3 Things They Don’t Tell You About Tankless

[@Sunnysez]

I owned a Dry Cleaning plant that also laundered shirts and was replacing one of my two 100 gallion tanks each year. I switch to a tankless system set at 160* and washed shirts and laundry for 5 hours a day. My gas bill was cut in half and when I sold the plant seven years later it was still running efficiently with only two service calls in the time I owned it.

[@Mrclean431]

Sweet !!!

[@Flores9989]

Wonder what the pressure to the building was, or was it mechanical failure and not leaks/breaches causing the problems?

[@gyver471]

Don’t forget the maintenance tankless demands not worth the savings.

[@frankgarcia6760]

​@gyver471 who told you that lie?

[@captain5969]

what brand was it?

[@aaronwilson9763]

HOT TIP: NAVAL SHOWER A Navy shower is “the term used for a water-saving technique that was started in the Navy to help save precious freshwater aboard ships. The basic idea is to hop in the shower, get wet all over, turn off the water while soaping up, and then rinse clean. The small change in routine makes a huge difference: a regular shower can use as much as 60 gallons of water, while a Navy shower can check in at about 3 gallons.” (HUFF POST, 03/29/2009 05:12 am ET Updated May 25, 2011) But the hard part probably is getting a teenager to buy-in! Thanks for taking the time to create these channel's content... and thanks for sharing!

[@ptankov]

Well, it appears I have been doing the "NAVAL SHOWER" all my life without knowing! I didn't know people soap up while keeping the water running. Seems too wasteful to me, just saying.

[@laurants]

Also: Cold Shower.

[@jtmg11]

the searing hot seemingly endless, high-pressured shower was an American exception showcasing the good life. Oh so far we have fallen

[@skiprope536]

Hear Hear. Been yelling at a house full of girls for that. Finally had to go down turn the shut off to the Tamil gave em 2 minutes of hot water till they got it.

[@levonseferyan4537]

With a tankless one maynot cycle the hot water on and off repeatedly. At one point the hheater doesn’t know where it stands. Also for cold climes anything below 225MBH, there is a good chance your showers will not be too too hot in the winter.

[@prairiepucker9392]

Been tankless for over 30 years. First one replaced an electric heater, had a standing pilot and no blower, so no electrical connection required. Used that for 20 years. Present one is on year 11, piezo, propane, exhaust blower, so power loss means no hot water. But we're also on a well, so power loss means no water anyway. Besides, a 10 KW generator takes care of that situation. Estimated the first one would pay for itself in 1-1/2 years; only took 9 months. Both have always run on soft water. The present unit has a remotely settable hot water outlet temperature feature so, for example, from your bathroom you can adjust the hot water outlet temp to exactly what's needed without the need to mix in cold to cool it at the shower faucet. Bingo! Your efficiency just improved. Tankless have their little quirks but no show-stoppers. I'll never have another tank.

[@heyheythecat]

Thank you for not intentional push the video over 10 min just for ad revenue. This is short and concise.

[@view05nys]

I have Naiven dual boiler for domestic hot water and for the radiant heating system in the house. Now going into my third winter season with the system. You have summarized the advantages of such a system, so I won't repeat. It has been completely reliable so far and highly efficient. My fuel source is propane, with a future availability of natural gas in my neighborhood. We recently went through 75 hours of no electrical power due to a wind storm. I am fortunate to have a permanently installed auxiliary generator. No issues in supplying electrical power to the boiler's controls. My water is soft, so mineral buildup in the pipes is not apparent. Just today I bought vinegar to use in flushing the boiler jackets. I have seen videos for maintaining my boiler, which I will do very soon, early in the Fall season. Doesn't seem like much of a charge and well within the capabilities of a DIYer. Bottom line, I am completely satisfied in the choice I made for heating my home in a northern climate and for endless hot water (no teenagers at home).

[@tylertoepke-floyd4755]

I'm putting a similar system into my home as well. Navien Combi boiler for domestic hot water and then garage and basement radiant heating. Did you do a recirculation loop for basically instant domestic hot water? I've been debating it.

[@cavenderandrews9098]

wow, thank you for this, i was considering switching, but i live remote, have frequent brown outs, have 4 boys, and am super glad i watched this!!!

[@dherman58]

I have two (yes, 2) tankless water heaters in my house. They are both 95+ efficient units. One is used for DHW while the others is used to heat my underfloor radiant heat system. The one main drawback of a tankless unit for DHW is the delay in getting hot water to the faucet. My unit has an internal pump that would push the water through the system to keep the hot in the pipes. But then it has to run the burner when it does it. To counteract this you need to plumb a return line back the the unit from your furthest faucet otherwise it forces the hot water into the cold water pipes. As for the one i use to heat my floors, it works great. When there is a call for heat, the pumps turn on and cycle the water through the burner. As the water heats up the unit sensed this and modulates the burner to heat the incoming water to the correct heat. When my tankless unit runs, I have watched the incoming water rise quickly from 70* to close to 110* and the unit is set for an outflow of 120* water. so it goes from a 50* heat rise to a 10* heat rise. And that is where the tankless unit shines. I have gone out to look at the gas meter and watch the flow of gas drop dramatically (the meter spins much slower as the demand for gas drops.) My gas bill from Xcel is much lower than others. The January bill where we had multiple days below 0*F was a little over $240 for my 2800 sqft house.

[@kentchamberlain4952]

I don’t know about the US, but here in NZ, Bosch make an instantaneous HWS that uses a piezo ignition system that is charged by a small turbine driven by the incoming water movement. Bingo, ignition without the need for any supply power. Also perfect for an off-grid solution.

[@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347]

Would be cool plumbed into a biogas tank, hot water from waste n poop!

[@ryanroberts1104]

Not likely to find that sort of thing in the US, probably not legal to install. The reason they require an outlet is for more than just making a spark - most have power vents, and modulating gas burners that adjust to any given water flow. Along with numerous safety controls. Water heating and showers in the US seem to be VERY different than what they do in other countries.

[@ptom711]

I have a Bosch as described above. Bought it from Home Depot, $600. It isn’t instantaneous BTW, it is tankless but it does take time to heat the water,

[@Nonplused]

@@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347 Would need a lot of poop to generate 200,000 btu's on demand. I suggest propane.

[@redwinemademedoit]

Yeh, had a Bosch 26e here in Australia, and loved it. We lived close to a natural gas line , so we utilised that... If i had 1 neg thing to say about it, it was that we lived in a large 2 story new house, and it took at times a minute or so to reach the furthermost shower away from the unit. Otherwise trouble free and awesome unit!

[@seasonschange4337]

I have this and I've had it for years it paid for itself in a year. It is absolutely fuel efficient. It's easy to flush. I love it.

[@markmallinger7746]

We built a new house in 1991 with two 75 gallon natural gas water heaters. Had 7 kids at the time, the orginal water heaters only lasted 7 years. Replaced with 1 tank less we never paid more than 1/3 the cost of the previous system. I service the system 1 a year even though we have a soft water system in the house. Our tank less is 19 years old still working.

[@williamhoodtn]

I recently installed a ScaleBlaster to help keep my 99% efficient tank-less hot-water heater from scaling. I love my tank-less system! After 22+ years of a gas 40 gallon unit in a previous house, this one is awesome!

[@1973TJM]

williamhoodtn I need to investigate a “ScaleBlaster.”

[@mikezimmermann89]

Great video. I put a tankless in 2 years ago, have been very happy with it, and my experience bears out everything said here. I was lucky enough to to realize an energy cost savings with the tankless heater; but, mine is a family of only 2 adults, so “endless” hot water wasn’t the temptation for us that it can be for others. The fact that we’re NOT heating water when we don’t need it has been GREAT! The outdoor install was also a big plus for me. I replaced an improperly-vented, outdoor-installed conventional water heater with a properly-vented, outdoor-installed tankless heater and saved the cost of having a roofer penetrate the roof and install a roof jack. Tankless was a win-win for me.

[@jeffmathers355]

I just replaced my 30-gallon with an electric Rheem 3.5 gpm point of use for my small 1-bath house. The unit was

[@ltsgarage7780]

Walk into a house with 3 to 5 children. Then try telling the mother that they don’t need much Hot water. Just after you say that. Duck. Because something is flying at your head !!!

[@jeffmathers355]

@@ltsgarage7780 I've inspected homes that fitted with tankless that exceeds the max gpm of all the HW fixtures combined. It's a personal choice but with flo-flow fixtures and by being mindful ppl could save a lot of money.

[@ltsgarage7780]

@@jeffmathers355 I disagree with “A lot of Money” If everyone in the house takes really short shower, wait till the dishwasher is completely packed full, and the clothes washer is packed. You might save 20 to 25 dollars a month. And that’s a maybe that much!!! Then add back in how much electricity or gas the dryer uses extra to dry the full load. Saving 240 to 300 dollars a year. I would change jobs then use the shower for what it’s made for. If you really feel a 300 dollar bill at the end of a year. You just are not charging enough. Says the guy on the internet that charges 275.00 an hour. 🤪

[@jeffmathers355]

@@ltsgarage7780 I meant save a lot on the cost of the water heater. Hence my OP. Cheers

[@ltsgarage7780]

@@jeffmathers355 buy a good Tankless then you don’t have to worry about one giving up on you. I have tankless water heater’s still working just fine after 15 years & some even longer. Some of it is water quality. Some of it is maintenance. They all need to be serviced. What do you call a quality tankless & what does it cost. Not the install cost but just the cost of the tankless? By the way I’ve run my own plumbing business for 49 years. I’ve heard it all and seen everything tried !!!

