The Low Down On Green Living
April 28th, 2008
The Low Down on Tankless Hot Water Heaters
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Tankless hot water heaters are becoming a must-have appliance in homes these days. They purport to offer many benefits 
- instant and endless hot water, less wasted space, and a smaller carbon footprint as well. They can even be used to power radiant underfloor heating that is a luxury found in many green homes.
But are they truly the best option? What can you expect from one, and what do you have to worry about with installation? Finally, are there other options available that offer the same benefits without some of the challenges? We’ll try to cover most of that in this piece.
First off, some basics about how tankless hot water heaters work. Standard non-electric storage hot water heaters typically are about 60% efficient, meaning that 60% of the energy in whatever fuel they burn is converted into heat for your water. The other 40% of energy is wasted, some due to inefficient burners and some due to the gradual cooling of water stored in the tank through time. Tankless or on-demand hot water heaters address both of these issues: they eliminate the storage-related losses, and they employ sophisticated burners and controls to improve on the combustion efficiency. Top-of-the-line models can be 80-85% efficient, which results in a 30+% savings on your hot water energy bills and your carbon footprint compared to your tank in the corner. (electric unit savings will be lower, since storage electric HW heaters already have efficient heating mechanisms).
There are some important caveats associated with tankless hot water heaters, though. If you’re considering one, make sure you take into account the following issues when you’re weighing the pros and cons:
- Instantaneous hot water means it will be hot at the outlet of the water heater right away, not necessarily at your tap. If you have a home where your shower or sink is far away from the hot water heater, replacing a storage with a tankless hot water heater might not solve your cold start problems. All of that water sitting in your hot water pipes will lose heat quickly, and you’ll have to clear it out when you turn on the shower before you get to hot. Many modern green homes employ new plumbing techniques where the hot water heater is located in the center of the house and each fixture is individually plumbed with smaller and less expensive plastic tubing to solve this problem and reduce hot water pipe losses.
- Tankless hot water heaters consume more fuel per unit of time than do standard hot water heaters, since they can’t rely on the stored hot water in the tank. This means that you might have to replace your gas line with a larger diameter one, all the way from the gas meter to your hot water heater. This can be expensive depending on your layout. Most tankless HW heaters need a 3/4″ line, while most older homes have 1/2″ lines by default.
- Proper sizing is critical. The required size of a tankless HW unit depends on two main factors: the temperature of the water coming in, and the maximum demand you expect at any one time. When people are disappointed by their new heater’s performance, it is often because they under-sized the unit, either because they under-estimated how frequently they need multiple hot water uses or they underestimated how cold their water is coming into their house. Most manufacturers provide charts, tables or calculators to help with proper sizing - make sure you are honest about your uses, and make sure you follow the manufacturer recommendations. And, be sure to plan based on your winter water temperature - it would be a real bummer to wake up on the coldest day of the winter to find out that your new water heater underperforms!
- You might have to improve your venting. Tankless HW heaters burn alot of fuel, so your existing venting might not be sufficient. You may have to install larger, straighter ducting, or perhaps install the unit outside. Both can add to the cost, so be prepared.
The tankless hot water heater segment is increasingly crowded. All major manufacturers make models that will suffice for an entire single family home and that meet the upcoming Energy Star standards for tankless hot water heaters. Top manufacturers such as GE, Bosch, Noritz, Rinnai, and Takagi all make models that comply with the performance characteristics of Energy Star, but we found it interesting that the warranties for current whole-house models from only three of the five companies met the 10 year heat exchanger / five year parts levels set by Energy Star: the new GE 9.4 GPM model (10/5), the Rinnai R75LSi (12/5) and Takagi Mobius T-M199 (10/5). The Noritz 0751 and the Bosch 2700ES met the performance characteristics, but the warranties fell short of what will be required for Energy Star labeling in the future. We suspect that all will soon upgrade their warranty programs to meet Energy Star standards.
