Some people mistakenly think that they will only be able to run one fixture at a time with a tankless heater. While this may be true of the "Home Center" models, this is far from accurate when speaking about the professional grade heaters from Noritz, Rinnai and Takagi. These models have the capacity to operate 3 showers or more at the same time!

Some will correctly claim that tankless water heaters limit the flow rate to make sure you get the set point temperature and say that this means you will not be able to do multiple things within the home using hot water. This is simply not true. Choosing the right unit is important and will be discussed a little later, but making this claim is like comparing all tank water heaters to the old 30-gallon tank heaters that would run out after every use. Today�s tankless water heaters provide more than enough capacity to meet any hot water need from a one-bathroom house to a hotel. You just need to choose the correct system for your application just like any other hot water system.

Here is something else to consider when choosing your tankless heater. Asking it to operate three showers, the kitchen sink, the washing machine, the dishwasher and a laundry sink at the same time is not only unrealistic....your water pipes can�t carry that much water! Most homes only have a �" hot water main and most are now in PEX or CPVC materials. These piping system can not carry more than about 8 - 10 GPM total, including cold water.

Also, many new homes typically see less than 2 GPM at a shower head due to pressure looses in the piping. In other words if you choose a tankless heater that can deliver between 6-8GPM in the warm months and 4+ GPM in the winter months you will be quite happy in a typical 3-1/2 bath or less home. You should avoid the tendency of some to oversize a tankless system based on unrealistic system demands. If in doubt, contact the manufacture for help or call us at toll free (800) 201-5541.

Gas Piping of Tankless Water Heaters:

Tankless water heaters save energy because they are always off and they modulate their firing rate to the demand. However just because they save energy does not mean your existing gas line is large enough. When these products have to go to high fire to meet a large demand you must be able to provide enough gas for the unit to function properly. Do not assume that if your existing gas line is the same size as the connection to your tankless heater that your pipe is large enough. In an existing home it probably is not!

Most homes with tank water heaters do not have a gas line sized properly for a tankless water heater, especially if other equipment is connected to the gas piping system. The best solution for this is to run a separate gas line to the tankless from the meter without re-running the entire gas main. There are many good flexible gas piping systems that can make this job simple and limit the number of joints and installation time of the new gas line.

Needless to say, gas piping is not something the average handyman should be attempting. The money saved on running a gas line yourself is not worth the risk of your home and family. Gas piping should always be checked or installed by a licensed and insured contractor trained for gas piping.

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