I convert from a natural gas tank water heater to a electric tankless water heater and then back again =( Richmond Essential 27 kW Tankless Water Heater www.menards.com/main/plumbing...
I also looked at the same model, and the specs indicate that it can only raise the temperature from 31° to 92° depending on the water flow/gallons per minute. Figuring approximately 4.4 gallons per minute (GPM) for 2 showers shows that the temperature rise from the incoming temperature will be 46°f. If the incoming water is around 50°f, the output would be 96°f, most likely a little lower, using 4.4 GPM. But using 2.5 GPM, the same incoming water could reach approximately 124°f. In my area, the average tap temperature from the ground is 53°f. The RMTEX-27 max temperature increase using the 6 GMP flow would only increase by approximately 31°f. IE 84°f output at the tap. Our house has 3 adults, so we stagger our showers by 10 minutes, and all of us can have water temperatures over 120°f. Tankless really comes down to GPM and groundwater temperature.
Hmm. I just put in the 27 kWh unit in Upstate SC and seems to work just fine thus far. It is just my wife and I though and incoming water is warmer than northern us. They have a chart for the regions and what size would be necessary.
I’m in Wisconsin, so we probably have a significant difference in incoming water temperature. The chart told me this unit was good for two simultaneous showers in my area.
I'm looking at doing a tankless electric in SC also. Do you find your tankless electric allows simultaneous showering for you guys in winter? Are you able to have at least one person able to take really long showers? Thanks for any insight.
Wow, what a bummer discovering that problem about a lukewarm water delivery. I was kinda expecting you say 'if you like cold showers then this is the unit for you.' The house I bought has a tankless water heater, but it's done with propane (which also heats the radiant heat stuff in the concrete slab). But as it's just me, I don't know if the previous owners had problems with simultaneous showers. So, do we get a video of you installing the new tank unit?
Yes it was a bummer. I was pretty fed up and didn’t film much of the tank heater install 🙃. I did video cutting apart the old unit to see what condition the tank was in…that’s pretty interesting.
