Gotta say, I get where you're coming from on the tankless maintenance thing—hard water can definitely throw a wrench in the works. But honestly, even with the occasional vinegar flush or softener install, I'd still lean toward tankless. Had a tank model at my old place, and sure, it was insulated and efficient, but when it went south, it went FAST. Rusty water, leaks, the whole nine yards...and always at the worst possible time (like Thanksgiving morning with a house full of guests—true story).
With tankless, at least you're not sitting on 40 gallons of potential disaster waiting to flood your basement. Plus, if space is tight, tankless frees up a nice chunk of room. Yeah, upfront costs sting a bit, but long-term, I've found the energy savings and peace of mind worth it. Just my two cents—though I admit, the vinegar flush routine isn't exactly my favorite weekend hobby either...
You're spot on about the tankless benefits, especially the basement flooding nightmare—seen that scenario way too many times. Vinegar flushes aren't fun, true, but compared to emergency holiday plumbing calls? I'd take routine maintenance any day...
Had a tank heater go out on me once—middle of winter, tenants called at 2 AM because the basement was ankle-deep in rusty water. Not fun. Switched to tankless after that, and yeah, vinegar flushes are a bit annoying, but honestly, I'd rather schedule maintenance on my terms than deal with another surprise midnight flood. Still, tankless isn't perfect either...had one unit act up constantly due to hard water buildup. Guess there's no perfect solution, just lesser evils.
"Guess there's no perfect solution, just lesser evils."
Yeah, learned that the hard way myself. Had a client whose tankless unit kept tripping due to mineral buildup—ended up installing a softener system. Extra cost upfront, but beats emergency calls at odd hours...
While a softener system can definitely help with mineral buildup, it's worth considering the environmental impact too. Salt-based softeners discharge brine into wastewater, which isn't ideal for ecosystems downstream. I've had decent luck with electronic descalers—they're not perfect, but they significantly reduce buildup without chemicals or salt. Might not eliminate every late-night call, but it's a more eco-conscious compromise if you're looking to balance maintenance and sustainability...