What Heater Leaking....should I replace with a tank less?

[DaBank]

The water heater is leaking from the bottom the last couple of weeks.
There is about a 10in circle damp stain on the drywall box it sits on.
The water heater was made in 1999 and is a Bradford White. The Attic
is above the heater and the wall it is against goes all the way up
To the roof. My question is since I have a flat area and 10 foot of
attic height and there is not to much copper to move would you go a
standard heater again or are the tank less heaters better in the long run?

 

[NicPaus]

Standard.

 

[lbhsbz]

I'd go standard...get one with a removable anode and change the anode every 4 years or so.

 

[Andy01]

I like my tank less.

 

[DaBank]

A tank less would also gain me garage space and I would not have to look at it anymore!!

 

[Flying_Lavey]

A tank less would also gain me garage space and I would not have to look at it anymore!!

I wouldn't say that. When my parents went tankless we were all thinking the same thing. It was in one of those metal lean-to's outside. My dad bought a Navion exterior rated one so they could get rid of it. Turns out that with the heater, recirc pump, and associated piping, it was about the same size and was uglier with all the piping so..... lean-to stayed.

Almost instant (insulated lines with a proper recirculation pump) and endless hot water is very nice though.

I wouldn't do a tankless with a water softener though. When I did residential we put in a lot of Renai units and I was told by the salesman that the water softeners plug up the heat exchanger and cause issues.

 

[VoodooMedMan]

Sounds like the Bradford White got you 17 years.

That's the recommended one these days. Good price at Ferguson. But... There is a guy who buys them by the truckload and advertises on Craigslist and the total installed cost comes out to like 30 bucks more than you pay for the unit and stuff at Fergusons.

I just did it. Got the info from C-2 I think it was. I can lookup. Dang Bradford White is stupid hot. I still gotta turn it down some more. I got 10 years out of the Rheem originally installed in the house.

Tankless seems to make sense really for extra space if you really need it. But there's much more plumbing and stuff to install besides the extra cost of the unit. Doesn't seem worth it to me for a little extra space. Look at water heater threads here and you'll see the plumbers say they aren't that great.

If you do a tank then yeah you need a pan underneath.

 

[OCMerrill]

I have a Bradford White and didn't go Tankless. It's been in for 3 years and just zero drama plus I have 40 gallons of water hanging around if the world shits the bed.

I have about $500 in this one and a tankless would be double just for a good unit. Then electrical, add a 4" through the roof, yada yada.

I don't run a re-circulate pump but if you do on a tankless they can cycle a little more than you might like.

 

[DaBank]

Would it be smart to buy a larger water heater?

 

[spectra3279]

Just replace ours with a tankless. Thing is nice. Takes a little longer to start producing hot water. But it's nice to not worry about somebody starting the washer and running out.

 

[NicPaus]

Just replace ours with a tankless. Thing is nice. Takes a little longer to start producing hot water. But it's nice to not worry about somebody starting the washer and running out.

You have a back up power supply? One thing about a regular water heater is it only needs gas to run. Most tank less need gas and power.

 

[spectra3279]

Nope. But last water heater was electric. This is gas, but does require 110 also. Still way better than the old one.