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Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless Hot Water Heaters, Efficient, Effective, Endless.
A Home Tankless Assesment In Toronto
Nov 21st
If you’re thinking of having a tankless installed in your home it’s important to do your research and understand what it is you want. Tankless systems have more stringent installation requirements than conventional tank type water heaters. Occasionally a new tankless can be vented right though the same path but it’s not always possible. Having a professional come in and assess your home allows you to tap their knowledge and not only see if a tankless can successfully be installed but also pick the best spot for installation. A Professional can help you decide:
- Location For Tankless Installation
- Vent Path Options
- Electrical needs
- Water Path Optimization
- Flow Requirements
- Brand of Tankless Unit
- Help In Accessing Government Rebate Programs
Flow rate is an important issue that should be assessed on an individual house basis. A condensing tankless uses the exhaust heat to pre-warm the incoming water; this is good for Toronto and area locations as our winter water temperature is cold. Having cold winter water decreases how much hot water a tankless can produce, so it is important to ensure you get a system that can provide you with the necessary amount of hot water.
We offer free tankless assessments and can have someone come out to your home to assess firstly, if a tankless can be installed, and then, which system would provide you with the correct hot water quantity. There’s no obligation to purchase anything, but if you decide you’re interested we can work out a quote and leave it with you. An assessment takes no longer than 30 minutes.
Schedule An Assessment Now
Tankless Issues – The Facts and the Fiction
Nov 15th
Tankless Issues – The Facts and the Fiction
Some people are very resistant to change, I don’t know what it is but some will fight it until the end of time. A recent Toronto HVAC company posted a large article on their website outlining all the negative aspects of a tankless system and how they would never recommend it nor install one. We install both systems and you know what, they both have their positives and negatives. I hope to detail the issues a little further here and let you decide which system you want for your home.
There is no big savings – This is very subjective, here are the facts.
- A tankless will cost you more money upfront than a conventional tank system. True.
- A tankless will last longer -20 plus years.
- Unit and Installation costs are more expensive. True.
- Efficiency of a tankless remains at or just below initial claims for lifespan.
- Much higher efficiency, 82% regular tankless, 98% condensing tankless.
- A tankless does require cleaning to maintain such high efficiency (vinegar rinse).
- Tankless systems do need and use electricity.
- $375 Government grant available for new tankless.
- Conventional tanks loose 2-3% efficiency per year (scale build-up)
- Cheaper to purchase and install
- Conventional tank lifespan – 12 plus years
- Some tank systems need zero electricity
- Conventional tank heaters start at between 58% and 68% efficiency
Tankless
Conventional Tank Water Heater
Which system is better on your pocket book? It’s going to be up to you as there is a number of factors, including the price of natural gas, which will likely only rise over time.
Upfront costs are high - Yes, it will cost you more for a tankless than a conventional tank, your homes particular usage will significantly affect a breakeven point and whether a tankless is a good idea or if you should stick with a conventional tank system.
High Tankless Maintenance Costs – Your conventional tank has basically zero maintenance barring anything breaks but it loses 2-3 percent efficiency a year. You can flush a conventional tank and regain some of its efficiency with the removal of scale build-up. A tankless is usually flushed once every year or two, which consists of simply pumping vinegar through the system for 30 minutes or so. All tankless systems should have flush valves already installed and this will maintain the extremely high efficiency ratings. I wouldn’t say that a tankless has higher maintenance costs, its just that no one does it for a conventional tank.
Electricity Use - A tankless does need electricity to run sensors, a vent fan, and a starter, this is true. Some tank type water heaters need zero electricity, but if you have a power vented conventional tank system your water heater is using just as much electricity as a tankless would.
The fact of the matter is that a home really needs to be analyzed to see whether a tankless makes sense or if the home owner would continue to benefit from a conventional tank water heater. I won’t make claims on how much can or can’t be saved because any number would be a wild generalizations and any company that does, shouldn’t be trusted.
