We went tankless about five years ago, and while I love not having to yell at my kids to hurry up in the shower anymore, I agree—the upfront cost was no joke. Honestly, if your current tank is still in decent shape, you might consider just upgrading to a larger capacity. My brother did that when his kids hit their teens, and it solved the hot water shortage without breaking the bank.
Tankless is great for long-term savings on your energy bill, but it takes quite a few years before you really notice those savings offsetting the initial investment. Plus, depending on your home's setup, installation costs can creep up on you—ours ended up needing some extra venting work we hadn't planned on (ouch).
If you're looking for a quick fix without a huge upfront spend, upgrading to a bigger tank might be the sweet spot. But if you're planning to stay in your home for a long time and don't mind biting the bullet now, tankless is pretty nice.
"Tankless is great for long-term savings on your energy bill, but it takes quite a few years before you really notice those savings offsetting the initial investment."
Yeah, the upfront cost is no joke—I remember helping my uncle install his tankless heater. It was supposed to be an easy weekend project, but we ended up making three extra trips to the hardware store and nearly flooding the basement (oops). Curious though, has anyone here tried those hybrid heat pump water heaters? Might be a middle-ground worth exploring...
Tankless can definitely be a bigger hassle than people expect, especially if you're not used to plumbing work. I've seen more than a few DIY installs turn into weekend-long headaches (and basement floods, lol). Hybrid heat pump water heaters are interesting—I've installed a couple, and they're pretty efficient without the steep upfront cost of tankless. Just make sure you've got enough space and decent ventilation, since they pull heat from the surrounding air. Worth looking into if you're cautious about the initial investment.
"Tankless can definitely be a bigger hassle than people expect, especially if you're not used to plumbing work."
Definitely agree here—my first tankless install turned into a weekend nightmare of leaky fittings and multiple hardware store trips. Still, once it's done right, the efficiency payoff is pretty nice. Hang in there...it gets easier with experience.
Yeah, first time I tackled a tankless install it felt like every fitting was out to get me...spent half the day chasing tiny leaks. But once you nail down the process, it's pretty satisfying seeing everything run smoothly. Hang tight, you're almost there.
