Tankless Water Heater -- Purchase and Installation Price?

What’s a good price to have a plumber buy and install a tankless water heater? I’m looking to install one in my 3-story, 2-family house. We have three bathrooms, one dishwasher, and one clothes washer.

One plumber that I spoke to said that he would supply a Rennai (9.4 gallons per minute) tankless water heater, and install and properly vent it for $3200\. (We have a few things that need to be done around the house. As part of the job he would also add one water spigot to the basement, one to the back of the house, and move a gas line for a stove about 10 feet for a total of $4000.)

Is this an appropriate heater for our size house? And is this a good price, for the heater alone and the whole job? TIA

jmunnie

in Plumbers and Plumbing 13 years and 9 months ago

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wholesalerbill1 | 13 years and 9 months ago

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O.K. another reason to use an indirect water heater. Indirect water heating is virtually **_free hot water_** during the heating months when your boiler is running to heat your home.

Bklnite | 13 years and 9 months ago

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I have no dog in this fight, but here’s something interesting from US Dept of Energy
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12820
“For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, demand water heaters can be 24%???34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters. They can be 8%???14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water???around 86 gallons per day”
I can see my water usage via the new DEP AMR from the web (but don’t have a breakdown of hotwater and cold water). In my home when the kids are away we use about 40 to 90 gallons a day. When the kids are back it can be as much as 250 gallons a day, and I’d attribute most of that increase to the endless showers they like to take. (I’d like to have some way to motivate them to be quicker). It makes sense that you’ll get more efficiency gain if you don’t use much hot water; less gain if any if you use lots.

And, as noted, indirect is a good, efficient option for most homes.
http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13020

Master Plvmber | 13 years and 9 months ago

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jre,
You said: “There is no comparison insofar as efficiency between the instant and the tank type.”
I challenge you to cite a single *independent* study that supports your claim in any significant way.

And then you said, “Trust me, you can safely install the Rinnai 9.4 and you will not ever again need to worry about you or your tenants running out of hot water. Instant water heaters have been the standard in Europe for many years.”
What’s wrong with your statement is that “Europeans” don’t make the mistake that Americans do by connecting the notions of efficiency and endless hot water. 
They DO NOT go together. 
Tankless water heaters use a SHYTELOAD of gas to make endless hot water.

Your 9.4 gpm unit uses at least 200,000 BTUs per hour to heat your shower water.

Read my article in the link in the first paragraph. I’ve tweaked that article since then, but not by much.

Get a tankless water heater if you need to save space and if you don’t use much hot water anyway, but that “no comparison” to efficiency is not a valid remark.

jre | 13 years and 9 months ago

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I do not know the motivation behind all the negative comments by the so called Pro’s. I have installed the Rinnai 9.4 as well as other instant water heaters on many occasions, There is no comparison insofar as efficiency between the instant and the tank type. Trust me, you can safely install the Rinnai 9.4 and you will not ever again need to worry about you or your tenants running out of hot water. Instant water heaters have been the standard in Europe for many years. Why pay for a huge 75 or 100 gallon tank to heat 365 days 24/7 and then wait for it to re-heat when you run out of hot water when you can have a wall hung sleek compact unit tucked away in a closet that can supply consecutive showers all day long and cost nothing when it is not being used. I do believe that the installation price your were quoted is on the high side. The actual unit cost is in the $900-1000 range. Installation should run you an additional $600-700 (not including filing fees) if it???s a swap between the tank type and the Rinnai, My suggestion is for you to contact Rinnai and ask them to provide you with contact info. of people who are currently using or have used their units for years. It is the best choice you will ever make.
Good luck,

jmunnie | 13 years and 9 months ago

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(Apologies if this appears twice — I tried to post a response but I don’t see it.)

Thanks for your answers.

I spoke with another plumber. He also said that we should go with an indirect water heater. How much should it cost to purchase and install one? (The plumber said it would be $900-1400 for the water heater, depending on size and quality, plus $1500-2000 for installation.)

wholesalerbill1 | 13 years and 9 months ago

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3 story, 2 family? A tankless will not suffice your needs. Most plumbers don’t install them correctly either(excluding the plumbers on this forum). You need a buffer tank installed as most contractors don’t read the manufacturers install manuals. I work in wholesale heating and I’ve had nothing but complaints from contractors over the years about tankless water heaters. If you have a hot water boiler then go with an indirect water heater. You can’t go wrong. I try to avoid selling them. For a small apartment or small store they’re o.k. But not good for high volume use.

Bklnite | 13 years and 9 months ago

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I would read this:
http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/352/Water-Heaters/27/Tankless-water-heaters
It was linked to by Master Plvmber in the forum (in the good old days before the site re-design – I can’t make any use of the forum archive now). My takeaway from that article (and the old forum post) was:
“They simply don???t give you hot water the way we Americans are used to having it.”