Went through something similar last year when my old tank started rusting out. I considered tankless too, but a buddy of mine installed one and complained about the same temp swings you're worried about—especially during peak shower times. Ended up going with a hybrid heat pump water heater myself. Yeah, upfront cost stung a bit, but honestly, the consistent hot water and lower electric bills have been worth it so far. No regrets yet...
I see your point about hybrid heat pumps, but honestly, tankless systems aren't always as finicky as people make them out to be. I installed one myself about three years back—yeah, it took some tweaking at first, but once I dialed in the settings and made sure the gas line was properly sized, temp swings pretty much disappeared. The key is sizing it right from the start and not skimping on installation quality. Peak shower times haven't been an issue for us since we went slightly bigger than recommended (just to be safe).
Not knocking hybrids—they're great if you've got the space—but if someone's tight on room or prefers gas over electric, tankless can still be a solid choice. Plus, the lower monthly bills have definitely been noticeable. Just my two cents...
"The key is sizing it right from the start and not skimping on installation quality."
Couldn't agree more on this. When our old tank started rusting out, we debated hybrid vs. tankless for weeks. Ended up going tankless (gas) due to limited basement space and haven't regretted it. Took some fine-tuning at first—especially dialing in the temp—but now it's smooth sailing. Bills dropped noticeably too, which was a nice bonus. Hybrids are solid, but tankless definitely isn't as tricky as some folks claim...just gotta do your homework upfront.
Tankless definitely has its perks, but I've seen a few installs where homeowners underestimated the gas line sizing—ended up causing headaches down the road. Glad yours worked out smoothly. Did you have to upgrade your gas line at all, or was the existing setup enough? Curious because that's usually the first thing my boss checks when sizing for tankless...
Totally agree on the gas line sizing—seen that bite people more than once. A few things I've noticed from installs we've done:
- Existing gas lines usually aren't enough, especially if the house is older. Had one customer swear up and down theirs was "fine," until we fired up the tankless and watched the flames shrink every time the furnace kicked in. Not fun troubleshooting that one...
- Upgrading the gas line isn't always a huge deal, but homeowners sometimes underestimate the cost and hassle. Had a guy last month who thought we'd just "swap it out real quick," then spent the afternoon watching us crawl around his basement ceiling.
- Also worth mentioning: venting. People focus so much on gas lines, they sometimes forget tankless units have specific venting requirements. Had a job delayed two days because we had to special-order vent pipes nobody thought about.
Glad yours went smoothly though—sounds like you dodged the usual headaches.
