Tankless Water Heater Retrofit

[killramos]

Hi all, didn’t see a particularly relevant recent thread so here she goes:

Need to free up some space in my utility room (wife can’t do math and bought a freezer that was way too big for the room she intended) and I was looking into moving my water heater in my utility room. After some thought I figure while I have a plumber doing the work I might as well upgrade to a tankless system while I am at it which helps even more with my space issue.

Anyone have any experience with good contractor to do a tankless hot water retrofit?

Any systems to avoid or any particularly good systems?

Looks like I can probably get a rebate from the government to mitigate install cost which is good as well.

I pretty much know 0 about this so any tips are much appreciated. Current heater is a standard gas tank heater.

TIA guys!

[ExtraSlow]

Avoid Clearview Plumbing.

[killramos]

^ As good a tip as any!

[thinmyster]

I went the opposite way 2 years ago and it was easy for me as the tankless and the power direct vent were almost interchangeable. I think I extended the gas line down and shortened the intake/exhaust vents and called it a day.

[killramos]

^ So you did it yourself?

Honestly I am not sure I have the time ( expertise is also in question ) to do it myself and considering its plumbing I would rather not half ass it and make a mess.

Anyone have a good contractor or a system they particularly recommend? Looking to get this done in the short term ( ie before election and rebates go kapoof w Kenney ).

[blitz]

I thought the general consensus was that tankless sort of sucks?

[killramos]

I mean, there are pros and cons to anything. Switching to tankless fixes a particular problem of mine and I'm always game to bump up my homes efficiency.

I also have no interest in cheaping out on a unit so hopefully that mitigates some of the downsides?

[The_Penguin]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I thought the general consensus was that tankless sort of sucks?

That's my thought.
Can't say I've ever read anything good about them.

[Darell_n]

The biggest downside, especially if you have a 2-storey home, is the time to get any hot water upstairs is probably twice as long as you need the water for. You need 1 cup of hot water? Oh, let me push 4 gallons of cold water out first. The only advantage is unlimited hot water, everything else is bad. You can buy high efficency hot water tanks too.

[ThePenIsMightier]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

^ As good a tip as any!

Get one of the high-end Rheem models.

[killramos]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

The biggest downside, especially if you have a 2-storey home, is the time to get any hot water upstairs is probably twice as long as you need the water for. You need 1 cup of hot water? Oh, let me push 4 gallons of cold water out first. The only advantage is unlimited hot water, everything else is bad. You can buy high efficency hot water tanks too.

but i mean... A tank doesn't make that any better? Water still has to get from the basement to the upstairs.

[ThePenIsMightier]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

but i mean... A tank doesn't make that any better? Water still has to get from the basement to the upstairs.

True. You need one of those circulating pumps to fix that in either case.
https://www.amazon.ca/Grundfos-98420...86753374&psc=1

[bjstare]

The biggest downfall is they have a pretty short lifespan in calgary due to our water; deposits build up quickly and IIRC you can't just clean em out.

[killramos]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

The biggest downfall is they have a pretty short lifespan in calgary due to our water; deposits build up quickly and IIRC you can't just clean em out.

Good point, so probably needs to be installed in conjunction with a softener?

Sounds like more space i don't have...

[Darell_n]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

but i mean... A tank doesn't make that any better? Water still has to get from the basement to the upstairs.

A tank is heating half the lines in your house too, via conduction. Just like air, hot water rises up naturally. It does make a big difference as I've witness the before and after performance in several homes.

[mr2mike]

Stop telling wifey that it's 12" so next time she knows how to measure correctly. Then sell the deep freeze.

[cycosis]

I have a Navien and have no complaints at all. We did put in a softener though to extend its life.

[killramos]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Stop telling wifey that it's 12" so next time she knows how to measure correctly. Then sell the deep freeze.

In this case it was the Pythagorean theorem that fucked her up.

I actually want the freezer in any case.

[Tik-Tok]

I assume it's a chest freezer. Just get ride of it and get a stand-up one.

[killramos]

It’s a standup, it’s just massive and doesn’t fit in the room my wife planned.

So she gave up and left me to pick up the pieces.