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Tankless Hot Water Heaters, Efficient, Effective, Endless.
Posts tagged Maintenance
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
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.
Tankless Flushing Service
Dec 10th
We have been receiving numerous requests for tankless cleaning, help, and advice, so in response we’re starting a new service…. Tankless Flushing! Thousands of tankless water heaters have been installed in Toronto and surrounding areas with sales people promoting a lifespan of 20-25 years….. Sure a tankless can last a long time, but not without some regular maintenance. Right? RIGHT!
First and most important, de-scaling your tankless water heater.
If the installer was good you will likely have isolation or flush valves installed. These valves allow you to push vinegar or a scale removal agent through the tankless effectively cleaning the buildup off the wall of the inside of the heat exchanger. As we wrote in “Lime Scale The Energy Thief” it really doesn’t take much buildup to decrease efficiency significantly (and isn’t that what you bought the tankless for in the first place?).
The Process
At the Tankless Hot Water Guide were here to help people first and foremost, if you are hand this is something that you can do yourself. Here are a brief outline of the steps necessary to flush your tankless heater.
- Unplug your tankless.
- On the blue isolation (flush) valve shut the Cold water supply off.
- On the red isolation (flush) valve shut the hot water exit off.
- Now you will need two short hoses, a bucket and a pump of some sort.
- Attache the two hoses to the isolation valves (flush valves).
- Attach the other end of the hose running from the blue isolation valves to your pump.
- Fill the bucket with your de-scaling agent (vinegar).
- Turn the pump on and make sure that the red isolation valve hose is running back into the bucket.
- Let this run for at least 30 minutes.
- –If the system hasn’t been flushed in a long time and you see a lot of grime, unplug the pump, dump and refill the bucket with new vinegar. Let run for an additional 30 minutes.
- After you are finished dump the bucket and fill with clean water, start the pumping again to flush the vinegar out of the system. If you use a chemical de-scaling solution make sure to rinse your tankless thoroughly.
- Almost done!
- Disconnect all the hoses, replace caps, double check everything is back to normal.
- Turn the two valves back to the on or flow position and plug the tankless back in.
- Run the hot water at a few taps to push any air in the system out and confirm hot water is being produced.
- Repeat once every year or so.
Our Service
Yes that can be a lot of work, but we can do it for you! $99 for a system flush Don’t have an isolation valve kit on your tankless? No problem, Valves and installation for $149 Questions and Concerns? Always free!
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Home Depot Tankless or Rinnai
May 12th
Bosch vs Rinnai Tankless
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There has been quite the buzz regarding tankless water heaters lately. Claims of their superior energy savings and efficiency have been touted by every company pushing the units. Yes they do reduce the amount of gas or propane you use but they also provide endless hot water. If you take a 45 minute shower your more than likely using more energy than you would with a conventional tank that simply runs out of hot water after 20. Yet if you are reasonable and shower for the same duration, you have great potential to see some real energy (and money) savings with a tankless water heater.
Now that you know you want a tankless you have two options…
Option 1 – Go to your nearest Home Depot and purchase one from there, then hire a gas fitter and a plumber to install it
or
Option 2 – Look for a professional tankless installer who has the specialty to preform a stand-up job.
Being the person purchasing the system cost will obviously be a factor and I guarantee Home Depot will be the cheapest option (If cost is your only driving force you should click the link and head to Home Depot now).
For those of you that stuck around I will explain why the second choice is probably the best choice.
Firstly if you call around to a few tankless installers you will quickly realize that none of them sell Bosch tankless heaters (Bosch is the only tankless brand Home Depot sells). The reason why these companies don’t offer this brand is due to the fact they offer extended warranties and guarantees. They are on the line for the products they sell and thus they go with quality products they know will stand up and remain reliable.
Enter Rinnai.
Ask these same tankless installation companies if they sell the Rinnai brand tankless water heater and I bet you find that 99% of them do. Rinnai tankless water heaters are built to last and this is why industry professionals install this brand. Lets compare the Bosch and Rinnai tankless models and see some of the differences.
Bosch Aquastar Tankless Water Heater 1600H compared with Rinnai R75LSi Tankless
Bosch Tankless Verses a Rinnai Tankless
| Bosch 1600H | Rinnai R75LSi | |
|---|---|---|
| Tankless Weight | 33 Pounds | 50 Pounds |
| Power Input (NG) | 30,735-117,000 Btu | 15,000-180,000 Btu |
| CSA Certified | Yes | Yes |
| GPM | 0.6 – 3.5 GPM | 0.6 – 7.5 GPM |
| Energy Factor | 0.8 or 80% | 0.82 or 82% |
| Heat Exchanger | Residential Grade | Commercial Grade |
| Cost or Price | $939 + installation and Vent | $2850 or $39.95 rental |
As you can see there are some definite differences, probably the most glaring is the amount of hotwater that can be provided. The Rinnai is able to produce more than twice as much, meaning you won’t run into problems when running more than one appliance or faucet..
Of course this doesn’t take into account all the benefits that you get from a professional install like:
- Proper venting, tankless systems have very specific code requirements
- Correct sizing so that you always have enough hot water
- Additional warranty and workmanship guarantees
- Maintenance guarantees, service plans, and emergency tech service.
Sure any Ontario Home Depot has the cheapest system but I hope I clarified why they’re some much cheaper. Now those of you still left reading option 2 and didn’t click on the Home Depot link you are obviously interested in a tankless. These systems can’t go in every home due to venting issues so we send out a technician to make sure everything will work and what size tankless your home would need. This is a free service, so just fill out the form below and we will call you to schedule a time for someone to come by. Typically only 15-20 minutes.
Technicians are fitting and sizing tankless water heaters in all of the greater Toronto area as well as, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Rexdale, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Markham, North York, Scarborough, Im sure I have missed some cities but you get the idea, if in question just send us an email.