[@brownh2orat211]

I have 2 tankless, one for hot water and the other heats my house using radiant floor heat, had them for the last 7 years, works fantastic, heats a 2500 sqft house in Missouri for about $60 bucks a month in the coldest part of the winter. Would never ever go back to a tank heater or " traditional" house heat. Gutted the old central air/heat pump and installed minisplit AC systems, dropped my cooling cost by over $100 a month and keeps the house much cooler than before.

[@benkuxhouse787]

Wait till they break. Sounds like the central was undersized. How old was it?

[@Machoman-ct]

Don't spend your savings...you'll need it for mini splits repairs...

[@premiumspecialtiesconstruc7923]

Can you tell the one you have

[@ltsgarage7898]

BrownH20Rat You sound like a salesman !!!!

[@Sandra-Armstrong]

That's what we're in the process of doing now, and really looking forward to having it done. Do you have your tanks outside or inside?

[@brannonwood]

Thanks for the advice Matt..! I live here in San Antonio and lost my tankless during the freeze in February. I have since learned to winterize by either keeping a small amount of hot running from a faucet or turn the heater off and manual drain it.

[@jmramirez0609]

@Brannon W I am seriously thinking of getting a tankless. Who installed yours if you don't mind me asking. I am shopping around and some of these companies are not wanting to talk to me about tankless and instead want to push me into a standard tank with a 10 year service plan at like 50 per month. That's insane to me.

[@brannonwood]

@@jmramirez0609 Originally I had Chambliss Plumbing here in San Antonio install my Rinnai tankless - but, the last time in March I did it myself. Thanks.

[@brannonwood]

@@jmramirez0609 Right - that was the same reaction I got from plumbing companies here in San Antonio. Out of 10 bids, only 1 company would do it.

[@jennifer9528]

@Jessica Ramirez, a 10 year service plan at $50/month for a tank?? That is insane! Did you ask what that service includes? I've been a homeowner for nearly 17 years and have never needed anyone to service my tank. Not once. And I've never had to do anything, myself, to maintain it either. There's no question they're trying to rip you off. I mean, hell, for that money, you might as well go out and buy a few more tanks. I'd tell them to their face that they must be selling garbage if their tank requires monthly services. It's sad that we can't depend on businesses to be honest. Everything's a scam nowadays.

[@peter-pg5yc]

Drain it, why i took my failed one apart..all copper lots of passages like a gas grill but on steroids gazillion small passages, dont wanna clog some just running it..I got copious pics of exchanger that failed..

[@EvanEdstrom]

Installed a tankless last year and liking it. Spent $6.50 on gas last month with normal usage for my wife and I. Cost savings is definitely there for us. Pro-tip for the kids, go to the tankless and press the power 5 minutes into their shower. Instant cold water just as fast as instant hot water.

[@alsaunders7805]

Glad you weren't my dad.

[@lorrilewis2178]

I hope you don't have kids with oily hair needing to wash/condition their hair every day. I hope you don't have daughters who shave in the shower. Five minutes isn't reasonable.

[@itchyvet]

@@lorrilewis2178 Shaving in the shower is totally wasteful. Such should be done over bath tub and not waste continually running water.

[@lorrilewis2178]

@@itchyvet It takes me next to no time.

[@dragons_red]

@@itchyvet You do you, don't lecture others on how to live.

[@WilliamHunterII]

I recently (~24 mos. ago) replaced my tank water heater with a tankless. I save about $100 to $120 a year on my natural gas bill and never running out of hot water is a big plus. The space saving is a big deal too. My unit is mounted inside the house here in the southern mountains around Asheville. The unit has to be vented, so it's mounted on an exterior wall making the vent short and direct. Your "How to flush the unit" video was a big help too, Matt. Thanks for that. I should jump on that job right away.

[@BobBob-we3wr]

So in 15-24 years you will pay off the unit. Typical cost vs tank comparison. Not sure if thats worth it.

[@crushingsnakes1972]

From my master plumber point of view, for the most part, I agree with the points brought up in this video. Personally I do not try to actively sell tankless. I do tell every customer what is mentioned in this video. I would add there is a #4 that most contractors do not tell you. These units are very sensitive to flow rate. For example you have to have “X” gallon per minute flowing through the heater for it to function properly. If you have a low flow shower head, there is a chance that that there is not enough flow on the hot side to get the heater to operate as designed. Remember, your mixing hot and cold in your faucet. Let’s say I can measure 4 GPM coming out of the shower head, that means in theory that I have 2GPM on the hot line and 2GPM on the cold line. That 2GPM is not enough for the tankless to operate correctly. *the 2GPM is just a made up number I used to make my point, consult the tankless manufacturers manual for the real numbers.

[@harrybarnhill8029]

I have seen this issue as well

[@silverandblack9242]

i’m a handyman that ran into this many times, along with that scale reducing the flow of every faucet and shower head and valve in the entire house which makes the minimal flow to get the tankless working even worse as time goes by… not for me

[@mosfet500]

You're doing it wrong. The best way to use tankless is to set the tank temp at the temp you use. For example, my electric tankless is set to 105F which is my preferred shower temp with my 1-1/2 gpm flow rate. I turn the shower completely to the hot side, my Stiebel Eltron keeps the water right at 105 ( my lines to my fixtures are all 3/8" pex and insulated so there is very little if any loss. You don't want to mix water at the fixture that creates losses from heating the water above the level and then cooling it. My energy usage for a 4 minute shower at 1-1/2 gpm is 5kWh * 4/60 or only 333 watts, that's it. It's so efficient I use it with my PV system and don't pay for hot water. I have a scale filter on it, all hot water systems should have scale filters. Tankless is the best hot water I've ever had, yes, you don't want your kid in there for three hours, you have to use your head but if you do it's very good and about 1/2 the cost of heat pump systems.

[@crushingsnakes1976]

If 105 is your max, more power to you. But to say I’m doing it wrong just shows a lack of understanding of what most Americans want in their home. I’ve been in this industry a long time. With a 105 degree max, I’d be getting phone calls from unhappy people. I don’t like phone calls from unhappy people. Edit: I own a tankless, I love my tankless. In a “normal” residential setting, I’ll never go back to a tanked.

[@Sandra-Armstrong]

@@mosfet500 Do you have your tanks outside or inside? I'm wanting a gas tankless heater, but I want it outside.

[@jaisingh5801]

I’ve been a plumber here in Sydney Australia for about 30yrs and also because we have very good water quality tankless has been the way to go, Maintanance free, energy efficient and neat tidy space saving installation, having said that I still have a storage tank system, only because it came with the house we bought, made from stainless steel 30 years and counting If it’s not broken why fix it😀 Every situation is different your local plumber knows best,..... if they’re good he/she will share that information as part of their duty of care. Have a wonderful day

[@joshtargo6834]

we have a gas tankless, but installed a 3 gallon electric mini-heater under the kitchen sink. instant hot where needed, endless hot everywhere.

[@christophergruenwald5054]

I thought about doing this as well, it’s a long run to my kitchen sink from my tankless. I insulated the line instead so once it’s there it’s hot for longer.

[@kenlyneham4105]

@@christophergruenwald5054 Generally speaking, the hot water unit should be installed as close as possible to the kitchen. The KS uses more hot water than any other point in the house. You could have run the hot water line in polybutil which loses less heat than insulated copper.

[@Plumbyday]

Idk your kind of tankless but some you can put a circulation pump on and have a cross over tee installed under the sinks. Utilizing your cold line as a return line.

[@kenlyneham4105]

@@Plumbyday Circulation pumps are not such a great idea. If you use one, you will increase dramatically your gas or electricity consumption. The pump uses very little, but the HWU uses a lot of energy when it's running. So, for the small cost of water lost along with time waiting for the hot to come through, you will pay through the nose for the extra energy used. If you have deep pockets, it doesn't matter.

[@carrtb]

Ken Lyneham I hear you! So I modified my circ system. As built in 1993 the return dumps the recirc water back into the HW tank via a tee at the cold water inlet. The pump is at this location and between it and the tank is a check valve and aqua stat. I didn’t like the idea of the system being “left on” 24/7 and controlled only by the aqua stat so I installed wiring to each bathroom light switch and the kitchen light switch boxes, changed out the single bay light switch boxes to doubles, and installed mechanical timers next to the light switches. Then, at the outlet powering the HW circ pump in the water heater closet I “cut in” the wiring going to the mechanical timers, all of which are wired in parallel. The lead interrupted to the outlet is the black “hot” lead. It takes a bit of discipline but whenever hot water is desired at one of the locations, at least the timer at that location must be wound. If somebody had already wound a timer at another location, well, it’s not necessary to wind a second because the HW loop is already heated. Though it takes about a minute to the furthest bathroom and about two minutes to the kitchen for the arrival of hot water in a cold loop it makes a difference on my electric bill and lifetime of my water heater!

