Comments on: Low Impact Living: The Low Down on Tankless Hot Water Heaters http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/ Reporting on Sustainably Built Environments from Bricks to Cities Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:57:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Steve http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-27169 Steve Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:19:56 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-27169 I have a long run from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink and in the morning, it takes at least two minutes for the water to start getting warm. I'd like to use an electric demand heater to warm the initial water flow until the hot water from the heater arrives. I'd also like it to have a thermostat that would turn off the demand heater once the hot water from the tank arrives. Is there such a beast on the market? Thanks for any help! I have a long run from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink and in the morning, it takes at least two minutes for the water to start getting warm. I’d like to use an electric demand heater to warm the initial water flow until the hot water from the heater arrives. I’d also like it to have a thermostat that would turn off the demand heater once the hot water from the tank arrives. Is there such a beast on the market? Thanks for any help!

]]> By: Steve http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-97878 Steve Fri, 27 Mar 2009 23:19:00 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-97878 I have a long run from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink and in the morning, it takes at least two minutes for the water to start getting warm. I'd like to use an electric demand heater to warm the initial water flow until the hot water from the heater arrives. I'd also like it to have a thermostat that would turn off the demand heater once the hot water from the tank arrives. Is there such a beast on the market? Thanks for any help! I have a long run from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink and in the morning, it takes at least two minutes for the water to start getting warm. I’d like to use an electric demand heater to warm the initial water flow until the hot water from the heater arrives. I’d also like it to have a thermostat that would turn off the demand heater once the hot water from the tank arrives. Is there such a beast on the market? Thanks for any help!

]]> By: Anthony Airhart http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-25988 Anthony Airhart Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:17:56 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-25988 American Tankless has refused to refund us for their pretty much worthless Adtec Tankless One unit. Nothing but lies and BS...no money. I would stay far away from them! American Tankless has refused to refund us for their pretty much worthless Adtec Tankless One unit. Nothing but lies and BS…no money. I would stay far away from them!

]]> By: Anthony Airhart http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-97877 Anthony Airhart Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:17:00 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-97877 American Tankless has refused to refund us for their pretty much worthless Adtec Tankless One unit. Nothing but lies and BS...no money. I would stay far away from them! American Tankless has refused to refund us for their pretty much worthless Adtec Tankless One unit. Nothing but lies and BS…no money. I would stay far away from them!

]]> By: I Gave You a Quarter. Did You Give me Change? : CleanTechnica http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-5604 I Gave You a Quarter. Did You Give me Change? : CleanTechnica Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:15:21 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-5604 [...] water more readily and can save up to 250 lbs of CO2 emissions each year. Better yet—look into a tankless or solar thermal water heater. 27. Shut off your computer. I know it’s a hassle to wait 2 [...] [...] water more readily and can save up to 250 lbs of CO2 emissions each year. Better yet—look into a tankless or solar thermal water heater. 27. Shut off your computer. I know it’s a hassle to wait 2 [...]

]]> By: kent http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-4762 kent Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:03:39 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-4762 excellent article, redoing the master bath and looking to put a tankless in the master bath area because of the long run from existing water heater. I think you should find a more enviro friendly photo the water softener will dump more salt laden water than you will save with the tankless. excellent article, redoing the master bath and looking to put a tankless in the master bath area because of the long run from existing water heater.

I think you should find a more enviro friendly photo the water softener will dump more salt laden water than you will save with the tankless.

]]> By: kent http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-97876 kent Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:03:00 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-97876 excellent article, redoing the master bath and looking to put a tankless in the master bath area because of the long run from existing water heater. I think you should find a more enviro friendly photo the water softener will dump more salt laden water than you will save with the tankless. excellent article, redoing the master bath and looking to put a tankless in the master bath area because of the long run from existing water heater.

I think you should find a more enviro friendly photo the water softener will dump more salt laden water than you will save with the tankless.

