Under sink tankless heater

Plumbing Forums

Help Support Plumbing Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Willkr

Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2024
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Salem, OR
I bought an under sink tankless water heater because in our house the hot water heater is about 75 feet from the kitchen sink. I hired a licensed plumber to do the plumbing (primarily because I HATE working under sinks). There are two valves for each supply (2 for hot and 2 for cold - one above the other). The plumber said it didn’t matter which one I connected to. I want the tankless heater to handle both the sink and the dishwasher. I bought a Bosch unit because I like their products and it was advertised as pluggable. I assumed that meant 110V pluggable - bad assumption. When I began installing it I noticed that it was designed for 220V. So- I returned it and bought another one, making sure that it was 110. I’ve now been under the sink twice.

As I was installing the second heater, I couldn’t get any leverage to screw in the screws to hold it because of the cramped quarters. So, I went out the my shed and got my cordless drill and drilled a tiny pilot hole. Just as I completed the hole, the battery died and I couldn’t get the drill out because of the cramped quarters. So, I carefully pulled the batter out, went into the shed and got a new one, and brought it to the kitchen. However, as I was inserting the battery into the drill, I broke the bit, so I had to go out to the shed and get some vice-grips to remove the drill bit. I’ve now been under the sink 6 times.

When I connected the new heater, I didn’t get any hot water out of it. I had already installed a 40 amp circuit breaker and I know that the under sink heater has power because I checked it. I also noticed that it now takes a LOT longer to get hot water at the sink from the original hot water tank. I also felt the outlet line from the under sink heater and it feels cold.
So, I returned the heater and purchased a new one assuming it was defective. I’ve now been under the sink 7 times.

I got the new heater, installed it and plugged it in to an outlet that has power. But, I’ve Still got no hot water at the tap even after my 8th time under the sink. I’m beginning to think that connecting the outlet of the heater to the tap under the sink is a bad idea. By the way, as I was getting my head out from under the sink, I banged my head and now have a bloody forehead.

The plumber put a Tee connector at the upper tap with one line going to the sink and the other line going to the dishwasher. Somehow, that doesn’t seem right to me. I’m going to take the outlet line from the heater and put the tee on that line and just close both taps on the hot water side.

Now - I’ve got three questions, One, do any of you like working under sinks in cramped quarters? (I assume the answer to that is no.) Two, have you had a good laugh from my experience (or at least a good chuckle)? I hope the answer to that is yes. And three, do you see any issue with my proposed solution?

P.S. I still hate working under sinks!

Willkr
 
To do what you want to do, the hot shut off under the sink goes into the inlet of the water heater, and the faucet and dishwasher are connected to the outlet of the water heater. Do not plug the water heater in until you have water coming out of the hot side of the faucet with no air.
 
Get a gallon jug and see how long it takes to fill it using the hot side. Time it.

What model water heater did you buy ?
 
The only 120v Bosch that I see is the US3-2R that uses a 30 amp breaker.

It’ll run about .5 gpm 1/2 gpm) at best with a 50 degree temp rise.

That means if you have 55 degree cold water then the heater will heat it to 105 degrees at a .4-5 gallon per minute flow rate.

That’s why I ask you to use a gallon jug and time how long it takes to fill it. If you flow too much water the heater doesn’t have time to heat it.

Crack the hot water on just a little and see if it doesn’t get hot…
 
As amj105 and twh have mentioned, you may be playing with fire (or fighting it soon). What 30-amp 110V plug are you using, and what’s your wire size? Putting a 40A breaker on the (15?20?)-amp dishwasher circuit and adding 30 amps of load is not a good plan. Plugging the dishwasher into a 40-amp circuit ensures it’ll go up in flames instead of tripping the breaker. At the very least you need a dedicated circuit for the hot water heater with a plug rated for 30 amps (and if you are doing that you might as well use 240V).
 
https://pdf.lowes.com/productdocuments/a0d53a3a-7c58-4a37-86b7-fcb8467624e0/16832888.pdf gives some hints, RTFM might be applicable here. For instance, if you inadvertently swap in/out it probably won’t work. There’s a switch for half power, the flow is adjustable to allow temperature rise to be controlled, there’s a neon light, etc. Seriously, if you don’t know what you are doing, get a professional (or two, electrical and plumbing) to consult on your expectations and pay them for the results you want.
 
https://pdf.lowes.com/productdocuments/a0d53a3a-7c58-4a37-86b7-fcb8467624e0/16832888.pdf gives some hints, RTFM might be applicable here. For instance, if you inadvertently swap in/out it probably won’t work. There’s a switch for half power, the flow is adjustable to allow temperature rise to be controlled, there’s a neon light, etc. Seriously, if you don’t know what you are doing, get a professional (or two, electrical and plumbing) to consult on your expectations and pay them for the results you want.
Thanks for your snarky responses. Politeness will get you much further in life.

In spite of your posts, I have decided to have a licensed electrician do the install for me. I will have him install a 220V circuit to the heater and I will swap out the 40 amp breaker for the 30 amp breaker that was there originally. I have already returned the 110V heater and will purchase a 220V version.

BTW, I already paid $300 for a plumber to install two hoses and a Tee fitting, and after consulting with another plumber I learned that my problem was caused by the way the other plumber designed and implemented it.
You might end up burning your house down.
Twowaxhack, thanks for your replies. As I told wpns, I have hired a licensed electrician to do the job for me.
 
I'm all for you doing things yourself and learning how to do new things, but If you can't take a little criticism or concern I'm afraid that you won't have much fun or success.
 
If you have a 40-amp breaker feeding #12 wire you have a recipe for disaster, get some professional help before you burn your house down.
#12 wire should only be 20 amps.... you need much bigger wire...
The max amperage to run on 10 AWG is 30 amps, and a 30 amp breaker will work out best. The 40 amp breaker on 10 AWG is overrating the circuit, the safety factor under certain situations of pushing this amount of current will overheat the conductors & will melt the wire & create smoke & fire. Imagine it on your #12... You need #8 for 40 amp breaker.
Please redesign your efforts. We don't want you to lose your house.
 
Thanks for your snarky responses. Politeness will get you much further in life.
Sorry if it came across as snarky, but you seem to be making poor choices (or poorly explaining them) and if most folks are raising safety issues you might want to listen. For instance the ‘why is my flow so low?’ is explained in the manual, and the simplest concepts around temperature rise don’t seem to be on your radar.
 
We had a similar situation when we bought our current home, so I installed a 2.5-gallon tank type heater in the crawl space right under the bathroom that was 75 feet from the main water heater. I installed it in series in the hot water line, and it solved the problem, we get hot water quickly and the temperature doesn't change when taking a shower. It plugs into a 120-volt 20-amp circuit, so the wiring was simple. It has worked great for 14 years now.
 
Back
Top