What about other ways to get the same benefits? Today, you have many options.
- First off, solar hot water heaters are the most environmentally friendly units you can buy, and they’re much more affordable than a solar electric system. You still get attractive rebates and tax incentives in many areas to offset the cost. They’re still 2x as expensive as a tankless hot water heater, but if you’re really trying to cut your footprint this is the way to go.
- There are several new ultra-efficient storage hot water heaters that are even more efficient than the best tankess versions - up to 95% efficient! How do they do that? They employ specialized burners, heat exchangers and insulation to get the absolute most heat out of your fuel. AO Smith’s Vertex hot water heater is good example. You’ll probably pay about the same or perhaps a bit more as compared to a tankless version, and they are large, but they are even more efficient.
- Consider either a point-of-use tankless hot water system or a recirculating pump if you have a decent hot water
heater but are tired of waiting a minute or two for hot water each time you take a shower. These units fit right under your sink and will provide almost instant hot water. The point-of-use hot water heaters (such as the Bosch PowerStar) are just smaller, less complicated versions of electric tankless heaters, so they have the same benefits. A recirculating pump will redirect the cold water that has accumulated in your hot water pipe back to your heater, thereby saving water and some energy in the process. You can connect them to switches, timers or motion sensors so that there’s hot water waiting before you even get to the bathroom. These pumps can be HUGE wasters of energy, though, if they are used for a long time each day. If you are eco-minded, make sure you buy controls that only run the pump when you truly need hot water. Versions that allow this kind of customization include the RedyTemp and the Metlund D’MAND system.
If you are wondering how much these various options will save in your home, create a profile in Low Impact Living’s Environmental Impact Calculator and go to the Projects page. There you can review how much you can save by installing a tankless or high-efficiency storage (such as the Vertex above) hot water heater versus just insulating your current version.
Efficient hot water heating is a true green no-brainer. Not only are they light on the planet, but they will also increase the comfort of your home and the effectiveness of your appliances. Fortunately, you now have many great options to choose from!
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Comments
alan f
April 29th, 2008 at 9:37 am
This is a good article but how much do these tankless heaters cost?
kassy
April 29th, 2008 at 11:41 am
It also mentions that you might have to replace your existing gas line with a larger one because of venting issues. But what are the issues if you are switching from an electric storage tank to an electric tankless???
Jason Pelletier, Low Impact Living
April 29th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Alan:
I will soon add to this article with better pricing info, but until then the short answer to your question is that the tankless units I mention in the article (which are larger units) are in the $900 - $1,500 range, just for the unit itself and some needed parts. Depending on the complexity of your installation, that could run another $500 - $1,000 on top of that, so all told you could see a bill for $2,500+ at the higher end. The AO Smith Vertex should also be in this range.
Solar hot water systems will probably be somewhere in the $3,000 - $5,000 range.
The recirculating pumps and point-of-use HW heaters will set you back $250 - $400, and if you’re at all handy the installation can be a DIY project.
Of course far and away the cheapest option is to insulate your existing hot water heater and adjacent piping - no more than $50 + a little hard work!
Jason Pelletier, Low Impact Living
April 29th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Kassy:
I didn’t discuss electric hot water heating here that much because the savings aren’t as great and it’s difficult to even get electric tankless units big enough for many homes - my apologies!
With electric, you don’t need the additional gas line or venting, but you typically DO need to install a dedicated power supply, special outlet, and perhaps even upgrade your electric service. This all will require you to bring out not just a plumber but an electrician, so the bill could be every bit as high as that for installing a gas version.
Everett from Compare The Brands
April 29th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I don’t usually drop links on blogs, but I just came here from Stumbleupon and thought I’d let you know about a review I did a few weeks ago on some tankless hot water heater brands. You can see it at the link in my signature above.
