Point of Use Water Heater

[hassibi]

I have a question about small point of use Water Heaters. Can a 4 gallon one be used by itself (without tying into the main hot water) for use with a kitchen sink and dishwasher?
I have a slab leak and am trying to avoid costly digging in my slab or re-routing the line. If a small water heater can work in the kitchen, it could be an ideal solution.

thanks for any help

 

[johnjh2o]

You could do that but what are you going to do with the leaking hot water line? If you house is on a slab and all the water lines are under it. There is a good chance they are looped. What is done the hot water comes from the heater to one fixture and in the wall at that fixture it also connects to another line that goes back down under the slap to another fixture. If you cap the line at the heater for the kitchen that line could be feeding more then just the kitchen.
John

 

[hassibi]

It only supplies the kitchen, the leak is at a manifold (or below it) in a wall and I can account for the hot water supply to the rest of the house from the other (non-leaking) or re-routed lines so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[hassibi]

the leaking line would be cut off from the supply at the manifold and capped.

 

[johnjh2o]

Like I said you could use a small heater for the sink and dishwasher. What I would do is to find out how much hot water the dishwasher uses to run a cycle. I'm sure you have been told that there is a re pipe in you near future. After all the rest of the water lines are the same age. It may be more cost effective to do the re-pipe before spending money on a 2nd heater.

John

 

[hassibi]

How would i check the dishwasher's water use? and yes, some of the lines have already been re-piped, just not in the position to spend a big chunk of money to do the rest right now.

 

[johnjh2o]

Not sure of what you capability's are but it's not that hard to do a re-pipe with PEX. Just something for you to think about. There a plenty of people here to help you through it. What ever you decide to do I hope it works out for you.

John