Tankless Hot Water Heaters, Efficient, Effective, Endless.
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Tankless Installation Time
Apr 8th
Installing a Tankless
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How long is it going to take to install a new tankless water heater?
There really isn’t a simple time frame that can be stated because no two installs are the same. Everyone’s home is unique and this means that install times are different for every home. If you have a tankless system and are replacing it (far and few between) the tankless install will be relatively quick as most of the pipes and the gas line will be the right vicinity.
If you are moving from a conventional hot water tank to a tankless water heater then it will take at least a few hours. These are a few of the required tasks of an install crew
This is a very short rundown of the installation process, it is much more detailed and requires more time than you might expect. All tankless water heaters have very specific details as to where and how they are vented. This does place a bit more work on the installer as they have to ensure that their installation meets all codes.
All and all a new tankless installation will run anywhere from a few hours to an entire day. For the majority of situations it is rare for a tankless to take more than half of a day to install. So I would suggest to budget about 4 hours for the installers to finish their work.
Grant Money Increased By 25%
Apr 1st
25% more for a new Tankless
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Part of the government’s economic action plan is to boost the eco energy retrofit program that is currently running. The government has increased all available grant money for energy efficient retrofits by 25%. Additionally the program has been expanded with a 300 million dollar increase in funding over the next two
years.
You can download the new PDF here
Initially the program gave home owners 18 months to complete all retrofits, perform the E audit and submit files for rebates. This has now been extended and homeowners that are past their 18 month time frame can still perform retrofits and get access to additionally grant money by performing a F-audit.
This is really significant for The Tankless Hot Water Guide as the additionally grant money will further reduce the cost of tankless water heaters for consumers. A tankless with an efficiency of .82% or better will get you 630$ in rebate money. If you decide to go with a condensing tankless water heater the grant money is even better (.94% efficiency or better) this will net you a 750$ cheque from the government.
You cant find a better time to get go out and get a tankless water heater.
Condensing verses Non-Condensing Tankless
Mar 27th
Condensing verses Non-Condensing
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Tankless water heaters come in two different efficiency styles, condensing and non condensing. A condensing unit will recover more than 85% of the gas that a regular tankless water heater would otherwise vent out. Navien or “Navian” makes a tankless system that is 98% efficient by employing the condensing system. The high efficiency is gained by allowing the relatively warm exhaust gases to transfer otherwise wasted heat to the incoming water preheating it before flowing through the primary heat exchanger. This adds about a 10 to 15 percent efficiency increase to a tankless water heater which in itself is already quite efficient.
Now the grants that are available from the provincial and federal government are
different for a condensing and non condensing tankless water heater. A condensing unit will receive $600 in total grants or $300 from each government level. The non condensing unit will net you $250 from provincial and federal netting $500 total. The governments trying to reduce energy consumption and pollution emissions would naturally give more grant money to tankless water heaters that are the most efficient.
Solar and a Tankless
Feb 19th
Solar And A Tankless Heater
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There is starting to become a buzz around solar hot water systems. If you have a good, knowledgeable contractor a solar water system can work quite well with a tankless hot water heater. 
Here are a few of the advantages that you can expect when combining the two systems.
1. The preheated water coming from the solar water heating system will increase the flow of hot water out of a tankless unit. The reason is due to the fact the tankless has to heat pre-warmed water reducing the necessary temperature rise. The amount of hot water a tankless can provide depends on the input temperature. The greater the temperature rise necessary the slower the water can travel through the heat exchanger and the slower the output flow. Incoming water at 45F vs. 70F vs. 100F will have very different results on the output of a tankless system.
2. The water is already warm or even hot from the solar rays before entering the tankless unit and therefore the added wait time associated with a tankless unit can be reduced or even eliminated.

3. Its important when combining a tankless and solar water heater to consider a tankless unit that recognizes incoming temperature as well as outgoing and is able to fully modulate its burner (therefore only burning the necessary amount of gas to raise the temperature to the appropriate amount).