Great article - Thumbed Up!
joan
April 29th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
whatever the case maybe ..tankless is awesome …..direct hot water from under the sink is very cool….unfortunately I don’t own so its not happening for me but I assure you that you won’t be dissappointed with any green additions to your home ..its’ like eating organic food….refreshing to the soul
Brian
April 30th, 2008 at 6:35 am
I’m more curious about if you’re switching from an electric tank to a gas tankless? Expensive, probably, but is it worth it carbon foot-print wise? If so, how much so? Is it worth it monthly expense wise? If so, how much so?
Donovan
April 30th, 2008 at 7:10 am
When my wife and I had our modular home installed, we decided to go with a tankless hot water unit. After a lot of research, we decided to get an electric model. An electric model does not require any ventilation because there is no danger of carbon monoxide buildup. Also, there is no risk of explosion and fire (which is how we lost our old house). And they are more energy efficient than the gas models.
The brand we chose was the American Tankless Model 280. American Tankless offers a 100% lifetime warranty on all parts, not just the heat exchanger. It is 100% made in the USA (if that is important to you). And the price includes the sub panel, breakers, and water hoses needed for installation. You will need a licensed plumber and an electrician to install the unit as a condition for the warranty. Our unit can handle our 2500 square foot home with 2 ½ baths.
Our unit cost $798.00 + $39.95 shipping, and the installation was another $500. We have only had our unit operating since November 2007, but so far we have had no problems with it. Like most green items, you will pay more upfront costs, but over the life of the product you will save money. I have been tracking our electric usage since the house was built. We average between 30 - 35 kWh of daily electric usage. Be warned, however, that if you like to take hot showers in excess of 30 minutes per day, your usage will go a lot higher. Our family of three average about 40 minutes per day total in the shower.
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Gary
June 30th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Install a Hot Water Lobster for only $179.95 instead of a tankless heater! With a tankless you still must wait for hot water to travel from the heater to your faucet or shower. The Hot Water Lobster gives you instant hot water to your tap! It works with your existing water heater. Time and water are no longer wasted as water runs down the drain while waiting for hot water.
The Hot Water Lobster uses no electricity and works off of your existing plumbing! It is also pump free, so it creates no noise. It’s made in the U.S.A., has a 10-year warranty, and can be easily installed in under 10 minutes!
Jason Pelletier, Low Impact Living
June 30th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
The Hot Water Lobster, if it works as promised, will probably deliver instant hot water and save water. If those are your priorities, it might work very well for you.
However, it will probably INCREASE your energy consumption (and global warming impact) since you will continually be circulating hot water through your copper pipes, which, even if insulated, are some of the best radiators around. These devices could work much like continual recirculating pumps, which are no longer permitted in certain circumstances (like in California’s base residential energy standards) due to the high energy use they cause.
If instant hot water is a must and tankless units are too expensive, we recommend recirculating pumps that can be triggered by motion sensors, remote controls, or switches - this way, hot water is circulating in your pumps only when you actually need it.
Russ Fish
July 4th, 2008 at 6:41 am
I had a SETS System model 280 installed on 1/21/08. Since then hot water has become my nightmare. The water temp would
fluctuate between 90 and 120+ degrees. After talking with SETS tech (David) and installing 2 more pieces of non-SETS
equipment at a cost of about $700.00 (pressure control valve and a water thermostat control valve) Things seem to be improving
then while showering the water went cold. Upon inspection, one of the circuit breakers had flipped off. When I
turned it back on, I got a flash of light, a loud popping sound and water started to spray everywhere. SETS said
they would send me their new updated version and I was without hot water for 6 days. Got the new unit installed
and in less than 30 days it developed a leak and quit producing hot water. On 6/26/08 SETS general manager told
me he would send me out a new unit by priority mail. It is now 7/4/08 and I have not received the unit yet. The
bigger shocker is when I called on 6/30/08 to see why I hadn’t received my new unit yet I was told SETS was no
longer in business and Hubbell Heaters, Inc. had brought the assets but not the liabilities. In other words the
lifetime warranty was gone and any support was at the option of Hubbell Heaters. I am now 9 days and counting
without hot water. My advise is to stay-a-way from anything with SETS or Hubbell on them if it is related to a
Tankless Hot Water Heater. Hubbell is using the same technology as SETS and you will get the same product with a
much lesser warranty plus costly service calls by your local electrician. I am retuning to a high efficiency tank
system after a $2000+ lesson in “BEING GREEN ISN’T EASY.”
