Are you cheap in MOST all you do?

[JacobAziza]

what I meant was: what does a $4000 water heater get you in terms of actual everyday useability that a $400 one doesn't?

Mine has none of those complex features, and it does what I want it to: makes cold tap water hot.
And there is much less to go wrong that I might need to repair someday

[ron]

Im not sure what model/brand you have, simpler is better INHO .the units I use have all the good stuff to make them more efficient increasing the %of savings to 92+% over the 80+% that a tank type WH are rated for . they both make hot water one saves more $ on the monthly bill and has a much longer pay back for initial investment ECO or not. one has been made the same way for years so it should be better on the ECO . with a 12% savings on gas the 3600 additional cost should pay off in about OOH 35 years give or take 5 yrs ---SO ECO!














4

[JacobAziza]

I get what you are saying about the price premium. I'm saying there are simple instant / tankless heaters that are simple that cost WAY less than what you are talking about.

Mine is an AQUAH, 10 L,2.65 GPM
There are a lot of other similar ones of different brands around the same cost - $100-$600
NATURAL GAS TANKLESS WATER HEATER | eBay

This is the same or less than buying a new tank water heater costs.

So you save money upfront AND use less gas.

What I am asking is why would anyone want to buy a $4000 tankless when you can buy a $400 tankless?

[ron]

the biggest dif that I see on a quick review is the max btu at 65000 verses ours at 225000 max btu and the temp rise of 45* at 2.65gpm mine are 80* and 6.5gpm . so with 30* water in the winter youll get aprox 75*out at max flo and we get 110at max. nice looking unit, I personally have a small bosch for the house with similar specs to yours, In the winter you just use lower flow for a shower works great. Oh the last answer is its on a Military Post

[JacobAziza]

lol that totally answers the question.
I work with the USCG...

[ron]

I learned a long long time ago to KISS it. (Keep It Simple Stupid)Jacobaziza your low cost unit is smart and will more than likely outlast these high priced models. CNG!

[PaleMelanesian]

I just bought (on clearance for 60% off!) a heatpump water heater. At the price I paid, it should give me a two year payback in electric savings.

So I paid $600 to replace a water heater that's working just fine. Frugal? Not for the next two years it isn't, but beyond that it's all gravy! Sometimes the frugal choice is to spend a little more up front.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by JacobAziza

I get what you are saying about the price premium. I'm saying there are simple instant / tankless heaters that are simple that cost WAY less than what you are talking about.

This is the same or less than buying a new tank water heater costs.

So you save money upfront AND use less gas.

What I am asking is why would anyone want to buy a $4000 tankless when you can buy a $400 tankless?

Please describe the pros and cons of the unit you have, along with your impression.

Seeing the knobs on the front, it appears there is no digital circuitry that regulates temperature output. If someone turns on another faucet while taking a shower, does the temperature drop?

The tankless systems I have seen have a powerful fan that turns on when the system is heating water. This moves fresh air into the combustion chamber and vents out the exhaust. Since this runs on batteries, it appears it does not have forced air handling?

[JacobAziza]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Please describe the pros and cons of the unit you have, along with your impression.

Seeing the knobs on the front, it appears there is no digital circuitry that regulates temperature output. If someone turns on another faucet while taking a shower, does the temperature drop?

The tankless systems I have seen have a powerful fan that turns on when the system is heating water. This moves fresh air into the combustion chamber and vents out the exhaust. Since this runs on batteries, it appears it does not have forced air handling?

I've never owned a high-tech feature rich instant, so my impression is in comparison to a standard tank style.
With a regular old tank heater, if someone turns on another faucet, the temp drops.

Except - I set the temp on mine to exactly however hot I want my shower to be, so when I shower I only turn on the hot water (why make it hotter than I want, just to cool it off again?). Therefor the temp doesn't change if someone turns on a faucet. In theory the pressure would drop, but the low flow shower had already restricts the pressure to below whats coming in from the city, so I don't notice that either. I imagine if I was running a 2nd shower, dishwasher, or washing machine, the pressure (and/or temp) drop would likely be noticeable.

No forced air, the heater is installed on an exterior wall and the exhaust only has to travel a few inches before venting outside. Wouldn't blowing air over it too fast reduce thermal efficiency.
All the batteries are for is the spark ignition.

So anyway, comparing only to tank heaters, my impression is that I like the instant heater much better. The only difference I feel is that the hot never runs out.

[ron]

I have the no induction fan model also and battery spark ignition works well super simple almost bullet proof . almost! works with shower and dish washer