LESLIE: Alright. Well, if you’ve got a question about a tankless water heater, you might be like our friend Gene in Texas, who’s dealing with an issue. What can we help you with?
GENE: Hey. I just bought a house and there’s a Bosch tankless water heater. It was installed about two years ago and I get in the shower and turn the water on all the way on hot, it’ll determine the shower. It’ll go from hot to cold, hot to cold; sometimes stays on there for a minute, sometimes it doesn’t. Just curious. What could be the problem with that?
TOM: Very unusual situation. I will tell you that there – the most common defect with tankless water heaters is improper installation. If the gas line is undersized that the burners can’t get enough gas to actually do what they’re supposed to do, that condition can happen. I would suggest that you reach back out to the manufacturer, that you carefully examine the installation – especially the size of the gas line – because while a standard tank water heater typically uses a three-quarter-inch gas line, a tankless water heater usually uses a bigger one than that and sometimes the plumbers don’t install the right line. As a result, you don’t get enough gas to the burners; can’t do its job.
You see, tankless water heaters use less gas but they require a bigger volume of it for a shorter period of time, Gene.
GENE: Ah, OK. OK. Well, that’s something to check on then. Thank you.
TOM: Alright, give it a shot. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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