]]> By: Philip Proefrock http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-4173 Philip Proefrock Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:34:17 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-4173 Jerry, While an electric water heater is theoretically more efficient than a natural gas heater, it is a very inefficient process to convert heat (from coal burning) into electricity (and lose more than 2/3 of that energy to plant inefficiency and transmission loss) and then convert it back into heat to warm your water. Similarly, using solar PV to create DC electricity, and then convert that to AC and then use that to heat water is vastly more inefficient than a direct solar hot water system. As far as your tempering tank idea goes, the heat that it absorbs from inside your house has to come from somewhere, and in this case, that is basically your home heating system. So while you save a bit on running the water heater, you add a bit more to your home heating system. In any case, I don't think the cost of the added plumbing and the tank would pay back in energy savings for an extremely long time. Jerry,

While an electric water heater is theoretically more efficient than a natural gas heater, it is a very inefficient process to convert heat (from coal burning) into electricity (and lose more than 2/3 of that energy to plant inefficiency and transmission loss) and then convert it back into heat to warm your water.

Similarly, using solar PV to create DC electricity, and then convert that to AC and then use that to heat water is vastly more inefficient than a direct solar hot water system.

As far as your tempering tank idea goes, the heat that it absorbs from inside your house has to come from somewhere, and in this case, that is basically your home heating system. So while you save a bit on running the water heater, you add a bit more to your home heating system.

In any case, I don’t think the cost of the added plumbing and the tank would pay back in energy savings for an extremely long time.

]]> By: Philip Proefrock http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-97875 Philip Proefrock Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:34:00 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-97875 Jerry, While an electric water heater is theoretically more efficient than a natural gas heater, it is a very inefficient process to convert heat (from coal burning) into electricity (and lose more than 2/3 of that energy to plant inefficiency and transmission loss) and then convert it back into heat to warm your water. Similarly, using solar PV to create DC electricity, and then convert that to AC and then use that to heat water is vastly more inefficient than a direct solar hot water system. As far as your tempering tank idea goes, the heat that it absorbs from inside your house has to come from somewhere, and in this case, that is basically your home heating system. So while you save a bit on running the water heater, you add a bit more to your home heating system. In any case, I don't think the cost of the added plumbing and the tank would pay back in energy savings for an extremely long time. Jerry,

While an electric water heater is theoretically more efficient than a natural gas heater, it is a very inefficient process to convert heat (from coal burning) into electricity (and lose more than 2/3 of that energy to plant inefficiency and transmission loss) and then convert it back into heat to warm your water.

Similarly, using solar PV to create DC electricity, and then convert that to AC and then use that to heat water is vastly more inefficient than a direct solar hot water system.

As far as your tempering tank idea goes, the heat that it absorbs from inside your house has to come from somewhere, and in this case, that is basically your home heating system. So while you save a bit on running the water heater, you add a bit more to your home heating system.

In any case, I don’t think the cost of the added plumbing and the tank would pay back in energy savings for an extremely long time.

]]> By: Jerry Kahn http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/comment-page-1/#comment-4139 Jerry Kahn Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:59:56 +0000 http://greenbuildingelements.com/2008/04/30/low-impact-living-the-low-down-on-tankless-hot-water-heaters/#comment-4139 I have electric hot water and wish to stay that way: there is no greenhouse gas issues (except for the coal that is burnt to make the power, that will go away partially when I have solar panels on my roof)and the heater is mechanically simpler and more efficient than natural gas heaters. Soon, I am going to replace my plumbing in my house and I was considering adding a tank, maybe 5-20 gallons, that would be plumbed ahead of my hot water heater. This tank would allow the colder water coming out of the ground to slowly heat up and not add so much heating demand on my existing hot water heater. I would have the tank in the house, so that it would slowly warm to the ambient air temp in the house, say 60-65 farenheight, rather than the 40 or 50 that comes out of the ground. Has this been done before that you know of? And if not, does this sound feasible? I have electric hot water and wish to stay that way: there is no greenhouse gas issues (except for the coal that is burnt to make the power, that will go away partially when I have solar panels on my roof)and the heater is mechanically simpler and more efficient than natural gas heaters.

Soon, I am going to replace my plumbing in my house and I was considering adding a tank, maybe 5-20 gallons, that would be plumbed ahead of my hot water heater. This tank would allow the colder water coming out of the ground to slowly heat up and not add so much heating demand on my existing hot water heater. I would have the tank in the house, so that it would slowly warm to the ambient air temp in the house, say 60-65 farenheight, rather than the 40 or 50 that comes out of the ground. Has this been done before that you know of? And if not, does this sound feasible?

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