Well my eleven year old heater, with a ten yr warranty took a 
on me. So now I have some questions.
Is a heater with a longer warranty built any better than one with a shorter one? Or is the extra price for the warranty?
Does anybody have an opinion on tankless units (on demand units)
I need a natural gas model with power venting.
I have a tankless one of the best investments I have ever made, not all are equell, I bought the Noritz do a google search
Go with the Tankless. I put one in when I built my house 10 years ago,Have not had to touch it since.. 
Cost more to start with but pays for itself in the long run.
Look at ALL the costs to install a tankless water heater, including maintenance I think you may find unless you can do it your self, costs are going to make it hard justify.
Al
As a High-end home builder, I have looked at so many different options. If you go with a tank, Don’t waste your time on a 40 gallon water. 50 gal min. Operating costs per gallon is better on a larger system. Yes, you will pay for the warranty, no matter what the duration is. As part of the manufacturing, it is calculated into the cost. No, just because they have a longer or shorter warranty, it does not directly reflect on the quality of the unit – Warranty time only gives you a perceived value. If you buy a “Builder’s” version, you will save a little. The only difference is the pretty paint job that is done for the retail sales market. For the builder, basic looking is fine for less money. I am a fan of AO Smith, and a long term history of good performance with very minimal premature failures. If your on a well, you should be filtering your water before the water heater. Also, if you back flush them out once a year, the tanks will last a lot longer. Sediment will collect on the bottom of the tank and eventually shorten the life.
I am a huge fan of the tankles systems. We have had them in a number of homes, and the long term information is really beginning to shine on them. Make sure if you go tank-less, that you have a delivery of nothing LESS THAN 6 GALLONS. 7+ is even better! Two tank-less systems are the only ones I would consider, or even offer to put into a house. Either the Rinnai or the Noritz. Both are fantastic products, great life expectancy, and very dependable. These two units will save you about 25% on their operating costs – possibly more pending your use. Also, they are both Energy Star Partnered companies, which doesn’t really6 mean a whole lot, but they may be available for the Tax Credits that go out to 2016. Check that out, because it may cover a 30% recovery of cost through a tax credit.!!!!
Quote:
Well my eleven year old heater, with a ten yr warranty took a
Is a heater with a longer warranty built any better than one with a shorter one? Or is the extra price for the warranty?
Does anybody have an opinion on tankless units (on demand units)
I need a natural gas model with power venting.
Just because the water heater has a longer warranty does not mean it will last any longer. There are some with longer warranties that put a extra anode rod in them. This may help them last a little longer but does not guarantee it. Average life of a tank heater is about 12 years. Does not matter how much you spend on it.
Not all warranties are the same on heaters. Are you getting a parts warranty? Parts and labor? Some of the big box stores have some great warranties on theirs. They will cover 12 years all you need to do is bring the water heater in so they can look at it. I love the calls we get about what will it cost to unhook a heater, haul it to the store so the manager can look at it, bring it back and rehook it up.
Tankless is not a bad option. Installed one in my house last year and after a few modification it is working great. Like hybrid cars tankless heaters are the most efficient on the market but not the least expensive to buy. Think it was something like 10 years before you break even on the extra cost of the heater and installation costs. This figured in a $1500 tax credit if you get that much. It did not figure in any service issues or repairs. Tankless heaters do need to be serviced every few years.
Tankless heaters can be good heaters. Navien is what I installed. It has a lot of nice features like PVC venting, recirculating pump and buffering tank. If you go the route of tankless make sure who ever puts it in knows how to size them, install them correctly and service them. These are not simple appliances.
Looking at a tank less also, mainly just to save space.
What is so involved with the installation of them? Just curious before make the final decision.
On the gas tankless, you may have to change out your main gas line. Usually they are around 199,000 BTU and many times the main will not handle that additional load.
fwiw we sell and service water heaters, not sure why someone would recommend a 50 gallon with out knowing what your hot water needs are, also there can and will be some differences between different water heaters with different warranty’s, insulation, brass drain valves instead of plastic, burner inputs, etc.
Take some time and read what the differences are and decide which is for you.
While your saving all this money with your tankless, make sure to include maintenance, Bosch who makes several different brands recommends you refurbish their units every two years, skip it and there’s a good chance you’ll end up with a pretty major repair bill, you could get lucky too.
Make sure you have venting that will handle the added input, make sure also the gas piping will handle it, along with the gas meter, most are rated for 250,000 btu’s you may need more meter.
Make sure if you live in cold climates that the unit will generate the outlet water temp you want.
It’s a bit harder to bring 35 degree water to 130 and most units slow the water volume down if they can’t keep up.
Then check warranty and who’s gonna service what ever water heater you buy.
Make sure to check labor and parts warranty, most plumbers are getting over a $100 a hour.
Will tankless work for you?
It might, but check ALL the figures before you buy one.
fwiw we have about 375 service techs and I doubt there’s two that have tankless when they have a choice.
Al…just my opinion
It sounds like venting is going to be my main factor,(powered venting thru side wall) as far as price goes. I was hoping to be able to use my exsisting pvc piping. But it sounds like most tankless models need stainless steel venting. I just installed a pine ceiling over my exhaust, and I’m not willing to remove it to replace.
If I was buiding new, I think I’d go tankless, but if I can’t vent with pvc I maybe limited to a tank.
Any brands I should stay away from? They all look the same on the outside.
There are a few tankless heaters that vent in PVC. Mine (Navien)is 3″ PVC. Cant remember if there is a 2″ option. This makes for easy vent installation.
If you have #2 gas system in the house this will handle a 200,000 btu tankless. In almost every case this is the smallest you want to go other wise is will short you either on temp or volume it can deliver.
Rheem Pro series are good tank heaters. This is what we install. Navien is a good tankless. A.O. Smith, Bradford white are both good major brands. I dont know if any one brand really stick out ahead of the rest just make sure who ever you buy it from is going to stand behind it and not just pass the buck on the warranty.
Quote:
There are a few tankless heaters that vent in PVC. Mine (Navien)is 3″ PVC. Cant remember if there is a 2″ option. This makes for easy vent installation.
If you have #2 gas system in the house this will handle a 200,000 btu tankless. In almost every case this is the smallest you want to go other wise is will short you either on temp or volume it can deliver.
Rheem Pro series are good tank heaters. This is what we install. Navien is a good tankless. A.O. Smith, Bradford white are both good major brands. I dont know if any one brand really stick out ahead of the rest just make sure who ever you buy it from is going to stand behind it and not just pass the buck on the warranty.
Not only line pressure, you must consider line size and your gas meter capacity, most residential meters handle about 250,000, but you should check with your gas company, also don’t forget if you have other things running on gas.
Its total btu’s that count.
Do yourself a favor, get a pro to check all this out, before you get into trouble, I work for one of them gas companies and we see DIY’s get into trouble all the time…sometimes deadly trouble.
Al
“If you have #2 gas system in the house this will handle a 200,000 btu tankless. In almost every case this is the smallest you want to go other wise is will short you either on temp or volume it can deliver.”
Please do not pass out information like this. You need to know the line size and length before you can make such a statement, not to mention the meter capacity.
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