Customer Reviews

Bosch AquaStar Indoor Liquid Propane Tankless Water Heater with Vent Hood #125FX LP

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I like this water heater quite a bit. This is a huge money saver if you only use hot water a few times a day. If you have people taking showers all day long, it is probably less so.

I researched these heaters on-line and found some people were pretty negative about them while other people were positive. I figured I would address the biggest complaints.

Complaint: It takes a while to get hot water.

Response: This is probably the biggest downside. It does take a bit longer to get hot water... this is less noticeable the longer it took to get hot water in the first place, however. If your point of use is far from your old tank, the extra delay is hardly noticeable.

Complaint: If you shut off the hot water and start it again you will get a burst of cold water.

Response: I've never observed this phenomenon. The hot water heater will shut off, and about bit of water must pass through it before it turns on again, but the thing is, the heat exchanger is still hot. So you are not going to get a burst of cold water in between uses of hot water, unless you've had the water off for a long time... in which case the water in your pipes is going to be cold as well.

Complaint: Not enough volume

Response: I've had no problem with volume of hot water with this model and the shower or dishwasher or any other appliance. I have it turned up all the way for the dishwasher, so this is the most restrictive setting. At any lower setting, or elsewhere in the US where the ground water isn't as cold as it is here, will have more water. They make a bigger model if you need to run two showers at once. That is not an issue for me.

Over all I'm very happy with this unit. The quality is excellent. The kit was complete. I've had no trouble with it. Installation is easy if you have basic plumbing skills. The hardest part - by far - of the installation is the venting. The exhaust gas is high temp, so you have to watch how close you get to combustible materials. This is a very good choice for anyone with an electric water heater, or someone who has a gas water heater that needs to be replaced.

This is my second Bosch heater purchase. I put one in my current home and it has worked flawlessly for the years - never were I or my wife (and 2 teenage sons) in want of hot water. This unit was installed in a vacation home where the random, part time occupancy will only amplify my savings - why pay for hot water when I'm not there?

We decided to replace our 40G tank water heater with a tank-less on demand heater. First, though the initial cost is approx the same ($700), considering the potential for energy savings, space savings and continuous hot water and lastly the $300 tax credit it was a no brain-er. It was easy to install and easy to get used to. It does take a few seconds longer to get the first heated water when you turn on the handle. There is virtually no energy used until heated water is called for. The movement of water initiates the ignition system, lights the pilot, which lights the burner and starts the fan blower to vent out the fumes. Its quiet and trouble free! I definitely recommend it

If your ready to convert to a tankless, there are some things you need to consider: water pressure and volume from the meter, and how important is it to you to run several hot water appliances at once.

I originally purchased a 250SX thinking that bigger is better, right? Well, not in every case. My house is 200 feet from the meter and about 60 feet above it. Even though the 250SX can crank out enough hot water to run two showers at a time, it needs more water pressure/volume than it's little brother (the 125FX) to get started and stay on. So, how do you know if you have enough pressure and volume?

You can to check the volume of water coming into your house by placing a bucket in the shower and see how many gallons per minute the house line delivers. I didn't do that ahead of time and later found that the 250SX would shut off after a minute, and then come back on (start-up water pressures are listed in the technical portion of the manufacturer's website).

So I downsized to the 125FX and I don't have that problem any more. The shower stays hot all the way through (albeit with less pressure from the head; the hotter the water setting at the 125FX's control panel, then the lower the pressure at the shower head). But all in all, the 125FX LP tankless water heater works very well for our house.

My only complaint is not with the heater, but with the seller's ad. I noticed it was advertised with a "vent hood." That's kind of misleading for the average do-it-yourselfer, because most if not all INDOOR installation units need a forced vent system to expell the vapors off the burner. That's already built in. The vent PIPE that attaches to the top of the heater, goes through the wall or ceiling and then to the outside, is a separate kit. I mistakenly believed that a unit advertised with a "vent hood" was the same as getting a vent piping kit thrown in as part of the deal. It's not.

You can get one these kits, but they are stainless steel and run about $270-300. I opened one of these kits at Home Depot and was pretty disappointed with what you get (single wall and flimsy, with lapped joints). So, I re-read the directions from Bosch (always a good idea), and noted the unit 'should' be installed with a stainless vent, but that galvanized single wall pipe was okay too, as long as the seals at each joint were air tight. This was a simple and less costly solution to expensive stainless steel kit. Suprisingly, the directions clearly stated NOT to use a double wall vent.

So there it is folks, the unit works great if your home has enough water pressure/volume, but this seller's ad should say more about the required venting that is not included. As for pricing, I guess it's pretty close to anywhere else.

We purchased one of these about three years ago from Lowes. It has been the water heater from hell! It does not deliver consistant temperature water and the water valves must be constantly adjusted while showering. It goes from too hot, to too cold for about three to five minutes and then finally settles down for a short bit, and then starts the whole temperature adjustment process all over again. The technical support, via phone, to solve the issue was totally inadiquate, and we gave up on them and lived with this dang thing for three years. Today it just quit working. I'm glad! Tomorrow I will go shopping for a new tankless water heater, (I love the concept), and it is not going to be a bosch! I would never recommend this unit to anyone except for maybe someone I did not like.

I have no complaints about how it worked... when it worked. In four years I had to adjust the ignitor once, no big deal. But shortly after the four year mark, the control box has failed at a cost of $280 for the part only. Problem is when trying to find a control box locally, no one carries them. Some dealers no longer sell Bosch heaters as they have had so many problems with them. These units are now in the $1000 + range to buy, they should last longer than 4 years. The heat exchanger is warranteed for 12 years, but everything else is 2 years so it is not covered.

I have been living with one of these for two years and the only problems I find are that occasionally (I've done it twice) you have to blow the dust out of the screen next to the pilot light, and then sometimes in the Summer I want to take a cool shower and it shuts off and I get cold after 20 seconds once the unit cools off.
Otherwise I love it. If everyone in the family wants to take successive hot showers we can!