Water heater to tankless questions

[gthomson]

I'm just starting to look into replacing my 18 year old water heater.
And I think I want to go tankless with the Noritz NR66.
Small house - Southern California weather - 930sqft house - me an my pooch living here - 2.5 bedroom and 2 bath,
for a bird's eye perspective.

Attached is a picture of my current water heater setup, and I think I'm understanding what all is going on there
with the hot (top right), cold (top left), gas (bottom left out the wall), and relief drain (just above the top strap,
and drains outside.
The wall on the left of the picture is an outside wall and where the main water line is.
And this probably gets a little too anal for most, but this shot of my new roof -)) shows the outside view of
that gas vent out the roof - http://www.gthomson.us/projects/roof/new/curbview1.jpg - it's the one on the left in
the middle of the picture.
Sorry for so much, but it's what I need to get an understanding...

And I have a couple questions in trying to understand the water heater things...

That box under the water heater was mainly to raise where the 'open gas exposure' was so that it wasn't
at almost ground level? Got that from a comment here - https://www.nachi.org/forum/f22/hot-water-heater-question-14360/
Is that the reasoning for the raising of the water heater? More to raise the gas line?

I'm a very big fan of putting in lever/ball shutoff valves, probably more than what is needed.
The wheel valve on the top-right 'hot output' (I think) - that seems bad?
Where would you put lever/ball valves on this?

When it comes to this kind of thing, the people doing the work usually seem like rough-in kind of people.
Yet I want a finish carpenter kind of look with nice flanges, tight fittings, etc...
I want functionality first.
But I'd also like it to look nice and professional, not just 'done to code'.

I'm looking for artistry in plumbing...
How do I get that from a plumber?

 

[edee_em]

My guess on raising the unit is to avoid flooding putting out the pilot which would then lead to gas leaking. Inside units have to have a floor drain nearby.

 

[havasu]

That 18" box is to prevent gas fumes from being ignited from the water heater when it is installed in a garage.

With a tankless, you have many more options available to you but your biggest concern is to REALLY research the tankless water heaters themselves. Also, many plumbers will not touch them, so do your research on local plumbers who will be there to help you when you need repairs, which you will certainly need down the road. Lastly, please do not consider the tankless water heaters sold at the big box stores. They are usually pure junk.

 

[gthomson]

Thank you both - that helps.

I looked at the big box store options, but cost seemed to be the priority there. And if I bought one there, then had somebody install it, it would probably be quick and cheap, but maybe not good. And then when I needed a fix - they're gone. That's not what I'm looking for.

Will still research a bit more on a couple other brands.
But one guy about 30 miles south of me does only tankless installs - 3 brands - certified on Noritz.
And one guy about 20 miles to the north of me is more diversified in what he does, but is also certified with Noritz. Love that he puts the typical install cost on the web - gives me a good idea on what I need to be ready for.
Both have good reviews, from what I can find, and nice install pics as well from what I can find.

I'm really only looking at Noritz, Rinnai and Takagi at this point. If there are others to add to that short list, let me know.
And no, I'm not looking for thoughts on which one to go with - I know that gets into a religious debate of sorts

 

[havasu]

I had a Navien installed. Has a built in hot water reservoir, a built in recirc pump, is 99% efficient, and you use 3" PVC for intake and exhaust. Really energy efficient and had a wired control for fault codes, you can adjust recirc time, adjust heat, and place on vacation mode from a comfortable position rather then on the side of the unit.

 

[phishfood]

From what little I can see from your pictures, I would be looking to install a Noritz EXTR40. It is basically an NRC66 with top water connections and a flexible vent system that can utilize your existing vent.

Lots to consider before deciding what unit to use, so understand that is a recommendation based on incomplete information.

Also understand that a tankless usually requires more maintenance than a tank.