[@LarryZamba]

I love ours. Endless hot water is delivered to all points of our 1800 sq. ft. ranch. We can run two showers, a dishwasher and fill up a tub all at the same time. It only cost us a couple of hundred bucks to install by ourselves, and honestly with the $300 federal tax rebate it was cheaper than the conventional power vented 50 gallon tank we would have replaced it with.

[@peter-pg5yc]

you need a larger gas line????? how did you get around that?? got trained gofers

[@tehpurplepills]

​@@peter-pg5yc I have 1" where it enters the house, a 20k heater tees off. The trunk, then the trunk runs 10ft, tees off and a stove and 80k BTU furnace are off the top side, and the bottom goes to a 20k dryer, and 160k tankless. And that's right at about 375k BTU/hr peak demand (the max rated output of a 250 mtr@6" wc pressure is 375k BTU/hr) I didn't have to change much, just replaced a coupling with a tee on the 1" going down to the dryer, then ran it 5 ft to the water heater. Lot of piping in older homes were severely oversized. and honestly a 250 mtr can put out a lot more ( like 800k btu) at its outlet, it just can't register it, so its free gas lol, and what r the chances you are running every single gas appliance at once? Every stove burner?

[@tomcallahan7677]

Had one for two years, love it. Our gas bill last month was $28, big deal.

[@mr.laquintana2892]

I live in Phoenix and currently have a 40G tank. My water is hot without heating it. All summer it's nearly in vacation mode. My gas bill runs $17/mo :-)

[@williammoses6460]

I installed a timed light switch for the bathroom. You got thirty minutes to do your thing in the light. Mainly it was to keep the electric bill lower. Had 400 watts of lighting in there and three teenage daughters. Not one could turn off a light when exiting. Those were interesting years💜

[@andymonk4089]

I understand the kids part.My step daughter came to stay a couple of winters ago and had a $1000 electric bill/mo.all winter.

[@CotyCondry]

haha my uncle did the same thing

[@GUITARTIME2024]

With today's bulbs it would he pennies per day if they never turned off.

[@TheEgg185]

I'm a boy and I do everything with the light OFF. Piss, shit, you name it. The night light is all I need. You would probably love to have me live with you. Btw can I live with you? Rent free. I'll be quiet.

[@TnBagpiper68]

My unit only uses 5watts of power to run. I use an igloo power pack to fire it up during brown outs. Thanks to your videos I have been cleaning my units for several years. The cleaning is easy. Doing it yourself saves money and you do not have to schedule someone to service on their time. I would like to see a better error code description from the manufacture. A plug removal tool would be nice. Thinking of 3D printing one. I love the units had one put in my old home and have one in my new build. Thanks for your how to videos.

[@jimbeaver27]

Hi Matt, Jim in Japan and I mentioned before, every house in Japan has one or more of these heaters and nobody ever has them serviced. They last 15-20 years then they replace them. I am sure water in Japan is quite hard, very hard in many places. I have never seen any scale on faucet filters etc. However, I am asking my wife to get one of ours serviced, it still works but I believe it needs a tune up. I will get back to you how that goes.

[@WaIIyMaven]

Once per year, we need to run vinegar through the tankless heater with a sump pump, and let it run for a few hours

[@ryanroberts3742]

As a plumber I recommend to everyone to flush at least every 12 months. It will change the longevity by 10x for the units if you buy a quality unit

[@alaefarmestatesllc]

Flush?

[@DSPAudiolab]

what would you consider a quality unit for a 3.5 bath house

[@ryanroberts3742]

@@alaefarmestatesllc flush is just referring to a process of cleaning out the unit. So basically it is flushing a cleaner through the water heater, or cycling a cleaner through it for health of the family and the life of the unit

[@ryanroberts3742]

@@DSPAudiolab I would ask someone who has more info on the house. So for instance, a licensed plumber is going to need to know how many fixtures each bathroom has, how many kitchens, how many gpm each fixture takes and finally a refresh rate. Also if you want water "on demand" which is only really done if you replumb your house. So on other words no one can tell you what is going to work for your house with out looking at it and doing some math

[@billneurohr2904]

Is it the same procedure as cleaning a oil fired boiler hot water coil?

[@nelsnelstone3488]

The thought of endless hot water was not even a part of my decision, but turned out to be an awesome feature. We ran a hot water line to the outside of our house for washing the car, the dog or whatever. The 4th thing you did not mention was PRICE! Where I live in British Columbia Canada a hot water tank is $1000, on demand system is $500

[@dustbat]

You should know why that is. Are you having any talk of them banning your fuel?

[@johnjohnson-oj7md]

except that this is not true, anywhere incl BC, unless you are allowing for a rebate. Tankless costs $3000 in BC, traditional about $1000

[@dustbat]

@@johnjohnson-oj7md Are you concerned your country may ban your present fuel?

[@doesntmatter5704]

Where did you find a tankless system in BC for $500??? I haven’t found one worth installing under $5K, and just installed a combi-boiler system (system that heats hydronic flooring AND domestic on demand system) for just over $7,500! I will now be installing a water softener system after watching this video.

[@angrydragonslayer]

I am confused by this as well Only thing i can find remotely close to $500 here is heat pump water heaters and that's with a govt. Subsidy.

[@mattmcc7930]

As a plumber in CO one more thing I tell my customers looking to install a tankless is that our cold ground water will dramatically affect it's performance. The GPM listed for the units is for optimal conditions. Our cold ground water, especially in the winter will reduce the GPM of the unit. I've had one of customers that would be taking a shower and someone would turn on the kitchen which would over load the unit and it would shut off. The only fix for this is to turn down the temperature on the unit which the customer was not happy with, they like hot showers. It will also slow down the water going through the unit in order to heat the water which will result in lower perceived pressure.

[@bowrepublik]

100% This is what i just typed above!. I would never install one unless i had a large recirc loop. Even then it's still questionable

[@smartysmarty1714]

Living in Wisconsin, with only one fixture using water at a time, do you think one of these would be sufficient ?

[@mattmcc7930]

@@smartysmarty1714 Yes, so long as you understand the drawbacks. If you lower the max temperature two or three notches you should have no problem. My only experience is with Rinnai water heaters so you'll have to do your homework with any other brand. If you need unlimited hot water or the extra space and are willing to make some small sacrifices then you'll be happy with it.

[@smartysmarty1714]

@@mattmcc7930- Thanks for the information Matt. My plumber is anti-tankless (for our area), but I never really asked him about it from a single fixture at a time perspective. I live alone, so I'd just have to make sure I only had the washer, dishwasher, or shower going at one time, which is usually how it is anyway. My HW heater is from 1992 so I'm a little nervous. But, I read one of these comments where a guy has one still going since 1963, so who knows. But, having said that, I'm from 1963 too and I'm pretty worn out...

[@mattmcc7930]

@@smartysmarty1714You may actually be able to use more then one fixure at a time. The shower uses the most GPM (gallons per minute). Most single handle shower valves have scald guard features that always allow some cold water to get through, but they can be adjusted to allow more hot water. This would allow you to turn down the temp on the heater but not really feel any difference at the shower. They literally don't make water heaters like they used to. I moved into my current house about 20 years ago. At the time it had a WH from 1980. That WH lasted another 5 years. I've replaced twice since then. They make them to fail after a certain amount of time. If you flush your WH once a year, it should last a bit longer. Cleaning out the sediment will help keep the weld points from rusting out. The old ones used to be glass lined so that they don't rust.

[@BobQuigley]

10yrs using tankless, 2 adults we've realized significant gas saving. Ours has inline screen. Easy maintenance using valve system. Also no catastrophic leaks. We also were able to remove a 2x2' chimney which provided additional space in laundry room while eliminating air leaks and temperature transfer of bricks

[@Alienspecies635]

Yeah well as soon as you get a Navien combination boiler water heater you have nothing but problems 4-5 years in. They don’t even make it ten years. They are terrible. If it’s just a tankless water heater than your ok but be careful with someone trying to sell you a Navien!!

[@MarcFun]

I need a water heater and still looking into it, worried about thankless failing and costing me too much over time, i am not sure it it reduces my gas bill, my gas bill goes up because of furnace mostly...

[@jacobhunsinger7793]

When my water tank quit back in 2006 I replaced it with a Bosch Tankless gas unit WITH a standing pilot. The home center was selling them for the same price as a 50 gallon tank unit at that time (I think someone made a mistake, I asked if that was the true price and they said it was so I jumped on it!). I have been extremely happy with my tankless Water heater.

[@umfjim69]

That's not a true tankless water heater.

[@kenmelrocity3142]

I had a Bosch Aquastar installed in my home just over 20 years ago. It has worked flawlessly, and I have not experienced any of the problems described by others here. With respect to operation, two things: I adjust the temperature during the course of the year depending on the temperature of water coming into the house. During warm summer months I adjust it down, during cold winter adjust it up. Second, I adjust the heater so that the hot water temperature at the tap is that for a good hot shower without mixing in any cold water. You should not run these like a tank where you have a high temp (within code) in the tank that is mixed with cold water at the tap! For the kitchen I have a small undersink tankless heater just for that sink. That way I get essentially instant hot water and the temperature is set higher for cleaning.

