Water Heater Question

[applianceguy47]

the connections

 

[applianceguy47]

2

 

[applianceguy47]

3

 

[applianceguy47]

4

 

[applianceguy47]

shower

 

[applianceguy47]

slide switch for shower

 

[countryguy]

Like Petek, I also rent my water heater, which is electric (no natural gas available where I live).  I inquired about switching to a tankless heater when I had my hot water boiler heating system installed but was told that it wasn't a good idea because

 

a) my cold water is COLD since it comes from a well and the temperature rise required to heat the water was too much

b) people that had converted to tankless units were having problems when the temperature was really cold i.e. -30 C as the air inlet and exhaust outlets tended to freeze up

c) in order to trigger the units to heat the water the taps must be turned onto full flow - just opening the tap a little would not be trigger the heater.

 

Gary

 

[applianceguy47]

Its true that tankless heaters have a general temperature rise range. So if you they say 50 degree rise, then if incoming water is 70, the heater will heat the water to 120. They usually specify that on the product.

There are easy ways of dealing with that, such as a solar loop, before the heater. That is, simply a couple hundred feet of tubing that would be coiled before the heater, preferably in a warm area, like a basement. If it could be exposed to sun, all the better.
If you live in a fairly warm area, or don't have well water, you really shouldn't have to worry about this issue.

One of the reasons I went with a small tank is because it will heat the water to a set temp, regardless of what the incoming water temp is.

 

[DADoES]

 
If the tankless unit is sized correctly for the application, has enough capacity (or slightly more) to reach the desired target temp, it should moderate the heat input accordingly to maintain the setpoint.  They don't put-the-pedal-to-the-metal, always heating to maximum output.  Reducing the flow rate (turning down the faucet) effectively allows for higher output temp, up to the maximum allowed by the unit's control mechanism ... and if the flow rate doesn't drop below the minimum needed to keep the unit activated.  My unit triggers at 0.3 GPM ... far below running a faucet full-blast.

There are some misconceptions running around on tankless water heating.  Owning/using one, as I have for almost 8 years, tends to clear up the mysteries.

 

[mattl]

whircool,  Yes I did change the anode rod once or twice, drain it maybe yearly.  That all.  These were/are TOL Sears tanks, not sure who made them.  I think my tanks long lives are a function of my water supply.  Here in Mid MI we get out water from Lake Huron via Detroit. Pretty decent water quality.  As a side note there is a project in the works to run a 60 mile plus pipeline to the lake and bypass being held hostage by Detroit's water authority.  Not a cheap project, but better than being at the mercy of a board most of the out-state consumers have no say in.

 

[rp2813]

A rare good word about Ward's

My parents replaced their water heater in 1973 with what I'm guessing was a TOL Ward's model.  Nice wood grain trim with a snap-on cover for the controls that gave it a clean look.  Probably designed for a location where it was in plain view, but it lived in their basement where it was rarely seen.

 

The house was built in 1927 and has original galvanized pipe that is constantly leaving little rusty bits in aerators at every faucet and in every toilet tank.  No doubt the WH tank built up a thick layer of sediment.

 

They did not do one bit of maintenance to that heater and it lasted over 30 years until it developed a leak at the bottom of the tank.

 

If there's no problem with the WH itself, just replace the bad section of pipe and save yourself the larger expense until the WH fails.

 

[sudsmaster]

If it's copper pipe then I think it's quite likely that a patch would soon fail because the copper itself has corroded from the inside. Internal corrosion of copper water pipe is not uncommon with neutral to acidic water, and it is accelerated wherever there is a bend in the pipe, as this tends to concentrate the water flow on one side of the piping.

I will second the "rare good word" about old Montgomery Ward water heaters. This house has a 50 gallon "Ward 700" that is now in its 35th year and going strong. I've replaced the anode rod twice in the past 12 years.