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rts551
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6699
Registered: 9-5-2003
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Quote: Originally posted by lencho  | | Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob |
clearly it requires a #4 or #6 wire depending on the run. not a big deal. quite do-able by any qualified electrician, or handy fellow.
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Might need to have a little talk with the CFE folks first. 
[Edited on 12-4-2016 by lencho] |
I am sure they will come right out and fix you up with what ever you need
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bowser
Junior Nomad
Posts: 87
Registered: 5-13-2005
Location: BOLA & Chester, California
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Larry - we have 2 Bosch tankless heaters, both from Home Depot in Ensenada purchased
at different times. Both work great. I can't imagine using a tank when tankless is so easy.
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Fernweh
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Posts: 444
Registered: 2-24-2011
Location: Centenario, BCS
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Living under the Baja sun.....
what is wrong with having a solar water heater system, easy installation!
I am using a good used 50 gal LP water heater as storage tank, no gas line hooked up.....
Find the the stuff here: http://www.heliatos.com/
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Edguero
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Posts: 112
Registered: 6-13-2006
Location: O\'side/Punta Final
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I installed a Marey tankless years ago, 2D Batteries and a Shurflo, the trick is to fine tune the hot water temperature so you don't have to turn the
cold on, works fantastic!!
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3288
Registered: 1-11-2007
Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Mood: Tranquilo
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| Quote: Originally posted by Fernweh | Living under the Baja sun.....
what is wrong with having a solar water heater system, easy installation!
I am using a good used 50 gal LP water heater as storage tank, no gas line hooked up.....
Find the the stuff here: http://www.heliatos.com/ |
We have a solar system, been working perfect for 5 years. No gas, no electric, no issues with fluctuating pressure from the typical Baja pressure pump
system, small foot print etc., etc.
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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larryC
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Posts: 1495
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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Thanks for all the responses, I did consider them and then I decided to go tankless, and in the future I may add solar hot water. I bought a tankless
from Homecheapo here in Bahia. It was not expensive, $1850 pesos. Pretty basic, rated at 7 lpm and has one knob on the front of the unit to control
the gas flame. I got it all hooked up and it acted like most people said it would with fluctuating temperatures. Everything from scalding to cool. My
setup is a 12v flojet 4gpm pump, and 1/2" copper pipes. The first thing I noticed was that my pump was cycling while I was using hot water, and the
temperature fluctuations would coincide with the cycling. So I opened the hot water faucet all the way and added cold water to the desired temp. That
helped, then I went out and reduced the flame by turning the knob on the heater to a lower flame. That helped, then I checked all my faucets and the
shower head for calcium build up and restrictions and cleaned as necessary. Finally I replaced the filter element in my water filter. Now the pump
runs constant and the temp doesn't cycle. The temp is constant and I set the flame so that the ;water temp is comfortable for a shower without adding
any cold. Now remember the part about the heater being cheap? It seems you get what you pay for 'cause the heater developed a leak inside and I
hesitate to take it apart and try to fix it. Afraid I might ruin it and not be able to return it and get my money back. A freind stopped in Ensenada
and picked up a Bosch for me, so I will install that and see how it goes.
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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A lot of it has to do with flow. We have a Bosch and we had to turn on the bathroom hot water faucet to get enough flow for hot water at the kitchen
sink. I then discovered if I use the spray function on the kitchen faucet I can get hot water without using the bathroom faucet. I also took out the
water restrictor in my shower head and get more water flow/hot water. Clean filters help. I may get a small pressure tank and booster pump to keep up
the flow.........I believe Bosch has a flow sensor valve that you can adjust that kicks off the flame as it senses water flow. Have a tankless in the
States and it works great without any problems
| Quote: Originally posted by larryC | | A freind stopped in Ensenada and picked up a Bosch for me, so I will install that and see how it goes. |
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BajaGringo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3922
Registered: 8-24-2006
Location: La Chorera
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Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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Larry, we have 2 here at our place, one for downstairs and the other for upstairs. The downstairs model is gravity flow fed direct from our tinaco and
the upstairs unit via a booster pump. We have had both units working for years now and once you get them dialed in, not only do they work great but
they use MUCH less gas and allow for multiple showers, one after another without ever running out of hot water.
