run out of hot water. You could never do that with the old water heater. We have in the master bathroom a two person tub and with the old water heater, you would get a few inches of water in it and the tap would be running cold already. With the tankless not any more. the only problem we encountered was when hurricane IRMA came through, we lost power for a whole week. Because the water heater needs electric to run, and is hardwired to the house we had no hot water. there was no way to hook it up to our portable generator. Our neighbor has made it so we can switch it to the generator if need be. We are also looking into getting a Generac whole house generator, so we can have AC also when the power goes out. Florida in September is still in the 90's and no AC was rough .
The picture is our setup. the unit is about as big as two payphones side by side. It cut our gas bill in half when we installed it. That and the dryer are the only gas appliances used most of the time. We have only had the furnace on one time in the 11 years we have been here and the range is electric.
We installed a Rinaii gas tankless water heater in 2015. It replaced the standard builders 30 gallon water heater. It was the best thing we did. Our house is 2000 square feet, 2 full baths. 4 adults. We can run the dishwasher, clothes washer and two people taking showers and never run out of hot water. You could never do that with the old water heater. We have in the master bathroom a two person tub and with the old water heater, you would get a few inches of water in it and the tap would be running cold already. With the tankless not any more. the only problem we encountered was when hurricane IRMA came through, we lost power for a whole week. Because the water heater needs electric to run, and is hardwired to the house we had no hot water. there was no way to hook it up to our portable generator. Our neighbor has made it so we can switch it to the generator if need be. We are also looking into getting a Generac whole house generator, so we can have AC also when the power goes out. Florida in September is still in the 90's and no AC was rough .
The picture is our setup. the unit is about as big as two payphones side by side. It cut our gas bill in half when we installed it. That and the dryer are the only gas appliances used most of the time. We have only had the furnace on one time in the 11 years we have been here and the range is electric.
So many variables
Yes, the small size of the tankless water heater was appealing, but I'm willing to make more room for a heater than has other strengths.
I may not need a 50-60 gallon water heater, but I know I need more than 6. I think the current heater is 30 gallons. Since the house is intermittently occupied, I often turn it off when we're not there. Looking towards the future, the house will be continually occupied by my husband and myself with visiting sons, friends and eventually, hopefully daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
@bradfordwhite, as I'm sure you know, water is more plentiful here in the southeast than it is out west where you are. I commend you for being so conservative with water in your home. I plan to have a somewhat big-ass bathtub. I don't take long, soaking baths often, but when I want one, I want plenty of hot water. I'm not thinking jacuzzi or swimming pool size.
The way many older homes are constructed in our area, the underside of the tubs are in unconditioned spaces. It can take almost a tub full of hot water just to warm up the cast iron tub itself. I plan to have a boat load of rockwool insulation around the undersides of both tubs. They should already be at room temperature when starting a bath. I'm dreaming of a 6' (if I can find one that long) built in clawfoot tub. The upstairs tub is tiny--probably 4' and shallow as many tubs were in the 60s. I'm insulating the hell out of it as well. Perhaps it balances out that I tend to take quick showers. I can't figure out what my husband and sons do during their long showers.
Thank everyone here for your comments and advice. I honestly had no idea how many variables there were to consider when choosing a hot water heater. So, I'm still thinking.
Sarah
Yes, the small size of the tankless water heater was appealing, but I'm willing to make more room for a heater than has other strengths.
I may not need a 50-60 gallon water heater, but I know I need more than 6. I think the current heater is 30 gallons. Since the house is intermittently occupied, I often turn it off when we're not there. Looking towards the future, the house will be continually occupied by my husband and myself with visiting sons, friends and eventually, hopefully daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
@bradfordwhite, as I'm sure you know, water is more plentiful here in the southeast than it is out west where you are. I commend you for being so conservative with water in your home. I plan to have a somewhat big-ass bathtub. I don't take long, soaking baths often, but when I want one, I want plenty of hot water. I'm not thinking jacuzzi or swimming pool size.
The way many older homes are constructed in our area, the underside of the tubs are in unconditioned spaces. It can take almost a tub full of hot water just to warm up the cast iron tub itself. I plan to have a boat load of rockwool insulation around the undersides of both tubs. They should already be at room temperature when starting a bath. I'm dreaming of a 6' (if I can find one that long) built in clawfoot tub. The upstairs tub is tiny--probably 4' and shallow as many tubs were in the 60s. I'm insulating the hell out of it as well. Perhaps it balances out that I tend to take quick showers. I can't figure out what my husband and sons do during their long showers.
Thank everyone here for your comments and advice. I honestly had no idea how many variables there were to consider when choosing a hot water heater. So, I'm still thinking.
Sarah
Intellihot...
This says it's a commercial tankless water heater, but I did see a reference to residential as well.
This says it's a commercial tankless water heater, but I did see a reference to residential as well.
Here's a link to the Intellihot website.
The closest they get to residential is for multi-family and senior living facilities.
Still it's interesting.
intellihot.com
The closest they get to residential is for multi-family and senior living facilities.
Still it's interesting.
Products Commercial Tankless
Intellihot's commercial tankless water heaters are made for on-demand uses. Find commercial gas water heater and commercial on demand water heater here
intellihot.com
