I want to k now if it is cheaper to run an electric dryer or a gas dryer? My propane bill is so high, I am looking for a way to reduce the cost. I also need a new water heater, and am looking for something better, and economic. I need to soften my water, which is why I need a new one in the first place. The water heater got so full of lime buildup that the water pressure blew out the pressure valve, and will keep on blowing it until I resolve the problem of the lime. Should I go tankless for water heater? Any suggestions would be great!

Until you 'soften your water' and fix the lime buildup problem I would not use a tank-less system,as this type of heater will fail quicker using water with a high lime content than a traditional water heater.

We have an energy star heating oil boiler with a tankless hot water heater and an 8 year old propane kitchen range.

So, which wastes less energy:
1. running water down the drain until it's hot and then boiling it?
2. filling the pot with cold water and boiling it?

I really try to be efficient and conscience, but I can't figure this one out!

Well it depends, technically, you could run it until it is hot but fill up the sink and use that water for doing dishes and stuff, that way you arent wasting it as much.

I need to use this size and no larger. and need to find a suitable tankless water heater that will run on a 20 lb propane tank.. ii would like to achieve a 2GPM flow rate
any help would be great !
thanks..

The answer to this question lies partly in where you live on this big spaceship we call earth!

A propane container that is turned off has static liquid and vapour above it. When you turn on the tank and fire the appliance, you are drawing off vapor and burning it. This reduces the pressure in the tank and the liquid begins to boil to replace the vapour. Propane boils at -44°F so it is giving off a lot of heat when it boils. The tank has to absorb heat out of the air around it to keep the liquid boiling. If you draw off more vapour than the tank can produce, it will freeze up and starve the appliance of fuel. The colder the outside air temperature is, the larger the tank must be to provide the same amount of vapour. Think about a pot of boiling water on the stove. Little pot= a bit of steam, big pot = lots of steam! Same thing.

A 20lb cylinder will produce approximately...
35,000btu at 0 °F
50,000btu at 20 °F
65,000btu at 40 °F
80,000btu at 60 °F
90,000btu at 70 °F

Don't forget though, that you only have a little over 20,000btu's in a pound of propane. so a 20 pound cylinder only has about 400,000 btu's. That means a 120,000 tankless heater going to use up 20 lbs of fuel in less than 4 hours.

EDIT: If the tank freezes up the appliance will starve for fuel. Eventually the 100% safety, which is mandatory on any gas burning appliance now, will kick in and stop the flow of propane...100%!...It will not explode or catch fire!

I am replacing a twenty year old steam boiler and steam radiators to a radiant floor system. I am so confused by the number of choices to heat the water for this system. I could use a traditional boiler, a tankless hot water heater, or even a wall hung combination boiler and tankless hot water system. What is the most efficient system that will offer the lowest heating costs? I can use either oil or propane. Natural gas is not available in my area. My house is a 1100 sqft cape. Thanks for the help!

I installed my own radiant heating system. For the heating system I used a Munchkin Boiler, propane fired. I have been extremely pleased with its performance. It is very high-tech in its control system which produces very high efficiencies. I agree fuel oil has higher BTU content than propane, but gas generally requires less maintainance and is very clean.
The unit is very compact. When I purchased it on line it was delivered by UPS. With the addition of a domestic water
tank, you can also heat domestic water at those high efficiencies. Schematic drawings for installation of the system are included.
The boiler is ideal for radiant systems that operate on relatively low water temperatures. It is a modulated boiler and only fires based on the demand of the system and the outside temperature. No mixing valves required. The domestic hot water system is independent of the house heating system when it allows higher temperatures for maximum recovery time.

I have had intermitent hot water since 8/09, 12/04 plumber contacted and reported my tankless hot water hearter was a converted propane tank, owner has not replaced heater or put me in a hotel for a non habitual apt.

Call the Board of Health in your area. They will come out and investigate. If the landlord is cited for a violation he will have to put you up in a hotel until it is fixed ( and -or give you free rent). If it gets complicated, call a lawyer that is versed in tenant-landlord disputes..the call -consultation is free.

I need a max of 118,000 BTU to run a tankless water heater.

I can go with a smaller unit but. really need a flow rate of 2 GPM.
.. and I want to go with one of the cheaper units available.

The answer to this question lies partly in where you live on this big spaceship we call earth!

