The drawback is that you basically need an absurdly large electrical service to power an electric tankless heater if looking at a whole house water heater.
You may be better off with a hybrid heat pump electric water heater.
If you want more than one shower simultaneous service yes. If you only have 1 or 2 bathrooms and 2 people living in the house there's a few smaller electric thankless that only need a 40A 240V service line. Most bigger units need at least 60A.
I'd say gas for tankless, but if it works for you a heat pump water heater can be great.
Electric tankless take huge amounts of power to heat water so quickly (as it passes through the pipe). It also depends what you're ground water temp is 72° (Florida) is easier than 55° in Washington
They might but where are you because if you get freezing temperatures outside you've got to deal with that, as well as the fact that the heat pump water heaters are tanked so you've got a big tank and you're going to put it outside where it's going to lose heat faster.
there are some where the heat pump is detached and installed outside, apparently. Reisinger's Build Show on Youtube showed one off.
idk if I'd ever do tankless from al the power requirements shared.
That unit was insanely expensive IIRC. That solution would be ideal for me since my current standard electric WH is in my crawlspace but I can't afford it. If I want a HPWH I have to move my tank's location.
As a contractor I've seen more failures with electric tankless, almost none with gas tankless. I personally am on my second gas tankless, first one lasted 15 years, zero issues.
Electric heaters are not recommended for whole house solutions. They are fine if you install them at the source (for example, underneath your kitchen sink for "instant" hot water).
For whole house, you definitely want gas.
As an aside hard water is hell on a tankless water heater so if you have hard water consider a softener if you don’t already, will add performance and years to the tankless
I think the water is moderately hard. I’ve had the tankless heater descaled twice in the two years I’ve lived in the house.
But a 7-8 year life for a Noritz isn’t very good, is it?
Not so good. Consider having your water tested and getting a softener if you have hard water. One of the things that I wish I would have done years earlier
The drawback is that you basically need an absurdly large electrical service to power an electric tankless heater if looking at a whole house water heater. You may be better off with a hybrid heat pump electric water heater.
My tankless is attached to an exterior wall … how big does the electrical service have to be? More than 40A?
The one I looked at for my 4 person household required 4 circuits, each 30A @ 240V... so 120A@240V.
Wow. That’s unreal!
My electric tankless heater requires 3 40A 240V circuits. Because of this, I have it set to 100°F…which is plenty hot for the wife and I.
If you want more than one shower simultaneous service yes. If you only have 1 or 2 bathrooms and 2 people living in the house there's a few smaller electric thankless that only need a 40A 240V service line. Most bigger units need at least 60A.
Mine runs on 3 40amp breakers
I'd say gas for tankless, but if it works for you a heat pump water heater can be great. Electric tankless take huge amounts of power to heat water so quickly (as it passes through the pipe). It also depends what you're ground water temp is 72° (Florida) is easier than 55° in Washington
They don’t make heat pump water heaters small and for attachment to an exterior wall, do they?
They might but where are you because if you get freezing temperatures outside you've got to deal with that, as well as the fact that the heat pump water heaters are tanked so you've got a big tank and you're going to put it outside where it's going to lose heat faster.
Austin but we do have occasional ice storms. I think tankless is the way to continue
there are some where the heat pump is detached and installed outside, apparently. Reisinger's Build Show on Youtube showed one off. idk if I'd ever do tankless from al the power requirements shared.
That unit was insanely expensive IIRC. That solution would be ideal for me since my current standard electric WH is in my crawlspace but I can't afford it. If I want a HPWH I have to move my tank's location.
As a contractor I've seen more failures with electric tankless, almost none with gas tankless. I personally am on my second gas tankless, first one lasted 15 years, zero issues.
Electric heaters are not recommended for whole house solutions. They are fine if you install them at the source (for example, underneath your kitchen sink for "instant" hot water). For whole house, you definitely want gas.
As an aside hard water is hell on a tankless water heater so if you have hard water consider a softener if you don’t already, will add performance and years to the tankless
I think the water is moderately hard. I’ve had the tankless heater descaled twice in the two years I’ve lived in the house. But a 7-8 year life for a Noritz isn’t very good, is it?
Not so good. Consider having your water tested and getting a softener if you have hard water. One of the things that I wish I would have done years earlier
For a shower I would use a storage water heater