re: Is a tankless water heater worthwhile? Pros and cons if any?

Pros:
Save specs
Save energy
Never run out of hot water
Longer lifespan

Cons:
Hot water takes a few minutes to reach the furthest faucets
Higher up-front cost

quote:

---

If you need to save space in a utility room or get faster hot water somewhere then it makes sense.

---

Tankless water heaters take longer to run hot water than a traditional one.

Tankless waters never run out of hot water, they have a longer life span, can be installed outside and they're a major resell tool on your house.

I put one on about a year ago. From a practicality standpoint - it helps because no one ever takes a cold shower but it for sure takes about a minute for the opposite side of the house to get hot.


I made the change because we needed a new water heater. I think it's worth the additional cost in that regard but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy a new one if the old water heater was working.

Ok I’ve done a deep dive on this and will try to summarize. Electric tankless heaters make no sense. There are expensive to buy and operate. Gas tankless are great. Unlimited water and are super cheap to operate if you get a condensing model. Their total costs (buying and operating) are cheaper than an electric tank heater. I don’t recall timeframe but definitely within the lifespan of the heater. A efficiency model gas tank heater is less expensive to buy and operate than a gas tankless but you have a limit to water. The real savings on a gas tankless versus Gas tank is if you are building new and or can save or repurpose the floor space a tank takes up.
3’x3’ or 9 sqt has real value.