The Tankless Hot Water Heater

So early on we knew we need a new hot water heater (or as George Carlin would have noted - a cold water heater since if the water was already hot, you wouldn't need to heat it.) Our original hot water heater was here when we bought the house in 2000. It was old then so it was a given that had to go. Besides... the Smithsonian wanted it for their "Life Before Columbus" exhibit.

We've decided to redo our kitchen and all the necessary drain and plumbing issues for our new bathroom while we wait on the permits for the actual addition. Our plan is that we can make use of this time and if nothing else get a new kitchen and a temporary utility area where the new bathroom will be while we wait.

So that means the hot water heater needs to be installed in the existing structure. The space it was in was the utility area of our kitchen. That area is about three feet deep and is hidden by very large sliding steel doors. The washing machine is in there and it looks like a boiler used to live there before the furnace was relocated to the attic.

So we ran through these options:

Type	Benefit	Drawback
Gas 70ish Gallon	Not expensive. Easy to install.	Takes up a lot of space. Needs to be vented so as not to interfere with addition roof.
Electric 70ish Gallon	Not expensive. Easy to install.	Takes up a lot of space. Not as efficient as gas.
Gas Tankless	Much smaller. Wall, not floor mounted. Long term efficiency	Needs to be vented so as not to interfere with addition roof. Uncharted territory and more expensive than tank version.
Nuclear Fusion	Virtually unlimited showers.	Large upfront costs. UN Inspectors to bribe. Possible undesirable mutations.

We decided on the Gas Tankless option but then the "where to put it" question needed to be asked and answered.

150 years from now school children will have no idea about the Lincoln/Douglas Debates but they will know every word of the Toy Making Dad vs General Contractor Dad Debate. In short, the contractor wanted to mount the hot water heater in the attic. I wanted to mount it on the wall next to the electrical panel and build a small closet around it and the panel. We respectfully went back and forth for a good 20 minutes before the issue seemed to be resolved with a closet mounter heater. At that point Mrs Toy Making Dad was asked her opinion... and so it was resolved that the hot water heater would reside in the attic. Motion carried.

Ultimately, it was the right decision. It won't be in the way and because of the nature and location of the heater plus the PEX pipes being used, freezing is not an issue and our future bathroom will gain about a foot of extra space.

There are worse attics in the world than mine. It does have our furnace, tons of clothes, a few old computers and hundreds of vacation slides in carousels from a woman I used to sort of worked with 20 years ago that I honestly didn't know so well. (Wait... why do I still have those?)

The plumber and our contractor built a little wall close to the floor and mounted the new hot water heater on it. It has a beautiful set of connectors. They are so beautiful that I weep at the ultimate triumph of form and function that they represent. To gaze at them is to witness perfection. Sadly, they will remain exiled and forgotten in the attic like a misunderstood mutant but kind hearted relative hidden from the authorities. If only they had been in a closet on the first floor where the world could see them... but I digress.

The water is supplied to and taken away from the heater in PEX pipes. PEX is basically super pipe from everything that I've been told and read. It is quiet, easy to install and is "freeze break resistant." If it could do my taxes, I would marry it.

The PEX connects into the rest of the house plumbing and the old hot water heater was removed. With the new hot water heater in place, real destruction on the kitchen can now begin.

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One of the fun bits of this project is finding out about how my house was built. At some point, probably the late 70s or early 80s there was a really well done addition put on the side of the house. The previous owners did an excellent job of matching the brick and roof line so it just makes our house look very long.

One neat side benefit of that addition is that it gave me a look into exactly how my exterior walls are constructed. The mason who will be working on the passages between our existing house and the new addition wanted to know without knocking out bricks how the walls were constructed. I was able to take a look at what was the original exterior wall to the house which is now in my attic. Basically, it was good news. 2x4s, hardboard, a gap and then brick. No cinder block to contend with.

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Did talk to my local civil servants about the status of my special permit request. Only a few tiny details were lacking so they kicked it back to me for corrections.

Although the format of the rejection letter was a bit confusing to the uninitiated, they did patiently explain it to me. Which was nice of them. Maybe in the future they could skip that need by just... oh I don't know... making the letter clear. Just saying.

One of the problems with the plat was that the streets route number was not included. Until this week, I didn't know my street had a route number. Okay fine. Obviously, it is very important or they wouldn't ask for it.

The surveyor had already told us that all plats are rejected for something so his corrections are being done at no additional charge. I now know where to find the little route number signs on my street. There are signs at either end of the block and on a cul-de-sac. The funny thing is, they are clearly wrong. All three are different with the last three numbers being transposed. My street is only one block long.

Well, I guess what is important is that I know my route number so I can tell my local government what it is since there is obviously some doubt on their part.

Hey, we all have a part to play. Happy to help.