[@mkeen1808]

Exactly what Bosch suggests. I have their electric tankless and love it. It was AE 125, the replacement is another name

[@peter-pg5yc]

you are soooo lucky..2 units here 5 years 3400 plus 1300 plus 300 plus 200 cleaning ..5200 total where are the savings those costs repairs to units or replaced in 5 years..big ouch

[@1whitecottagelife770]

I had the same unit, gas. The problem I had was that it took a long time for the water to get hot at the tap, and every now and then the pilot light would go out and I would have to go into my semi stand up crawl space where the tank was located and relight the pilot light.

[@1whitecottagelife770]

@@kurtm.7494 only thing I can think of is maybe a draft. My house had a semi standup crawl space and I was keeping the vents open year round because water was coming in and draining out. The heater was installed in the crawl space on one of the outside walls with a direct vent. The furnace was nearby too. The pilot light was going off maybe 5-6 times a year. But my biggest issue was that I had to have the water running for minutes before I got hot water. It was a natural gas unit. Gas was always on.

[@infomercialguy]

such great videos. i love this guy!!!! I love that you set a timer with your kids. I hope you also teach them how fortunate we are to have 5 minutes of hot clear water! it's a good thing

[@Coasterdude02149]

I'm moving in 3 weeks and considering a tankless. 2 things I learned from you. My plumber was less than honest. He never told me to change the rods or drain it. Just told me the reason they let go is the rods corrode over time. I think you just helped me make up my mind on tankless in my new home since there's Brazilian Teak wood throughout and I'd be royally pissed if the tank let go and ruined that flooring.

[@louf7178]

There's a reason utility rooms are used.

[@dustbat]

You got a lot to lose sleep over when you bring water in your home. I have a switch by the door to cut off my pump when we go out.

[@peter-pg5yc]

Sorry you feel that way..for me they suck..5200 for about 5 years of repairs and replacement.. I got receipts

[@mikefromvernon]

Moved into a place that had one of these tankless. Me and my wife really like it. I did the math and the savings on the gas bill cover the maintenance costs. For us since the yearly cost is about the same it's about the convenience. The key is maintenance. I've heard of people getting 20 years out of these when they do the maintenance.

[@Bizzare77777]

How often do you think we should perform maintenance if it's being used for a single person in a small home?

[@peter-pg5yc]

not even close.. 5 years or so. tanked units last longer and cheaper.. 2 units 5200 in repairs and replacement of usless units.. NUTS

[@donalddrane2795]

We've been running a rinnai tankless for 12yrs not a single problem, I'm changing out my other tank style now ( only lasted 10yrs) to another tankless rinnai. Will never own a tank again!!!

[@richardlibby2407]

Great video, thank you! You might consider placing a direct link in the description to the "How to flush your tankless hot water heater" video.

[@teamvigod]

Installing these things is truly a Tankless job

[@jrb2280]

Exactly what I was going to reply, glad I scrolled down, lol! I remember this line from a movie I saw with my kids a while back.

[@bigeric8334]

Womp womp womp

[@meibesmurfn3168]

😂

[@MemoriesRR]

Oh I get it 🤪

[@chrissmith513]

L o L 👍👍👍

[@fuzion430journey3]

That looks absolutely hideous how they ran that gas line

[@ltsgarage7780]

The whole install is Bad!!

[@wallykramer7566]

It seems like Texas has a lot of half-assed installers: plumbing, fireplaces, sheathing, concrete, etc.

[@ltsgarage7780]

Gags I don’t live anywhere close to where it freezes. If you do or you live in a snow state. No I would not put it on an outside wall of your house.

[@bobvecchi7981]

Gags I am in North Carolina and mine is mounted on the wall outside, but it is lower to the ground and all the piping is very close to the unit since there is a crawl space under the house all the piping comes out of the crawl right to the unit. It isn’t even noticeable from the road thAt it faces.

[@internettoughguy]

That whole wall looks like shit. Look at the brick joint to the right of the tankless. F...ing hack job.

[@ParadigmReptiles]

Just had my traditional water heater break down on me and spill water between the hardwoods and subfloor. I replaced with a tankless, outdoor unit and it's been nice so far.

[@cliffeck6104]

Also, I have used tankless a lot in office buildings. I recommend the installation of a cheap in line filter, and change the filter once a year as routine maintenance. They work great, really save energy costs, tenants love them and if you ever need to change one out they are as easy as unplugging them and removing two water connections. Then reconnect and plug back in. We used conventional electric range plugs. The only change out we ever had was for a failure of a heating element (which was under warranty and they just sent a whole new unit).

[@wdfkTV8555]

Thanks for the tip with the inline filter! I'll get on that suggestion asap.

[@peter-pg5yc]

they do not pay for labor, lier.. 1300 bucks..

[@kevinhaskins6619]

People need to understand the filters won't deal with scale. The scale is water hardness that is dissolved, and it doesn't precipitate until it hits the hot surface of the heat exchanger so a filter does nothing for the scale formation that occurs inside the unit. A water softener uses ion exchange, not filtration to remove dissolved minerals and that is what you need.

[@toddmyers3371]

@@kevinhaskins6619I installed a filter on the outlet of the tankless water to catch any scale. The filter is for hot water and has a replaceable cartridge. It’s helped eliminate any scale in my shower valves. I’d highly recommend it.

[@litiviousspartus4611]

Happy to get this info, I always wondered what the draw backs were to tankless water heater, but doesn't really seem like much.

[@ltsgarage7780]

Litiviou Spartus. If you don’t have a very large tub the wife uses every day. Or you don’t have a large family like Mat does. A tankless is a waste of money for you. Plus when you turn on the hot water now at your furthest fixer. It will just about double that time. So you must take into the down side that your water waste will go up also. I’ve been installing these things for over 30 years!

[@wallykramer7566]

Tankless drawbacks: 1) They (tankless) cost more to install. Something like $700 tanked vs. $1200-1400 tankless. 2) It takes much longer for hot water to arrive at a faucet. 3) They make noise: a blower fan and some electronic clicking vs. near silence for a tank. 4) Tankless is a much more complicated appliance. This may or may not be a reliability and/or maintenance issue, but many people are technology shy. 5) Tankless may restrict hot water flow more than a tank arrangement.

[@christophergruenwald5054]

Wally Kramer they definitely do restrict flow some, but most plumbers work that I’ve ever saw restricts flow more. At least in my area. They put fittings at every bend in pex, which is why I plumbed my new house myself. For some reason they treat it as if it’s hard pipe and doesn’t bend smoothly 90+ degrees.

[@simplymeconnie4003]

We have one and absolutely love it. Everything you're saying is bang on to the T. I know it's time for a full system clean out when the water pressure goes down..

[@jonathansnyder5947]

A!aaaaaaaaa!a

[@dawood121derful]

after installing my tankless water heater (in the basement) about 3 years ago, my gas bill has dropped by half, and no problems. I had a guy who knows a lot about plumbling also install an inline whole-house water filter which then directs water service to my house and TWH. the filtration of the hard water should extend the life of the unit.

[@DeQBw65pqhkvStB2hrwRqw]

Should the filter come after the tankless or before?

[@specialK_hvac]

As an hvac and plumbing professional who's installed a tankless i have most definitely saved money on my gas bill.

[@valkyriefrost5301]

When my wife can take a "long, endless" hot shower... Saved my marriage. :-)

[@bgptpichevy]

I think the point is you can only claim one of these as a benefit not both; save money or endless hot water. (If you use more hot water you lose the savings)

[@D2O2]

@Evil Mofo Versus what? Curious what the monthly savings is and how many months it takes to break even on the added cost.

[@mattalford3932]

And dont those need flushed annually by a professional.

[@leegraves101]

I saved $39 the first month

[@seanpalmer8472]

I've always felt kind of "meh" about tankless. I'll tell you my favorite hot-water setup though. It was in a place I lived in Utah. It was a drainback- type solar thermal unit in series with a heat-pump unit. Never ran out of hot water (even in the winter), and it was super cheap to run too.

[@VladThanatos]

I didn't knew this existed. Thanks for the info.

[@jl9678]

I hope to do solar thermal in my house. It's so efficient and the sun pumps out so much heat t it's almost a no brainier

[@ltsgarage7780]

It wasn’t super cheap to Replace when it went bad!!!

[@jl9678]

@@ltsgarage7780 what type of system, and what went bad?

[@ZeoCyberG]

Yeah, everything has its pros and cons and situations where one may be preferable over the other that will vary depending on location, climate, etc. Tankless are less efficient in colder climates, you'd predominantly have to switch to gas heaters in really cold regions but that means piping vents to the exterior that can make it harder to ensure proper insulation/air barrier seal, and you can't make use of other heat sources as it only directly heats the water. Versus a tank system where you can add a heat exchanger and channel heat from up to multiple sources... Solar, wood stove, geo-thermal, hot composting, or even transfer heat from one area to another to make more efficient use of heat. Along with it being easier to set up options like hydronic radiant floor heating... You can do it with tankless but not as easy and less thermal mass can mean ending up using up more energy in that application. In colder climates, keeping water heated can help prevent freezing issues and as the tank can be heated over time it doesn't require as powerful a heater to get the job done... So tankless is more ideal in warmer climates and usually in situations where water conservation isn't a issue... It does take up a lot less space and if properly used can be cheaper to operate but if abused it can cost a lot more...

