Tankless Water Heater...

Responses like this is EXACTLY why I ask here first!!! I live by myself & my house was built in the 60's. The ones I looked at were just about the same price as the tank heaters I looked at so that tells me they are NOT going to work very well!!! Since I'm going through a time where everything is wearing out at the same time, I don't have any spare money just laying around!!! My refrigerator, washer & dryer have gone out recently too. I'm now buying in order of importance...water heater comes first as I just cannot take cold showers!!!

3honor, a lot of older houses here were built by the ones who first occupied them and our building codes weren't real stringent until the past 50 years or so, or so people told me at a construction company I worked at a few years ago. So it's very possible that newer inventions might be too much for the wiring in some houses.

LadyMarissa, I know just what you mean! My furnace broke and I had to replace it in December--shortly before I found out I'll be moving! Thank goodness all the other things aren't dying on me but it will only be a matter of time. I'm going to be a renter for the next few years after I sell the house and try to sock away some serious savings.

GREAT news!!! My house is run by natural gas & I've NEVER had an occasion where I didn't have gas!!! I'm much like your husband...I do LOVE a good, long HOT shower...20 minutes is short for mine!!! My current heater frequently runs out just after I lather up with shampoo & I have NO other option but to finish with cold water. I can adapt to a lot of things, but cold showers is NOT one of them!!! Plus finishing with cold water loses the good effects of the initial hot shower!!! I need to do a LOT more thinking & research before making up my mind. Sadly, I think my current water heater is going to push this process up to an emergency level real soon!!! Thank you for letting me know how well yours is working as I was mostly concerned with the reliability or pitfalls of the unit!!!

I don't know what the warranty is on these things but we've had ours for almost five years now and it has never disappointed. I'd have to say that they are very reliable. Oh, one thing. Gas is apparently the preferred energy for these things, at least the ones sold in this country. My husband was asking about which would be better, gas-run or electricity-run and everyone he spoke to said the gas-run ones are best. One employee at Lowes told him that they had several electric ones exchanged for gas. I can't remember the reason but apparently the gas-powered tankless water heaters run much better (AND cheaper). That's why we got the propane tank installed. You're already ahead of the game by having natural gas. I wish we had natural gas instead of electricity. I'll make sure to pick my next house more carefully.

Gas is most definitely MY preferred resource!!! I prefer cooking with gas as I have complete control over the amount of heat used or not used!!! Gas heat is a million times more comfortable than electric heat!!! When I moved back down South & was looking to buy a house, I chose this one mainly because of the gas connections. Oh yes...it is a million times CHEAPER also!!! My parents changed over from electric to gas because my utility bill was 2/3 cheaper than theirs every month & our houses were about the same size. My Mom stayed cold when they had electric heat & bragged as to how warm she stayed once they switched over to gas!!!

Surely they have corrected the pressure problem by now!!! If not, that shouldn't be a problem as I like full pressure & high heat. The prices I'ver seen online are not that high; however, I'm sure the installation will increase that price significantly. I love the idea of instant hot water!!! A good portion of my water bill is waiting for the water to get hot before showering or washing dishes!!! My house is not huge & I live alone; so I'm thinking one tank should cover my needs. I can't wash dishes & take a shower at the same time!!!

Oh men! Now I miss having such luxury. I wonder when I could afford to buy one of those electrical water heater. Anyway, nice to hear you finally know what you want. Good luck!

I think I have the power outage problem covered as I would be installing a gas heater. I've lived here for 14 years & never run out of gas!!!. I love the idea of instasnt hot water & NEVER running out of hot water!!!

Yes, it is a luxury & one that I've ALWAYS appreciated!!! There is NOTHING more heavenly than a good HOT shower first thing in the morning!!!

If there is one woman that I would never call a "ditz" is is you Ladym!!

What I'm speaking of is the same concept as your electric water heater except we can get it with a gas heater also. My house is mainly gas with only a few items running from electricity. I seldom lose my electricity & when I do, my provider is extremely efficient on getting the problem solved...even in snow storms. I think that an hour has been my longest wait!!! My current tank heater only holds enough hot water to last a very short time in the event of a power outage. I understand the problem of losing power to the unit will affect when I have hot water. Washing dishes & taking showers are my two only real concerns & of those two, taking showers is my MAIN concern!!! I just really wanted to know how well the tankless system worked & if it failed frequently or not. If I don't have hot water to wash my dishes, I can put off washing them for a day or so; but I cannot go without my HOT showers!!! Actually, I could wash my dishes in cold water until I got my hot water restored & then redo them in hot water. Reliability is what I was looking into. I feel semi safe with my tank system because that's what I've always had. However, I have absolutely NO experience with the tankless system & just needed to hear what others thought. I must say I've received some EXCELLENT ideas here today Now when I speak with the repairman, I'll have some good questions to ask & not be a total ditz!!!

That has been my thinking. Unfortunately, I think I'm at the point to where I'll need to make a decision!!! I had started out doing my own research & as normally happens with me...I came up with more questions than answers. I'm notorious for NOT believing the hype sellers put out & where better to get honest opinions from actual users than on myLot???