What is the best make tankless/endless water heater to get?

[looknohands]

Hi,

In our house with two full bathrooms I'd like to replace our 40 gallon gas water heater with a tankless/endless-water heater.

Any advice on where to start looking for information on what kind of heaters might be best are really appreciated. I really have no idea where to even start looking.

Quality is more important than price. Looking for something that is pretty powerful for our situation of two full baths, washing machine and kitchen, and is also of a quality that is sure to last a long time.

I hope that my assumption is correct that any plumber should be able to take our old water heater out and redo the water and gas lines to fit the new heater?

Thanks for any help,

- Erik

[jadnashua]

If you want to be able to run all of those things at the same time, you will probably need more than one and a larger gas line coming into the house. Assuming a 2.5gallon per minute showerhead you need 1200 BTU/per hour per degree you need to raise the incoming water. In the winter around where I live, it starts out at about 34 degrees. So, say you want it to get to 114 to allow for a little cooling off on the way and to mix a little cold with it (this is still too cold for a dishwasher), you have to raise the temp 80 degrees, so 1200*80=96000btu for ONE shower going. Get my drift?

Trying to fill a tub or even a washing machine with one can be a pain. Some work better than others, but all of them will require more maintenance than a tank-type. Do a search for tankless here and you'll be able to read some comments both good and bad (mostly bad).

[looknohands]

Wow, I'm glad I asked. I'll do my research through this forum.

From the sound of it, I may just get a new 40 gallon water heater then.

- Erik

[jadnashua]

Most systems assume 50 degree input water. That may very well be the case in some places. If you also carefully read the specs, it talks about temperature rise related to volume. The heat exchanger will make the output water hotter if say you are running a sink with a restricted flow than say the tub. So, with the same setting, the temperature can change radically. These things have their place, and under the right circumstances are a good idea, but they are not necessarily less expensive. They cost more to buy, cost more to repair, and if you need a large volume of water are sorely deficient unless your incoming water temps regularly are pretty high. Now, if you lived in SO Cal, or Hawaii, it might make more sense. The other thing, to get the temp rise, they have a flow restrictor. This can reduce the available pressure and make your shower less invigorating. Some people love them - more power to them. You just have to understand what you are getting into, so you won't be disappointed.