August 21, 2008
HOME WORK
Heating water for all is a tankless task
When his water heater died, Rick Jackson figured he'd just replace it. As he mentioned the need for a new tank to his plumbing contractor, he sort of joked about buying one that never runs out of hot water. "That's when my contractor said, 'I've got just the thing for you,'" said Jackson, who has a three-family home in Long Beach.
The contractor, Richie Santoro Jr. of Reliable Mechanical Services in Ozone Park and Long Beach, recommended Jackson install a tankless water heater, also called an instantaneous water heater. "And it's true, by the way," Santoro said, "that with these tankless systems the hot water is endless and instantaneous. With a tankless heater, you literally never run out of hot water."
So why isn't everyone on the tankless bandwagon? Who wouldn't want an endless supply of hot water? Hey, count me in. After three sons and a daughter take their turns showering in my house, there's barely enough water for the fish.
"One drawback is price," Santoro said. "Another is people really don't know a lot about them." Conventional heaters, where a standing volume of water, usually 50 or 75 gallons, is heated in a tank, run anywhere between $300 and $900 installed, said Santoro. Depending on size and installation requirements, a tankless system, can run between $3,000 and $4,000. "The systems are more expensive up front and labor costs for installation are higher," Santoro said. "But the benefit is in energy savings."
Because there is no need to heat standing water, as in a conventional tank, a tankless system uses much less energy, Santoro said. Minimum savings on fuel (tankless heaters run on natural gas, propane or electricity) are usually $200 to $300 annually.
"Homeowners typically can experience up to 45 percent savings on gas bills each month because they are not using gas to heat water all day long," said Jason Janz, a technical accounts specialist for Takagi Industrial Co. USA, a major manufacturer of tankless heaters. "The only time energy is being used is when the faucet is running hot water."
Here's how a tankless heater works: When a hot-water faucet is opened, water enters the heat exchanger. A sensor detects water flow, and the burner is automatically ignited. Water circulates through the exchanger and is heated instantly, about five seconds. When the faucet is shut off, the system stops heating and circulating water.
"I was all for it after Richie explained it to me, even with the higher cost of the heater and installation," Jackson said.
Santoro completed the installation in late fall, just in time for Jackson and his wife, Stephanie, to celebrate Christmas with family from out of town. "We had about 15 adults here, and there were a few mornings where everyone was getting dressed to go into Manhattan," Jackson said. "We had plenty of hot water, and all the showers were running."
Jackson said he expects the payback on his investment - his tankless system cost about $3,500, including installation - to take less than three years. "I haven't done all the math, but my gas bill is up only about 10 percent over last year."
Santoro has been installing tankless systems for about two years. In the Long Beach area, where he has a large customer base, tankless systems are ideal because of the small houses, garages and storage areas. The systems, which hang on a wall, take up space about two feet high, 18 inches wide and six inches deep.
When sizing a tankless system, consumers should consider BTUs and flow rate, Takagi's Janz said. Systems with higher BTUs (units of heat) and flow rate, measured in gallons per minute, deliver more hot water, he said. Based on flow rate and BTUs, Janz said Takagi's model T-K1S heater is comparable to a 75-gallon conventional tank. Jackson's waterless tank, a T-K2 model, has a variable BTU feature and can be used to supply hot water to large apartment complexes, Santoro said.
Other tankless system makers include Bosch (www.bos chusa.com), Rinnai (www.rin nai.us) and Stiebel Eltron (www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com). Starting this year, homeowners who install the systems will be eligible for a tax credit of up to $500.
WRITE TO: Gary Dymski, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250 or e-mail Gary.Dymski@newsday.com
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