Space Savings and Increased Effeciency With a Tankless Hot Water Heater

Clip Summary

Robert Kirkpatrick from Rinnai joins Bob to explain the tankless hot-water system being installed in the Manhattan Brownstone. Kirkpatrick explains that there are three key advantages to the tankless system. There's a huge space savings since the unit mounts on a wall, sparing the 12 to 16 square feet of floor space typically dedicated to the water tank. These tankless systems are also 70 percent more efficient than electric hot-water tanks. Most impressive of all, they provide an endless supply of hot water since the water is heated on demand rather than kept in storage. Kirkpatrick shows Bob the flow sensors that receive the water, generate the demand for heat, and gauge the amount of energy necessary to heat it to the desired temperature. The water is heated as it passes through the copper heat exchanger at the top of the unit. A double-wall pipe serves as the combustion air intake and the exhaust for the system, with a vent chamber up the middle surrounded by air intake along the perimeter of the pipe. This system is cost efficient as well, with payback of the initial investment in two to four years.