The upcoming EZTR40 from Noritz makes replacing a 40-gallon, gas-fired, storage tank-type water heater easier— and therefore more affordable— than ever. If your local gas utility offers rebates for tankless water heaters, chances are, the installed cost of a new Noritz EZTR40 could rival that of doing a “like-for-like” replacement of your old tank model.
The greater affordability of the EZTR40 is due to several important factors. One is that this new product permits the use of the very same half-inch gas line that now services your tank-type heater. Not having to run a new gas line is a major cost savings. Your installer will simply disconnect the gas line from the old unit and, after it is removed and the new tankless hung in place, reattach the line to the EZTR40.
Until recently, it was thought that replacing a tank water heater with a tankless unit automatically required upsizing from a half-inch gas line to a three-quarter-inch line, because of the additional fuel required by the larger, more powerful burner inside the tankless unit. This more powerful burner is needed to immediately raise the temperature of the cold water entering the tankless unit to the desired level for washing, cleaning and cooking. Remember, with tankless, there is no storage of hot water: the water temperature must go from cold to hot in an instant.
In 2012, the National Fuel and Gas Code was updated in an effort to stay current with changes in technology and the industry, as well as to clarify some key points. This new, more accurate interpretation of the code permits the use of the half-inch gas piping for inputs up to 174,000 BTU per hour, as long as the gas pressure to the water heater is at the appropriate level.
The EZTR40 helps you save in other ways besides using the same gas line as your current tank water heater.
- Unlike most tankless water heaters, the hot-and-cold water connections of the EZTR are located on the top of this unit (not the bottom), just like on a tank water heater. This allows the flexible hot-and-cold-water lines used by the old water heater to be quickly and easily reconnected to the new EZTR40 without having to create any additional plumbing.
- The EZTR40 vents with two-inch, flexible polypropylene tubing that is threaded directly through the existing B-Vent formerly used by the tank water heater it is replacing. As a result, there is no need to spend time — or money — changing out the vent.
In short, the Noritz EZTR40 makes tank replacement quick and simple, and therefore easier on your wallet. Which is why the tank-to-tankless switch is not as expensive as you may have been led to believe.
For more information on the EZTR40, please visit www.noritz.com.