Need recommendations on the ways to heat water for residential use.

[johne]

I will begin soon to layout my electrical plan on a house that is undergoing complete renovation.I want/need to effectively heat water at a two story house that will be used on weekends only, Fri night to Monday morning. I want hot water on first floor kitchen and in two of the bedrooms on the second floor. During the week there is no need for hot water.
So are my options?: Tankless on the grid. Tankless with solar panels for hot water only. Or 40-50 gal electric tank? Tank run off of solar panels? Water would be for washing things in kitchen and hot water for showers. Two - four people max per weekend.

Probably all comes down to cost but I want simple, not complicated and get the project off the ground quickly.
What are the thoughts of those that have a similar set of circumstances? All ideas considered and thanks in advance for the input.

 

[Manuel01]

I would use tankless LP Gas Water Heater so you have unlimited Hot Water on Demand and Zero Headache with Insulated Tanks, Panels etc.
You can get them at all sizes for a reasonable Price at Almacenes Unidos or any other big Hardware Store.

 

[Manuel01]

I would use tankless LP Gas Water Heater so you have unlimited Hot Water on Demand and Zero Headache with Insulated Tanks, Panels etc.
You can get them at all sizes for a reasonable Price at Almacenes Unidos or any other big Hardware Store.

Ad on to my prior reply: better to use several small ones than one big one. The Big ones want even start when you open only one tap of hot water.

 

[AlterEgo]

We have 3 on demand/tankless hot water heaters that run on propane. A small one feeds the kitchen sink and the washing machine, and the other two the showers. We bought Lorenzetti brand for the showers, the one in kitchen came from USA. They use very little gas. You do need decent pressure for them to run, for example ours won’t run with the tinaco (when no electricity).

 

[johne]

I thought about gas but left it off my list because I thought about refills. Not into that at all.

 

[johne]

I'm onto something. In my apartment (rented) there is a tank less system by Eemax. On the unit is a service number for a store that seems to have every devise one would need. They are Acqua Solutions. Several locations on their web page. I'm going to go there and I'll keep you posted.

 

[lifeisgreat]

I'm onto something. In my apartment (rented) there is a tank less system by Eemax. On the unit is a service number for a store that seems to have every devise one would need. They are Acqua Solutions. Several locations on their web page. I'm going to go there and I'll keep you posted.

I have GE one , electric works flawlessly 4 yrs two showers and sink no problem .small unit half the size of briefcase 13500 peso(back home it would be considered under sink unit here your not heating cold water so don’t need huge one)

 

[MariaRubia]

If you get electric on-demand heaters, just make absolutely sure that they reboot after a power cut. I bought some recently which were very cheap and seemed like a bargain but every time the power goes out you have to turn them on manually which is a pain.

 

[MariaRubia]

I have GE one , electric works flawlessly 4 yrs two showers and sink no problem .small unit half the size of briefcase 13500 peso(back home it would be considered under sink unit here your not heating cold water so don’t need huge one)

You can get them cheaper these days, certainly 13500 pesos for a good one, so the price hasn't gone up in 4 years.

 

[johne]

If you get electric on-demand heaters, just make absolutely sure that they reboot after a power cut. I bought some recently which were very cheap and seemed like a bargain but every time the power goes out you have to turn them on manually which is a pain.

Thanks for that info. Im going to the store tomorrow in San Isidro and talk to the sales help.

 

[william webster]

We have 3 three propane ones.....

One for our bedroom/bath, one for the kitchen and one for our two guest rooms

All work well

 

[Drperson]

I have an electric HD tank small maybe 20 ga!lons. I plug it in about 20 min before I need hot water for shower or dishes then unplug it.it cost around 8000 pesos I. Think

 

[jaguarbob]

I will begin soon to layout my electrical plan on a house that is undergoing complete renovation.I want/need to effectively heat water at a two story house that will be used on weekends only, Fri night to Monday morning. I want hot water on first floor kitchen and in two of the bedrooms on the second floor. During the week there is no need for hot water.
So are my options?: Tankless on the grid. Tankless with solar panels for hot water only. Or 40-50 gal electric tank? Tank run off of solar panels? Water would be for washing things in kitchen and hot water for showers. Two - four people max per weekend.

Probably all comes down to cost but I want simple, not complicated and get the project off the ground quickly.
What are the thoughts of those that have a similar set of circumstances? All ideas considered and thanks in advance for the input.

I have a on demand gas water heater,,works just fine

 

[jaguarbob]

I have a on demand gas water heater,,works just fine

I have 3 tinacos,300 galons each with on demand pump

 

[JD Jones]

I have an electric HD tank small maybe 20 ga!lons. I plug it in about 20 min before I need hot water for shower or dishes then unplug it.it cost around 8000 pesos I. Think

That's what I use, with a little wind up countdown timer that turns it off automatically.

 

[windeguy]

The green people did not suggest a Solar Hot Water heater on the roof?

I see quite a few of those.

 

[Tradewinds]

Hi,
The best way to heat water is a "hybrid hot water tank" These units use a tiny heat pump on top of the tank. They suck heat out of the environment. I've installed many in Canada, usually in a mechanical room where there is lots of waste heat, and there's lots of that in the DR.

If you only need it on weekends a timer to start it is a simple thing. They put out 3 units of hot water for 1 unit of electricity. Gas fired demand heaters are more complex and prone to failure. Every major US tank mfr'r makes them.

 

[JD Jones]

Hi,
The best way to heat water is a "hybrid hot water tank" These units use a tiny heat pump on top of the tank. They suck heat out of the environment. I've installed many in Canada, usually in a mechanical room where there is lots of waste heat, and there's lots of that in the DR.

If you only need it on weekends a timer to start it is a simple thing. They put out 3 units of hot water for 1 unit of electricity. Gas fired demand heaters are more complex and prone to failure. Every major US tank mfr'r makes them.

A person I know has a used hot water heater on his roof and a roll of copper tubing connecting to it.

When it's sunny it produces water too hot to touch. He turns on a breaker to use the heating element if there are a few cloudy days.

 

[rogerjac]

This is what I have. It supplies hot water for the shower only. 3000 watts 110 volts. I need to use the pump while showering or the water gets too hot as it comes from the tinaco. Never use it in the summer but in the winter its great. Amazon from 50 bucks and up for other models with more bells and whistles.

 

[johne]

The green people did not suggest a Solar Hot Water heater on the roof?

I see quite a few of those.

I investgated this separately with a friend that has one. (actully two. One for the kitchen and on the other side of the house one for the baths.) On his roof he has two horizonthal SS tanks and solar collectors. He's a retired Italian engineer That lives in JD. I think he did most of the planning, design of the system and I Think it's expensive.