Brian
August 25th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Just wanted to let everybody know about this SETS water heater. It is junk!!!!!!!! I paid $700 bucks for one about a year ago. I chose this brand because of its “lifetime warranty”. Well as soon as I moved into the new house I built we noticed fluctuations in the water temperature and I can’t even fill our whirlpool tub because the water heater shuts off if you open the faucet to more than a trickle. So I called the company to get it fixed since it has a “lifetime warranty” and I find out the place has sold out to another company (Hubbell) and the warranty is worthless. The guy tells me I have the old style flow switch on the heater and I can upgrade to the new style for another $415 and get a refurbished model or just buy a new one with a 15% discount. What a crock of $%^#%$#%$#!!!!!!!!!!! Don’t buy a water heater from this company. Hubbell, S.E.T.S. or anything they have to do with!!!!!!!!
chris haas
September 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am
I can relate my experience with 2 Bosch units that are bad,bad,bad. I bough the first one from Lowe’s and it was installed by a licensed plumber model 1600. It did not provide hot water in a steady way. It would go from blazing hot to cold in minutes. Also if in the kitchen you turn the volume down from full on to say 50% it again would lose the hot water. After complaining to Bosch they had their authorised dealer install model 2400. This week end I do not have any hot water AT ALL. The dealer tells me that it is probably the mother board and that they get this problem very frequently with Bosch units. So now I have to go all week end with no hot water (Bosch is only open Mon - Fri). This has cost me nearly $3,000 with units that “suck”. The customer service unit at Bosch gave me to understand that they get FREQUENT complaints about the quality of the tankless heaters. This is apparently why they did not kick and scream when I complained in the first place.
Liz
September 10th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
We had the same problems with SETS. Our water would be boiling hot and then cold. Whenever the system turned on all of our lights would flicker, which seemed really odd. After a few days the unit stopped working. We fought with them and they refused to refund our money. Fortunately we had paid with American Express and the credit card company refunded our money. Do not buy a SETS system. These guys are crooks!!! We now own a Noritz tankless system and it has worked perfectly for well over a year.
Carl
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Hi. Very good article and a fair amount of good info.
We just built a new home, and we decided that we should get a Tankless Heater. Our builder who we really do trust took it upon themselves to choose a whole house unit (not my first choice) and they installed a EeMax EX280T2T. We moved in on July 7 2008. My first shower was a cold one. Since then we have had the hot water repair people out once a month to repair the unit. Does anyone know of a unit that actually works? It seems I am seeing a lot of nightmares here.
Mike
October 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
If you are thinking about an electric tankless water heater to save money, better think again. I installed a Seisco tankless in my new home less than 4 years ago. It has already gone through 3 circuit boards, and dozens of heat sensors at $12 a pop. When it malfunctions it will double your electric bill before you know it. A tankless already costs nearly 3 times more than a conventional tank heater. Conclusion: In stead of saving money, in less than 4 years I have spent more than 6 times more money than if I had installed conventional unit. The next time it fails I will rip it out and install a conventional water heater. So, do not make the mistake I made. Trying to be frugal can be costly.
Mike S.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:07 am
I have looked into tankless heaters as well. The payback period is close to the expected life. And, for electric, you may need some major updating done if you live in an older home.
I found ways to cut my hot water bill nearly in half for less than $200. I have an oil hot water heater. Works great but is very inefficient. I reduced temps, insulated, had it serviced, and installed a temper tank with a heat recovery system to use the waste heat from my exhaust pipe. Not terribly complicated. Go to http://www.savehouseholdenergy.com/save-hot-water.html to see how I did it.
