Bosch looks like they are the only game in town with the aquastar line. But I found mixed reviews even from the people that liked it. Is there another brand of whole house water heaters out there that are better than the bosch line?
I have a gas heater now. It is about 15 years old, and apparently putting out dirt or mud if you get to the point you use all of the hot water. So I plan on getting a jump on it before it dies.

Quoted: Bosch looks like they are the only game in town with the aquastar line. But I found mixed reviews even from the people that liked it. Is there another brand of whole house water heaters out there that are better than the bosch line? I have a gas heater now. It is about 15 years old, and apparently putting out dirt or mud if you get to the point you use all of the hot water. So I plan on getting a jump on it before it dies.

I have one and I like it. I understand that newer gas ones (mine is about 5 yrs. old) have electronic ignition and a choice of a higher water flow and they are available in electric.  Do a "Google" for "tankless water heaters" and you'll learn more and there are other makers.

Also do a seach on this site.
I remember something about a new tankless that uses microwaves to heat with.

Saw that, but would prefer to stick with gas.

This is the one I was thinking about getting.

www.e-tankless.com/

My FIL uses one, he bought it at Menards. Cant think of the brand though. I know Menards website completely blows donkey ass for looking at products though.
otherwise, hes quite happy with it.

I got one of these: Rinnai last summer and it has been working out well. The only problem is that it takes about 25 seconds for the water in the kitchen to get hot. I think the distance and a small time for the heater to cycle up are the cause, just a minor annoyance. These are supposed to have a better temperature rise than the Bosch and allow more than one thing to use hot water at a time. I would recommend checking into one of these.

i have a bosch and it works great, there is an extra couple of seconds to get hot water but it cut the gas bill in half, i like the fact that in the summer i can turn down the flame size to save even more. they do make them in different sizes if you need/want bigger. the one i have can do 4.5 gallons per min at a 70 degree rise. the ones that have electric start take a little longer

One of the main problems people have with them is they size them wrong for thier application. OR they go with the model with specs that just make it to thier usage level. Get one that if anything seems a little larger than what you need. this will push the price up a bit but it will assure you plenty of hot water even during high demand times.  Also keep in mind that since it is now 2006 if you replace your current hot water heater with a more efficent model you will qualify for an $300 tax credit. And while you would have to wait til the end of the year to apply it to your 2006 taxes it would offset some of the cost of a tankless. Other appliances/furnaces/AC units, qualify for tax credits as well but I dont have the whole chart here in front of me.

The problem I saw with the Bosch is that several people have blown a part that they had to wait several days for. The fact that it was the same part for each review I read, bothers me.

The e-tankless is electric, so no. But thanks. If you are looking electric, I found http://www.seisco.com/ has a good reputation, and some builders were using them.

Rinnia, noritz and Takagi were the two I found on further searches that might be interesting. But I could find no reviews on any of them.
Good to hear someone has tried the rinnai and likes it. I found it interesting you could series that one.
Takagi doesn't make it easy to find anyone that sells their stuff.

Anyone else have one they like?

A couple of people asked about the 2006 tax credit so here is the link
www.ase.org/content/article/detail/2654#home_improvement

up to a $500 total for energy effiency upgrades to your home (windows,doors,insulation) with individual (IE $300 for water heater ) credits for other upgrades. --total cap is $500 but there are several ways to get there--many of which you may be ready to do anyway.

Quoted: A couple of people asked about the 2006 tax credit so here is the link www.ase.org/content/article/detail/2654#home_improvement up to a $500 total for energy effiency upgrades to your home (windows,doors,insulation) with individual (IE $300 for water heater ) credits for other upgrades. --total cap is $500 but there are several ways to get there--many of which you may be ready to do anyway.

Thanks dude !

btt for the weekday crew.