We are remodeling and were wondering if a Tankless Water heater is better than a Tank Water Heater. We have a home in the Country and free gas so that will always be a gas Water Heater but the one in the City we are wondering if we should try a Tankless or should we go with a new Tank Water heater. Anyone on here have any suggestions? It is just my Wife and I but the kids visit in the Summer.

I can't see why a person would want to have a tank full of 120 degree water sitting there 24-7, even when you aren't home.
If the politicians were really worried about energy conservation, tankless water heaters would be code. Furthermore, if these politicians were worried about energy conservation/climate change, etc., they would still be building their multi million dollar mansions along the beaches. Regardless, tankless just makes sense. But go with gas, not electric if possible.

Try one out if you know someone I’m not impressed with my tankless heater what you save in preheating in a tank you waste waiting for a tankless to start warming up. My tankless is right next to my kitchen sink and it takes a crazy amount of time to put out hot water.

Tankless SUCK !! As for why have a tank ? you ever enjoyed a LONG HOT shower after sitting in a tree stand or standing in an icy river half a day ? You don’t do that with tankless. Electric on demand are not anymore cost saving unless you just wash your hands couple times per day . They just don’t last so you spend any savings in repair/ replace

Retired electrician. Your going to have to have a large branch circuit pulled to that tankless. 50 amp 240v on up depending what you get. Plumbers love em'. They burn out pretty quick.

I've used a few and love them. One main issue people do is get an undersized unit. You want big enough to run multiple hot water sources at the same time. Example 2 showers and dishwasher at the same time. That would be in average 6 gpm. If you're running hot water to the washing machine & using all hot water sources you'll need a bigger unit

I have a LP one less electric draw but still poor results once it heats up it’s fine it just takes a long time to warm up to step in the shower. I did need to change out the ignition rods but that was easy to do. I got the bigger one but its underperforming just at the sink a few feet away.

I have had an LP on demand now for 7 years, plus I install and attempt to service them for cottages.

Electric requires a massive circuit, and that can push some smaller services to need to be upgraded if you are close to the limit now. And that's pricey

On demand propane tanks cost more initially to purchase.
When they work, they work great. When they don't, most gas technicians suck at fixing them, and plumbers won't fix them. I spend a good deal of time trying to fix them, and it's always expensive. When it's a tank LP heater my gas tech changes a thermocouple and it's fixed. Electric tank? A monkey can install a new element and away you go.

Mine had a motherboard go a few months ago. Cost me $700 to fix.


Poor water quality affects them way more than a tank.

I would never get a tankless water heater. They cost more, most repairs are expensive and their life expectancy is less. I use a 40 gal. electric and have a timer on it to turn it off during the times its not needed like night time and during the day when not home. I also keep the water heater temperature set at 150 degrees so the water doesn't contain bacteria. I have a thermal mixing valve that is set for 125 degrees. That ensures that I don't have water any hotter than 125 degrees delivered to my fixtures. My wife is a massage therapist and does a large load of laundry every day and we never runout of hot water. The tank water heater has double the life span of the tankless water heater and sometimes more. The electric tank water heater has only a pressure relief valve, 2- heating elements, thermostat all of these are usually available at any local hardware store. I flush the tank once a year to help remove any lime scale buildup. There's no way that I can see any savings with a tankless water heater that cost more to purchase with a shorter life span, higher repair bills that also you will have to wait for the repair parts. My electric tank water heater only requires a 30 amp circuit which uses a 10 gauge wire size. With addition of the timer and the thermal mixing valve the initial cost is still less. I have seen people replace their tankless water heaters three times before I would have to replace a tank water heater. Where's the savings in a tankless water heater? To flush my tank water heater I turn the power off, shut off the cold water supply valve and open the drain valve and empty the tank. Once empty then I open the cold water supply valve and leave the drain valve open for a couple minutes more. Then close the drain valve and fill the tank, then turn the power back on. In a half hour It's ready to use. If going away for a extended amount of time I turn the power off and turn back on when I return home.

We have had one for five years and we love it. My friend is a plumber and he has one in his own house so that tells you something.

I have an electric tankless water heater at my lake place and love it. Hot water is there basically instantly. No using energy keeping water hot when you're not using it. No maintenance, Just turn on the hot water. In the summer it doesn't use much electricity because I'm using lake water which is already 70+ degrees. Take as many showers as you want as long as you want there is no such thing as running out of hot water. So for this situation, it's much better than having a tank.

Water heaters get installed on my new construction and remodeling jobs all the time. Over the years I have heard a lot of complaints about the tankless models both gas and electric. Zero complaints about the traditional tank units.

I looked at Lowes and ACE. I will stick to the Hot Water Tank. It would cost a fortune to keep and Maintain it. Regular Tank Water Heaters even have a longer life span and warranty. Thanks for the input.

Tankless are ok but they seem to have some maintenance issues. Propane is what I have limited experience with. Probably be best to ask a local plumber and see what he says.

Everyone loves on demand at first. Maybe they get lucky and go 5, maybe even 10 years with no issues.


But eventually...they cost ya money.


Sadly there's no free lunch

Talk to a local plummer. Ours say with the hard water around it has caused issues.

We put in a Big Standard tank in the basement a few years ago.
I was glad that we had Cellar doors put in when we built

If I redo my tankless I plan on putting a inline water filter to extend the life of it.

Tankless I been doing Plumbing for 50 years , I watched the Evolution , They use almost No Energy

We have had a tankless heater for a few years and it works great for us. Besides needing to descale it around once a year, there's no maintenance. It's much cheaper to run than a hot water tank that sits around, constantly heating water that is seldom used. The wait for hot water is the same.

Keith