[doowop58]

We are considering replacing the original 40 gallon electric storage tank heater with an electric tankless type. The reason behind this is that sometimes we run out of hot water, especially if we have visitors in the house. Has anyone in the Villages done this? If so what were the results and was it an improvement over the original hot water heater?
thanks for any information

[cathyw]

Check out the thread below.
You can also use the search feature on TOTV and find several more threads about tankless water heaters.
Hope this helps.
Tankless Hot Water

[jamarcus]

We put an electric tankless in our home in Palm Beach. It was manufactured by a company called Titan out of Miami. It was smaller than a laptop computer and produced all the hot water we needed. We were able to fill the master bath whirlpool with no problem. It saved us money on our electric bill and we loved it. I can assure you when the heater that came with the house gives up the ghost we are going to replace it with a Titan if they are still around

[oxfordnative]

I also have a Titan Tankless hot water heater. Have had 2 to be honest....LOVE it, cannot say enough about it. But, we installed it ourselves and ordered it off of ebay. Power bill dropped and water has never gotten cold. Actually, friends have commented on how scalding hot it gets! Hope this helps!

[Dancing Queen]

Exactly what I have been looking for these many years online, and in stores, Thank You so much I will go check out Titan now.

[ijusluvit]

Originally Posted by jamarcus

We put an electric tankless in our home in Palm Beach. It was manufactured by a company called Titan out of Miami. It was smaller than a laptop computer and produced all the hot water we needed. We were able to fill the master bath whirlpool with no problem. It saved us money on our electric bill and we loved it. I can assure you when the heater that came with the house gives up the ghost we are going to replace it with a Titan if they are still around

Are you saying you get hot water as fast as you formerly got with a tank?

How old is your unit?

Do you have a 60 amp circuit breaker and heavy duty wiring to the unit?

[GordyM]

So which Titan did you install? Model number?

[Arctic Fox]

Titan are still in business, selling a wide range of heaters from 10kw to 27kw:

Tankless Water Heaters by Titan Tankless

I did ask a heating engineer what he thought of the 12kw tankless heaters and he mentioned a few things to consider. Doesn't mean "don't buy one", just "be aware".

I hope you understand his sense of humor :-)


In my experience, commenting on systems like this is a tankless task. However I can advise that I would not recommend one of these unless you are fully aware of the potential drawbacks.
Firstly this particular unit has a very low power rating which results in you needing to restrict flow rate when the incoming temperature is low otherwise the water will not get to a high enough temperature.
For example:
If you wanted to fill a bath you would want to open the hot tap fully (about 3 GPM) otherwise it would take for ever to fill. At that flow rate the heater can only raise the temp by 27F which is not enough even in summer when the incoming temp is maybe 75F max.
Add to this the probability that more than one fixture will be in operation at one time then you have an even bigger problem. These units only have 1/2" connections whereas your water heater will have at least 3/4" connections so will not allow as great a flow rate anyway.
For example
If you are taking a shower (I understand it happens occasionally) and adjust the flow rate to give a reasonable temperature then someone opens the kitchen tap. More water will now be flowing through the heater which is already running flat out so the water temperature will drop. You will then jump out of the shower to throw some verbal abuse at your wife, slip on the tiled floor because your feet are wet and end up with a broken ankle and bruised coccyx. They don't mention that in the ad.
One final disadvantage of these units occurs when they are dealing with hard water. The small tubes through which the water passes can get furred up causing reduced flow rate and efficiency.
I have specified similar ones in the past but have ended up using units up to 30kW to avoid the above problems which can often be a problem for the electrical supply.

[oxfordnative]

I am not sure of my model but will check and get back to you. And, I will check with the man of the house about the circuit breaker. But, YES, water gets hot much faster than with a tank. It is never cold or luke warm no matter how long you leave it running. (Not that I am a water waster. IMO, it is the way to go! Never had a problem with our Titan and it was very reasonably priced, comparable with tanks.

[gego3650]

I considered tankless but water is not quicker and has a longer route so opted no

.

[Richard1366]

What temperature are the hearing coils in your tank set? If it is set to 120 degrees you will run out faster when company arrives, you might consider to set it to 130 degrees when you have company then setting it back when they leave