EcoSmart ECO 11 Electric Tankless Water Heater - 13KW 240V with Self-Modulating Technology - Instant Hot Water for Bathroom, Kitchen & Small Homes

So far, it appears to be reliable and does what it's supposed to... heat up water. Due to the rapidly rising costs of propane, I wanted a preheater for the propane tankless water heater to drastically reduce the propane usage, since that is the primary heavy user of LP. I sized the unit based upon 60A available where I needed it from the electric resistance backup heat [no longer used] on the HVAC heat pump next to the water heater, with lots of PV Solar on the farm for the energy. I had thought of solar hot water, but the ROI wasn't as good as using this unit to preheat the water, and this installation was an order of magnitude simpler. Seems to do the job of quickly heating the water to 120F, and then the LP tankless barely comes on to kick it up the last few degrees. Plus, if the propane unit has a problem, then I already have a hot water backup in place. As for installation, you see a few cheap Chinese manufacturing "shortcuts", such as the tiny cover screws and other hardware inside that is typically Chinese. Also, the inlet/outlet fittings are straight thread rather than NPT. They give you adapters with the unit, but being straight thread, you need lots of thread sealant to keep them from leaking. If you are using compression or straight-thread gasket sealed hoses, it won't be a problem, but my somewhat different application required other fittings. The unit is small, so will fit most anywhere, and is nice looking. The wattage of the unit, even without the LP tankless on, appears to be plenty for a 2.5 gpm shower. Now, as long as the unit holds up, it appears to be a good investment that accomplished what I bought it for.Finally made the change to tankless when my tank started leaking. Although it ended up costing almost as much as a tank would have, that's only because I had to run new wiring to it and reconfigure the plumbing including dual valves and all that.. but from here on out, any future replacements will be much less. If I wasn't able to do all of the work myself, it would have easily cost more, but I wouldn't recommend DIY unless you are comfortable/knowledgeable with plumbing and electrical work.I did have a hell of a time getting the inlet/outlets to not leak. a TON of teflon + pipe dope finally did the trick after about 4 attempts to get a tight seal. Would 5 star it if not for that..As far as performance goes, I'm very happy with it. My requirements were running 1 shower with an intake water temp that goes no lower than about 45*F in the winter. In the summer, my water temps reach the 90's, and this thing barely needs to break a sweat.We had tried the cheaper Chinese instant hot water heater, they barely worked. This one heats up enough for shower, washing machine, kitchen, with some capacity left over. Spend the extra and buy this one.While instructions do recommend professional installation, i was able to install without. Our electric did not need modification. The issue was the optional adapters. The accessory adapters are not clearly labeled for identification and their purpose. A diy'r should be familiar with diameters of compression and IPT threaded fittings.Here's my story review.I live in a mobile community, one college guy who can't buy a real house. Lived here for 25 years, one day the bathroom looks all wet on the floor, walls stained. The old waterheater sprung a leak and had to go. No floor pan was installed back in the old days so it seems *slaps head*. I shopped around for waterheaters but there were $300< starting price range. I decided to shop around and my main influence is comments (yes like this one) and youtube reviews. Found out tankless ones might save me money. Plus the initial cost was amazing I paid less than $250 for my 11kw EcoSmart unit. I use a drip/drain pan just in case it leaks somehow on the floor. I waited for this review to actually use it for 3 weeks now.I learned how to solder pipe (easy, fun, use lots of flux!!) to make some small 1/2" thread to 3/4" thread copper shortie pipes to adapt to the unit. I upgraded my circuit breaker to 60 amps dual pole (240v) from 40 amps. I was supposed to upgrade the wires to 8g but I did an infrared heat test on the current wires with hot water running and no heat problems, But I will upgrade the circuit to 8g when it's warmer out in the spring it's cold out now (winter 2011). Over all I'm super happy I bought this unit. It's perfect for one guy like me. It saved me a bundle over a regular water heater and install work (this unit was so small and so easy to install) and I'm happy to be participating in environmental/energy savings just by using this unit too. I did void the warranty by installing it myself, I'm kind of a self taught handy man, but I figure the whole unit only cost $250> so I could just buy a new one if anything goes wrong vs some novice electrican ruining stuff and I ended up paying the same amount anyway. If this brand ends up bad, i'll just switch brands. It's the darwin theory for appliances.But every review I've seen on this unit is that it is top notch quality, and when I got it I believe it also the thing is made Awesome, it has a digital dial for the temperature and it simple to install and use. I am so happy I went this route and the 11kw unit is perfect for my simple (one guy) purpose. What that really means is, one sink/shower at a time. At 120 degrees on the dial my showers are Insanely Hot and last forever. I had 3 people in here before (girlfriend and kid) and we all just respected the "showering" person by not using the