[@compression_connection]

One thing you forgot to mention. 200k btu added load on your gas meter and your standard house meter may not be up to the task and meter upgrades or in the worst case a service line or house fuel line could be extremely costly.

[@blaisecastelli6323]

Very important and overlooked

[@kirkandkaylaglaser2922]

Gas regulator outside can be adjusted as needed

[@boby115]

@@kirkandkaylaglaser2922 , A regulator adjustment doesn’t forgive a undersize fuel run or an undersized meter.

[@peter-pg5yc]

A larger gas line is a must.. ouch

[@tinchote]

I'm 52, and when I was a kid growing up in Argentina more than four decades ago, most houses had tankless heaters that required no power, just water and gas; and they were cheaper than tank heaters. Sometimes "progress" is not really "progress".

[@itchyvet]

My thoughts exactly.

[@purenupe1]

I cant imagine wanting to place this unit outside ( of course I'm from the north), I cant believe the humidity, rain, and exposure to vandalism and theft is worth the 5 sq ft of reclaimed space.

[@michaelwright1602]

I can understand why they put them outside, much easier install vs in the house, as these units need a vent for the exhaust gases, and that was an issue when I was thinking of installing one. If I remember correctly it needed to vent up through the roof, not out the side of the wall like my normal water heater was set up to do. The costs just kept going up and up and the reason I passed on a tankless. And then the actual gas usage, I saw no benefit for my particular situation.

[@fluxcapacitor1621]

I'm on the ocean. I wouldn't want it outside because it would corrode away. Stainless steel BBQs don't last long.

[@ajarivas72]

Vandalism and theft? Do you live in a Democrat state ?

[@purenupe1]

@@ajarivas72 I live in America , where Donald Trump is president and the vast majority of the citizens are unemployed, poor, desperate, or stupid.

[@fissiongrubbs]

@@ajarivas72 Republican state. Pay attention and get it straight.

[@dougmacmillan1712]

This is an excellent video. When we built new 18 years ago, we installed a tankless water heater and I'm glad we did. There's another thing to consider. Tankless output is measured in degrees rise. Down here in the south, our water supply never gets cold, but I'm thinking if you have really cold input water in the winter, your flow might not be very strong, since it slows flow to help raise the output temp when needed. We were on well water the first 10 years we were on well water and even with a soft water system I was flushing the water heater every 4-6 months. Now we have great county water and I only flush every 12 months. We have a 12 foot daylight basement with two utility rooms so our tankless is mounted inside. I agree, don't buy expecting to see significant savings. Buy it for the extra hot water. My wife and I have to leave for work at the same time and there's no worry about using up all the hot water. There is another plus, though. When properly maintained, the tankless will last at least twice as long as a conventional water heater.

[@SuperEddietv]

Thieves love outside appliances! Change my mind. Signed, Florida.

[@SuperEddietv]

@Lawrence Few Absolutely.

[@exdemocrat9038]

Louder with Crowder fan I see. Love it!

[@beaujolly3653]

There are recess boxes with locks. The real crime here is the unit promoted....

[@SuperEddietv]

@@beaujolly3653 We actually chain down our AC units and lock our heaters in panels. One of my clients came home one day and all of the breakers were stolen out of his electrical panel on the outside. Another dumb idea.

[@stveide1]

House 100+ feet from the road makes exposure of theives unwise. I also have a nice big NRA sticker on my flag pole WITH a JUDGE revolver to back it up.

[@Totaro17]

What? Literally, the guy that installed mine told me all 3 of those things first. And I absolutely saved money as soon as mine was installed. And they sell small battery back ups

[@artiebrown6353]

I replaced my old gas boiler and indirect hot water tank with one of these (Rinnai) a year or two ago. Best thing I've done in the 20 years I've owned my house. I went from having lukewarm showers that would occasionally turn cool to an actual hot, hot shower for 10, 15 or 20 minutes. I love it. My heating system is underfloor radiant heat with PEX piping I put in myself 20 years ago and it also underperformed until I put one of these in. I can heat the floors with 150-160 degree water now where before it was 120-130 degree hot water trying to heat up my floors. It was installed by a guy who does nothing but install these and I'm actually saving space down in my basement. It is the size of a suitcase hanging on my basement wall now. I am paying about the same as I was or slightly less in gas costs, but the fact that I can take long, hot showers in the winter is fantastic!

[@AndrewRankinNC]

I have mine on a UPS (APC BR1500MS) - works well for power interruptions and they really don't draw much, so it'll last a long time.

[@teekay1785]

true good stop dont even have to swap plug ins

[@The4Crawler]

Yes, a small UPS would work on a gas fired unit. While the heater draws something like 100W while running, it's the long standby drain with the UPS running that would be the main limit on duration. Or something like the Hugo X-1 is a dedicated tank-less backup power solution, it has a flow sensor you can add and it's fire up only when hot water is being called for. This way the UPS doesn't need to be sitting on all the time. I run my gas fired tank-less off my off-grid solar power system, see the timeline link in the video below: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ2lhqZpoMl3kKc The heater has been off-grid for nearly 2 years now. We had an extended power outage a few weeks ago and the heater didn't even know the power was out. I found my tank-less conversion reduced my hot water gas bill by over 75%. It's unlikely any reasonable backup solution would be feasible on an electric tank-less heater.

[@ZeoCyberG]

Depends on the type of tankless... For gas heater, yes, you can rig something fairly easily but electric heater that would not work unless you got a whole house capable unit that can run the AC, etc.

[@teekay1785]

@@ZeoCyberG true but only subject is gas tankless and electric doesn't have igniters or fans. Also would need to be a 240v UPC

[@nsp5258]

It's mind boggling as a Canadian to see this outside haha

[@Danman1972]

The area he is in stays pretty warm. I lived around there growing up and most we ever saw was ice sickles on the eves of the roof. A pretty light jacket will cover you most of the winter. I was back for work a few years back and they got maybe an inch of snow. It had not snowed at the Alamo in something like 25 years. It was gone in a matter of hours. Sure was pretty. They just don't get a hard freeze.

[@emotionz3]

Seriously, even here in Chicago that is an insane sight.

[@billsinnett]

Here in South Carolina US we always install them on the outside.. They work great.

[@ImTrans-Former]

I'm in Indiana and we don't install them outside either.

[@xkimopye]

Why is it mind boggling? Do they freeze? Asking as an Australian where they are all outside.

[@GeoHvl]

I had my 50G propane hot water slug replaced in 2004. My home is 3BR 2.5 bath. I installed 3 Renai Propane heaters on each full bath and 1 for the kitchen and split to the 1/2 bath. Hot water in 33 seconds and during the holiday's hot water forever. No power, no problem I have a Generac 15KW standby generator. I am also on a deepwater well which is also in the Generac.

[@geoh7777]

More disadvantages to the tankless in my bathroom: It shuts off for low flows. So I have to fill a plastic container of warm water in the sink in order to shave (wash face and clear whisker cuttings from the razor in warm water instead of a ultra-frigid stream of cold water), which is a throwback to the old days. I also have to run more volume of water for a shower than I need because of the it-shuts-off-for-low-flows problem. I am on an old septic system that is just about shot and it doesn't need extra water going into it. I'm disabled, so it takes me longer to wash hair, then change positions to switch to washing upper body, then lower, then feet etc. So, I can't turn it off in the middle of any of those stages in order to change positions etc. because when I turn the water back on, the hot water line from the tankless has cooled off and that makes me have to keep adjusting the hot and cold control. I had no such problems with the hot water tank because I could just leave the water at a low flow level.

[@edquier40]

He did not cover needing to totally replace older water lines, and the much larger gas line to the appliance too

[@billrimmer5596]

Excellent comment with very good points!! I’m leaning towards a heat pump Rheem water heater

[@ltsgarage7780]

@@billrimmer5596 I did a remodel on. Low income housing apartment complex. They had me take out an 150 old style tank water heater and install a 150 Rheem heat pump for domestic water and heat for temperature for comfort. I spent months trying to talk them out of that style. In the last 5 years I’ve worked on almost every one of them for one reason or another. I guess I just built in a recurring job. At 275.00 an hour you really don’t want to be calling me out every single day for a problem !!!

[@JP-LetTheGameComeToYou]

And the temperature is not consistent if you have low water pressure. I found that out by accident when the city was doing maintenance on the local water system and the pressure shot up. Suddenly I was getting consistent water temperature.

[@dalenassar9152]

Thanks for the tips: One thing about "power outage"...these things use almost NO electricity...IIRC, about 1/2 watt for the motherboard. A 12v battery connected to a small sinewave inverter instantly solves that problem. We had no power for some weeks, but plenty hot water!

[@krisspkriss]

They use quite a bit. It takes 1 kilocalorie to heat up one liter of water one degree. 1 kilocalorie is equal to roughly 1.2 watt hours. I am not going to do the math any farther; it is obvious at this point that it takes more than 1/2 watt to heat up 10-20 liters for that 1-3 minute shower.

