Hot and Cold
So the tankless water heater is in, and the good news is that we have all the hot water we could ever want; it's a pretty nifty little unit I must say. I've been downstairs when the hot water has been turned on and it fires up immediately. You can set the temperature up or down on the outside, simple. So here's the overall review of our experience with Newten and the tankless heater in general.
Hot
Newten's customer service was great, very responsive and professional.
The unit seems really solid and simple, and comes with a ten year warranty.
Overall, given the cost of a new regular tank with installation, not too bad in terms of cost
Hopefully, great energy savings.
No more showers running cold
Installation guys were very nice.
Cold
Hot water takes a little longer to get to the faucet as it's not being warmed in the pipe the same way tank heaters do. Not that significant though.
BUT the installation itself was terrible. The installer, named Barry, said he didn't think he could fit it where the old heater was due to space and venting issues and suggested moving it above the utility sink in the laundry room. Even though I wasn't crazy about it, I took him at his word and agreed. Looking at the great big hole where the old heater was, it's clear that he actually just didn't want to put it in there, as it was a tougher install. So he said he needed to put it above the sink, which would have been okay except:
a) they put it too low, meaning the gas lines and stuff coming out of the bottom of the unit now block the cold water faucet of the sink. So I'll have to move the sink forward or something. It also means I can't really put a counter top over the washer and dryer, which was the original plan. So that sucks.
b) they attached it to the wall so shoddily, just screwed to a couple of planks that looked like they'd been cut with steak knives. Looked like crap on what is a finished room (see photos)
c) because it wasn't where the old heater was, he had to run the gas and water from there to the new location, none of which were secured.
I wrote to Newten to complain about this, and (to his credit) Barry came back the next day to see what he could do. Bottom line is: Not much. He was very nice, but made excuses about why it couldn't have been moved to the other location (which reminds me, and forgive me Jos, I don't mean you here, of programmers I've worked with who make elaborate excuses about why they can't do what you're asking, and the only way get them to do it either tell how it's done, or to find a site where it has been done... then they grudgingly do it). He did agree to fix the crappy wood planks and afix the cables, but frankly, I'm not happy and wish I'd dug my heels in about it when we initially discussed installation. Nice guys finish last with contractors, and that's all there is to it.
So overall, I wouldn't say I'd wholeheartedly recommend Newten, although I wouldn't say avoid them either. If you have a simple install, then go for it. But I'd also look into Enwise for a competitive quote (they look cheaper, although it's hard to know what their "conditions" are) and installation reco.
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