We are trying to pick a water heater to replace our old one. Our hot water currently smells/tastes metallic, the heater we have is 12 yrs old, & the problem has been going on for almost a yr, so I'm thinking the prob. is more than just the anode rod at this point. Any thoughts on the contrary?

Our cold water also sometimes smells metallic. Most of the time it's just when the hot water's "warming up" & coming out cold at 1st, but I'm worried there may be rust or metal buildup in our pipes now. What to do? How to tell? We tested our h2o, it came back ok - maybe test was bad?

If we do need to replace it, got any input on tankless vs. regular electric? We have no access to gas. Have heard tankless can get buildup faster. I know w/tankless, w/out electricity we'd have no hot water, but that is ok. We like the space & electric conservation. I've been researching & think we could afford one, prices have dropped.

What brands - tankless or regular - would you recommend?

Thanks!
We'd also be taking out the old one and installing the new one ourselves, so any advice on that would also be appreciated!
We do have enough amps, that I do know. I think it's 200, but whatever the case it is something my husband checked before we started shopping for one, in case we needed to rule the tankless out.
Luc, thank you so much, that is very sweet, and I may be emailing u!
As far as how it tastes ... I should clarify - we aren't drinking the hot water from the tap, but you can sort of 'taste' it in the steam from the shower, and, our dishes out of the dishwasher have a metallic taste to them, because of the residue or something I'm guessing. Also, our cold water also has a weird flavor. Like I said, we tested it, but got normal results. So that's even more confusing.

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.

I have a fifth wheel camper with 30amp service. Unfortunately last fall I wasn't able to winterize my camper in time for a hard freeze and froze and broke the water heater holding tank. Since I have the water heater out now I was thinking it may be time to switch to a tankless rather then replacing the old unit it. Is there a unit that anyone could recommend? Basically all I'm looking for is a hot shower that lasts for a lot longer then the 6 gal heater that was originally in the camper. Any help would be great, thanks.

I am specifically interested in the SETS and American Home brands and would like to know if anyone has them and how they do or do not like them. Also, I am interested in information on other brands if you have them. Thanks. I NEED THIS INFO ASAP AS OUR WATER HEATER BROKE THIS WEEKEND AND NEEDS IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT.

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?

The gas tankless unit only heats water when used. High installation cost but big tax credits and rebates. Hybrid electric is easy to install and has some tax incentives of its own. Nice benefit of the hybrid electric is that it cools and dehumidifies the air in the spring and summer (not such a good thing for the winter months). I have soft water. My water heater will be in the basement. The ground water temps are fairly cold in the winter months.

I have a new trailer stationed out in the woods at a campground and am unsure how the water heater works. The water is hooked up and turned on via a handle outside the trailer. Then the water heater is then turned on via the circuit breaker in the trailer. So far I'm only getting cold water. I also have a propane tank outside - is this necessary to have turned on in order to heat the water? No clue...any ideas?

I need to replace my water heater and am considering a tankless model. My greatest concern is that they all require special all-stainless steel exhaust ventilation. Not only is this impractical for my installation environment, but it suggests that the appliance generates so much waste heat that it's not so energy efficient after all. Are there any natural gas tankless water heaters that can use an existing galvanized steel exhaust vent?

Our electric company has a program in which they install a device on the water heater that lets them shut it off for 6 hours at a time, if necessary, during peak demand times. In exchange, they give a 2% discount on the total electric bill.

We're trying to decide if this is a wise decision, or if we'll find ourselves without hot water when we need/want it. If we agree to it, it's a minimum 1-year commitment, so we want to be pretty sure about it.

Thanks for any information!

My propane tanks are full. The stove, oven and heater all work. When I try and light the water heater, the igniter does spark, there is flamage. but this last only about 2 to 3 seconds ( the igniter is sparking this entire time) then it shuts off. It will cycle like this for 3 times. Any ideas??

Where can a turn on my water heater for a 1997 winnebago motor home model ithasca?

. So that it gets off automatically after 10 minutes ... Please suggest .
I am located in india
I forget to turnoff power . There is no feature of getting it powerd off when tap is closed.
OR you may assume it as a water heater with tank.

So they now make those instant hot water heaters, that are just the little box that only heats water when it is needed and I'm not sure how else to explain them. They are just those little boxes that you have instead of a huge water heater and they are supposed to be very energy efficient. So my question is does your home have to be natural gas or propane to have one installed or can you have a 100% electricity house to have one installed? Also, are they that huge of an energy saver and are they pretty good or have they had many problems? If my question is confusing I am so sorry. My husband says to get one we would have to have natural gas or propane ran to the house and I want to know if that is true. Thanks for any and all help.

my husband and i are shopping around for a new water heater. many people say the tankless is the way to go, but the dude at lowe's said that it wouldn't work as well because of ground water temperature. is there anyone in this area that has one? and is water temperature a really big issue?

I need to find ways to reduce my extremely high electric bill. I'm considering installing a timer on our water heater or installing one of those "Hot Water on demand" systems. But do either of these devices really save any bucks?

i have 3/4 inch piping about 40 feet from meter. also on gas are furnace and dryer. neither of which are used that often. Currently i have a 50 gallon tank water heater but want to go to tankless because it does not give me enough hot water for my japanese soaking tub.

looking to purchase new water heater pros and cons on tankless and what is the best one? what is the best tank heater. Natural Gas.