water. Had to do that with our water heater before anyways. I live in the Seattle area.And MyRubberneck is a good seller too. I got my unit from UPS in about 6 days, the weekend interrupted the (3-5) delivery by a day. That's fine i'm not upset about that though. He saved me about $30 over Sears and their promise was two week delivery for online purchases (ya go check Sears). He sent it in the raw unit box, I kind of wished it had a cardboard sleeve or even a grocery bag sleeve, or bigger box for it. but the box was intact.The Benefits: endless hot water, power bill savings, no more tank pressure/old leaks etc.The Cons: my only complaint is that the warranty is nullified if you install it without a licensed electrician. Oh well. And also the documentation does not say which wire is power, neutral, or ground. The colors were Red, blue, and yellow/green. Ya I figured it out (red+, blue-, and yellow/grn=ground), but dang shouldn't documentation HAVE THAT in there? Maybe it was designed for licensed electricians only. LOL.*Also, an important factor. The water heat temp consistency directly depends on the temperature of the "ground" water coming into the unit. sometimes my shower temperatures got hot or cold (only slightly) but I'm sure it was "cold water sandwiches" but from the ground water temps, especially in winter. The unit is probably taxed to adjust to your preffered temp. Think about that in a "thermal" way. I think if you had a buffer tank or something say (a turned off small water tank 20-30gallons) that had a constant temperature before the unit heated it up then showers would be no problem. My water heater room is totally empty now sans the EcoSmart unit in there, I could put in a buffer tank easy. Or a more powerful EcoSmart unit might make this a non issue. My work around though...just turn up or down the shower dial accordingly, not that big of a deal to me.I give this thing 5 stars!! I get the feeling the big water heater, or power companies don't want people to get their hands on these types of new technologies. It was SUPER hard to find any in the stores that weren't in the thousand dollar range, this was a 1/4 that price. And this had THE BEST reviews from the internet I researched for 10 hours straight, ya I'm a nerd. When I get a real house I will probably buy the EcoSmart 27kw model. I love this unit very much. Take care.~TZProduct was easy to installWe recommended it to friends and family and it's the best decision we've ever made.It's connected to a water softener (we have well water) and we are happy with the purchase after 3 & 1/2 years.No technical issues or problems so far.Will definitely buy it again if I need to.Funciona perfectamente, el agua caliente comienza a salir en menos de 1 minuto.En casa la distancia entre el calentador y la regadera mas lejana, está a aproximadamente 15 metros. Al abrir la llave de la regadera, en aproximadamente 1 minuto comienza a salir agua caliente. Una vez alcanzada la temperatura, se mantiene totalmente estable. Es sorprendente que un aparato de estas dimensiones proporcione tanta agua caliente en tan poco tiempo, y con tan buen flujo, pues la regadera que menciono es tipo ducha, no es una regadera "ahorradora", y caliente perfectamente.Ahora bien, todo esta maravilla viene con un precio, y es el consumo eléctrico.Lo tengo configurado a 35ºC y puedo medir el consumo energético de toda mi red eléctrica. Un baño de 15 minutos consume aproximadamente 1.5 KWh. Si consideras que en México, una casa promedio consume entre 5 y 7 KWh diarios, el consumo de éste calentador es enorme. Estos datos son para finales de febrero, en Guadalajara, Jalisco, en donde la temperatura del agua que se recibe del SIAPA es de alrededor de 20ºC. En tiempos mas fríos el gasto energético consumirá mucho más, en tiempos más cálidos bajará el consumo eléctrico.Necesitas considerar cuidadosamente si esto es una opción para ti, puesto que, dicho en pocas palabras, instalar este calentador en una casa o departamento implica casi en automático pasar a la tarifa DAC (Doméstica de Alto Consumo) de C.F.E. (Estoy en México). De manera que la decisión de compra debe ser respaldad contra lo que actualmente consumes de electricidad.Como guía muy básica te puedo comentar que si tu familia es de 4 integrantes, y usas agua caliente esporádicamente para lavavajillas, lavadora, etc, este calentador fácilmente te consumirá entre 8 y 9 KWh diarios.Yo tengo paneles fotovoltaicos, calculados precisamente para este tipo de consumos, de manera que este calentador es solar, indirectamente, pero solar, sin embargo, instalar un calentador solar de agua propiamente (de esos de tubos de vidrio al vacío) es mucho, muchísimo más económico.Otra cosa a considerar: Necesitas una instalación eléctrica a 220V. y en tu centro de carga requires un breaker de 60 Amperes. Considerando que en muchas casas, el breaker principal de la casa no pasa de 50 Amperes, necesitarás considerar que es probable que necesites actualizar tu centro de carga, tu breaker principal, en resumen... NO es para cualquier casa.Ahora bien, la tecnología que ofrece este calentador, la automodulación es realmente efectiva, no veo bajones repentinos de la intensidad de la luz mientras está en uso, pero definitivamente, el consumo eléctrico es enorme, fácilmente se va a los 50 Amperes en los primeros 30 segundos para lograr calentar el agua rápidamente, una vez que alcanza la temperatura, tiende a bajar el consumo un poco, pero siendo de paso, mientras tengas la llave abierta, el calentador sigue activo, lo cual, por un lado te da agua caliente interminable, por otro lado, en 1 hora de uso fácilmente puedes consumir hasta 13 