Genevieve Barbieri
November 29th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I have a tankless water heater Bosch 425HN. Haven’t had a comfortable shower in the cold weather since it was installed. Horrible. You go from hot to cold in seconds without warning. Tried numerous things to correct it, and nothing works. I hate this thing. When they are working it is the best, but they hardly ever work right. Bosch couldn’t care less……………………
Yamil
December 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am
I purchased a model 240 from the SETS company in 2005, and experienced the issues everyone has mentioned on this site. I found out about hubble, and called to see if there was a possible fix. After talking w/a friendly rep (Chirs), I decided to purchase the 240-3 (new version of my model), vs. refurbushing my old 240. I received a discount, and will ship back the old model.
The installation was finished last night, and all I can say is FINALLY this heater works. And it works great. I posted some pictures on picasa if anyone wants to see the before & after.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yamil.hernandez/WaterHeater#
So far I have taken 4 showers, and no more fluctuation issues. It was like night/day from the old heater. I will post back in a month or so, to see if the trend holds. but for now, I would recommend that you either refurbish or replace your old unit ASAP. The dimensions are the same, so for me it was easy to do. Good luck to all.
Yamil
Jeremy
February 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I was an early adopter of tankless water heaters - I first purchased a SETS tankless model 220 around 2000. It worked fine for many years, although I had the same annoyance with the temperature fluctuation that others have reported. The early SETS design used a simple on-off switch and had no idea how much water was flowing through the system, so the power applied to the heating elements was basically a shot in the dark (sometimes too little, sometimes WAY too much). The worst part was the scalding temperatures that would come out of low-flow faucets. Also, the system wasn’t able to accomodate sudden increases in water flow very easily, so it wasn’t really possible to take a shower when the dishwasher was running. Unlike many, my experience with SETS customer service were positive - they sent out parts when they said they were going to, and so forth (I hadn’t spoken to them in about five years, though, so it’s entirely possible things went downhill). The unit itself never had any problems - no leaks, no issues at all. Aside from the quirky behavior, which I got used to, I didn’t really think about it. I had no idea that so many people were having such bad experiences.
About a week ago, the control board on the SETS gave out. I assumed based on my prior experience that it would be a simple matter to get a replacement. I was shocked to discover that SETS was no more, and that their assets had been purchased by Hubbell. I was given the choice by Hubbell to replace the old control board for $99, or to get a refurbished unit for about $400. Obviously, I was upset because I had previously thought I had a lifetime warranty! The refurbished unit, according to Hubbell’s rep, incorporated design changes that made the unit work better. Given that I was now entirely without a warranty, and I was hoping that the kinks had been worked out of these devices, I decided to take the plunge and go for the refurb unit.
I’m happy to report that this was a GREAT decision. While the Hubbell units look like the SETS unit from the outside (same case), they work MUCH, MUCH better. The Hubbell units have a flow meter that allows the unit to make intelligent decisions about how much power to use to heat the water. Instead of the annoyingly vague control system on the SETS, the Hubbell uses the simple method of setting the desired temperature. That’s it. And no more scalding! The temperature in showers is MUCH more consistent and the light flickering is down to a completely negligible amount. Also, if the dishwasher, washing machine, or another faucet turns on while I’m in the shower, the temperature drops only slightly - it’s never uncomfortably cold as it was with the SETS unit.
Hubbell’s rep was also extremely helpful and they were able to ship me a new unit the very next day. I would recommend that anyone using a SETS heater and having problems immediately get a refurbished unit from Hubbell. The replacement was VERY easy given the identical form factor and very similar connections. In fact, based on my experience thus far, I can now recommend the Hubbell units whole-heartedly to anyone shopping for a tankless, and that’s something I didn’t ever do with the SETS. Even though I was used to it, I knew that other people wouldn’t really like it, so I never told anyone they should get one.