I was thinking of replacing my regular tank water heater (electric) with a tankless on demand model (propane). I thought it would save money on my electric bill but on my electic company's home analyzer calculator, it states that if I replace it with another electric model (newer as our tank is really old) I will save -110 a year but if we replace it with a propane tankless model we would only save -4 a year. How can a propane tankless heater use more electric than an electric tank water heater? Anyone have any experience or knowledge of these water heaters?
Not sure how to figure out how much electric is because I am billed different amounts for different times of day or something. I have copied and pasted my bill below. Propane is .65 a gallon. My neighbor installs propane and was the one who is trying to talk us into it. Said he would do it for free. We just needed to pay for unit. He has one but his house is new and we have old well pump and hard water. We have a water softner but our water pressure isn't the best.
200 KWH at 2.85800000¢ per KWH 5.72
600 KWH at 2.59800000¢ per KWH 15.59
980 KWH at 2.44900000¢ per KWH 24.00
Transmission Charge:
1,780 KWH at 0.73000000¢ per KWH 12.99
Transition Charge:
200 KWH at 1.21300000¢ per KWH 2.43
600 KWH at 1.07500000¢ per KWH 6.45
980 KWH at 0.99300000¢ per KWH 9.73
Generation Charge:
Capacity and Energy
200 KWH at 5.81900000¢ per KWH 11.64
600 KWH at 5.11400000¢ per KWH 30.68
980 KWH at 4.69200000¢ per KWH 45.98

I built a new house 3 years ago. It has (2) 50 gallon (propane) water heaters. The propane bills were 0 a month for hot water only! No other uses of propane. I took one water heater off line, and lowered the water temperature coming from the water heater, the bills are still 0-0 a month...JUST FOR HOT WATER!!!!

I am considering converting over to the hot water on demand system. How can I compare the costs of the two systems. I know how many gallons of propane I use monthly, how many watts would that be?

we are looking at converting our water heater. we were told we need to get a new water heater to go from propane to natural gas. is that true? someone else said we could just change some valves or something. anyone know

I want to replace our existing water heater with Excel vent free gas tank less water heater.
please visit link: http://www.amazon.com/Excel-Ventfree-tankless-heater-10001P1/dp/B002ATWR8W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263750806&sr=8-2

anyone know approximately how much the installation cost and if vent less is a good option to go with? Thank you

I have a large family 4 of us there full time and 2 stepkids w/ friends over every weekend and I have read that the more people you have in your home the less one of these tankless water heaters will work for you. Is there a special size I should look into getting or stay with a standard tank water heater? Also does anyone know how much money it will save me our house is 100% electric.

We need a new water heater and are very torn between a tank, a tankless gas, and a tankless electric. We're leaning towards the electric. Any advice?

I would like to know the best places to look for a tank less water heater that uses liquid propane gas.

Our 17 year old water heater broke. We really want to get a tankless now to replace it. We can't easily run power out to where our water heater is now so we need a new one that does not need power. The Tankless needs to run on propane and be able to be outside in a small shed on the back of our house. We only need one to run 1 shower at a time since we are a small family. Any suggestions? Do you use one and are they are they worth the money?

The small, on-demand gas water heaters are great for saving on energy if you don't need lots of hot water, and the Europeans have been using them at least since the 1960's. They haven't really caught on here, and some plumbers I've talked with don't have a lot of experience with them.
I you have such a water heater, is it reliable? If something goes wrong how difficult is it to find someone to fix it? And are you saving a lot of energy?

I have heard that tankless water heaters are more effecient, therefore cheaper on utility costs. How much would I save in a year on my gas bill? 50%? 30% 75%? Would it be worth switching? My water heater is only about two years old.

which tankless water heater is the best?
Any comments/suggestion about following brands? I am planning to buy one of them.
Also, Out door or indoor is better? I live in AL.
Rheem: RTG-74DVN
Noritz : N-0751M-DVC
Noritz: N-0751M-DV
Rinnai: R75LSiN
Paloma: PH-28R DVSN
I have a AquaStar 125, it keeps break down and I am tired of it. So I will switch to a none Bosch one.

Our old water heater is about to go out and I've heard that tankless water heaters can save me money. Are there any other reasons I should make the switch?

Thanks!

My water heater is getting to the age where I expect it to need replacement soon & wondered if it'd be worth it to replace with the on-demand type.

I only use my water heater for showers..is it more efficient to turn it on prior to use and then tur it off or does it use the same amount of gas if left on? Does it use alot of propane just ot have the pilot on?

I'm considering replacing my aged conventional water heater with one of these. I live in a 3 bathroom home but I live alone now and don't use nearly as much water as I'm presently heating. But I want a heater that will take care of the whole house, should I sell it. I'd appreciate any experienced input!
Thanks.

It is an A.O.Smith. Power House, Power Shot, Power Vent Water Heater. 80 gals. Not even used for one year.

i'm in SoCal and need to replace my water heater. going with gas but which one?