Wanderport Corp (WDRP)

[eggdude]

Microwave Vs Electric tankless
From an older artical - At the time the author was prdicting 2010 as the year we would start to see microwave tankless waterheaters. Apparently the thought at the time was that the microwaves could heat the water at a quicker rate in colder climate areas. The biggest hurdle for a tankless system is colder water temp at inlet. Looking forward to seeing some statistics for our unit!

What are the remaining draw backs to tankless water heaters in North America? As with most energy conservation measures, the up front costs are higher than our standard energy wasting tanks but payback is generally reasonable. Electric units work well but require 240volts at 60 to 90 amps , more than most North American homes have available -- sometimes requiring expensive new electrical entry panels that could make them a poor payback. If you have old wasteful shower heads, or one of those 9 head showers, it could have problems delivering hot water fast enough.

In some areas the ground water in winter time is far colder than elsewhere, far colder than many countries that successfully use nothing but tankless water heaters, making it difficult for some tankless heaters to meet our demands. If you want to install a tankless heater in Canada be sure that you get references from installations in your area, call those references and see if the unit you are looking at is capable of dealing with the temperature of your incoming water -- some do, some don't.

So you need to do your homework, but if it is time to replace your old hot water tank, it is indeed worth looking at the possibility of an energy saving tankless water heater. Just to tease you, by 2010 we will be seeing microwave tankless water heaters coming on the market that will be exceptionally good at dealing with cold ground water temperatures without high electrical demands. That may just change the entire water heating market.
http://joneakes.com/jons-fixit-database/1947