As always we do offer free consultations over the phone, or at your home. If interested give us a call or send us a quick message here
Ontario Grants, Rebates a Tankless and Energy Audit
Nov 2nd
Ontario Grants For Water Heating
- Gas — hot water heater up to $375
- Solar — hot water system $1,250
- Ontario water heater rebates — Get Government of Canada ecoENERGY grants and rebates of up to $1,250 for a new hot water heater. Click here
Hot water heater grants for your home
Take advantage of Government of Canada grants for replacement hot water heater systems:
- Canada ecoENERGY — Homeowners can get up to $1,250 in grants from the Canadian government for a new hot water system. The Government of Canada grants up to $5,000 for home energy renovations through the ecoENERGY Retrofit – Homes program, which is in effect until March 31, 2012. Click here for more
Remember not to long ago I talked about how a tankless could be combined with a solar thermal water heater? Well BAM! here are some rebates the Government is offereing that reduce the cost for both the tankless and the solar heater. I wouldn’t expect these to last too long (in fact, around April 2012 is when I would expect to offer to be removed).
Navien Tankless Installation In Toronto And Area
Nov 1st
Navien tankless water heaters are 98% efficient and are a qualified energy star partner. With a Navien in Toronto you get the best of both worlds, great value and ultimate savings. A Navien can provide you with endless hot water as the unit will fire only when you want hot water and for as long as you need it.
The lifespan of a Navien is 20 plus years and the manufacture provides a warranty for 15 years on them. By the time your conventional tank type water heater hits 15 years it will be so full of calcium and build up it you will be lucky if it is achieving more than 20% efficiency. Meanwhile if you had had one of our Toronto reps come by and install a tankless your system would still be operating in the high 90% efficiency range.
Servicing the Toronto and area region has shown one thing to us, houses are small and space is important to home owners. A Navien tankless can reduce your water heaters footprint by over 90% as it simply mounts on the wall. Take back some of your space with a tankless heater.
Not all Toronto and area homes can meet the venting and positioning requirements necessary and thus its important to understand the requirements that need to be met. If you live in Toronto or surrounding area we do offer free assesments where some one can come to your home and ensure that a tankless will work for youand your home. Again this is free for Toronto and surrounding areas. Otherwise if your handy you can check out the diagram to see for yourself if a tankless will fit.
Toronto, Ontario
Solar Hot Water and a Tankless
Oct 31st
To really reduce your hot water heating charges you could look at adding an active solar water heater in conjunction with a tankless water heater. The rays from the sun would pre-heat the incoming water and then the tankless would simply finish the job. It’s difficult to get a solar water heater to produce water hot enough for today’s household demands, but with the technology in a tankless system it’s a perfect fit. 
Tankless water heaters are smart no, they check incoming water temperature and vary their burners to adapt. So if you have relatively hot water coming in to a tankless it will scale down its natural gas injection to ensure that water out temperature is at your set level. If the burner is scaled down so is your gas bill as only a fraction of fuel is needed.
This is a complicated system and it will be costly, if you are doing this to save money you probably won’t see a breakeven point for a long time. If you’re interested and looking at installing a Frankenstein system you are probable doing it for the environment.
What’s required?
If your installing somewhere in the southern states this will be a lot easier as you don’t have to worry about sub-zero temperatures. Up here in Ontario it’s a definite issue and there are a few systems that can be installed. There is the Active Glycol-based system that circulates food grade glycol and transfers the heat via a heat exchanger to the potable water; this is less efficient but the safest and most popular system in Ontario. The other way is though a drain back system, potable water is forced though the solar collector and drains instantly when the water is shut off. Both these systems work to preheat a tankless systems incoming water supply ultimately reducing the heat and gas needed to raise water temperature to the desired warmth.
These dual systems are not very popular due to the increased expense but a tankless is well suited and designed for a hybrid system. If the idea seems interesting but the price too high you should note that they can be installed in stages, tankless first and then the flat plate solar collector.
Periodic Maintenance of a Tankless
Oct 27th
There areonly a few things that need to be maintained on a tankless water heater. If these steps are preformed regularly you can expect your unit to last much longer (20 plus years) than a conventional tank type water heater.
First there is a inline screen filter that is installed to insure that incoming water is clean and free of debris before running through the heat exchanger. This little filter should be checked every so often, (dependent on water quality) and is a circular mesh screen. Incoming water needs to be shut off and then the screen can be cleaned.
Secondly a tankless needs to be flushed to remove calcium and scale build up in the heat exchanger. If your tankless was installed by a reputable company they will have included a pair of flush valves which make this process quite easy. It’s probably best this be done by your installer but here is a brief rundown of what occurs. Water and gas are shut off and the unit is drained. Then two hoses and a small pump are hooked up to the flush valves and fresh vinegar is pumped through the systems heat exchanger for roughly 30 minutes. This cleans out all the buildup and scale that severely reduces a water heaters efficiency.
