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Tankless Issues – The Facts and the Fiction

administrator — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:12:13 +0000

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.

Tankless

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 Tank Water Heater

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

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

End to End Financing

administrator — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 19:07:02 +0000

A financing offering helps you simplify your efforts to reduce your overall energy footprint. Whether you are considering an energy efficient retrofit, the replacement of water heater or new solar thermal roof mount. Financing can provide a simple, affordable End-to-End solution for many home owners. By financing your solution at competitive market rates, you can begin saving money instantly (actual savings will depend on your energy usage, the value of your retrofit and the financing term).

Financing Features

100% purchase financing (including labour, installation, tankless, etc.)
Ownership contract – you own it at the end of the term
Competitive with bank financing rates
Low monthly payments
Deferred payment plans available

A tankless will net you savings over a period of time, if you don’t have the total purchase price or want to lay out that much money immediately a financing option will allow you to pay a tankless off slowly with the savings you get monthly.

Request a Free Consultation and See if a Tankless Fits in your Home.

Home Depot Tankless or Rinnai

administrator — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:49:13 +0000

Bosch vs Rinnai Tankless

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

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.

[contact-form-7]

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.

Advice on Tankless Water

administrator — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:05:50 +0000

Tankless Help

We have been in this business for quite a while now and these are some of our feelings and issues…..

If you’re out getting quotes for new tankless water heaters and some company or sales person quotes you anything less than 2000 dollars Canadian for the entire job parts & labor, watch out! It’s probably (and likely) to good to be true. There’s a good chance you’re going to be one of the next victim of “To good to be true pricing”. If you do end up having a problem it will cost you twice as much to correct the issue than it would have if you had if you had the unit installed correctly the first time.

Don’t forget about the extra costs, a high quality tankless water heaters system designed for a small home will cost at least 1,200 dollars. You have additional costs also you need to consider when you have decided to make the purchase. Remember…..

valve kit
Gas line
Exhaust piping
Condensate pump
Gas termination plates
Strap hangers
Water piping
Brass, and copper fittings
Electrical outlet (if there’s not one nearby)

On top of that you have the labour, in general a Tankless should be able to be installed in half a day.

The Discount Tankless Water Heater

If a friend or someone you know says they can install a tankless water heater for a “few hundred bucks” remember its not a deal, these systems can be VERY specific in terms of gas or water pressure and it will probably end up costing you more to get a certified installer out to fix the job.

If your father or father in law was a plumber in the Navy 40 years ago, please don’t let him install your tankless water heater!

If a young relative or friend just got out of plumbing school, do not let them install your tankless water heater!

If your getting estimates for a new tankless water heater, and the installer cannot show you at least one picture of a previous tankless water heater installation he or she did, do not hire that person as your installer.

If the sales person shows up at your home and doesn’t bother to look around to make sure the installation will go by checking gas lines, venting location, installation site, etc do not let that person install your new tankless water heater!

Please Note: Tankless water heaters often cannot be installed due to building and plumbing codes in Ontario and Canada, additionally there are specific manufacturing requirements all installs must meet.

DO NOT BUY A TANKLESS WATER HEATER FROM HOME DEPOT OR ANOTHER BIG BOX STORE!!!
The units they offer provide the least hot water on the market. Nearly 65% of all tankless water heater bought from Home Depot were returned (2008 – 2009 figure). People think they’re getting a “good deal” but they most likely will end up with major headaches.

Leave tankless water heaters to the pros.

We install Tankless in Toronto, Tankless in Hamilton, Tankless in Mississauga, Tankless in Etobicoke, Tankless in Richmond Hill, Tankless in Markham, Tankless in Bolton, Tankless in Rexdale, Tankless in Brampton and many other locations.

Follow this link and see if a tankless can even be installed in your home and if it can we can provide a Free quote on a tankless system for you.

Service Area and Shipping

administrator — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:46:40 +0000

Service Area

Ontario is an extensive province with over 1 million square kilometers, in the continental US Texas is the largest state coming in at 6 hundred thousand square kilometer range. Our 4th largest province is nearly twice the size of the largest continental US state.

Thus we have a difficult time providing tankless water heaters to all of Ontario never-mind the rest of Canada, but we try our best. Below is a map of our primary service area where we are able to complete home energy audits and provide service and installation. We are selling individual units with no installation and these can be shipped nearly anywhere but for the most part you may find a cheaper unit near your home. If you’re inquisitive though send us a quick email and we can provide a price and shipping quote.

Energy Audits

Tan area – basically all of Ontario could be a week or more depends on where the next available auditor is.
Green area – roughly 2 to 5 business days
Pink area – usually within 1-3 days

Tankless Unit only

We routinely have units shipped within the same day of purchase (it does depend on the unit requested and if its one we have in stock)

Tankless Unit with Quote and Installation

Green Area - We can usually have a guy out to do a preliminary inspection and solidify a quote within 2-4 days and installation in another few days
Red Area – Quote and installation is routinely completed in under a week

Service Calls

We service most of southern Ontario and can do emergency calls, depending on where our service techs are we can sometimes be at a customers house in under 30 minutes.

See the contact page here (Contact Us) for more information on how we can be reached.