[@mwong000]

Dalen was talking about the electricity used for running the logic board on a gas boiler. Not the electricity to heat the water. @@krisspkriss

[@krisspkriss]

@@mwong000 Fair enough. I guess I was confused and thought he meant something else. In a grid down situation though, the gas lines are turned off. You might think "my gas worked fine last time I was without power" and you would be correct. However, if the grid outage isnt local, then the infrastructure to monitor and maintain the gas delivery system will stop. Ask people in Texas what happened when their power went out but they thought "I still have gas heat!" Yeah... for several hours and then that stopped as well. And there were people near the Texas grid border that had gas the entire time.

[@mwong000]

@@krisspkriss If you are wondering if you still have gas, you may turn on one of the following devices if you have it -- gas stove (smell the gas), gas fireplace (listen for the gas coming out) , gas hot water heater (turn it up), or gas barbecue. Good luck!

[@tehpurplepills]

If you have an induced draft one, like a condensating high efficiency one, the type with plastic vents, that's probably going to use a bit of electricity.

[@jameswalter3136]

Great tips! BTW, my Tank WH is 32 years old and I have never flushed or replaced the anode rod. For the last several years I have been afraid to touch it because I would mess it up. It just keeps going.

[@TonyWadkins]

"Replace anode rods every couple of years" for tank maintenance? I guess that depends on your water quality. In my area North East of Atlanta our tanks can last for 15 to 20 years with no anode rod changes and by that time we just replace the tank. No one around here seems to be changing them.

[@Hiigarantechnician]

Southwest MO you're lucky to get 10 years, usually they're 1/3 to 1/2 full of scale by the time you get there.

[@randyblackburn9765]

I don’t install tanklessfor the very reasons stated here my first 50;gal gas lasted 23 years power was off several times at length always had hot water never did anything but relight the pilot after we forgot to pay gas bill . Plain and simple water heaters don’t just reheat that often when not in use . I have had customers call on Friday with a leaking tank type that they turned off power and water to and Monday morning it was still hot enough to shower in although not the normal 140 degrees

[@TheProtocol48]

I’m in Northeast Ohio and we get excellent water from Lake Erie so I have not experienced any of these problems, 15+ years so far with absolutely zero maintenance.

[@Herpaderpderpamufuka]

a lot of people I know are pushing close to 20 years on their water heaters. I never heard of replacing them every 8 year. That sounds excessive.

[@andymonk4089]

Lucky to 4 years out of a hot water tank here.

[@scottsmith4178]

After my father-in-law built his house he started having problems with his tankless heater. It took awhile to discover that the source of the problems was particulates in the water coming from the new well. After a filter was installed between the two, the problems ceased.

[@AnthonyJ350]

Learned something new, thanks for these tips!

[@ryanm.]

Get the stainless burner! Low maintenance with a whole house water filter. Highly recommended!!

[@joeh1529]

I found the main downer of these units is the amperage draw required to run. I laughed when he pulled the cord out of that 15amp outlet. I just installed one for a customer remodeling a bathroom here in Maine and the first unit they choose drew 113amps@240v and required 3 - 2p40amp breakers. I told them order another one or we'd have to upgrade their service 200 to 400amp. We settled on an 80amp two-heater unit (2 - 2p40amp). Which still required adding a 100amp subpanel for breaker space. To boot, even that 80amp unit has a hard time keeping up with the flow rate of water. We had to throttle down the water pressure as much possible so the unit didn't throw an error. Big considerations

[@Hesthegreatest1]

You installed an electric unit. This one is natural gas. The natural gas ones only need 120v to run the computer.

[@joeh1529]

@@Hesthegreatest1 Yes, I should have been clearer in my post. This wasn't covered because he focused on gas units. I posted this because it's a huge caveat going full electric. Cheers

[@1mikewalsh]

I've been getting quite a few rewires to run a 110 igniter for the gas instahot h2O heaters.

[@Kyle-ut4jg]

@@joeh1529 electric tankless water heaters are a complete waste of money.

[@sv4673]

Thank you! Could you do a video on what to do if you go on a winter vacation away from home and have a tankless heater?

[@x2thel]

5 min showers? You monster!

[@AndreasKoepkeAU]

Here in Western Australia the water authority were encouraging 3 minute showers to save water.

[@rodavision]

Andreas Koepke 3 mins is pretty short. Did they discount deodorant?

[@stlkngyomom]

It's common sense.As climate change accelerates magnified by industrialization of developing countries,hydro-geopolitics will become top 10(or top 3,depending on various factors)* issues every government and corporation and citizen will have to deal with.Unless you live on flat Earf...,then you fine. Listen to experts and make up your own mind:Gwyne Dyer**,Sandra Postel,Guy McPherson*** and Remote viewing the future with Stephan A Schwartz****(with Jeffrey Mishlove). P.S. **lecture's titled:Geopolitics in a warning world ***Guy's timeframe and delivery is"problematic",his science though is sound ****For those unfamiliarity with metaphysics(meditation,tummo,tulpa,seeing without eyes which is a form of remote viewing akin to astral projection),mr.Schwartz describes one probable future.Future that an individual can influence by a negligible degree,but a mass of conscious people(one ant vs.whole colony)...

[@johnbecich9540]

Use a screen, in the drain port. (I use three in series.) Let them jam up and the yucky drain water, pooling up at the drain end of the tub, will encourage frugal use of rinse water.

[@oldcarnocar]

hellllll no

[@kelhawk1]

Make sure the unit you choose has sufficient delivery volume! My camping version is so slow that by the time your hot epsom salt bath filled up, it would have likely cooled too much. To get the max temp you must slow the flow to the minimum, and to get the maximum flow, you must sacrifice maximum temp. What you want to compare, is max temp at the unit's max flow rate.

[@rogerlibby14613]

In a house this may be a problem if you use 1/2 inch pipe.

[@kelhawk1]

@@rogerlibby14613 Not at all. Half inch pipe will easily allow enough flow to keep the unit full. It is related to the heater capacity, and the input temp of the water.

[@timlabrie2244]

I had one installed in my house in Michigan. The installation went perfect but I lost water pressure because the water coming out of the ground was too cold and the unit could not make Hot water best enough. I wish I could have one but I can’t. Thanks for the video

[@seanevans6901]

FYI. Lived in Spain for several years, experienced the tankless water heater. No electricity is required for operation, well, some is :) Through a "D" sized battery, can you believe that? They had an insert for a "D" size battery just for the igniter.....incredible. It wasn't a standby system for when the power goes out, it was the main source.

[@kellywilliamson2187]

I lived in Spain (Rota) in 83 - 86 and we had a unit over our kitchen sink. Essentially a coil with a flame in the middle that was connected to a huge orange butane tank that you had to replace every couple of weeks. Always looking for the Butano guy! It worked great as far as I remember . . .

[@frang58]

I've had tankless for nearly 15 years and couldn't love it more especially when I had teenagers at home. Mine has a pilot so I have had hot water during extended (ice storm) power failures. There is nothing nicer than a hot shower when the rest of the house is freezing.

[@rodshop5897]

Are there still pilot models availible?

[@Dxun2]

Are you saying your tankless (with the gas pilot) heater works in the absence of AC power and without a generator/battery? If so, how is the water pump being run?

[@frang58]

@@Dxun2The same as it always works, I guess... gravity? There is no electrical connection. Sorry, I'm not a plumbing expert.

[@carladurland5194]

@@frang58 so yours is gas and runs fine without electricity??

[@frang58]

@@carladurland5194 yes

[@biltwn93]

Generator? I have used a battery backup for the tankless and it has worked flawlessly. Use of natural gas dropped by 77% with the tankless install vs tank so it paid for itself in 24 months. The maintenance on mine was nil as all water went through a KINETCO water filtration & softening system. Just for information I did clean the system, easier than doing laundry. 14 years going strong!

[@Wynadorn]

Here in the Netherlands I've never had a tank in my lifetime. Having a limited hot water supply is so odd. However over here we also use hot water radiators for heating our homes.

[@blakekford]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Netherlands utilize natural hot water springs to provide hot water to homes and even to heat roadways for de-icing? It's piped all over the country, right? Such an amazing and innovative feat of engineering!

[@Wynadorn]

@@blakekford naaaaah that's Iceland

[@lowes891646]

I think pretty much all of Europe is tankless.

[@angrydragonslayer]

​@@lowes891646 it's really rare in single homes in northern europe. Can't speak for the rest of europe but here 50-100l tank or 1000-5000l accumulator (which is more or less the standard if you got water radiators in a larger house) is really common with 100-1000l being rare and tankless being something you look at and go "you need a gas line?" Or "you need a gas line that big?'

