Is a tankless water heater the answer?

A friend of mine installed a tankless in his house and he seems happy with its performance.

220 V appliances are generally more powerful, but I wouldn't think you'd need that much capacity unless there were two showers which might be used simultaneously.

You didn't say what actually failed on the present tank heater, but if it's electric, it might just be the heater element - if it's ever been powered up w/the tank empty, it will overheat and melt the element. They must be covered with water when the thermostat kicks on.

The price is he big difference between a tank and tankless water heater. Tankless are about 3X -4X as much as a tank water heater. You might save some money because it's not heating the water all the time. But what would the yearly saving be between a tank and tankless water heater. If it's only $20-$50 a year, then it would take almost 10 years to recoup the money for the tankless water heater, even at $100 a year, it would take 5-6 years to recoupe the money. So I would go with a tank water heater, unless you can find a tankless one that is reasonably priced and close to a regular water heater, then go for it.

Is the tank failing or the elements. If it is the tank I would try something different. A tank-less HWH saves you the most money be being close to the use point and many of them are located under sinks or in the bathroom etc. By putting a single unit out by the where the other one was you will only get the savings of keeping a smaller amount of water hot for a small period of time.

If the elements are failing I would guess that you are not filling the tank before turning it on and you are burning them up.

What type of failures have your past heaters suffered? I cannot visualize how draining and shutting them off would contribute to their early failure. Spring water as a rule is pretty high in mineral content and a common cause of heater element failure is calcification, mineral build up. If that has been your problem it would certainly be cheaper and easier just to have a spare element laying around. On the other hand most of the top brands of tankless heaters now have coated elements that prevent calcification failure. A tankless heater is certainly an option, but due to the costs, one wouldn't be the answer if it were my situation. Even if you had to buy an element and thermostat both for the little heater every year it would take years to add up to the price of a tankless.

I have an electric tankless in my house and love it. The one I have wasn't overly expensive, but it does require a single 240V, 60A circuit. The brand name is Titan and they are available online if you are interested. If you can't find it through google, email me and I will give you a website.

I would suggest that you drain it and shut it off at the breaker before you leave each time though. That way, no water will be sitting in it. Since it provides immediate hot water, when you return to the cabin, all you would have to do is to open the water valve and turn on the electric and you will have hot water right away.

Professional Remodler, good answer. I didn't realize they had come down that much in price already, or that there were so many sizes now. I found the link and include it for asker.