Talk to me about tankless water heaters for the shop....

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LnJsdad

LnJsdad

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I am helping a friend run some copper rough in for his shop being built and he wants to do a tankless water heater setup. If you have installed one in your garage, can you post some pics of final setup etc. I am waiting to hear back on what model he wants so I can get the rough in correct.

Do they typically take a specific size line coming in??? I am running everything half inch.

The gas line drop will mitigate where the WH will go so I am assuming close to his bathroom and sink setup.
 
Is the tankless water heater going to be used for showers? If not, only a small point of use tankless water heater is needed, and 1/2" would be fine. If the shop is going to supply hot water for an entire house, I would recommend 3/4" copper pipe.

If you want / need more information on some tankless water heater ideas, go to www.plumbingforums.com and you will see some good ideas, and my own write up.
 
I will check that out. It will be suppling a shower in the shop but that is about it. Not the home.
 
I got it online from bosch. it is a refurbished unit and I got a very good deal on it. so far it is working very well.

Picture006.jpg
 
mustanggarage said:
I got it online from bosch. it is a refurbished unit and I got a very good deal on it. so far it is working very well.
Click to expand...

That is a great point of use tankless you have there. Is it wired at 110v or 220v?
 
havasu said:
That is a great point of use tankless you have there. Is it wired at 110v or 220v?
Click to expand...

That is the beauty of them, I don't think it even needs power. Just a pilot light. At least for some of the units I have seen.
 
mine is an electric unit not gas. I chose electric because then there is no energy use at all when I am not using it. and I do not have propane run to the shop yet. hopefully before this winter I will have, because I want to put a hot dawg out in the main shop. but the heater is rated at 4 gpm so it will more than handle my sink and shower at the same time.
 
mustanggarage said:
mine is an electric unit not gas. I chose electric because then there is no energy use at all when I am not using it. and I do not have propane run to the shop yet. hopefully before this winter I will have, because I want to put a hot dawg out in the main shop. but the heater is rated at 4 gpm so it will more than handle my sink and shower at the same time.
Click to expand...


My bad, I looke quickly and thought I saw a gas line, not power.
 
So it sounds like we can get away with a 20A 110V service to a gas waterheater without alot of hassle. The unit we are looking at is very similar to the one posted about above but a gas unit. It needs 110V power for the igniter, that is is. Everything else is off of gas. No pilot light.

Anyone else have input on it????
 
Being a gas unit, proper venting is critical. Pay close attention to their requirements and perameters.
 
havasu said:
Being a gas unit, proper venting is critical. Pay close attention to their requirements and perameters.
Click to expand...


Yep. The space was already pre-vented for a standard water heater exhaust in the roof. Gonna tie into that.


Now I need to figure on if the electric or gas saves more money in the long run. Thoughts??????
 
The best choice would depend on the layout, energy costs in your area, and how close your utilities currently are for connection purposes. If the shower was not going to be used on a daily basis, I would stick to electricity. I'm certain you already have power going to the shop, but not necessarily gas. Gas has to be routed 18" to 24" underground, always a concern for leaks, etc. Also, gas venting is a big concern.

Lastly, if gas stops, nothing will get you hot water. If electricity fails, generators are cheap! As a matter of fact, I just ordered a 3000w generator with an electric remote start and battery, shipped to the house, for $400. Gotta love the sale prices at Costco.com!
 
It will also depend on how much you use the hot water. in general it will be cheaper to heat water with a gas heater. however the cost of the electrical units are significantly cheaper. I chose electric because i will not use it often and the added cost of running propane out to the garage would not be worth it to me. also although it is a somewhat silly reason my electric bill is an automatic payment each month, I don't even think about it, but my propane bill hits me for about 800 bucks 2 to 3 times a year. that one seems to hurt a lot more for some reason.:confused:
 
I should have stated before, he has full furnace setup in the garage and the natural gas line is already run 4 feet underground (below the frost line). So having a gas HW heater was just assumed on his end. The furnace is installed in the attic space so the gas line literally runs right above the wall for the HW heater. Fairly easy to tap into.

so it sounds like gas will be cheaper in the long run.
 
With your gas run being so close, you can't go wrong with it!
 
The only concern I would have for the Bosch TWH is the fact that it has a standing pilot flame. If the shop is going to have fumes (gas, diesel, flammable solvents, etc), I would rather select one that has an electronic igniter, just as a precaution.

You bet, they are a few dollars more, but it would be much safer in a workshop where fumes are present.
 
should be all good. Any water heater sold in the US has to have a sealed in pilot. I learned this while working for Home Depot. A family friend has one in his house and the pilot is completely sealed off from everything else. He even took a fan to the inside of the unit to see if the air effected the pilot and it didn't even flicker.
 
Now that is most definitely the direction we are gonna go. I just saw that this afternoon.
 
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