Tankless Water Heater

[Doug Mohr]

I have five Takagi tankless units installed at my home, office and three rental units, and also see them at home inspections here in Chicago,  they can work well in our climate if properly sized and installed.

All five are now working well, but there were a few issues getting them installed and working properly.

I've put up  page about the hitches I encountered and how to avoid them at:

Avoiding Tankless Water Heater Problems for Installers, Home Inspectors and Homeowners - Paragon Inspections, Evanston / Chicago Ill

Wow! That is a fantastic page of information. I especially like the supplemental power vent versus inspector story. I've run into those types of issues here where I know more about a particular new technology than the inspectors do.  Luckily, I can usually get the inspector to talk to the manufacturer's technical rep and get them some documentation and answer any questions about it.

But you always get the occasional inspector who is set in their ways. I remember when I wanted to cathedral my master suite which required the removal of the collar ties that keep the roof from collapsing and bowing out the side walls. I hired an exceptional structural engineer to design the restructuring. Because of some aesthetic wants, a single ridge beam would not work so he designed a complex system of microllams, gussets, and tie braces. He designed it to be 40% higher capacity than code required because he is anal (that is why he is exceptional in my opinion).

I submitted one copy of the report with the permit application. Once I was assigned an inspector, I sent him a copy of the report with a cover letter. When he came out to inspect, I was lucky enough to have the engineer there to answer questions. The inspector looked around at the structure, muttered "What a clusterf()$k" and looked at the engineer and said "You expect me to believe that this will hold a snow load?" I thought the engineer was going to take a swing at him. It turns out, the inspector didn't read the permit application, didn't read the engineering report and didn't understand the basic concept of structural systems. That inspector has since been reassigned to new construction where he can do the classic "Drive by and wave to the contractors" style of inspection that Milwaukee has a reputation for.

Sorry about going off on a tangent, I just thought it was a fitting story to share after reading your excellent resource.

Doug