I am considering putting in a tankless water heater, probably gas. Researching now the pros and cons of anyone who has one. How long to recoup the cost over a tank water heater?

Here is my story.....
Ok so we bought our house about 3 months ago we right away noticed dishes arn't getting as clean and the water tastes a little different and we figured we had bad water. One Saturday morning I woke up to a nice cold shower becaues the calcium build-up on the elements shorted them out. I drained the hot water heater replaced the elements and the sediment in the bottom of the hot water heater was terrible I cleaned it out the best I could. So I now I know I have really hard water as we had the sellers replace the hot water elements a week before we moved in and it only took 3 months.
To my questions.....
I have no experience or a clue on what grain system to buy. It is just 2 adults averaging no more than 3000 gallons per month or less. I would like to get a system to withstand 2 adults and 2 children at least so lets say 6000 - 7000 gallons per month. How do I gauge on what size system I need?
I'm am mechanically inclined and my father is a plumber so I am not worried about the installation part.
Is it safe to drink/cook from the softener if I pipe the entire house through the softener?
At this point with all the terrible build up in the hot water heater I plan on getting a new hot water heater at the same time as a softener and redu all the piping at once because my 50 gallon hot water heater is probably 40 gallons from the sediment build-up I'm sure.
They advertise that the water softener can save money because the water is not as "thick" and will not use as much energy to heat in the hot water heater is this true? Has anyone noticed a difference? If for some reason its not good or you are not suppose to drink water from the softener what if I drank the water directly from my fridge which also has a filter would this then be fine?

Sorry I am new to the water softener stuff. We are also thinking if we have to spring the money for a new hot water heater to go with a on-demand hot water heater or "tank-less" anyone see any real savings with tankless heaters?

Thank you for your time.

I was planing on adding a new entry door and also a new on-demand hot water heater to my home... Obama's bill introduces a 30% tax break for the next two years on insulation,doors,A/C units, Windows, roofs,hot water heaters Even if you dislike Obama or Democratic government, this is a very good way to help the economy as I will be hiring Electricians,Plumbers, and a carpenter this summer.

We have always had a storage water heater but it needs to be replaced and we have heard more about a tankless water heater? Does anyone have one and can comment or know the benefits of tankless vs storage?

The house is 6 bedroom and 5 bath two story house that was built a year ago. There is not enough hot water when all four of us want to take showers after the beach. The hot water takes a while to get to the kitchen and master bathroom, which is on the opposite side of the house from the 71 gallon water heater. How do I easily fix this problem? New tankless? Bigger water heater? Second water heater? Instant hot in the kitchen and master bath? Please help!!!

Building a new house in a year or so. I would like to make it as green as possible, but it has to look like a conventional house (no massive solar panels or windmills) and I won't spend a fortune on fringe technology that has no real-world returns. What's the best bang for the buck? Geo thermal HVAC? On demand hot water heaters? LED lighting? Any other ideas that are reasonably priced, and produce a real energy savings? (pay for themselves in five years or so...)

I hear these new tankless water heaters are much more efficient and affordable. But is there one large enough to supply hot water to 10 apartments? Which one?

I have 300 Lit electric water heater with 1" input cold water & 1" output hot water, i need for my villa 11/2", how i can make the connection without pressure drops?

I Live in Maine, am a new home owner, and need some tips. We have propane as our main source of heat/hot water. We have an on demand hot water heater. What can I do to prevent my pipes from freezing etc in the middle of winter if I lose power for a few days or longer?

I am planing on building a small wood burning stove-water heater unit for instant hot water. To fill a bath and heat the bathroom.
Any idea how much copper pipe I need to heat up to get a steady flow of very hot water.

The pilot light extinguishes after about an hour on heating, shorter if ignited soon after it's gone out. The pump continues to run if heating left on or hot water demanded after extinguishing. Pump stops after about 20 mins when heating turned off normally. Works fine for hot water if heating is left off. Changed thermocouple and thermostat, fault remains. Any help would be appreciated.

We have a 3-unit multifamily home with radiator heat (about 2400 finished square feet on 3 levels) in the DC area. I was shocked at my 0 heating bill for November, but was absolutely blown away at my 0 bill for December. Can I replace my boiler (it's at least 20 years old) with a tankless water heater to save money and energy?

