Switched from a tank water heater to a tankless 2 years ago, here's what I wish I knew

I had a 50 gallon Rheem that rusted out last spring. Paid $1800 installed for a Rinnai tankless and my gas bill dropped about $30 a month. But the first time I had 3 people showering back to back, the water temp bounced all over the place. Took me 6 months to figure out you gotta run a recirculation pump or deal with cold water sandwich every time. Has anyone else had issues with tankless on routine with kids?

3 comments

3 Comments

river1901mo ago

WAIT hold on... you're telling me that cold water sandwich is only 30 seconds at your house? Cause at mine it's more like a solid 2 minutes of that weird lukewarm then freezing nonsense before it figures itself out... maybe your kids are just more patient than mine lol

lily3941mo ago

Respectfully, a recirc pump mostly just wastes gas heating pipes nobody's using. That cold water sandwich is just 30 seconds of lukewarm, not a big deal with kids in my house.

finleyk871mo ago

lily394 you make a fair point but I actually read somewhere that modern recirc pumps have a thermostat so they only kick on when the pipe water gets cold. That changes the whole gas waste thing. I remember a plumber friend telling me that with kids you end up running the shower waiting for hot water anyway, so that 30 seconds turns into a lot of water down the drain every day. Plus that cold sandwich is worse when you're trying to get little ones to stand under the shower, they hate that blast of lukewarm and start screaming. I'd rather let the pump do a little work than fight with a cold water sandwich three times a day.