A couple of tips that I would offer:
1) Buy a model that works with low head pressure - even if you have a booster pump. The other models are more prone to cycle the internal burner
(while you're showing) as the inlet pressure changes.
2) Make sure to install the units inside of your garage or utility room. A bit more complex than simple water heaters and with more electronics
onboard, they are sensitive to the the elements and will hold up much better when protected.
3) When using a booster pump in your hot water system, best to install a really low flow shower head. That will help to buffer the effects you feel
from the booster pump cycling.
4) I place 2 marks on the gas control - winter and summer settings to keep the hot water temperature just right based on the seasonal temperature of
your water source. That really helped stabilize things in the long run.
The first unit I bought for our upstairs shower developed a leak too right after we started using it so I took it back and they gave me another
identical one. The replacement unit has worked flawlessly now for nearly 5 years and still going strong.
YMMV
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BajaGringo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3922
Registered: 8-24-2006
Location: La Chorera
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Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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| Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy | A lot of it has to do with flow. We have a Bosch and we had to turn on the bathroom hot water faucet to get enough flow for hot water at the kitchen
sink. I then discovered if I use the spray function on the kitchen faucet I can get hot water without using the bathroom faucet. I also took out the
water restrictor in my shower head and get more water flow/hot water. Clean filters help. I may get a small pressure tank and booster pump to keep up
the flow.........I believe Bosch has a flow sensor valve that you can adjust that kicks off the flame as it senses water flow. Have a tankless in the
States and it works great without any problems
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That is why I recommend to choose the units specifically designed to work with low head pressure situations. I had that same problem up at my cabin
and solved it when a neighbor (a plumbing contractor) suggested making the switch. They are not that common NOB but I see them a lot down here.
Has worked quite well for me all these years...
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64854
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Great help Ron!
These things are touchy, and obviously still not 100%.
The idea is great, why heat up 30-50 gallons of water in a tank 24/7 for the minutes you use hot water each day?
The Europeans don't tank hot water, they use these tankless heaters.
I used to sell water heaters back when the tankless units began being marketed heavily (at least where I worked in the 1990s). Back then it was the
cost that was so prohibitive, but if the units had any of these problems reported here, my plumber customers would never buy them (again). Warranty
call-backs are the worst and generally money lost for the labor of replacing or fixing newly installed products.
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imlost
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Posts: 218
Registered: 3-31-2015
Location: PNW & East Cape
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I have a tankless water heater that supplies hot water to the whole house. I hate it. If the water isn't flowing at a certain high volume, it doesn't
turn on. Makes showering tricky and annoying, and I tend to waste water trying to get it just right.
My house is completely off-grid. I'm thinking of installing a tank-style water heater inline, before my tankless propane water heater. The tank water
heater will have a 12 volt heating element which will be connected to a couple of photo-voltaic solar panels. The idea is this: When it's sunny, the
tank style heater preheats the water before it goes through the tankless water heater, so I'm not using propane. When it's cloudy & cool, the
tankless water heater will kick on & supply hot water. Have any of you done this? Can you foresee any problems?
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Fernweh
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Posts: 444
Registered: 2-24-2011
Location: Centenario, BCS
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| Quote: Originally posted by imlost | I have a tankless water heater that supplies hot water to the whole house. I hate it. If the water isn't flowing at a certain high volume, it doesn't
turn on. Makes showering tricky and annoying, and I tend to waste water trying to get it just right.
My house is completely off-grid. I'm thinking of installing a tank-style water heater inline, before my tankless propane water heater. The tank water
heater will have a 12 volt heating element which will be connected to a couple of photo-voltaic solar panels. The idea is this: When it's sunny, the
tank style heater preheats the water before it goes through the tankless water heater, so I'm not using propane. When it's cloudy & cool, the
tankless water heater will kick on & supply hot water. Have any of you done this? Can you foresee any problems? |
Not sure a 12V heating element would do the trick.......
