Unlimited hot water???

mp1969

We have a customer who would like the ability to have unlimited hot water,we are debating at our shop what the best way is to go about this is from efficiencies, space restraints etc. There is natural gas but limited space
I am leaning toward a low mass boiler with one or more indirecct hot water storage tanks.We could step down temperatures with TCV's if this would help with the volume.
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Rich K.

bill_46

Just how much

How much hot water. A one br.apt. House with with many people. Or larger.

DaveGateway

You posted this question yesterday

We need more info. How many GPH? There are big commercial HW makers. HTP has the VWH commercial Munchkin with a bronze pump. This would allow a high water temp as water was cycled through a storage tank.

Mike M._2

unlimited hot water.

I am researching the same thing for my own house. I'm leaning toward a gas tankless water heater by Takagi or Bosch. The smaller units seem fine for a normal household, but there are larger units for those who want to run several fixtures at once. They are wall mounted and small, the Bosch 250SX is only about 24"x16"x9". They can be vented through a chimney or horizontally through a wall with a power vent option. There is even a model that requires no electricity or standing pilot - the burner is ignited by a micro-turbine that turns on whenever a hot water faucet is opened. They seem a lot more efficient than regular water tank systems and their life expectancy is 20 - 30 years. For more info, check out http://www.controlledenergy.com/ or http://www.takagi.com/index.asp

Brian (Tankless)

How about two

of these.

As few as two, and as many as twenty of these Takagi T-M1's can be hung on a wall and seamlessly controlled, giving as little as 0.75 gpm & up to 198 gpm.

I just installed their little brother (T-KJr) the other day. 140,000 btu's, & up to 5.6 gpm. 20" x 14" x 6", tiny Eh? Extremely quiet too.

Check them out, I've been selling/installing them for over five years now, Zero callbacks except to order more.

Brian, Tankless in Swampland.

mp1969

More Info

Twice now we have ran into very high end customers who want the very best system available to heat domestic hot water. The first wealthy customer was an older gentleman who fell asleep in his shower stall and woke up under cool water,he wanted that to never happen again. A timer with a blow horn would have been the answer but that is not what he wanted to hear. This install was about 8 years ago and our firm (I was not imvolved) installed a conventional gas fired heater with a side by 100 gallon storage tank.
As Dan says "there are better ways to do things today" (not verbatim)so I have come to the best minds in the business!!!!
I will bring more gpm and related info tonite as I will be making a field visit today. We are still a little reluctant to use tankless technology as the homeowners are very fussy about things like steam rising outside by windows etc.
I was busy this weekend and didn't know if the first post ever made it to the wall. I am a novice at computer use but willing to learn.

Thanks for the replies!

MP1969

Joe Brix

Also good to know

water service size and how much floor space do you have for equipment. I would recommend you look at expert manufacturers in the pool heating arena such as Laars. They still offer natural draft units that can be chimney vented if needed. Your solution will more then likely still be a gas fired heater (probably 200K min BTU) with a storge tank. This will give you an engine that can heat water as fast as it's pulled out of the tank. Some might suggest several tankless units piped in series.

Paul Pollets

I'd be using...

Viessmann VitoCell 300 stainless tanks. Sized accordingly, of course. While the 120g tank will give maximum output, space may be an issue...sometimes I'll twin 2- 80g tanks. Also, the tanks can be stacked 3 high if the horizontal tanks are used. These tanks have the highest recovery and flow rates. Proper design and installation is essential.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Kal Row

if the street water is 40f in the winter (usa northeaset)...

you might need two in series

Mark_44

legionaire's disease

I was told by a plumber that the tankless hotwater heaters have a higher risk of contracting legionaries disease. Is this so. From what i gather on the web it usually comes about from water in the tank that is not properly heated about 160 degrees. I would like to know if any professionals and give me a straight and honest answer. I personally think the plumber was using this as an excuse not to install a hotwater tank

jerry scharf_2

solve the problem, not the heat source

I'm a bit of a heritic on this, but I think the solution to the problem lies beyond the heat source and tank. Check out a gfxtechnology waste water heat recovery unit. It would plumb into the drain line of the shower and into the fresh water to the water heater and shower. Depending on the unit, they claim about 2/3rd of the btus in the drain water is recovered (substantiated by external research.) The unit has no moving parts and costs on the order of $400. That's a whole lot cheaper than a new tank and/or heat source, and it actually saves him money.

jerry

Jason_14

Nobody mentioned Rinnai. Basically the same as the others mentioned although parts and reps are very available here in Massachusetts. We have installed many so far and have not had any complaints. Check out the web site for info.www.rinnaius.com

MT

go to www.sets-tankless.com guarnteed for life electric tankless water heater that heats instantly and never runs out of hot water. only heats up when you open tap.

Jack_21

Thanks Jason...and...

They are direct vent so no comb air issues. If I know how much hot water is needed, incoming water temp, and desired output temp, I can tell you precisely what you need both in on demand only or with storage. If you are in New England I'll go look at the job with you.