I'm considering replacing my conventional electric water heater with a tankless on-demand model. I like the idea of having as much hot water as I need, and I like that I don't have to provide energy to heat water when it isn't being used.

How much can I expect to save, energy-wise, with a two-bathroom house with average hot water usage? We have three adults and two children in the house.

Also, do tankless water heaters qualify for a tax credit?

I recently moved into a home with a tankless water heater. When my husband or I take a shower, the water goes from boiling hot to freezing cold and back again several times without touching the tap handle. Does anyone know what the problem is or how to fix it? It is a relatively new system (3 years) and was recently inspected. The temp is set on 125 degrees F.

I have a Cape Cod style house with no basement. Just two floors with bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom. I had an A/C Unit installed 2 years ago and want to switch it to heat also. I currently have a summer/winter hookup that runs my hot water and heat and uses oil. I also want to switch over my hot water to an electric on demand hot water. Ultimately getting rid of oil totally.
Any suggestions, approximate prices, etc? Thanks
I had the central air unit installed 2 years ago just to clarify.

It is time to replace it; how difficult will it be to put the new water heater in the garage which is attached to the house; but on the other side from where the current water heater is. And, does anyone recommend waterless heaters that give instant hot water?

I have electric and not gas for my water heating. Can I have a tankless water heater installed so I can save on water and have hot water on demand? Approx. cost to have this installed? My house is 2600 sq ft (2 story).
Thanks
Since it takes approx 3-4min for the water to get hot, I would think it will save money on water too.

im in the market for a new heater. i have elctric now, but originally it was run by solar. now the solar ran out and it runs on electri(this is what my brother told me) so i need a new one. i can get permits to have gas put in( run a line to the house) but its a pain in the neck to go through all that. so what do you think of the tankless water heaters? do you save money?

A family is trying to determine what hot water heater to install in their house. They have narrowed it down to a tank style that holds 50 gallons of water constantly heated, and an instant hot water heater that heats water on demand. Which is more efficient and why?

I was looking into purchasing a tankless hot water heater, in your experience has it been worth the price of changing over?

do you know of any that do not need to be vented?
i did a stupid thing and bought a tub thats damn near the size of a pool, and my tank cant keep up i use at least two full tanks, ouch when the power bill comes in:( and this house is old and has enough holes in it. i would rather not add another by venting:)
thank you.

The hot water heater is going in the basement and since the kitchen sink is on an outside wall on the first floor I want to get the hot water supply as close to the demand as possible. Would it be ok to locate the hot water heater directly beneath the demand even if it is on an outside wall and near the basement door outside entrance? Or should I move the hot water heater as far away from any drafts and outside walls as I can get it which would take that much longer for heated water to reach its destination?

The washer is in the detached garage that is too far from the house to use the hot waterheater there.

For washing whites I would like to add a hot water heater, tankless makes the most sense since its only once a week. Not sure how much GPM a washing machine requires. Its a maytag neptune front loader with digital screen.

Hot water should be instant at every faucet and the shower will not lose it temperature/pressure when a kitchen faucet is turned on. I plan to use a TANKLESS water heater

I live in a 32 unit apartment building that has hot water heated by two tank-less hot water heaters. My apartment rarely gets hot water but none of the other tenants have the same issue. The hot water is paid by the owners. When I turn the hot water on all I get is lukewarm to cold water, very rarely does it come out hot. At night, during the a.m. hours, there is no hot water at all. There is a maintenance worker who lives on site and I am convinced that he, at the demand of his employer, does something to it somehow.

Currently our hot water heater is located in the crawl space beneath our house. We'd like to replace it with a tankless system but are not sure where to install the unit. It would be easiest as far as plumbing and electrical to put it where the traditional hot water heater is, but is it a real option? We live in central North Carolina where temperatures are rarely less than 30 degrees during the winter months.

that will turn on the electricity when the water starts flowing. Anybody know where I can get one?
OK thanks. I guess I didn't realize they would be that easy to find.

Can anyone point out a good tutorial please?

Thnaks

If I take a shower I have to run the bathroom sink faucet on its hottest setting in order to have a hot shower(the hot water will stay hot for as long as I want if I do this ) -if I dont do this the furnace will go hot for 3 minutes -cold for 3 minutes fluctuating temperatures -
the furnace works on demand for hot water and is great except for this little glitch
note when I say it is hot water on demand I mean there is no hot water tank -just pipes which run through a small 2 ft by 3 ft furnace