Unlike a tank water heater that heats the entire 50 or 75 gallons of hot water all the time, a tankless water heater heats the water as you need it. When water starts flowing through the tankless water heater, it senses the movement and the quantity of hot water being requested. It will heat the water to the set temperature while it passes through the unit (like a reverse radiator). It will only heat as much water as is needed - so one faucet needing hot water "little fire" or 3 showers being operated simultaneously "BIG FIRE". And when no water is being used "No Fire"

Yes - even though you may have an electric water heater now - the wiring will not be sufficient for an electric tankless water heater. An electric tankless takes typically 240V with 30amps - an electric tankless typically takes 240V with 100-120amps. Often the electricity that they require is equal to the entire electrical capacity of a standard home- which often makes them energy hogs. You would need to consult an electrician on if you exiting electrical panel can support this - or if you would need a service upgrade.

Although you are generating your own electricity and reducing your electric bill - electric tankless water heaters consume a huge amount of electricity. The solar panels may help, but you will still need significant extra electricity. See #2 answer for details.

The size of the gas line required is based on the consumption of the appliance, the total consumption of gas in the house, the size of the gas line, the type of gas (Natural Gas or Propane) and the distance from the meter. There is a calculation that can be done (it is listed in the installation manuals of the tankless unit you would like to use). The new tankless gas water heaters can operate on 1/2" gas lines* (based on specific requirements), mainly because they can operate on much lower gas pressure than typical appliances. We have found that most houses can get a tankless water heater installed without upgradeing the gas line.

In most cases - no. A regular gas water heater has a galvanized steel vent - called an Atmospheric Vent. A tankless water heater needs a sealed vent to the outdoors. We can solve this by using a flexible vent to go through your existing flue out the roof. Using the existing flue as a conduit. OR if you have a shared flue (Water heater and furnace tied together), we offer a flexible stainless steel vent that can be used with keeping the other appliance working perfectly.

• Yes, it has a regular plug in cord. It takes very little energy to operate.

• A tankless water heater should be descaled/flushed once a year. We offer this service, or you can simply do the service yourself. The simplest way to learn how to do it is by watching the following video on YouTube or you can watch us perform the service. (191) How to Flush a Rinnai Tankless Water Heater - YouTube

• The timing of how often you flush a tankless water heater depends on the hardness of the water that is going into the unit. Our recommendation is:

1. Hard Water conditions - especially if you are off of a hard water well with no water softener: 6 months
2. Regular water or conditioned water - 1 year
3. Pure water - advanced water filtration or in the Lake Tahoe Basin - 2 years

• The standard warranty is 15 years on the heat exchanger and 5 years on the parts. As long as regular maintenance is performed on the tankless water heater and it is installed property (in a residential setting) - you should get 20-30 years of life from the unit. Without regular maintenance, the unit will start to experience significant problems at 7-8 years and may cost more to repair than to replace.

• Units produce hot water based on the incoming water temperature. A unit advertised with 11GPM of hot water is based on an inlet water temperature being about 70 degrees (Southern Texas, Florida, or Hawaii as an example). In Reno we base the incoming water temperature at 40 degrees (cold part of winter). So an "11GPM" unit will produce 5.2-5.3 GPM of 120 degree water at 80 degrees temperature rise - OR it can be viewed as operating 3 showers simultaneously while someone is doing the dishes.

• Absolutely. Some units come with the recirculation pump installed inside of the unit, and they can also be adapted to pumps outside the unit. Unlike the old way of doing recirculation, the pumps will not operate continuously. They will either be connected to a timer or they have Smart learning technology that learns your hot water usage patterns, and matches the recirculation to provide hot water when you typically need it.

• Yes, there are 2 styles - one can be mounted underneath the furthest fixture - or area that needs the hot water fast. Or a unit can be mounted at the tankless water heater and provide hot water recirulcaiton throughout the house.

No. The chemicals will break down the heater and it will void the warranty.

Yes. There are battery backups that can keep the tankless water heater opeating for up to 2 weeks without power.

• The tankless water heaters we install have internal heaters that will keep them from freezing up to -20 degrees F below zero (as long as they have power), there are also freeze drain down systems that will completely drain the tankless water heater in case of power outage.

Yes, the unit can be relocated to any place in your home. Depending on how your house is plumbed, there may be minor to major repiping.

• Absolutely, it is an ideal solution. They are certified for manufacture home installation, and due to the high cost of manufactured home water heaters they are priced competitively

• We offer free consultations, also we are open to calls or emails.