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on demand hot water

3K views 38 replies 32 participants last post by  71jeepster 
#1 ·
Ok I know there is one of you guys out there that know about these things.
I am going to get this for my house, who can tell me the best product for the best price out there?

One of the problums in my house right now is my hot water tank is on one end of the house and it takes 3 to 4 min. for it to get to the kitchen at the other end.

Please share...
 
#7 ·
I am not a plumber nor know a lot about hot water heaters, but I would have to think that getting an on demand water heater would not solve the 3-4 minute lag for hot water to get from one end of the house to the other. It seems like the hot water tank has hot water available, but it just takes a while it to get there. I would guess the only difference is that the on demand does not store hot water but heats it as it pass thru and the tank you would constantly be storing hot water. I just do not see it helping speed up hot water delivery.
 
#8 · (Edited)
i am a hvac installer by trade and i have installed these before, i believe the brand we installed is RINNAI... and you would definately need someone qualified to install one.... but they are sweet! but the guy above me may be correct in saying that it may not solve your problem... there is an alternative though... its kind of like a recirculation pump.... you should probably talk to a plumber about it though... basically it recirculates the hot water throught the pipes when your not using it to keep it hot in the line at all times...
 
#11 ·
its kind of like a recirculation pump.... you should probably talk to a plumber about it though... basically it recirculates the hot water throught the pipes when your not using it to keep it hot in the line at all times...
It's not kind of like a re-circ pump, it is a re-circ pump, they work great from what I've seen, it's just a pump that constantly circulates the hot water until it is needed.
 
#9 ·
Dunno what you guys are talking about, but I've seen 2 units installed and they pretty much had a little reservoir like a water fountain for the initial water coming out of the tap and were plenty hot enough to keep it hot after a few seconds. No lag whatsoever.
 
#12 · (Edited)
My sister and her husband had two tankless put in their house. They suck. You have to wait at least a minute for warm water in the shower. The dishwasher depends on hot water to operate, it does a shitty job with a tankless. You just need to run a return loop from your furthest fixture, back to the drain valve on your hot water tank. That will solve the lag. There is a thing you can get from the building supply that will make it work a little better. My Dad has one, he likes it. Or you can put a little circulating pump on your return line. If you run your hot supply lines with some "grade" (run them slightly uphill to your fixtures), and grade the return line downhill back to the tank, it will circulate by thermosyphon. I am not a plumber, but I worked as one for two years in Saginaw, and I know every thing about everything. :sonicjay:


http://www.rewci.com/whhohotwaci.html


http://www.chilipepperapp.com/tscs.htm
 
#13 ·
I think there are a couple different types. Some replace your water heater and would go in that location. To solve the lag proble you would need one of the re-circ ones. There is another type that you put right at the sink or shower. This way the source of the hot water is right next to where you are using it so there is no travel time from one end of the house to the other, no lag.
 
#15 ·
the problem is most people dont get one big enough. a normal family needs at least 200K btu. I helped a friend put one in his house and it works fine. Installed easy too.
 
#17 ·
Just to be clear, Sue, do you mean an Instant-hot for the kitchen, or a tankless whole-house water heater?

I'm guessing you want an instant-hot for your kitchen. They are sweet, my parents-in-law swear by theirs, but I don't know what brand it is...
 
#20 ·
One solution is to install one of these under your sink:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0006GVO1C/ref=pd_sbs_hi_1?v=glance&s=hi

Plumb it into your hot water line. That way you will have 4 gallons of hot water right there when you need it (4 gallons is usually alot more than you will use at one time in a kitchen). If you need more just let the water run a bit longer until the hot water comes from the water heater across the house.

If all of the fixtures are far away from the water heater then install a wall mounted unit, that heats the water as it passes through, alot closer to the fixtures. An electric one will not need a vent...just a 220 line.
 
#21 ·
BTW, here's what S. Knudsen of Bella Vista, Arkansas had to say about it:


Ever since we moved into our new house my wife has complained about how long it took the hot water to get to the kitchen sink from the hot water heater in the garage. Since installing the Ariston GL 4, she has been ecstatic!! Hot water is instant. It is such a pleasure not to have her complain about our former water problem. Even when I am "forced" to do the dishes, I can't complain about our lack of hot H2O. Installation was easy except for the ill-fitting two top fittings. They will accept the hose extentions (hardware store), but you must be firm and patient. It took away alot of our storage space beneath the sink, but it was worth it.
 
#22 ·
If it is truly just the time it takes to get hot water to the faucet or shower then definitely go with a domestic recirc pump! If it the amount of water that you have then go tankless. For the recirc line you have to put it on the farthest hot water line from the heater. I have installed these systems before in the commercial/industrial aspect it works great. I have not done any instant water heaters. I am not a plummer though.:sonicjay:
 
#26 ·
sorry had grandkids tonight, no replacing the electric water heater. we have very hard water up here and go through electric ones fast. by the sounds maybe we should go with a gas heater and one of those things for under the kitchen sink.
 
#28 ·
We have the recirc system in our house and it is great. I don't believe it has an actual recirc pump on it. IIRC it just heats at the water heater and the hot water rises into the house and the cooler water is pushed back down to be reheated. It increases your energy useage a little bit due to more frequent water heating, but I am sure it is a minimal increase.
 
#30 ·
can't say for sure, but the way you explained it. sounds like a recirc pump system.

the recirc pump is installed (usually) at the most remote hot water faucet from the tank. the pump operates on temp, when the hot water at that faucet falls below a predetermined temp, the pump starts. pulling hot water from the tank, and returning on the cold water side.
 
#31 ·
I have a 6 gallon/min Rinnai in my house running on propane and I never looked back. Can run everything at once, set it at whatever temp you want, and it doesn't take long to get hot at all. Its mounted on the wall in my crawlspace. Moving it there allowed me to remove all the utilities from my basement rooms.

I also have an insta-hot tap at the sink that is electric. :thumb:
 
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