Nothing wrong with "preheating" the water in a storage tank (traditional water heater) using solar. I have a tiny 12V solar driven circulation pump
installed, it has its own small 10W 12V panel. That little pumps keeps the water in the tank at a quiet high temperature. To make the system even a
bit more sophisticated, I recently installed an electronic temp controller ($24.00) to only keep the solar pump running if the water temp is higher in
the solar collector than in the water tank.
This system is working perfect during most of the year, just in the wintertime with a 3 - 4 days overcast, I would like to have the LP gas hooked up
to the water heater......
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3288
Registered: 1-11-2007
Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Mood: Tranquilo
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I have a small LP gas heater next to the solar storage tank for the times when I have a lot of company and successive cloudy days. I think I've only
lit it once in 5 years. On a sunny day the water in the 80 gal storage tank can reach 180+ degrees F. There is a mixing valve on the tank to provide
hot water to the house at whatever temp you desire. I know solar is off topic, just thought I'd share an alternate consideration. We use ours full
time, it may not be as happy only using it seasonally or a few weeks at a time.
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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monoloco
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Location: Pescadero BCS
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They also work much better when installed very close to the point of use.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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bledito
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drill out the rivets holding the bottom on your tank, pull out the gas burner. Now punch some one inch holes around the bottom. set It up on a couple
of cinder blocks. now scavenge the beach for drift wood toss t under the bottom and voila free hot water, works great on those cloudy days too.
recommended for outside use only.
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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Mood: Full Time Residents
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| Quote: Originally posted by imlost | ...My house is completely off-grid.
I'm thinking of installing a tank-style water heater inline, before my tankless propane water heater.
The tank water heater will have a 12 volt heating element which will be connected to a couple of photo-voltaic solar panels. The idea is this: When
it's sunny, the tank style heater preheats the water before it goes through the tankless water heater, so I'm not using propane. When it's cloudy
& cool, the tankless water heater will kick on & supply hot water... |
this will work...in the summer months we ONLY use a pilot light on our 12 gallon heater...the water is hot in the morning EVERY time
the problem you will have is use of too much water...
the endless flow of hot water let people stay in the show TOO LONG
I installed a heater after the tankless...remember I had 7 total...the water in the small 12 gallon units was always hot in the showers as along as
the water was on
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soylent_green
Junior Nomad
Posts: 90
Registered: 9-4-2014
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My Bosch tankless has a mind of its own - sometimes works, sometimes doesn't and I can't see a pattern as to when and why.
Put in a gas water heater in the back guest house and works like a dream. 2017 to do list includes changing out the tankless in the main house.
I have read a little into using excess solar produced by my panels and setting up a dump load to heat water. If anyone has done this, I would be
interested in hearing more.
[Edited on 12-7-2016 by soylent_green]
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larryC
Super Nomad
Posts: 1495
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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I have been using the Bosch Balanz 7 heater now for 4 days and it works really well for me. When I bought the heater it came with an install and user
manual but it is in Spanish only. I looked on the Bosch website but could not find where to download an English version of the manual. Anyone know
where I might find a site to download a manual. My Spanish is poor enough but when you get into technical jargon then I am completely lost.
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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bkbend
Senior Nomad
Posts: 693
Registered: 11-27-2003
Location: central OR or central baja
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I tried to find an english version for my Bosch and never could. I guess different models/manuals for different countries and no need for english
language manual if it's sold only in spanish speaking countries. I finally translated enough to get by.
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larryC
Super Nomad
Posts: 1495
Registered: 8-11-2008
Location: BoLA
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| Quote: Originally posted by bkbend | | I tried to find an english version for my Bosch and never could. I guess different models/manuals for different countries and no need for english
language manual if it's sold only in spanish speaking countries. I finally translated enough to get by. |
I couldn't even find a spanish version of the manual, and like you I got it installed well enough to make it work well. If I could find the spanish
version I could have it translated. I'm sure there is some info in there that will come in handy in a year or 2 when it is time to do some maintenance
on it.
Off grid, 12-190 watt evergreen solar panels on solar trackers, 2-3648 stacked Outback inverters, 610ah LiFePo4 48v battery bank, FM 60 and MX60
Outback charge controllers, X-240 Outback transformer for 240v from inverters, 6500 watt Kubota diesel generator.
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