How much does it cost to install a tankless water heater?
Question:Thinking of changing our water heater from conventional one to a tankless unit. We are in California. What should we expect to pay for installation of a tankless water heater?
Answers:
If your system was piped for a regular water heater, just changing it out for a tankless will not work. A gas fired regular water heater uses about 35,000---40,000 BTU's, compared to about 450,000 BTU's for the tankless. With that in mind, you will need a larger gas supply. Also, the flue pipe has to be replaced with a triple wall stainless steel flue pipe, and that could easily cost more than the new unit. If the water lines are plastic, then you have to replace them with copper or steel, since it clearly states in the manufacturers specs, that no plastic pipe is allowed on a tankless system. Last, the size of your water pipes needs to be checked, as too large of an incoming supply, and the water will pass over the heat exchanger too quickly to get hot. The cost could be anywhere from $3000---$8000, so I would get a professional plumber that is knowledgeable in tankless heater installations, and let them evaluate your system. You could buy a new water heater every year for 10 years, and still it would be cheaper in the long run. Good luck!
Too much. Probably around $3K. Unless you have a big family and use lots of hot water, you're better off with a conventional heater.
I installed mine myself. I have had it for a little over a year and really like it. I bought it on Ebay for less that $100 and have a little bit of electrical and plumbing experience and put mine in in less than a day. I would get several estimates on installation before deciding!
Some states offer tax incentives or rebates for tankless heaters if installed by a licensed plumber or HVAC contractor.
Call a few plumbers and ask what they charge, and ask if there are any incentives.
A tankless heater will only heat water when you need hot water, you won't be heating a full tank all night and day for the 15 minutes you use the hot water. It will be a big up-front investment, but you will recover the money in energy savings over 5-7 years, depending on how much hot water you use. If you have natural gas or propane, go with that, the electrics use quite a bit of energy to heat the water.
I think I already answered your question, I do know this, no one gets a tank less hot water system for $100.00 no matter where they get it from.
The one I looked at, at Home Depot was in the neighbor hood of $1300.00 not installed, with the pipe work, the installation, probably about another $1500.00 to say the least, in the neighborhood of 35 to 4000.00 altogether.
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