While going tankless is a great idea no matter what the case, it’s definitely a “buyer beware” situation. I have seen many installations done by “professional plumbers” that were so far off the installation instructions they were in fact dangerous. Most tankless systems cannot utilize the existing water heater vent, require either sealed-combustion venting or additional combustion air, may require a bigger gas line, need a buffer-pipe for cold water sandwich alleviation, require a service manifold with ball valves and boiler drains and need specialized personnel to install them. Not to mention that educating the customer is the most important part of the job. Why?
When customers do not understand how tankless systems work, they may be disappointed. A water tank “thermally siphons” all the time, since the water is hot all the time. This means it takes less time for a water tank to deliver water, since a tankless system has to fire up first and get the water and the pipes hot. With a tank, the pipes are already hot. So longer lag times may be experienced. This problem can easily be overcome with a recirculation system like the Metlund D’mand system (http://gothotwater.com/). Also, tankless systems require a minimum flow to activate them, which means you may not be able to “trickle” water in the sink and still get hot water. Going tankless is the smart thing to do, but you need to know what to look for and how much it should cost. Be sure the system has at least a 3 GPM flow at a 70 degree rise at this altitude, or you may not get the flow you need. Also be sure the unit will protect itself from freezing, even if it’s inside. Believe it or not, a tankless system that isn’t freeze protected can freeze simply from the cold air dropping across the heat exchanger while the furnace is operating.
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