Endless hot showers... How could you not love this thing?!
Written: Jan 11 '08 (Updated Jan 30 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: It saves space. It's cheaper than any other tankless heaters I've seen. It's energy efficient.
Cons: Difficult installation. Temperature varies. Faucet must be fully on to operate (no hot water trickle).
The Bottom Line: I recommend it if you aren't afraid of making a few adjustments to both your lifestyle and the heater. I definitely recommend it if you love long, hot showers.
|
|
|
| akjay1976's Full Review: Bosch AquaStar 125B NG Natural Gas Tankless Water ... |
The following review was my initial opinion of the Aquastar 125B. I have updated the title and pros/cons to better suit my current opinion but I'll leave the review alone because I think it helps illustrate how this heater can take some dialing in and getting used to. Check out all the comments for my recent opinions and tips on getting the unit dialed in.
I bought the 125B 4 years ago with the intention of using it to heat a 1000gal hot tub that I was building. I know that's not what it was designed to do but the price was right and the size was perfect. It did a good job of heating the hot tub despite ambient temps of 15* below zero (February in Fairbanks, Alaska). The hot tub suffered massive failure and I think the only thing that may have functioned as expected was the water heater.
Yesterday, I began installing the 125B in my new house to replace the tiny electric heater that only allowed for 5 minute (maximum) warm showers. It should be noted that the 125B sat outside, mounted to a decommissioned hot tub, and exposed to arctic conditions for no less than 3 years before I found a use for it. I was exited about getting the thing installed because I was tired of the daily shower routine of getting wet and turning the water down to conserve what's left in the tank while soaping up, then turning the water back up to rinse off. Not to mention, I was happy to get the opportunity to finally use the unit for it's intended purpose.
The first thing I realized was the venting issue. It seemed that the simplest option was to go against local code and combine the venting with my existing furnace exhaust. No problem. There was no way I was going to cut more holes through my house for this heater that I wasn't sure that I would even like. I also realized how difficult it was trying to find the recommended type B vent pipe and elbows in 5in diameter in local stores. Then again, sometimes it's hard to find 100 watt light bulbs in Fairbanks! I wound up using regular 24 gage stove pipe for the vent and I still had to have a fitting custom made at a local fab shop for $80.
Finally, after hours and hours of work, the unit was installed and ready for the water to be turned on! I turned on the water supply and instead of the brief whoosh that I was hoping for, I got a whoosh followed by a shhhhhh and saw water spraying from the infamous water valve on the 125B! Upon close inspection, I noticed a large crack in the side of the water valve and figured that it had retained some water and froze during the time that it was being stored outside (ok, my fault). Now I began to worry about when I would be able to take a hot shower again!
I disassembled the water valve and did everything I could to repair the cracked section of it, the whole time thinking about how a replacement will probably cost as much as the whole unit, and in the end, my repair was worthless. All I was able to do was slow the leak to a steady, containable trickle and get online to order a replacement water valve. I easily found the part online and to my surprise, it was reasonably priced ($150 and some change).
Now, with the replacement water valve on the way, and my 125B limping along, I have done 2 loads of dishes, 4 loads of laundry and taken 2 showers and have had hot water for all of them! There are a couple of things I can complain about. Both of the showers were the same, it seemed like the water was fading from unbearably hot to lukewarm (almost cold) and back again. It was probably the same for the laundry and the dishwasher but I can't be sure. I know this has a lot to do with the temperature of the inlet water (just above freezing) and the pressure and volume of the water which fluctuates due to the fact that I have a pressure pump/tank and water holding tank (similar to a shallow well setup). From reading these reviews, I notice that this is a common problem with this unit. I've heard some people say they have installed low-flow fixtures to overcome the problem and others say they have removed the low-flow fixtures to solve it. I notice that the owners manual is very unclear and rather vague and complicated (and I'm a smart guy!) when addressing this topic which leads me to believe that this may be the only downfall of tankless heaters. If anyone has a comprehensive suggestion, please email me at ak_jay.1976@yahoo.com. Otherwise, I think I may suffer the same fate as a lot of unhappy tankless users. They are great in theory, but just don't deliver the endless HOT water that doesn't need constant adjusting that we, Americans want.
I want to save money and help the environment as much as the next guy. But I also want to jump in the shower and have hot water for as long as I like, without having to worry about adjustments or if the thing will blow up! If anybody can give me some worth-while advice, please feel free to type me! Unil then, I just can't say if this is the wave of the future or not!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
akjay1976
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.