Anyone got any recs? Utility space is pretty limited so I think tankless is our only option but our current one (Bosch) is crapped out and only works a fraction of the time usually after hitting reset over and over again.

We just had a guy from Abacus Plumbing come out and try to tell us it would cost $2-3k to repair and that a new unit/system from them would be $5-6k.

Pretty sure he was full of sh** and likely just wanted to collect the service fee and move on and I'd like to get an honest person from a smaller more "mom and pop" place to come out and give it a look and was wondering if people had any recs??? TIA

Wycliffe_03 said:

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Anyone got any recs? Utility space is pretty limited so I think tankless is our only option but our current one (Bosch) is crapped out and only works a fraction of the time usually after hitting reset over and over again.

We just had a guy from Abacus Plumbing come out and try to tell us it would cost $2-3k to repair and that a new unit/system from them would be $5-6k.

Pretty sure he was full of sh** and likely just wanted to collect the service fee and move on and I'd like to get an honest person from a smaller more "mom and pop" place to come out and give it a look and was wondering if people had any recs??? TIA

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Not impressed with Abacus after a service call a couple months ago. What part of town are you in?

jna97 said:

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Wycliffe_03 said:

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Anyone got any recs? Utility space is pretty limited so I think tankless is our only option but our current one (Bosch) is crapped out and only works a fraction of the time usually after hitting reset over and over again.

We just had a guy from Abacus Plumbing come out and try to tell us it would cost $2-3k to repair and that a new unit/system from them would be $5-6k.

Pretty sure he was full of sh** and likely just wanted to collect the service fee and move on and I'd like to get an honest person from a smaller more "mom and pop" place to come out and give it a look and was wondering if people had any recs??? TIA

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Not impressed with Abacus after a service call a couple months ago. What part of town are you in?

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Oak Forest, north central

If I just buy one from Home Depot or Lowe's or something do you know if they have a contractor who will come and install/test it? It may be old enough to be replaced, but can't see how it should be several grand

You can buy a new unit from Amazon. Just pay for the install.

I know a guy who has installed two himself without hiring a plumber. They aren't that difficult if your are modestly mechanically inclined. Both units were bought online.

Additional recommendations- it may not matter if you are replacing an existing tankless but if converting to one, choose a condensing unit as they are more efficient and don't require the expensive stainless piping. Upfront higher cost is recouped in lower materials and operating cost. Also recommend installing an inline Aqua-Pure protector to give the unit a longer life.

Go to Moore Supply and buy a Rheem or Rinnai. Rheem has better customer service. Navian is actually a pretty good option too.

Have Moore recommend a plumber for the install. You will save money because there will be no material markup.

Walter White Plumbing

herb96 said:

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You can buy a new unit from Amazon. Just pay for the install.

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This is what I did. The old units were 10 years old and the previous owner didn't maintain them so they crapped the bed.

I had a number of people come out and give me estimates. They were all over the place. The craziest was one company told me I needed to replace the entire exhaust system and move the units. The bid was 12k!

Most were less but still a lot. Finally found a guy that didn't care where I ordered from and got them from amazon. He did a nice job and installed them for a great price.

Be careful when you order them to make sure the exhaust system matches. A lot of newer ones are different. As long as that lines up it's not a hard install for a plumber.

Good luck!

Abacus is terrible. You are a gullible amateur if you do business with them. They will charge you over twice what you should pay. Same goes for John Moore.

Years ago Abacus came out and tried to charge me $200 for replacing a Moen valve stem. They are $20 at Lowes and take about 5 minutes to change.

I recommend the Hot Water Guys for your tankless. I think they are in Humble. For general plumbing needs, I recommend Alpha Omega. Sometimes they are really busy, but they are honest, and they will refer you to other people when they lack expertise. They originally pointed me to the Hot Water Guys, as well as the Miracle Method tub repair people who fixed my shower pan crack.

I just completely remodeled a 40 year old home, so I got to be my own general contractor - tile, counters, paint, cabinets, plumbing, lighting, landscape, demolition/removal, utilities, roofing...fun stuff. And I didn't even have to use Microsoft Project (heresy, I know).

Definitely call The Hot Water Guys - they are local heights area guys (not Humble) and do good honest work.

Another comment on brands- I have been very impressed with the performance of my Navien NPE-240A system over the past 3 years...no problems whatsoever and never a lack of hot water.