To be honest, there’s nothing you can do about the loss of the lifetime warranty - cut your losses and decide what you’re going to do going forward. It’s not Hubbell’s fault that SETS went out of business. It’s also not surprising, to be honest, given the way SETS just mailed out parts whenever anyone called, and the strange behavior of their heaters.
For those considering taking the plunge to tankless, think carefully before you do so - you will have to adjust to a new way of thinking about hot water. I for one love it, because I can’t stand running out of hot water, and an endless supply is what tankless models are all about.
Elsa LaBaw
February 18th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I purchased a SETS Model 240 for new construction in 2006. It sort of “blew up” when there was not enough water pressure to keep the water flowing. We installed a pressure pump (as three are no pumps in the city system and my house is on a hill where there is little water pressure) and replaced all of the heating elements, thermostats,etc. after dealing with customer service at SETS for three months (during which time I had no hot water). After about a year and a half, the flex pipe burst and flooded my bedroom, where the unit is located (in the closet). We replaced the flex and about two more months passed and the pipe burst again and flooded the bedroom again. The flex people said that the heater got too hot and suspected that the flow valve had malfunctioned, causing the temperature to be too high. So, I got in touch with SETS again and discovered that SETS had been bought out by HUBBELL. Because my home was not plumbed for a standard water heater, and I was assured by Chris Z. at HUBBELL that the SETS units had been completely rebuilt and improved, I decided to purchase a new unit rather than put “new wine into old skins”. The new unit arrived one week later and my builder installed it. Upon examination of the two units, it was obvious that the new units had been improved. The old SETS unit looked like it had been built out of Star Wars space junk. The new one was very professionally constructed. It has a digital temperature readout and a visible blinking light which stops blinking to indicate when the unit has turned off. We also installed a pressure relief valve for added safety. Now I feel comfortable leaving home without turning off the main water valve and the electricity to the unit. I have waited three months to write these comments, just to be sure the new unit is performing well as Chris at HUBBELL said it would. I am very satisfied with the new unit and with the customer service at HUBBELL. As someone wrote in another blog, “It is hard to go green.” New technology is difficult to embrace, and plumbers are sometimes resistant to learning new technology when it worked the old way, why change it? I am a happy “green” person,now, but it wasn’t an easy road.
Mike
February 20th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Hello,
We just got a tankless installed. I can say really short it is the greatest thing I have ever had. With old one we were only were able to take one 5-8min shower, forget about filing the tub with hot water. We got Noritz 751 series. This thing is incredible, it has a remote control so that you can change the temperature and our installer explained to us if there is going to be any problems it will give us an error code. We did lot of research with which brand to go and we find out that Noritz was the best. Also when the installer came he reinsured us with the that info. The installer was good too, he was certified and had really good point about not installing recirculation pump we wanted. Also we moved the heater outside on the wall so it doesn’t use any space at all. If you need a good installer around the Los Angeles area you can try http://www.noritzheaters.com they are really good. And once again I recommend Noritz if you thinking tankless.
Hope it helps. Be well
Jay Benze
February 28th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I replaced my Set 22kW tankless water heater with a Hubbel 21kW. I had my SETS unit for 5 years and experienced similar problems that others reported about the SETS product. I’ve had my Hubble Tankless Water Heater for approximately 1 month and I have been delighted with the performance and the quality of the product.
The customer representative I contacted was very knowledgeable and very open in his comments about the SETS problems of the past. I would recommend anyone who has any questions to contact Hubbel and ask for Christopher Zaveruha, see his contact information below:
Hubbell- The Electric Heater Company
(203) 378-2659 Ext 134
chrisz@hubbellheaters.com
Here are my comments:
1. There is no comparison between the SETS and Hubbel Tankless Water Heater. The Hubbel unit has been completely reengineered to meet the highest industry standards.
