Tankless Water Heaters in Buford, GA Gas, Venting & Descaling

Buford is not like the rest of Gwinnett when it comes to utilities. The City of Buford runs its own water, sewer and natural gas, and that matters for a tankless water heater, because a tankless unit lives and dies by its gas supply. Before the question of brand or price, the question here is what your gas meter and line can actually deliver.

Start With the Utility

A tankless unit can draw several times the gas of a 40 or 50 gallon tank at full fire. If your home is on City of Buford gas (their service area reaches past the city limits, so check your bill), the first call is to the gas department, not the plumber. Ask whether the meter and regulator can handle the added load, and ask what the process is if they need to be upgraded. A plumber then checks the pipe sizing from the meter to the heater location, including every other gas appliance on the same line.

If you only have electric service, or propane, tankless is a different decision, and the electrical panel or tank capacity becomes the limit instead.

Is Tankless Right for Your House?

It tends to make sense when:

• You run out of hot water during back-to-back showers
• You want the closet or garage floor space back
• You plan to stay long enough to benefit from the longer service life
• The house is already getting gas or remodel work

A tank may be the better call when:

• The current tank works and you may sell soon
• The gas line or meter upgrade is large for your lot
• Your hot water demand is modest
• You will not do annual maintenance

For tank replacement, see water heater installation. If you are weighing age, how long a water heater lasts covers it.

Sizing for Georgia Winter

Tankless sizing is about temperature rise: how many degrees the unit must add to the incoming water at a given flow. The incoming water in a Georgia January is much colder than in July. A unit sized for a summer shower will fall short on the coldest morning of the year.

• Count the fixtures that run together: two showers plus a dishwasher is a different load from one shower.
• Use winter incoming temperature for the calculation.
• Check the gas supply first. A large unit is pointless if the line cannot feed it.
• Consider a recirculation loop if the bathrooms are far from the heater.

What a Proper Conversion Involves

1. Gas capacity check from the meter to the heater, with every appliance counted.
2. Venting. Condensing tankless units use sealed venting in stainless or polypropylene. The old atmospheric flue from a tank usually cannot be reused.
3. Condensate. Condensing units make acidic water that needs a drain and, in many cases, a neutralizer.
4. Isolation valves, so future flushing is a quick hookup instead of a plumbing job.
5. Permit and inspection. Ask which office issues the permit for your address.
6. Electrical. Gas tankless still needs a power outlet nearby for the fan and controls.

When you collect proposals, ask each plumber to list the gas line work, venting, condensate handling and permit as separate items. Quotes that skip one of them are incomplete, and ask for the price before any work starts.

Descaling

A tankless heat exchanger has narrow passages that run very hot, so mineral scale builds up wherever water is heated. Scale reduces flow, raises gas use, causes the cold bursts known as the cold water sandwich, and eventually shows up as error codes and lockout. Follow the manufacturer's interval, and plan on a yearly flush if you are not sure. Manufacturers often ask for service records if you file a claim, so keep them.

Common Tankless Problems

• Cold bursts between hot: scale, a flow sensor, or undersizing.
• Error codes and lockouts: diagnosed by code first, not by swapping parts.
• Won't ignite: frequently low gas supply pressure, not the igniter.
• Weak flow after several years: usually scale.
• Short cycling on small draws: sometimes a setting.
• Blocked condensate drain: a safety lockout on condensing units.

Rinnai, Navien, Rheem, Noritz and Takagi are common brands in Georgia. Ask the plumber if they work on yours. Our post on no hot water troubleshooting covers the checks that apply to tankless units too.

Buford Houses

Older Buford near downtown

Tankless here is usually about space. An older house with a tank taking up a hall closet gains real room. Older gas piping may be small, which makes the line check more important. Houses of this age may also have older water supply lines, so look at those before the heater is swapped.

Newer homes toward the Mall of Georgia and Hamilton Mill

Bigger houses with several bathrooms often outrun a tank. Count the peak load with everyone home, and size for that. See our Buford page for the area we take calls from.

Houses near Lake Lanier

Some have a guest suite, a detached space or a long run to a far bathroom. Include those in the sizing, and consider a recirculation loop for the long run.

Calling From Buford

Call (770) 285-5619. The phone line is answered 24/7, and we connect Buford callers with an independent local plumber who handles tankless water heaters, water heater repair and gas leak repair. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the City of Buford gas department or 911 from outside before you call us. Neighbors in Dacula and Suwanee can use the same line.

Frequently Asked Questions