Those are basically the two things that a tankless owner needs to perform to ensure maximum efficiency and a prolonged lifespan. Barrie through to Toronto and basically all of southern Ontario have significant concentrations of limestone and thus relatively hard water conditions. A conventional tank can’t be cleaned whereas a tankless can and hot water accelerates the rate of scale deposits.
Canadian Tankless Water Heater Websites
Oct 20th
Its funny that most of the major tankless companies dont have canadian version of their websites… Canada is a very natural gas dependant country and thus we have this service in the majority of our homes. You would think that a market of 30 million plus might foster a small investment in a geocentric Canadian content specific website. 
Tankless manufactures know that the further north their product is installed the colder the ground water and the more energy is needed to heat the water up to acceptable temperatures. For the most part all of the major tankless companies have successfully overcome this issue. They certainly should work on advertising and showcasing thier advancements. Canadian tankless manufacture websites would go a long way.
Tankless Manufactures with Canadian Sites
- Rinnai – Rinnai.ca
- John Wood – johnwoodwaterheaters.com (honourable mention for haveing a french version)
Tankless Manufactures Without a Canadian Site
- Bosch
- GSW
- John Wood
- Navien
- Noritz
- Paloma
- Takagi
Navien Tankless NR180 NR210 NR240
Oct 19th
With Navien Condensing Technology, you’re purchasing the most efficient home water heating system with “Ultra Condensing Efficiency”. Their systems offers substantial savings and produces less emmissions than a conventional water heater. Plus, the installation and venting processes are easy, cost effective, and Navien’s products are high in quality and performance.
The 3 primary Navien models
NR-180
NR-210
NR-240
These three are Natural gas systems, but you should note that they come in propane versions as well. In fact as propane burns hotter than natural gas the propane versions are a bit more efficient.
Navien tankless water heaters utilizes dual stainless steel heat exchangers, providing a longer life-expectancy and more resistance to erosion than copper heat exchangers. All tankless systems are designed to be cleaned and de-scaled, improving life span and durability.
Hot Water Flow Chart.
This chart shows the corrected values for hotwater production of each Navien water heater in relation to ground water temperature. Here in Ontario, Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, and the surrounding cities we should assume a ground water temperature of 35F.
Intelligent Remote Control For the Navien Tankless
NR-10DU (Included with every Navien Tankless Water Heater)
. Temperature adjustment in 1¡ÆF increments between 98-120¡ÆF
. Touch activated backlight function
. Easy-to-Use button type control
. Built-in recirculation timer for water and energy savings
. Key-pad lock button prevents inadvertent temperature changes
. Advanced water heater diagnosis capability and error feedback
Endless Hot Water Supply
Navien’s (and all tankless systems) offer an unlimited supply of hot water to meet a home’s unending demand
for hot water. With body showeres becoming much more common place now, it is imperative that you install a tankless. These new shower systems can
run a conventional tank type water heater dry in very short period.
Navien Venting Benefits
The high effciency of Navien’s Condensing Tankless Water Heater results in lower exhaust
temperatures, allowing for the use of 3” PVC venting.
• PVC venting offers a significant cost savings when compared with other venting materials.
• PVC venting is lightweight and easily slides together, reducing installation time
and makes it easy to run long distances.
See the Full Navien Brochure
Debunking Some Common Tanklesss Beliefs
Oct 18th
I have read a few articles lately regarding a number of beliefs, ideas, and thoughts on the benefits and opinions of tankless water heaters. I would like to take a few minutes here to verify and nullify some of them.
A tankless water heater will not save you money.
This depends so much on the situation it’s impossible to make any claim that a tankless will not save you money. Here are a few variables that factor in.
- The price of natural gas varies by Province, City, Country, and even supplier and on top of that there is delivery charges, taxes, and additional fees. A tankless can significantly influence these costs instigating either an increase or a decrease (more often than not its a decrease).
- The price of the tankless… this varies again with the size of unit, the brand etc etc. Also be careful of door to door conventional tank type water heater sales people, more often than not those contracts are much higher than the actual cost of a tankless.
- Tankless warranties are pretty similar to a conventional tank type water heater, but…. a tankless is designed to be serviced and have a lifespan of over 20 years. Their heat exchangers are designed to be cleaned of all calcification, whereas you tank type heater is simply designed to be replaced
So take the what you hear about the advantages and disadvantages of a tankless with a grain of salt. If someone has decided it’s not for them and feels it important to rhyme off a few common misconceptions take the time to investigate and see if its right for your home.