You probably won't believe me on all of this but I do work in the industry.

1. For commercial work we use eemax water heaters. good stuff. lots of options on voltages, heating Kw. FYI if you can get gas to the heater it is MUCH more energy efficient.

2. If you call the big name companies you will pay a lot more for usually a low grade work. They don't pay much to their employees and they pay a bunch to advertising. It makes them look better but they guy working is not better than the average.

3. You best work comes from a guy that works for a plumbing contractor doing side work. There are tons of these. They are trying to get their own company off the ground so they will take less cash but do great work because they want you and all your college educated friends as future business.They usually won't "warranty" work with a piece of paper but they will make things right because of referrals.

trip said:

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You probably won't believe me on all of this but I do work in the industry.

1. For commercial work we use eemax water heaters. good stuff. lots of options on voltages, heating Kw. FYI if you can get gas to the heater it is MUCH more energy efficient.

2. If you call the big name companies you will pay a lot more for usually a low grade work. They don't pay much to their employees and they pay a bunch to advertising. It makes them look better but they guy working is not better than the average.

3. You best work comes from a guy that works for a plumbing contractor doing side work. There are tons of these. They are trying to get their own company off the ground so they will take less cash but do great work because they want you and all your college educated friends as future business.They usually won't "warranty" work with a piece of paper but they will make things right because of referrals.

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Thanks for the info. I guess that's what I was trying to get, some independent handyman type plumber recommendations. The one plumber I know doesn't do tankless water heaters.

Is this a gas or electric tankless? I have 3 electric tankless systems in my home. The Bosch has been out once in 10 years and is now out again. LOL. It needs a new control board. Its a huge pile of crap. I'd get another brand.....even if yours is gas....

Don't get near an electric tankless unless it's for a single sink or something small. Gas is the only way to go for a home-sized unit.

Also, note that if you have gas, the control panel is still electric, which means you'll need a place to plug it in when the power goes out...or just be cold...

Wycliffe_03 said:

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Thanks for the info. I guess that's what I was trying to get, some independent handyman type plumber recommendations. The one plumber I know doesn't do tankless water heaters.

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What part of town are you in?

strohag said:

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Go to Moore Supply and buy a Rheem or Rinnai. Rheem has better customer service. Navian is actually a pretty good option too.

Have Moore recommend a plumber for the install. You will save money because there will be no material markup.

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This.

trip said:

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Wycliffe_03 said:

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Thanks for the info. I guess that's what I was trying to get, some independent handyman type plumber recommendations. The one plumber I know doesn't do tankless water heaters.

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What part of town are you in?

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Oak forest, just northwest of the heights area. We went ahead and scheduled a service call with the Hot Water Guys based on several recs here and elsewhere because we just wanted to get some type of diagnosis ASAP.

94chem said:

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Don't get near an electric tankless unless it's for a single sink or something small. Gas is the only way to go for a home-sized unit.

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Well, gas is the way to go....if you have gas. You have to have an electrical system designed for them, that's for certain.

I was asking because Im assuming it's gas, based on the price he was quoted. That's crazy high, but gas units are expensive.

So, as someone who has a dying electric water heater in their attic (i.e. relatively expensive to replace due to it's lousy location), what can I expect it to cost to replace with tankless?

SJEAg said:

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So, as someone who has a dying electric water heater in their attic (i.e. relatively expensive to replace due to it's lousy location), what can I expect it to cost to replace with tankless?

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Depends how many baths you have in your house and what brand/size heater you go with.

If you go out and buy a good tankless and all the stuff you need with it yourself at Moore Supply it will run you between $1,000-$1,700 depending what you get. Plus labor for the plumbing. Since you have an electric and no termination I assume they will have to put a hole in your roof and install flashing and what not

Noritz 1111 gas unit plus their concentric wall kit (intake/exhaust in the same chase). Stuff's on Amazon.

Had it installed in my house in Houston, and then in Portland, and now near Seattle and in a couple nicer rentals.

Top notch.

I had nothing but problems with the Rinnai in my prior home and it was only 3 years old.
Mainly continual calcium build up causing malfunctions

Hot Water Guys

They fixed it and didn't try to seek us on any BS. Their technician was knowledgeable and good at explaining what was wrong with it.