On-Demand hot water systems

[TheIglu]

Any opinions?

We have a Superstore running off our oil burning furnace right now. It's doing just fine, but I'd love to shut the furnace down completely come springtime until next fall.

Thinking about going with a LP Bosch on-demand unit with electronic ignition (no pilot light). We already have the LP tanks for cooking and nothing else. The unit itself will run about $980 and last year there was a tax credit available for $300. Hopefully they will do that again.

I'd setup the system so I could switch between using the furnace and the tankless system depending on fuel prices.

Thinking about the Bosch 250SX or a Bradford (Everhot) IGI-180r.

[BostonSVkid]

No only will you get a tax credit but the decrease in your gas/oil bill will be HUGE. A regular wate heater runs about 300 brand new. That one is 980 but over its life will save you thousands in heating costs. If you have the doe and the know how to get one then do it.

I have heard NOTHING but good things about them. My dad was a HVAC guys for 25 years and loves them!

[RandyO]

I have a small Bosch Aqua Star at my office, it keeps up with minimal office usage, no problem but it's not big enuf to keep up with residential demands

at home, I have a Paloma it has a pilot flame going all the time but is still 1/3 the operating cost of an electric heater and can make 15gal of hot water/min, enuf to keep up 2 showers, a dishwasher & washing machine simultaneously

[Dangerz0ne]

Check out Takagi's line. It's what I have installed in some homes with great results.

[RandyO]

I forgot to say, in my previous post

add the gpm of the maximum of the water devices you will have turned on and buy a tankless water heater that can keep up with your proposed maximum demand

my experience over the last 20+ years with a tankless lp gas heater, I wouldn't have any other type

[stoinkythepig]

A friend if mine loves his Toyotomi oil-fired on demand heater. Oil has 135,000 BTUs per gallon, propane only has 90,000 BTUs per gallon and costs more. Both the LP and oil units have the same efficiency, so the oil burner will use only 66% of the volume of fuel as the LP, maybe 1/2 the cost???

[phishfood]

thanks for the post and the info. I've come across this before and always been interested in it for my house and my projects. Glad to hear good things about them.

[RandyO]

thanks for the post and the info. I've come across this before and always been interested in it for my house and my projects. Glad to hear good things about them.

the best thing about them is that they are tankless, you never run out of hot water while trying to take a long hot shower