Ariston 2.5GL gallon electric tank water heater

[Cali]

I'm thinking about installing one under my main kitchen sink as I'd really like hot water on demand there. Does anyone have any experience with these? How's the maintenance on them? I've been warned by a friend that these have a tendency to leak.

Back story: I just had a Takagi tankless installed when my old water heater died. I wanted to conserve gas, a precious commodity, but not squander equally scarce water in the process, and it takes about 3 gallons of cold water passing through the pipes before the hot water arrives at this particular outlet, which is at the furthest point from the Takagi. The second choice of course would be a circulating pump, but I'm not wild about first having to turn on a switch and then having to listen to the sound of a pump kick in before turning on the hot water faucet. This would be especially undesirable first thing in the morning, when you want things as automatic as possible.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[gmt]

Are you talking about putting the w/h inline? I don't think that 2.5 gal w/h will do the trick. Not big enough...
Tankless with a pump set up with an aquastat and / or timer would do the trick. As for noise? I can stand next to a grunfos recirc pump and never hear it.

Look into the Takagi paper and see what the information says. Some manufactures have specific details so as to keep your warranty intact

[Redwood]

Have a look see here...
http://www.takagi.com/download/plumb...irculation.pdf

And here...
http://www.takagi.com/download/plumb...irculation.pdf

I would recommend the 2nd method.

[jadnashua]

Measure how much water actually comes out of the faucet before it gets hot. You'll need more than that to have continuous hot because you'd need to heat up the cold water in the line with what's left in the tank. A typical kitchen faucet runs maybe 2-3 gallons/minute, so if it really take 3-minutes, you'd need maybe a 10-12gallon tank.

Adding recirculation to a tankless, if it is allowed at all, is somewhat involved. It still may include a small WH.

A good recirc system can be essentially soundless. You can put them on a timer so it only runs when you expect use. I've got an electronic timer on mine that can be programmed to give individual settings by day.

[Cali]

Gawd I love plumber's talk. You guys are really knowledgeable and I'm all ears. Truly appreciate!

But my wait for hot water _is_ really 2 1/2 gallons worth, no more and no less. And I'm still reluctant to turn a simple one-step operation into two, especially because the switch for the pump would have to be located in the cabinet under the sink. FYI, I found this thread of Ariston users' comments that suggests the little Ariston tank option might not be so shabby. Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product...owViewpoints=1

[Gary Swart]

There are two basic models of recirculation pumps. One has a timer so that it operates only certain hours and the other runs all of the time. I have the latter type and it has worked great for the past 3 or 4 years. They draw very little current, so the cost is so small I can't determine it. You do have to have a return line from the the far end of the line back to the pump. With these, there is zero wait for hot water. I suppose I could wire a switch to turn the pump on/off, but seems pointless.

[jadnashua]

The unit I have not only runs on a timer, it has an easily adjustable aquastat you can set to adjust the minimum temperature that is available. So, it only runs first when the timer is on, and second, if the water isn't hot enough. As a result, if the sink is being used periodically, it may not run at all; or, overnight when you are unlikely to need hot there, the timer keeps it off. I have it set to produce warm water, not hot, so there isn't as much energy waste since most of the time, warm is fine for washing your hands. Since it is at the furthest location, the kitchen sink and shower are closer to the heater, they get hot much quicker.

[Redwood]

Another option with recirculation is to go "High Tech"...
Have an occupancy sensor tell the recirculation pump someone is in the room keep the sink ready for use.

[Cali]

I've decided to go with the tank. Given the specifics of my situation it just makes more sense, and it's marginally less expensive to go this route. Once I have it in and have used it for a couple of weeks, I'll report back in. Thanks for all the info, guys.

[Redwood]

It takes about 3 gallons of cold water passing through the pipes before the hot water arrives at this particular outlet, which is at the furthest point from the Takagi.

Well that should give you a 1.25 gallon cold water sandwich. You would need a 5 gallon unit to supply enough water without getting a cold water sandwich. Recirculation is your best option.

[hj]

That heater has a cheap plastic tank, and can fail fairly easily. A 2 gallon Bradford White or similar with a metal tank will be much more satisfactory.

[Cali]

Thanks for the tip, will check it out.