 Excellent product, great savings |
| Review Date: June 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Flood, |
| In general I agree with Peter Vaughn's review. The only thing that might not be accurate for everyone is the cost of installation. If he paid $1000 for installation he got ripped off. I had a very reputable HVAC tech install mine for $300. It took him less than half a day to route the plumbing and the Z vent. I have a family of 5 and we use huge amounts of hot water. Dishwasher and washing machine are used ever day. A minimum of 5 showers/bath's per day. Plus I have a jacuzzi that I fill at least once a week. I've been using this product just over a year and my calculations show I'm saving 50 percent for hot water usage. |
Really Cuts the Gas Bill
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| Review Date: February 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Willy, USA |
My gas bill dropped by about 60% after I installed this unit. It cost about $200 for pipe and fittings to install it myself, and that wasn't too difficult. I've had it almost one year.
In the beginning I had to make a few adjustments to the temperature and put better flowing shower heads in the house (it's triggered by the flow of water). No problems with it since getting it adjusted. We have plenty of hot water now. |
Some Getting Used To...
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| Review Date: May 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Peter J. Vaughan, Boston, MA |
I wanted to write an honest review of this product since I couldn't find much online about on-demand hot water heaters. Our tank broke, flooding the basement, and we wanted to look into alternative ways to heat our water efficiently. We're in Boston and the tap water here is about 45 degrees.
The way this works is that when you turn on the hot water in the house, the unit senses the water flow and begins to heat up a set of pipes inside. As the water passes through, it's heated to about 122 degrees.
The pros:
- It works normally, just like before. I turn on hot water, I get hot water.
- You don't experience any standby losses of having a tank - Gas is only used when you are actually using hot water saving both money and energy.
- The water is very hot in the shower. We can also use the dishwasher OR the washing machine with the shower. All three would probably not work well.
- There's no footprint. You put this on the wall, and it's vented outside.
- If something breaks, you replace a part rather than the entire tank, saving time and money.
- If it breaks, there's no flooding!
- We received rebates from both the gas company and from the federal government through a tax credit for the "green" purchase.
The cons:
- It costs more than a traditional tank to both purchase and install. We paid about $1000 for the unit itself, and an additional $1000 to have it installed. We had to have someone drill a new vent (both out and intake), put in stainless steel and PVC piping, and re-route the hot water in our basement.
- It takes a few seconds to up to a minute for the water to heat up.
- It's more difficult to make incremental changes to water temperature.
- You cannot get a "trickle" of hot water. The unit needs a certain flow to start in order not to damage pipes.
All in all, we're extremely happy with this unit since the cons were more a matter of up front cost (but we'll save down the road) and lifestyle changes. |
There can be a huge problem
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| Review Date: February 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Okie from the Sooner State, Oklahoma |
The way the heater works is pretty simple and self explanatory and I really enjoy having one, but there is one problem you will want to be aware of before you buy the unit.
If you have hard water (minerals) then these types of units can cause a significant problem. Evidently the units heat the water so fast that they cook the minerals out of the water and they stick to the pipes inside the heat exchanger. After it has built up inside the heat exchanger to a certain point, the sediment will break off the heat exchanger and flow through your pipes causing significant clogging in your faucets and shower heads. It is an annoying cycle of constantly building up and breaking off. You will not want to risk having this problem and should consider buying a filter to remove the minerals before they ever get to the unit. We started having a problem after about 5 months. Also, there is another company that sells these tankless water heaters that requires you purchase a filter or they will not warranty the product.
Bosch was not helpful to us at all and did not even recommend the filter. We got all the info we needed from a supplier who sells a unit from a different company. Bosch simply told my plumber he would need to descale the unit every 5 to 6 months. |
Some getting used to
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| Review Date: March 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mr. Radon, Seattle, WA |
My old hot water heater busted about 6 weeks ago. Having lived in Europe for a few years and tankless is all they have so I bought one. I was able to install it myself, however, I am a mechanical engineer and have to say this is NOT an easy install. I had to redo the NG gas pipes to the furnace room, install a new stainless steel vent for the unit, reroute my hot and cold water lines and add a new 120V AC electrical outlet.
My old system had the Watts hot water recirculation pump attached to the tank. I was used to instant hot water at my kitchen sink. You can not run this system with a recirculation pump. I added a small electric hot water heater under the kitchen sink which cost about as much as a large gas hot water heater.
My biggest issue with the unit is that any disruption in the hot water flow rate while taking a shower dramatically effects the output temperature for 15-20 seconds. And minor adjustments to temperature take 15 - 20 seconds to register. We have gotten used to leaving the settings on the shower faucet and just turn on the water. If you do not have this kind of faucet you may want to install one.
Waiting for HOT water to come out of any faucet around the house wastes water. I am in the process of installing another mini hot water tank under another distant guest bathroom sink.
All in all I wish I had just gotten a well insulated hot water tank. But after spending all the time and effort to put this system in and getting it to work, I can't see ripping it out and starting over.
I have noticed a drop in my NG usage, but water usage has gone up more. Net effect I'm loosing money. I don't see a payback on this system. |
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