I've completed the last of the big ticket improvements with the installation of an on demand tankless water heater.

I've chosen a Noritz 751 tankless water heater. You can find more information on the Nortiz HERE. While the initial cost of installation was steep, this unit should outlast at least 3 regular water heaters. And when the time comes for repairs, the only thing that will need to be replaced will be the heat exchanger. This will be a simple matter of opening up the front panel and changing the old one out and a new one it. No need for replacing the entire unit or replacing venting or water pipes. Because an on demand water heater does not have a standing pilot light, I will see a drop in my natural gas consumption (and my bill). The pilot will only turn on to heat the water as I need it. No water is held in a large tank and constantly being kept hot. For those of you thinking, wow, this is really new technology and I don't trust it.....they've been using tankless water heaters in europe for decades. There is an electronic thermostat to set the temperature should I wish to change it from it's default of 120 degrees. But the best thing is that because the unit is so much smaller than my old water heater and is wall mounted, I have reclaimed the space in my kitchen closet. I now have a place to store my brooms, mops and buckets. I'll be moving those over from the right hand closet and putting shelves in that closet for storage.

The ultimate perk of this system is endless hot water. Instead of waiting for the water heater to heat up another tank to do that next load of laundry you can do one load after another. And you don't have to wait to wash your hair or do dishes because the washing machine is on. You have instant hot water for as long as you need it.

	Here is the old water heater closet with the doors removed. The old water heater took up the entire closet on the left.		As you can see, the closet on the right really isn't big enough for everything. Now that the upgraded electrical is over and the circuit breaker panel has been moved outside, I can seal up that hole, put in shelves and organize the cleaning supplies.
	Here is the closet with the old water heater removed. You can see the new copper pipes coming up through the floor in the back. Incoming cold on the right and outgoing hot on the left. Left bottom is the gas line. Way on the left is a pipe the runs outside in case of overflow.		Here is the inside of the tankless. The copper box on the top with the two orange patches on the from is the heat exchanger. That is the only part that may have to be replaced in the future. It is warranteed for 10 years and may last 20, so I'm not real worried about this.
	Here it is with the cover in place. You can see the blue cold and the red hot shutoffs on the pipes underneat. The yellow is the gas line. The thermostat is on the wall on the left and the cord runs over into the right cabinet to plug into the new outlet.		And here you can see I've replaced the original door and started moving in. My mop, bucket and swiffers are already in there and fit nicely. I'll be installing shelves on the other side to hold more cleaning supplies.

If you're interested in installing a tankless water heater, mine was installed by Chuck Newton of BPI Plumbing in San Diego, CA. Call him at 619-961-6091 to set up a free estimate, then you can call Brian at 619-429-9066 to set a date for installation. This is NOT a do-it-yourselfer project. You have to have a 3/4 inch gas feed and the pipe for the exhaust venting is special (and expensive) to handle the high heat. You cannot use the old venting from your old water heater. If you can install the tank outside, go for that. It will cut costs because you won't need the venting. But you'll need to have water pipes and an electrical source pretty close to wherever you decide to install it. Perks? Endless hot water. No waiting for the tank to heat up the water.