Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site ho95e.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!ho95e!wcs From: wcs@ho95e.UUCP (Bill.Stewart.4K435.x0705) Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Re: Heat pump/water heater energy conservation Message-ID: <378@ho95e.UUCP> Date: Fri, 3-Jan-86 15:30:25 EST Article-I.D.: ho95e.378 Posted: Fri Jan 3 15:30:25 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 4-Jan-86 05:26:40 EST References: <637@hlwpc.UUCP> <(Carl> <459@anasazi.UUCP> Reply-To: wcs@ho95e.UUCP (Bill Stewart 1-201-949-0705 ihnp4!ho95c!wcs HO 2G202) Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 32 In article <459@anasazi.UUCP> chad@anasazi.UUCP (Chad R. Larson) writes: >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). The January 1986 Consumer Reports rated tankless gas water heaters. > >My question is: Does anyone know where I can get one in the good old >U.S. of A.? My wife tells me they were very common in Brazil and >Honduras where she grew up, but the plumbing supply companies around >here look at you very strangely when you try to describe one. They >seem like a natural here in Phoenix to supplement my solar heater on >cloudy days. They come in different sizes; small ones for a single hot-water tap, medium for campers, etc., and large ones for houses. Consumer Reports rated only the large gas ones (they consider the electric ones too wimply for typical American usage.) They're expensive; they rated a $400 model which produced 2.8 gal/minute at 60 degrees temperature rise, and several $600-700 models which produced 3.1 gal/min. They come in natural-gas and LP-gas models. As a supplement to solar heat, you can probably get by with one of the smaller ones; a heater that's inadequate with 50-degree incoming water may do all you need with 90-degree water. You might check out stores that sell RVs and mobile homes. -- # Bill Stewart, AT&T Bell Labs 2G-202, Holmdel NJ 1-201-949-0705 ihnp4!ho95c!wcs