# Talk to me about tankless water heaters for the shop....



## LnJsdad (Jun 12, 2010)

I am helping a friend run some copper rough in for his shop being built and he wants to do a tankless water heater setup.    If you have installed one in your garage, can you post some pics of final setup etc.   I am waiting to hear back on what model he wants so I can get the rough in correct. 

Do they typically take a specific size line coming in???  I am running everything half inch.

The gas line drop will mitigate where the WH will go so I am assuming close to his bathroom and sink setup.


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## havasu (Jun 12, 2010)

Is the tankless water heater going to be used for showers? If not, only a small point of use tankless water heater is needed, and 1/2" would be fine. If the shop is going to supply hot water for an entire house, I would recommend 3/4" copper pipe.  

If you want / need more information on some tankless water heater ideas, go to www.plumbingforums.com and you will see some good ideas, and my own write up.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 13, 2010)

I will check that out.  It will be suppling a shower in the shop but that is about it.  Not the home.


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## mustanggarage (Jun 13, 2010)

I got it online from bosch.  it is a refurbished unit and I got a very good deal on it. so far it is working very well.


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## havasu (Jun 13, 2010)

mustanggarage said:


> I got it online from bosch.  it is a refurbished unit and I got a very good deal on it. so far it is working very well.



That is a great point of use tankless you have there. Is it wired at 110v or 220v?


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## rustywrangler (Jun 13, 2010)

havasu said:


> That is a great point of use tankless you have there. Is it wired at 110v or 220v?


 
That is the beauty of them, I don't think it even needs power.  Just a pilot light.  At least for some of the units I have seen.


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## mustanggarage (Jun 13, 2010)

mine is an electric unit not gas.  I chose electric because then there is no energy use at all when I am not using it.  and I do not have propane run to the shop yet.  hopefully before this winter I will have, because I want to put a hot dawg out in the main shop.  but the heater is rated at 4 gpm so it will more than handle my sink and shower at the same time.


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## rustywrangler (Jun 13, 2010)

mustanggarage said:


> mine is an electric unit not gas. I chose electric because then there is no energy use at all when I am not using it. and I do not have propane run to the shop yet. hopefully before this winter I will have, because I want to put a hot dawg out in the main shop. but the heater is rated at 4 gpm so it will more than handle my sink and shower at the same time.


 

My bad, I looke quickly and thought I saw a gas line, not power.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 13, 2010)

So it sounds like we can get away with a 20A 110V service to a gas waterheater without alot of hassle.  The unit we are looking at is very similar to the one posted about above but a gas unit.   It needs 110V power for the igniter, that is is.  Everything else is off of gas.  No pilot light.

Anyone else have input on it????


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## havasu (Jun 14, 2010)

Being a gas unit, proper venting is critical. Pay close attention to their requirements and perameters.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 14, 2010)

havasu said:


> Being a gas unit, proper venting is critical. Pay close attention to their requirements and perameters.


 

Yep.  The space was already pre-vented for a standard water heater exhaust in the roof.  Gonna tie into that.


Now I need to figure on if the electric or gas saves more money in the long run.   Thoughts??????


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## havasu (Jun 14, 2010)

The best choice would depend on the layout, energy costs in your area, and how close your utilities currently are for connection purposes. If the shower was not going to be used on a daily basis, I would stick to electricity. I'm certain you already have power going to the shop, but not necessarily gas. Gas has to be routed 18" to 24" underground, always a concern for leaks, etc. Also, gas venting is a big concern. 

Lastly, if gas stops, nothing will get you hot water. If electricity fails, generators are cheap! As a matter of fact, I just ordered a 3000w generator with an electric remote start and battery, shipped to the house, for $400. Gotta love the sale prices at Costco.com!


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## mustanggarage (Jun 14, 2010)

It will also depend on how much you use the hot water.  in general it will be cheaper to heat water with a gas heater.  however the cost of the electrical units are significantly cheaper.  I chose electric because i will not use it often and the added cost of running propane out to the garage would not be worth it to me.  also although it is a somewhat silly reason my electric bill is an automatic payment each month, I don't even think about it, but my propane bill hits me for about 800 bucks 2 to 3 times a year.  that one seems to hurt a lot more for some reason.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 14, 2010)

I should have stated before, he has full furnace setup in the garage and the natural gas line is already run 4 feet underground (below the frost line).  So having a gas HW heater was just assumed on his end.    The furnace is installed in the attic space so the gas line literally runs right above the wall for the HW heater.  Fairly easy to tap into.

so it sounds like gas will be cheaper in the long run.


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## havasu (Jun 14, 2010)

With your gas run being so close, you can't go wrong with it!


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## mustanggarage (Jun 14, 2010)

then I would probably recommend this one.
http://www.cpotanklesswaterheaters....id=bosch-tankless-reconditioned-water-heaters


it ought to do the trick nicely.  and for 499 it is a pretty good deal.


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## havasu (Jun 14, 2010)

The only concern I would have for the Bosch TWH is the fact that it has a standing pilot flame. If the shop is going to have fumes (gas, diesel, flammable solvents, etc), I would rather select one that has an electronic igniter, just as a precaution. 

You bet, they are a few dollars more, but it would be much safer in a workshop where fumes are present.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 14, 2010)

should be all good. Any water heater sold in the US has to have a sealed in pilot.  I learned this while working for Home Depot.   A family friend has one in his house and the pilot is completely sealed off from everything else. He even took a fan to the inside of the unit to see if the air effected the pilot and it didn't even flicker.


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## mustanggarage (Jun 15, 2010)

here is an interesting innovation. a tankless system that somehow uses the energy of the running water to ignite the spark requires no electric hookup and has no standing pilot.

http://www.cpotanklesswaterheaters....cgid=bosch-whole-house-tankless-water-heaters

now thats kind of cool.  wish I had seen this before I bought mine I might have decided on gas instead.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 15, 2010)

Now that is most definitely the direction we are gonna go.  I just saw that this afternoon.


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## LnJsdad (Jun 26, 2010)

mustanggarage said:


> here is an interesting innovation. a tankless system that somehow uses the energy of the running water to ignite the spark requires no electric hookup and has no standing pilot.
> 
> http://www.cpotanklesswaterheaters....cgid=bosch-whole-house-tankless-water-heaters
> 
> now thats kind of cool. wish I had seen this before I bought mine I might have decided on gas instead.


 

Well, he went out and bought that exact model for the shop.  Should be a fun install. When we do it, I will post pics of the work. Thanx for all the advice gents.


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## Deckape (Feb 3, 2013)

mustanggarage said:


> here is an interesting innovation. a tankless system that somehow uses the energy of the running water to ignite the spark requires no electric hookup and has no standing pilot.
> 
> http://www.cpotanklesswaterheaters....cgid=bosch-whole-house-tankless-water-heaters
> 
> now thats kind of cool.  wish I had seen this before I bought mine I might have decided on gas instead.


I followed the above link, It appears that unit is no longer available (Dang it)


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