Tankless Heaters

Things are moving right along, and we just installed our Noritz tankless water heaters. We are very excited about these-- not only do we never run out of hot water, but they take up less room and because there is no tank that continually needs to keep water hot, the energy output is significantly less than with a traditional heater, not only making us feel environmentally responsible, but saving us money as well! The heaters we chose are the 751 series, which are capable of putting out about 9 gallons of water per minute. This is important because even though we don't need 9 gallons per minute right now (the heater will only put out the water we actually use, so just because it is capable of putting out 9 gallons/minute doesn't mean we are actually using that much water) these heaters will be capable of handling more water output if we added a bathroom, which is something we have thought about doing down the road. The biggest expense on these heaters is the initial purchase and installation, which can run anywhere from about $3600-5400, but once installed they are warrantied for 10 years and tend to last up to 20 years (nearly twice as long as a conventional heater, which has a typical lifespan of about 12 years). The maintenance is minimal and can be done by the homeowner-- it really just consists of flushing out the tubing inside (instead of a tank, there are tubes that the water runs through to heat up) with vinegar every six months or so. A plumber can do this also, for about $120. So even though the upfront costs aren't cheap, in the long run you end up saving energy and money.