4. With the right tankless unit and an appropriately sized solar system you may find that your tankless rarely need to run. In fact some people have found that their gas bills are now costing only a few dollars as opposed to a few hundred dollars.
These Solar systems can be a little tricky in Ontario and Toronto as we have winter and the solar system (if it fails) could experience freezing. This would rupture the thermal cells in the collector rendering it ineffective. It may be necessary to use a glycol system to prevent freezing if electricity goes out. Your contractor should be able to provide all necessary info, or fill out the contact form and we can help.
Rinnai Installation Diagram
Feb 11th
Rinnai Installation Diagram |
If you decide that a tankless water heater is a good idea for your home you should consider the requirements that your house will need to meet first. Tankless systems have a number of additional needs over your conventional tank water heater. We install more Rinnai than any other system so I will give the specifications for this system, although they are all quite similar.
A 3 FT clearance is required for the following:
- a. Windows
- b. Any exhaust outlets – Furnace, dryer vent, kitchen vent etc.
- c. Gas Meter – The vent needs to be at least 3 feet from the gas meter and the pressure relief valve.
The vent also needs to be 1 foot above grade and cannot be vented into any shared walkway that is less than 5 feet wide.
This diagram should help explain it.
Or get a Free in home consultation and have an installer who really knows “the tricks of the trade” help you find a spot for your Rinnai Tankless water heater. And as we all know installation can be tricky in Canada with existing gas codes and venting requirements. Get a Quote here
Tankless Water Heater Facts
Jan 12th
Tankless Facts
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- 25% of every household energy dollar is spent making domestic hot water. Heating water with a conventional tank is the third largest energy consumer in your home (behind furnace and A/C).
- Electricity is the WORST way to heat hot water while natural gas and propane gas are much more efficient. Based on national fuel price averages of $1.46/ccf and $0.09/kwh, the cost/100,000 BTU’s is $1.46 for natural gas and $2.64 for electricity. Just under 60% of North American households have access to natural gas, and if you don’t, propane gas is available to almost everyone and is still a better value than electricity. In addition electric water heaters have only a small fraction of the capacity of gas water heaters. So if you like expensive, short showers, with cold water at the end, use electric; otherwise gas would be a better choice.
- Modern gas fired tankless water heaters are the best alternative available to today’s homeowners to reduce their residential energy consumption. A typical gas fired tankless water heater cost about 2-1/2 times as much as a standard tank water heater. However it will pay for itself in just a few years or less, and will last twice as long as a tank.
- If you are considering a tankless water heater Rinnai is likely the best choice. On average a new Rinnai is installed somewhere in North America every 3.75 minutes. Rinnai has shipped over 30 million tankless water heaters world wide.
Tankless Systems Save Space
Dec 29th
Tankless Systems Save Space |
Most residential water heaters are located or installed in areas such as a utility room,basement , closet or garage. Storage tank water heaters be it electric or gas require a substantial amount of space, space that could be used for other purposes such a additional storage place etc. If you decide to go with a tankless water heater you will save space and money!
Tankless or instant hot water heaters have no storage tank, they heat the water as it is passing through the appliance, thereby giving you a potential savings of 60%. That is a significant reduction on your water heating bills compared to a storage tank water heater not to mention the space savings due to its’ compact size.
Tankless Installation Time
Dec 14th
How Long Will A Tankless Take to Install?
This can be a difficult question to answer as there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account. They range from
- Relocation – Does it make sense to move the tankless closer to hot water demands? does this involve moving the gas lines? Is there a venting issue that requires it moved?
- Size / Mounting - The Tankless is significant smaller then a full sized convential tank, this allows it to be mounted numerous locations.
- Venting – All tankless systems have unique venting requirements this may play a factor in its positioning, get a free evaluation here.
- Type – Do you want a propane, natural gas or electric tankless system? These factors can all play a part in tankless installation times.
The installation crews are scheduled to do 2 tankless installs per day, so most installs rarely go past 4 hours (quite a few have been installed in less than an hour). If you decide to go ahead with the tankless system, be that rental or purchase its a safe bet to allocate 4 hours for the install.
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