2. So far we have not experienced any temperature fluctuations during showers, even when other hot water appliances are in use.
3. The new temperature display and adjustment is easy to adjust and the temperature is accurately displayed.
4. I also received a 15% discount for my old SETS unit, which I was returned back to the factory free of charge.
5. The new Hubble unit is completely silent. Conversely, not so with SETS, the sound generated during operation was quite an annoyance.
Satisfied Customer
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Anthony Airhart
March 20th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I bought an Adtec Tankless One unit from American Tankless. The first unit was faulty and they had to do some repairs to the replacement unit. Still didn’t work right so I returned it. I have been trying to get my refund for MONTHS!!! This outfit has repeatedly lied to me and has never paid me a dime. Stay as far away from them as you can!
Dominic
May 11th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
(The below post I have placed on other blogs, but I still stand by the content).
Had a S.E.T.S. and had an absolutly wonderful time taking showers that went from ice cold to so hot I was left wondering how much the medical bills would be, let alone the electricity.
To quote another posting, in part:
1. There is no comparison between the S.E.T.S. and Hubbell Tankless Water Heater. The Hubbell unit has been completely reengineered. It even uses the new Sharkbite adapters for easy installation.
2. No temperature fluctuations during showers, even when other hot water appliances are in use (2 showers, dish washer and washing machine).
3. The new temperature display and adjustment is easy to adjust and the temperature is accurately displayed (to the degree).
4. I also received a discount (over a hundred dollars) for my old broken and useless S.E.T.S. unit, which I returned to Hubbell free of charge (from the Caribbean!!).
5. The new Hubble unit is also completely silent.
In short, S.E.T.S. was trash (both in product and service) - Hubbell took what they needed from the company and made it work - REALLY work - and I have a very content wife to show for it. All said, it was a total of about 3 days (ordering, shipping and installation included) between my wife screaming madly at the shower head (and me as it was my idea to go with S.E.T.S.) and then laughing at it when the Hubbell worked PERFECTLY.
Just call Christopher Zaveruha at Hubbell (see his contact information below) I am certain he will be as happy to hear your S.E.T.S. story (or whatever other company you bought from) as he was to hear mine:
(203) 378-2659 Ext 134
chrisz@hubbellheaters.com
P.S. That S.E.T.S. lifetime warranty - it never existed.
Kent on Hilton Head Island
July 30th, 2009 at 6:23 am
In 2004 when my wife and I redid this tiny efficiency condo at the beach we decided to use the space designed for a massive tanked electric hot water heater as the space for a stacked washer/dryer combo. This meant going with a tankless hot water heater.
Our contractor selected SETS. We lived through the same problems as described in detail above.
After reading postings about Hubbell, I decided to try contacting Chris Zaveruha.
WOW! What a great response! An immediate email dialogue with Chris lead to a purchase of a replacement Hubbell unit (at a very good price). It arrived in three days. It fit exactly where the comparable model SETS unit was originally installed. All wiring and connections were the same except for the new-style pipe connectors which my plumber said were much better and easier.
It has been three weeks. We set the new Hubbell unit to 43C and totally forgot it.
It is INVISIBLE AND TOTALLY TRANSPARENT. It works perfectly, silently, and I don’t give it a thought.
Our space is so small we could not have a washer/dryer and a tanked hot water heater. With the Hubbell we have our washer/dryer and plenty of hot water.
My wife just said, “Be sure and tell them that the water is always the same temperature.”
matt
August 21st, 2009 at 6:03 pm
The vertex 100 is a great unit. the smaller unit is good as well but I would pay the few extra bucks for the Vertex 100 100,000btu unit. I amd using 38 right now to replace 100 40 gallon units in apartments we will save a ton on gas and the tenants will have more hot water than before. I have used tankless in my own home. when this one goes out It will be a vertex. Ao Smith makes the best water heaters you can buy. The vertex designed with the DOE is the best they have ever built
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