Quote:
Originally Posted by lawngilander
Would like to install an instant hot water heater on my small (1150 sq. ft.) Patio Villa. Have you done this?
What were your results. Also considering a POU water heater.
|
Tankless water heaters are fine. The delay in delivery of hot water is no different than with a standard water heater. Patio homes have small garages. Perhaps, you want to free up a few additional square feet of floor space by eliminating the standard tank and having an electric tankless heater mounted on the wall or a gas one mounted outside. The only other advantage of a tankless heater is that you will have a continuous supply of hot water at one temperature.
A circulating pump is a relatively simple solution to the problem of a delay in the delivery of hot water to remote faucets with either type of water heater. However, with the tankless heater you have to either employ the complicated solution of programing the tankless heater to automatically go on and off. Even then, this is an imperfect solution as the tankless heater will be running a great deal of the time and there will be "colder" spurts of water during the times the tankless heater is not running.
The better solution is to install a small "holding" tank of several gallons capacity for hot water between the tankless heater and the house's water system and add a circulating pump to the holding tank. The tankless heater turns on when the water in the holding tank falls to a certain temperature, just like a regular heater. Of course, there must be a drain line to remove water from the holding tank while it is being refilled by the tankless heater.
Personally, with the small number of people who will be living in most homes in The Villages, I see no need to have the endless supply of hot water from a tankless heater. It's one thing to have 2-4 people using a bath or shower vs 5-8 when we had children in the house.
I am more interested in having a minimal delay in the delivery of hot water throughout our house. This is accomplished by a small circulating pump. One poster displayed a photo of a Grundfos pump. That company sells an identical pump under the Watts name for $100 less. Both are available at Home Depot.
The Grundfos and Watts pumps do not require a return line as some posters have mentioned. In existing homes, it is nearly impossible to install return lines. The Grundfos and Watts pumps use an ingenious system which continuously circulates hot water throughout the house by using the cold water lines as return lines. This is possible by a special "manifold" installed at the faucet furthest from the hot water heater. That manifold is shown in the photo of the Grundfos system. It is a 12" long plastic tube with internal valving. When all the cold water faucets in the house are closed, the valves in the manifold direct the hot water being pushed by the circulating pump into the cold water line which then carries the water back to the water heater. When a cold water faucet anywhere in the house is open, the special valves in the manifold close and only cold water circulates in the cold water lines. With this system, you will have hot water at the faucet or shower furthest from the water heater in a second or two. The circulating pump uses little electricity, perhaps a penny or two worth per day.
Two things to know about circulating pumps. First, as hot water is being circulating in the cold water lines, there will be a delay in the delivery of cold water at the faucets, similar to the delay in the delivery of hot water when there is no circulating pump. That can only be avoided by having a dedicated return line for the hot water, something which is only feasible with new construction. I've found the delay in the delivery of cold water to be a small inconvenience in comparison to the convenience of having nearly instant hot water at the faucets and showers.
Second, in The Villages, most houses will require two of the special manifolds as the water lines are "split" after they enter the house. In our house, this required a manifold in the each bathroom. This is not a big deal as the second manifold only costs around $50.
The Watts pump and a second manifold, if needed, will cost around $275, the Grundfos an additional $100. They are an easy installation for anyone with a few basic tools and a willingness to lay on their backs while installing the manifold(s) under the sink(s). I did it, and, instead, wished I had hired a plumber and gone golfing.
Final advice. If you install the circulating pump, (and even if you don't) at the same time change the "sacrificial anode" in the hot water tank. This is an aluminum or magnesium rod in the tank which protects the tank from corrosion caused by the minor amount of electricity which continuously circulates through water systems. These should be replaced every 4-5 years as they, literally, dissolve in doing their job of protecting the water tank. Not one in 500 people know about these anodes or ever have them replaced. They cost less than $40 at Home Depot or on Amazon. They can be a "bear" to replace as you will need a heavy duty wrench or socket and, usually, a torch to heat the head of the anode as they always seem to be stuck in place. The anode will either be a large hex head in the top of the water heater near the inlet and outlet pipes or will part of the outlet pipe (in which case it is even harder to remove). I did this once several years ago. Since then, I have hired a plumber.