A propane container that is turned off has static liquid and vapour above it. When you turn on the tank and fire the appliance, you are drawing off vapor and burning it. This reduces the pressure in the tank and the liquid begins to boil to replace the vapour. Propane boils at -44°F so it is giving off a lot of heat when it boils. The tank has to absorb heat out of the air around it to keep the liquid boiling. If you draw off more vapour than the tank can produce, it will freeze up and starve the appliance of fuel. The colder the outside air temperature is, the larger the tank must be to provide the same amount of vapour. Think about a pot of boiling water on the stove. Little pot= a bit of steam, big pot = lots of steam! Same thing.

So, now that we understand the principal involved here, I will say you are never going to run that thing on a 20 pounder. Just as an example, a 100lb cylinder produces approximately 50,000 btu at 32°F (0°C), so you would need 3 100lb cylinder connected together to operate that unit for any period of time if the temperature where you live gets to freezing. Granted, those things run for short periods of time, but still, you would need at least a 100 gallon tank for that to operate properly in most cases.

The other thing you have to consider is that 118k btu is going to consume almost 1-1/2 gallons an hour while it runs. So 1 20 pounder is gone in about 3 hours. An average furnace is 80k btu, so this is burning more than that when it is running.

Tell us what your average and your coldest temperatures are and I can tell you what size container you should be using... Hope this helps!

Edit: If it's not hooked up correctly it wont work! It wont explode! Propane tanks don't self destruct if their not hooked up properly. There are many safety features built in to cylinders and fuel burning appliances to prevent that. A cylinder exploding is a very rare occurance, and a specific set of circumstances are required for that to happen...

You don't need to be afraid of propane. You need to have a good healthy respect for it! But not be afraid of it...

I have a hot water maker which is heated by the furnace (boiler) it is powered by propane. This heater is costing me a fortune for hot water during the summer. I have to heat the boiler to get hot water and then the thing is hot and heats up the area it is in. To put in an electric hot water heater would cost a lot due to the fact I would have a ton of electrical work to do.
I think a tankless would suck because of the hardness of the water also my wife like her water hot. . A propane tank type seems the best option.
Solar is not an option due to the amount of sun we get any ideas?

You have answered your own question. Please buy an energy efficient one to save our environment. If you have cold well water you may want to install a temper tank. A temper tank is just a tank to let the water stand and warm to room temperature before going in the water heater. It may save only a few pounds of gas a year but a pound of gas saved is one you never have to pay for. It will also be better for thee environment.

I have to replace my oil furnace and hot water heater. Using the opportunity to change from oil to electric heat pump with a propane back up for when it drops below 40 degrees. Approx sq ft is 1700. We have a heat pump in our 1000 sq ft. addition already. Also putting in a tankless hot water heater that will run off the propane. Any idea on what size propane tank to get? Thanks!

you will have to hook up with a propane supplier to service your home. These guys will know what size tanks you need. Some outfits also service them using ''degree heater days'' formula similar to what the oil companys use and come and add gas to the tanks.
This is a good arrangement you are installing.

I purchased a propane tankless hot water heater for our cabin. I want to use an above ground cistern for my water source, however when I read the instructions, I found out that the unit has an inlet valve that requires a minimum of 30 psi to operate. I am looking for a small 110v centrifugal pump to create the required pressure, but I don't know which one will get it done. Most of the pumps are rated in GPH and not psi. My water inlet is 1/2". Can I use a submersible or will I need a remote unit - say 1/2 hp, 1" output @ 330 GPH and use it to create more pressure when I reduce it to 1/2"?
I don't want to use a huge, expensive booster pump. Someone will just steal it after we leave. I would like something small and inexpensive - maybe a used pool pump? Would that work?

I've tried to do this with regular pumps, and the slight pressure the water already has is going to cause problems. Unless you wanted to install a submersible pump in your cistern and pump from there, I think a pressure boosting pump would be best, like this one: http://www.pressurebooster.com/

There's quite a few other brands of these, you might want to check all of googles results for more information:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=water+pressure+booster+pump&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=water+pressure+booster+pump

I am thinking about a tankless water heater. I have 200 amp service, but may have to upgrade if I go electric. I have a 500 gallon propane tank so I could go that way. Consumer reports says the payback is too long on the tankless. I am all electric now. Only 2 people in household so usage is not high and I just put in a Culligan water softener to handle the hard water. Looking for feedback.

Tankless water heaters although cheaper break down more often due to the high heat internal resistance used to heat up the water pipes. I have had both, and like the tankless one better, as my electric bill has gone down abt. 30% which more than makes up the cost for repairs once a year. If you have gas available go for a Tank Water Heater using natural gas.