In NYC, Replace Indirect tank or switch to Tankless

lost11

Currently, we have an indirect water heater. Apparently the coil cracked and we have too much pressure. So we need to replace the water tank. https://www.homedepot.com/s/indirect%20water%20heater?NCNI-5 The SuperStor 45g with installation will run me 2k. But on the other hand, a local plumber would be willing to install a tankless for 4k https://www.navieninc.com/residential/water-heaters

One thing that sucks with the indirect system was that if my furnace isn't turning on properly, not only would I have heating but won't have hot water.

Can anyone share their experience to help me decide to replace my indirect tank or swap to tankless?

Tankless Pro: a separate system for heating and hot water

Tankless Con: more expensive, yearly maintenance so that's more stuff to buy (pump, hose, vinegar), needs electricity, extra noise, condensing water is acidic so need to worry about ta neutralizer so would need an extra deice, since it's mostly electronic I would need plumbers that work on them so that would limit who can i contact for help

Indirect Pro: cheaper, no maintenance

Indirect Con: heating and hot water

EBEBRATT-Ed

I would stay with an indirect

lost11

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

I would stay with an indirect

just curious on why? my biggest reason i want to get tankless is it's a mutli family home. if we have separate for water heating, if anything if ever wrong with the furnace, at least we would have hot water

STEVEusaPA

I’d stay with the indirect, too. Sounds like you want to get a tankless, so get a tankless.

lost11

STEVEusaPA said:

I’d stay with the indirect, too. Sounds like you want to get a tankless, so get a tankless.

i'm still on the flip. i'm new to all this and don't know enough. there's prob other things or costs i don't consider. like "ooh the gas pipe going to the furnace can't be tee'ed off to the tankless, that's gonna cost another 4-5k for a new gas line... ".. you know stuff like that. besides the 1 or 2 times where our burner wasn't working, the indirect has been fine.

just trying to see what are the benefits of indirect, or why the original owner did indirect when most of the neighbors have a gas hot water tank.

HVACNUT

> @lost11 said:
>
> just trying to see what are the benefits of indirect, or why the original owner did indirect when most of the neighbors have a gas hot water tank.

It seems the original owner was concerned with everyday efficiency while the neighbors are concerned with "what if?"
Stay with an indirect.

JohnNY

You probably don't have enough gas for both the heating boiler and tankless water heater to run at the same time. You also probably can't vent the tankless heater in a compliant way.

I want to love tankless water heating technology but it's just impossible. What people believe these appliance are and can do is so far removed from the reality...

gennady

Even if you have enough gas, dealing with Con Edison becomes unbearable. Avoid gas work in NYC if you can.

wrooper

I like an indirect with a remote flat plate heat exchanger. You can use a big box store electric tank [not electrified] ,a bronze circulator and a 3x8 20 plate exchanger for perhaps 40% ? of the cost of a Super Stor. The real advantage is that if the heat exchanger fails/gets clogged it is easily replaced

JohnNY

wrooper said:

I like an indirect with a remote flat plate heat exchanger. You can use a big box store electric tank [not electrified] ,a bronze circulator and a 3x8 20 plate exchanger for perhaps 40% ? of the cost of a Super Stor. The real advantage is that if the heat exchanger fails/gets clogged it is easily replaced

Well, that's not really an indirect then. That's a storage tank and 3rd-party heat exchanger, which isn't insulated and suffers standby losses much greater than the tank-immersed heat exchanger built into an indirect water heater.