KWh.Como verás, decidirte por este calentador depende de un cuidadoso análisis, solo es adecuado para situaciones MUY particulares.I read some positive and not so positive reviews. After using this 11kw unit for more than a few months it is nothing short of outstanding. I replaced my gas hot water tank with this unit when the gas valve about to cost me $450 for a new one. Please read the tips I have provided below from what I have experienced.First off, you need to get your hot water usage under control. Hot water is not required for your laundry anymore and for sinks your water just needs to be warm so your hands don't get cold when running hot water. Your dishwasher has a heater to heat the water. I use the "Sanitize" option on my dishwasher so don't worry about the incoming temperature of the water. For my shower I purchased a 0.625 GPM (2.2 LPM) shower head that is meant for RV but I honestly find it to be more than enough. Your mileage may vary since people are as insane about their shower as they are about their coffee. I also have a 1.2 GPM (4.5 LPM) rain shower head in the second bathroom which also works well. For the 11kw model this flow is as much as it can handle. You cannot run two showers at a time but I couldn't do that with my gas hot water tank without being severely pissed. I used a ball valve to adjust the incoming flow to a point where when the sink is full on the unit still keeps up. I set the temperature to 103 degrees F and find this temperature to be perfect for the shower at full hot so you are not heating up water that needs to be cooled at the shower. At this temperature and flow the unit draws about 32Amps at 240V but you'll need to provide a 60A breaker with #6AWG wireI live east of Toronto so incoming water temperature is very cold in the winter. This unit has no problem keeping up to that. If you have a 200Amp service I would recommend the 18kw unit. I have a 100amp service and this is great. I'm putting in a basement apt and plan to use a second 11kw unit for the basement with a second 100amp service.I estimate this unit to cost me about $2 a month for the electricity to run it. With low flow shower heads I don't have to run the exhaust fans anymore when showering which saves even more.Overall I am very happy with with purchase. It fits in a little corner of the basement and frees up the space my tank was in.Ecosmart 11 works well in Nanaimo, Canada. Our water can get down to 2 C! A must is a water restrictor in the winter!!! 2 gpm is warm... 1.75 nice temp... 1.5 or less hot! and less then 1 gpm really hot!!! Important to have plumber rap 6-10 coats of Teflon tape around water line connections directly on unit; the threading on the bras fitting is milled too much... Space saved is great!!! I'm saving at least $0.20 a day on heating water I don't use. 365 X $0.20 = $73 of wasted heat! Recommend getting larger unit in cold climate. Install cost are going to be expensive... Better to just in stall low flow shower heads etc... I like mine!Up date: February 2020 I just installed 1 gpm shower head restrictor and they work awesome with the Moen shower wand that was 2 gpm. My thermal imaging camera showed 5C water jumped to 49C at shower head!!! I'm down to $0.12 per ten minute shower now and don't notice a huge difference in water reduction...My old gas water tank died on a Friday morning on a hot summer day. To replace it with the same thing would have cost probably > $1000 after factoring in the labour cost for the gas and water connection and I did not have budgeted for that kind of expense.So I decided to go the DIY route and got this unit shipped at the door next day.Went to homedepot and bought 30ft of #6 wire which was rated for 60amps as required. That was about $25.Flexible hose connectors for pex tubing - one of them with a shut off valve cost another $45.60 amp breaker for my federal pacific panel was another $62.240V plug and outlet another $25.Teflon tape for the brass connectors $0.70.After installing it and running the first tests found out that the wire was getting hot not just warm.Realized the wire I bought was aluminum and connections were getting burning hot not just hot. After further research I found that connecting aluminum with copper is a no no so went back to hd and got copper wire this time which was about $120 for 30ft.So all in the whole thing cost me close to $700 after several trips to the local hd.Now I know how to install a breaker in the electrical panel, connect pex tubes and learned a bit about high amps electrical wires. Youtube is your friend.After one week of running the unit I realized that my thermostatic water valve in the shower is not playing well with the flow sensor in the unit but it's possible to have a hot shower if I reduce the water flow on the shower to low which is ok. I have the heater adjusted to the max temp which is 60 Celsius. On the kitchen sink the water comes out burning hot. I am in the PNW area and the cold water supply gains about 5 degrees over winter temperature.So far I am very happy with this unit.Thank god for breakers!!I ordered this heater on May 29th, 2021, it is now Aug 1st, 2021, and the attached pictures show what happened. This device was properly installed, and worked well for almost 2 months, until just last night, while having a shower the MAIN!! house breaker popped. Very odd, but after opening it up and seeing what caused it, I will never trust a water heater made by this company! I know understand why they specifically say the warranty does not cover 'incidental' damages. I wonder how many house fires they have cause?Just protect yourself. Do NOT buy a water heater from this company.