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From: cb@hlwpc.UUCP (Carl Blesch)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Heat pump/water heater energy conservation
Message-ID: <643@hlwpc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 3-Jan-86 14:10:04 EST
Article-I.D.: hlwpc.643
Posted: Fri Jan  3 14:10:04 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 4-Jan-86 05:24:51 EST
References: <637@hlwpc.UUCP>, cb@hlwpc.UUCP (Carl Blesch) <459@anasazi.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Short Hills, NJ
Lines: 26

> In article <637@hlwpc.UUCP>, cb@hlwpc.UUCP (Carl Blesch) writes:
> > Along these lines, the PBS television show "This Old House" recently
> > demonstrated a tankless gas water heater.  Water is heated only as used
> > by this gizmo -- apparently the incoming water goes thru enough length
> > of coiled tubing to pick up all the kilocalories it needs to become hot.
> > On the show, the heater kicked in as soon as the homeowner turned on
> > the hot water faucet, and shut off as soon as he shut it off.
> 
> I have also seen these described (I think in Consumer Reports).

Yes, I just got my Consumer Reports, and there was a review of these
devices.  All were gas-fired (some could be used with LP gas -- either
a slightly different model or a conversion kit).

Consumer Reports wasn't too high on them . . . said that loss from the
tank of a regular water heater wasn't all that great, and that the
temperature rise from the tankless units might not get cold winter
water hot enough.  They all delivered a sixty degree F rise, but if
water coming from your well or underground supply system is 45 degrees F
in wintertime, your hot water would be only 105 F -- far too low for
some uses, like dishwashing.  Tank heaters, however, always deliver
water at the temperature you set them for.  Also, the tankless ones
couldn't keep up with multiple demands -- a shower and a washing machine
drawing water simultaneously, for example.

Carl Blesch