[@michaelpatrick6950]

3 years of living with a tankless. Regarding Matt's 3 things they didn't tell you. In most places, power reliability is near 100% due to loop high voltage distribution and underground medium voltage distribution. If you live in an area with frequent power outages, a small battery backup (UPS) will suffice. But if you do I'd suggest you move. The energy savings is overblown. It really comes down to standby losses and tank heaters are so well insulated that this is almost a thing of the past on a daily basis (if you pay for it) and if you're gone for days: shut it off. My exhaust temperature is 115-120F and my log mean delta T is just a few degrees so it's getting 90+% of the lower heating value out of the gas. Some tank hot water systems can get these low LMDT numbers as well. I flush mine every 12 months. I spent $100 for a cheap sump pump and $12 for 2 short hoses. 4 gallons of vinegar and a pound of citric acid (chelates the calcium) costs $10 each time I do it. So once a year from start to finish it takes

[@SihAza]

I have 2 tankless gas water heaters, an old Bosch with pilot flame vented and a recent Rinnai direct-vent mounted outside as shown. If I lose electricity, I can switch valves to using the Bosch for the whole house. I added the Rinnai outside the rear bath so I didn't have to wait for hot water and to not waste water down the drain until then. If you have solar backup w/ batteries, it could manage to tiny draw of an e-ignition gas tankless. Never vinegar flushed my Bosch in 23 years, but soft water where I live.

[@sabunassar]

I've had a tankless for about 4 years now. It is a lifestyle adjustment, so it's not for everyone, but I prefer it. One thing to note is that these generally are installed on a wall or outside, rather than central where typically a water heater would be. This adds pipe length so it does take longer for hot water to reach faucets/showers. Mine is a Rinnai & has a built-in pump, which I manually turn on before showering. Takes ~45sec for hot water to reach kitchen faucet or shower. That way, when you open these, you have minimal cold water waste. Note that you have to install the recirculating valve at the farthest fixture for the pump to be effective. Other than that, I love the fact that the unit is essentially off when I don't need hot water, so it's great for people who aren't home much. I live alone, so utility bill was never much of an issue. I noticed a slight dip but I didn't do it for the money and will never recoup the total cost, but that's ok.

[@peter-pg5yc]

yearly cleaning or unit dies

[@sailingeden9866]

People who already have one or are thinking about getting one...yeah that pretty much covers everyone.

[@davidp8627]

My advice is don't. House came with one that was only a year old. It's never worked properly. Hot water for maybe 1-2 minutes. Even professionals can't figure it out despite flushes every few months.

[@navlan8610]

Hi Matt, Thank you for your helpful video. I have a question. We have a tankless water heater that is operation since May 2013. That means exactly 10 years. And we did Zero maintenance on it. What you say? Is it going to break all of the sudden? or damage the house?

[@steveb7201]

That plumbing looks real questionable, lazy plumber!

[@wormraper]

that whole install looks like shit. Whoever did it was sloppy as hell. that piping looks REALLY sloppy

[@Caterpillarjon]

Looks like it was done by the Three Stooges

[@taelorwatson9822]

@@Caterpillarjon I like The Three stooges. While they're not the best plumbers. They sure are entertaining

[@nickv4073]

"Why don't we have hot water?" "Because we mounted the tank outside and now its gone."

[@mikespangler98]

Here the tank would still be there, but it would also be frozen solid. Or the water lines to and from it would be. And there is no natural gas service here either. So I would need either a really big single phase service, or go to three phase which is quite doable, for a price.

[@lynnchello7231]

That’s why it is called tankless.

[@ltsgarage7780]

@@mikespangler98 if no natural gas. Why not Propane??

[@MrRoundthetwist]

🤣

[@hailexiao2770]

@@ltsgarage7780 Because propane isn't cheap anymore. In Texas I'd probably go for an 80 gallon heat pump water heater since there's plenty of free heat around to harvest at 400% efficiency.

[@mikemontagne2703]

Hello Matt Thanks for the video. you mentioned the use of a standby generator during a power outage. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but electric tankless water heater's require a constant and significant amount of current/amperage. So, how much output range of generator would one have to factor in, so as to not to overload the generator? To ensure proper function of they're tankless electric water heater, including a few other basic (furnace, fridge, lights, a couple kitchen countertop receptacles) household circuit's ?

[@mwong000]

He was talking about a gas tankless heater which uses a small amount of electricity to run the logic board and the electronic pilot. An electric tankless is a whole different animal.

[@RideCamVids]

That tile job around the mixer is diabolical.

[@matt8863]

The 4th thing...Plug it into a surge protector, I lost 2 computer boards on 2 different units.

[@bikesqump]

are you talking about those big 50amp electric water heaters? aren't those hard wired???

[@jon4715]

Sasquatch 2001 Yeah, you have to run a fatter cable to the house for these things.

[@bikesqump]

@@jon4715 I'm lucky, I upgraded to 200amp while back and my daughter moved out!

[@ryanroberts1104]

@@matt8863 That's interesting, I never really thought about that. Definitely going to have to get one for mine! Also smart to use a cheap computer UPS system - it handles surge protection and will give you a few hours of hot water after the power goes out.

[@Robbedem]

Doesn't your power company give you compensation when you lose stuff due to a power surge? They have to do that here => somehow they manage to have almost no surges in the grid ;)

[@johninokla2635]

1. As for my tankless it needs no outside electric for the pilot, it starts with D cell batteries as soon as you turn on the water. It does take a few minutes for the hot water to get to you, but so does the water from a tank. Ok, it is a portable unit but I use it full time in my RV. 2 Since it is being used in an RV I don't worry about it saving me a lot of money on my energy bill. Besides it runs on propane and I use 20# bottles. I will be going to a 40# bottle soon. 3 Never done any maintenance on mine. Maybe I need to? Having said all that I have to say if I was using a full house unit I would need to know all the info you gave in your video. Thanks for putting it online.

[@Hangovna]

I recently replaced a 50 gallon tank non-power vent for less than $600. Works when the power is out. I've never run out of hot water yet. My gas bill is around $10 a month (just the water heater and range is gas) so to spend 1500+ on a tankless and have to plumb the exhaust vent differently, it's not worth the extra price. I've seen plenty of tankless have issues with scale & sediment and they stop working, along with control boards having issues - which then you have to wait weeks for parts and service to get hot water again. There's very little to go wrong with a simple tried and true non-power vent gas water heater.

[@ryanroberts1104]

You can easily find a tankless unit for under $500. They do not cost $1500+ unless you're buying the highest end highest output you can find. My propane usage with my tankless heater is less than $3 per month.

[@MrNorthstar50]

@@ryanroberts1104 You can't buy a good whole house tankless for $500.

[@ryanroberts1104]

@@MrNorthstar50 You most certainly can. Check Amazon. Depends on what your definition of "whole house" means. The size of the house isn't relevant, it's how much water you use. A $500 tankless heater is not going to be high output/high quality, but neither is a $500 tank system. They pretty much cost exactly the same - you can also spend $1500 on a nice tankless or $1500 on a nice tank model. I have a rental house with an old tank water heater, next time there is a vacancy it's getting replaced with a $500 Amazon tankless unit. Overall the cheapest option and it will never leak, and frees up floor space which increases rent.

[@Hangovna]

@@ryanroberts1104 so the $7 a month savings will take a long time to recoup the extra cost. Many simple tank heaters people dont touch for 10-15 years until they leak or fail.

[@ryanroberts1104]

@@Hangovna So you've totally missed the point then I see. Tank heaters cost the same as tankless heaters. Tankless heaters last longer and use less energy. Are you stupid? There is no "extra cost" to recoup. Your $600 tank heater is a pile of shit bottom shelf unit and will not last very long. If you spent the same $600 on a tankless you would have gotten a much better unit.

[@markburnham7512]

For me, the cost savings have been very real and very nice. On the other hand, the long lag time to get hot water to the kitchen faucet, and especially the washing machine, has been a real drag. Everyone must balance the pros and the cons.

[@chrishawkins1922]

long time lag ? how far away is the faucet your impatient holiness ? lol

[@markburnham7512]

@@chrishawkins1922 40 feet

[@leannewith3]

We have the same, takes a long time to get hot to the kitchen/laundry. But that is about placement and not the type of heater. My cousin installed 2 units to work around the problem. I’m ok waiting.

[@Bizzare77777]

@@leannewith3 How long does it take on average to heat up the water after turning on the faucet?

[@leannewith3]

@@Bizzare77777 about 15 seconds for the close ones and 30-45seconds for the far ones. That’s to full temperature. They gradually get warmer.

[@peterhunterxxxxx]

Installed at vacation home. High BTU caused vinyl siding to melt but almost started a fire from an unexpected bird's nest. First repair $350 with tune up squashed savings, too. Switching back to 220v 50g tank...However tankless has it's virtues for additions, etc.

[@getlosttrails]

One thing I noticed staying at my friends who has a tankless is the delay in getting hot water to the tap. The gas tank less takes time to fire up. It's a delay you don't have with a tank of hot water on standby. Its a pretty annoying delay to me and also I end up wasting water waiting on the hot.

[@ChampionofVardenfell]

I have the same problem. It depends how close the tap in question is to the heater. My bathroom faucet is at the opposite corner of the house from the heater and it takes FOREVER to get hot water when washing my hands. I end up using cold water most days cuz I have to literally sit and wait 5 minutes if I want warm water.

[@jackg7225]

True, I’ll go through about 2 gals of water before I get hot water. A lot of times I’ll put a bucket in the shower to collect the water then I’ll water trees with that water.

