Tankless Water Heaters Concern

While Tankless Water Heaters may not be illegal in C.V, there remains cause for concern. I understand that for them to be installed safely under code and permit, with what most people require as producing the temperature level they want and expect, would make the job very expensive as it would require extensive electrical rewiring.

Any installation without the required rewiring could pose a fire risk that would likely vary with each building as to the extent of the deterioration of its wiring over the years.

Avoiding this risk and expense would call for installation of a type of Tankless Heater that would
not produce hot water at the heated temperature most of us would require, but it would be acceptable under code.

This is the assessment of Tankless Water Heaters presented by 3 county officials including the Chief Electrical Inspector, Bob Carr and Chief Plumbing Inspector Joe Kajak, at a Maintenance Committee meeting on 2/9/10.

Many of those Tankless Heaters already installed in
C.V. may not be wired correctly and may pose a fire risk to both the unit and the building. The risk would greatly increase if more units had such installations.

It remains for the associations to now act upon those installations in code violation and to see that any future Tankless Water Heater installations are done under permit, within code and with the required rewiring.

Why the Association? It might be an association’s position that having informed the unit owners of the need to make certain of a contactors being licensed and insured is all they need do. Perhaps not.

An association, having advised unit owners of the need to check contractors for being licensed and insured may not leave the association without further responsibility and perhaps facing some liability.

Isn’t it possible in the event of a fire caused by a Tankless Heater, installed in violation of the appropriate code, and causing damage and serious injury, that an association having known of the risk of fire and having not taken corrective action could find itself facing significant liability claims with the added problem of possibly being denied coverage by their insurance company, based on neglect?

There is within UCO a Safety Committee that does a fine job advising and cautioning our residents in matters of safe driving, walking and the use of Golf Carts here in the village They also work closely with our Sheriffs Dept. Perhaps upon verifying the information presented here, alerting our residents and associations on the risk of fire as noted above could be added to the committee’s area of concern.

I learned recently from a friend in Boynton whose home was rebuilt last summer after burning to the ground, that when the first cold spell came and he tried to turn on the heat he discovered it was never wired. In addition a heat pump was put in but was also not wired. This work was all done under permit. From this we can see that having been granted a permit does not insure the job being done right.

I believe the above statements are accurate and I am prepared to allow for any contradiction that can be factually established. I am just asking this matter be given the consideration it requires now, rather than after an incident of fire and tragedy.

Some may feel installing a Tankless Water Heater is the business of the Unit owner and no one else. I believe this message shows that is not true.

Peter Amato’s posting on the Blog states that there is sufficient electrical power in C.V. W. Palm Beach to install 44amp Tankless Water Heaters provided the wires are upgraded to #6 and the breaker changed to 50 amps.

He further states such a Tankless Water Heater “complies with P.B. County Building Division, Planning, Zoning, and Building Department and that the above Planning Department would issue permits for 44 amp Tankless Water Heaters”

As stated above my understanding is that there would need to be extensive rewiring for safe installation of the type of Tankless Water Heaters, that could provide water heated to an acceptable temperature.

Does upgrading the wires to #6 and changing the breaker to 50amps meet the expected “extensive rewiring” that would be required? Or need there be more? What would the electrical inspector say?

As noted above my concern is also with Tankless Heaters already installed in the village. What do we know about them? Rather than being shown how permits can be obtained I ask it be shown if these Tankless Water Heaters were safely installed.

Seeing the horrifying photos of the fire damage at Oxford 400 should only reinforce our concern of the risk of fire. The damage to the unit and the resulting smoke damage to several other units should heighten our resolve for finding and removing fire risks from any source including Tankless Water Heaters.

George R. Pittell