[@ChampionofVardenfell]

@@jackg7225 wow. 😂 That's pretty bad

[@getlosttrails]

@Buddy Chat I just don't see how that would be the case when a tankless water heater must go through the startup motions every time flow is detected, whereas you open a tap with a tank at the other end and hot water instantly flows

[@wintercoder6687]

@Buddy Chat The problem is that the unit takes time to raise the temp of the water 70+ degrees... during which time what is flowing. On a tank, the first drop out is at the desired temp. On a tankless... you will push out anywhere from a quart to over a gallon before the first drop of desire temp leaves the unit.... and then that drop has the entire pipe to travel. Based on my 8 years of experience.

[@AverageGuy9722]

5 minute shower? The kids? Maybe. The wife? She would say "sure, honey" and then kill me in my sleep that night.

[@thomasthedoubter6813]

5 minutes to soap, shave, shampoo, and rinse... bet Matt doesn't take 5 minute showers.

[@Trekfan1971]

Your lucky, my wife would wake me up so I could see it coming

[@greghuckstorf1381]

LOL

[@steveedwards4635]

😄😄😄😄

[@cliffart7398]

my 75 gal gas water heater just died after 8 1/2 years - leaked water everywhere. and it was apparently running non-stop for a couple of weeks because the power vent ran continuously. I couldn't find a replacement anywhere and called 5 different plumbers. I was able to find a tankless and had it installed. I have a water softener system as well. Good to see this video and know that I need to do maintenance every year- no problem as I maintain the water softener every year and can do them both at the same time. My tankless is inside my basement, 199,000 btu and 10 gpm. However, I don't see the link above to your maintenance video.

[@j.b.8767]

Matt, I bet that there some days that you are thinking: "The work I do is tankless, sometimes". I feel the same way, but remain tankful, and grateful, too. Oh, and about the timer thing? I did that with my teens, but ended up just becoming a bird watcher, with only one bird that I was watching after they were done washing...

[@mitchellsepulveda3141]

How about Rinnai tnk systems that stop making hot water during a freeze?

[@sklag1]

I've watched a few of these videos just see how other people live. I get the feeling that what Americans call tankless we call instant hot water systems, same thing different name. What does surprise me is there is a debate about them as if they are something new. I'm 77 and our house had that system before I was born. Another thing is talk about water quality. Trying to think back I doubt if we had a service more than 3 times in over 20 years. We were on the city supply. I'm in the process of building a new house for myself. As I live alone I'm going for electric instant heat. When it comes to usage, my mother did what your talking about; timers. When my father died my mother looked at all the household expences and put a 3 minute egg timer in the shower.

[@williamellis8993]

Great info but you don't discuss electric tankless. The installation requires a separate circuit which can be expensive to install and may not be feasible for those people with small incoming power feed.

[@adrianwilson7536]

For power outages, the units pull less power then a 100 watt light bulb, they can be powered for quite some time by a PC backup power supply, I would recommend any internal unit be connected to on for the extra surge protection, back up power and voltage conditioning of a good APC. External can be put on them if wired right. For usage, don't blame the units for not forcing you to use less hot water. That's kind of like saying grocery stores get a bad mark cause they let you buy food you end up throwing out. The units waste no gas holding hot water and get more of the heat generated into the water then normal tank heaters buy about 10% on non condensing units. For the flushing, which you have bad B roll of, yeah u buy a pump and bucket once with some hose fittings. You use 4 gallons of the cheapest vinegar possible once a year, or you buy one of the tankless manufactures pretreatment cartridges and replace them as they run out. Its simpler than changing the oil in a car, you can do it yourself, have a cheap handyman do it or even one of those teenagers using up all that hot water.

[@mikevaske8255]

I'm getting another tank water heater and pulling out the tankless, I don't have enough hot water to take a shower. Looking at the specs when to order, listed was a 40 Amp double with 8-3. Upon arrival, l found that two double 50 Amp and l needed another 8 awg line and a larger panel box because l didn't put in a large enough in 20 some year's ago. I had a 30 gallon manufactured 03 2003 and it has been working until a couple months ago. I plan to get a 40 gallon and lower the platform for it to fit.

[@zertex009]

The Tankless we have in Australia has batteries to light the pilot, they on average last a year or so.

[@clezama3]

In Mexico we have it that way too

[@charlesritter6640]

Very interesting information guys, thanks I am going to look into that.

[@kenmoloy8712]

I've had the same tankless unit (Bosch Aquastar) in my house for about 18 years now. It has worked perfectly and with no problems the entire time. Mine continues to work even if the power is out so if that is important to you shop around, not all require electricity. In addition, adjust the outgoing water temperature during the course of the year so that the outgoing hot water is just about the temperature needed for a hot shower without mixing in any cold water. You do not want to run these with scalding hot water that is then diluted with cold water at the faucet or showerhead. You lose efficiency doing it that way. I think that also minimizes scale, I have only cleaned mine once during the whole 18 years and I am not even sure it needed it then. My gas bills dropped noticeably when I had this installed to replace the old 40 gallon tank in my house. Been a long time but at the time I recall somewhere around $25/month.

[@Commentator541]

I had a tankless that also supported my radiator heating. I wish I will have it in the next apartment. Brilliant

[@youtubestolemyhandle1]

I tell all my customers about those cons and all the pros. Really, a flex line outside? Hard pipe baby☝️

[@terdferguson1736]

Ya that gas job is disgusting. You can’t even do that where I’m from. It’s amazing how relaxed some codes are in different areas.

[@ColHunterGathers]

@@terdferguson1736 People stealing copper? Flex will break down due to UV.

[@fortunado_]

I do plumbing in CA and we have to use flex lines on gas for earthquakes.. also you need 5 ft minimum pipe length between a gas regulator and tankless.

[@ltsgarage7780]

In California the inspector would make you change it out to a flex. I would check the paper work on that Tankless. There are only a few of them that can be supplied by 1/2 inch flex. Most are 3/4 plus the full flow 3/4 gas line. These things take a special large flex. Not that 1/2 gas block they have on that one!! 1/2 flex does not flow enough gas for a 199K burner

[@terdferguson1736]

Fortunado _ really , that’s interesting.That would never fly here. We have to use swing joints which I don’t know, seems like a Sturdier and more aesthetically pleasing way while still providing for structural failure. we can flex dryer, stove, and fireplace inserts. But thanks for letting me know, i always find it interesting what codes other states have. From what I hear like MASS, CA has some of the most stringent codes.

[@SB-mk7wp]

I have had a tankless for many tears and I love it.

[@user-vp1sc7tt4m]

Tears?

[@MomboJumbo]

@@user-vp1sc7tt4m he's just been crying a lot

[@SA-qk8uh]

Years?

[@sharon5468]

Happy tears!

[@rumsiker]

I reside in one of nyc borrows using city water , i had installed a bosh Tankless water heater 21 years ago never ever serviced it never had an issue with ,and the thing works as good as the first day installed , i even forget wee have one ,it have an externally controlled thermostat we usually have it set at 98 dgs. with everything running sink dish washer same time ,or you can be watering the garden to and not even noticing any deference in temp, or flow, i guess it have a lot to do with the water quality and the house piping and water pressure ,it uses natural gas and electric for exhaust fan, i also have one installed at the summer house that is running on propane gas and 2 D battery's using well water there, 6 years now and so far had no problem , replace the 2 D battery's every spring time is all i do with that one In the last 2 years i have replaced both of my sons hot water tanks with tankless they ere happy with them so far too.and they do save Money they use some electricity and gas , most important they are ready for you r demand for hot water at any time , one thing try and install it as clause as possible to where use the most hot water , so you have less travel of hat water and also save on water, me it is under the bathroom in the basement , open the hot water and it's there in 15 seconds , i recommend tankless water heaters.

[@samuelonthewall]

The 2 D batteries are for what exactly?

[@rumsiker]

IN NY USING CITY WATER WE ARE LUCKY NY HAVE THE BEST WATER IN THE COUNTRY, WHERE MOST PLACES HAVE HARD WATER SPECIALLY THOSE USING WELL WATER , THE WATER IS SOAPY AND Lu-mi AND HARD AND HAVE TO USE WATER SOFTENERS, ALL THAT DESTROYS EQUIPMENT

[@ajwelker]

A few years back I priced tankless vs installing a larger tank. Tankless was $5000 and the tank was $650. They promised a 50% reduction in gas usage. In the summer, gas usage is about $10 for 2 people, So the savings is $5/month. That is a 70+ year ROI!

[@andrewalexander9492]

True, but even that ignores the time value of money. A true ROI also pays a return on the principle. (otherwise you might as well put the money in Treasury bonds. If you got a $5000 loan at 1.3% interest, the interest only payments would be $5/month, and you'd still never pay down the principal.

[@kens97sto171]

@@matt8863 The electric ones are far easier to install as long as you already have an adequate electrical source in the utility room where the tank water heater was. This is not always the case. But the nice thing is you don't have to worry about venting it's a simple in and out just like the tank water heater. I replace the tank myself this way and overall I enjoy the electric tankless water heater. However I discovered that what it claims it can deliver gallons per minute is not really accurate. and because I live in the country with water coming from an outside tank and the winter time the water gets to ambient temperature. And the electric water heater does not have enough energy to raise the water temperature as easily. So if you want to try that route you definitely want to purchase double or triple the capacity that you actually need to ensure it'll work okay. But I was able to get a 2.5 gallon per minute for about $250. They had it at home Depot installation was pretty simple and the device is about the size of a a shoebox.